Tag gratitude
candelabra wanted
One of my long-term students is following her heart and moving with her husband to Nepal to do some missionary work. While I’m sad to see her go, I’m thrilled to be the recipient of her amazing keyboard! Woo hoo!…
Benning and Blackerby- a traveling cellist’s best friends.
Flying with any instrument is a challenge. Flying with a huge instrument is a HUGE challenge, especially with the bizarro security antics going on around the country. So when I excitedly accepted my cousin’s request to play for her wedding…
rewiring project
I’m always deeply touched by stories like this, (where thousands of people are getting together to make a kid’s wish come true)– and I think part of it is because much of my childhood involved dealing with lots…
chattin’ with Lucy
I have no idea how Lucy has such technical know-how, but this just happened (you may need to click to enlarge): The fundraiser got me a huge start towards purchasing Henri, and I have a sense that things will…
priorities
“I don’t want to hear myself cry”. I find incredible depth in those words, and in their timing. Ellen took it to the next level. PS: She rocks the half sleeve like a boss.…
I have the best students.
As a thank you for helping him choose an instrument, one of my students drew this for me: a Marine playing the cello. This could not be a more timely reminder of what’s important. I really do need my…
memorial day, 2012
Excerpted from Rupert Brooke’s sonnet 1914: III : The Dead Blow out, you bugles, over the rich Dead! There’s none of these so lonely and poor of old, But, dying, has made us rarer gifts than gold. These laid the world…
what do you play for?
…and by play, I mean “do your thing”. I know this blog is read by all kinds of people who have nothing to do with cello: members of the military, lindy hoppers, business owners, retired folks (whose schedules are now…
from the big man himself
Whoa. Click to enlarge what Santa had to say in response to our letters!
Today
Veterans Day. This morning, I was scanning what people had to say in their blogs and various social media outlets. One guy, a friend of mine, said something to the effect of “Happy lip service day! Too bad…
Quantico
As a kid, people always asked what I wanted to do when I grew up. Maybe they could already detect my ill-fated and inconvenient relationship with music and were testing the waters for a more rational direction. It was around…
on regrets, dancing, and being alive
I had a pretty significant health scare back in the spring. It was to the point that they thought I may have had less than 5 years left. I remember seeing the doctor’s number on my phone about 20…
on writing.
I work really hard when I write. It’s some of the most enjoyable time I spend (tied with practicing cello, dancing, and flying). A few years ago, I hassled the folks over at Strings into letting me scribble a bit…
Cheers, Socrates! A commentary on YouTube haters.
I’m used to being misunderstood. Heck, I’m used to being understood and then despised for what I genuinely mean. Anyone who has ever posted or commented on YouTube knows that it is a haven, a sanctuary….a sucktuary, if you will,…
From the mailbag.
Today, I got two emails. One, from someone I have known for a long time. Another, from someone I have never met before. Email #1: Hi again, I’m no avid reader of your blog but I do admit to checking…
The Best Valentine’s Day Ever
You know you love the music. Buy it here.
Choosing Happiness
There has been much tragedy in my life. At least half of it actually happened. -Mark Twain I get a lot of stick from some of my most beloved blog/Twitter pals for being largely upbeat most of the time. I…
The real me.
Ask anyone who has ventured into the deep end of music teaching about how they balance performance and pedagogy, and you are bound to get all kinds of answers. In my own experience, I can candidly offer the following: There…
Thanks, Jackie.
If you had any questions about it, now you have an answer. You should play some cello. You just should.
Spice for the recipe
In the baseball game of Audition vs Emily, the pitcher is kicking the dirt on the mound, leaning forward to consult the catcher’s sign, and has risen up: coiled and ready to pounce. Less than a week till the audition,…
The comforts of home
When I decided to take a break from Los Angeles, things were on the rough side. I couldn’t seem to hold onto enough students to make the ends meet, I was still healing from my surgery, and it felt as…
a lot for a little
I was watching SportsCenter this morning and found myself unexpectedly cheered by the sight of Giants pitcher Barry Zito. No, I haven’t traded in my allegiance to the Phillies. It was his socks. Allow me to explain. There are certain…
Steps
I shed the first of what are sure to be many tears today as I reflected on one particular student’s journey. My strength as a teacher (and possibly as a human) is the same as my greatest weakness: I invest…
Sorry, Johns Hopkins.
To have this pressed into my hand after the recital yesterday means more than any accolade a high-level institution could bestow upon me.
the Amazon
While it does not net me nearly as much revenue as my beloved Lulu, it is pretty exciting to have my book offered on Amazon! I am working feverishly on the next text, which is not the sequel to AMCM.…
with love
Just a quick note to say thank you to everyone who reads and comments and emails here and through my site. It is nice to feel appreciated, and even when I’m critiqued, I learn how to be a better teacher,…
Pretty good!
For those of you who aren’t doing the whole Twitter thing, a quick hello from ulnar recovery 2009! Right after the surgery, I could feel more of my pinky and ring fingers than I had in years. Still swollen and…
this is the best I can draw.
I had quite a day on Monday. Here are the highlights! Creme de la Crepe cafe in Redondo is my favorite for light French fare. This is a cremeux espresso: double shot with fresh whipped cream. Les serveuses there are…
Frazier/Ali
It’s interesting how much I learn from teaching. Over the past year or so, I have had four or five students rise quickly to the “uh-oh this is serious!” level of intensity with their cello practice and approach to playing.…