Post originally published 12 June, 2007 I wish I could send my adult students to music school, if only just for a week. Not to be inspired by the hours and hours of practice or the tide of talent that…
Post originally published 28 April, 2009. Does this sound like you or anyone you know? Calloused hands, a closet full of full skirts and/or ‘comfy’ black pants, referring to people in strange code languages (“I was just thinking about…
In the third installment of this series, I’m going to encourage you to do something fairly radical: pay much MUCH more attention to your bow during your practice. Favor it. Examine it. Look to it as the cause of 80%…
If we think about the relationship between you and your instrument as a romance, practice can be seen as courtship. You’re getting to know about the cello, finding out about yourself, and making your intentions known. You want this…most ardently. …
The goal of this series is to provide you with several small changes in approach, presented one at a time, that will streamline and improve your practice process, while also reminding you that MXC* was perhaps the only worthwhile programming…
Olivier and Sebastian: 2.5 hours of delicious community service. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
In the basement, a rare inter-seasonal meeting of S.N.O.W (Society of Neat Ornaments, Washington DC) convenes to determine the fate of Olivier and Sebastian. Put forth as evidence are the weapons used in the attempted assault on Piney, as…
Wearing disguises, Sebastian and Olivier make their move.
The pumpkins seek the advice of the wise old wreath, who is rumored to have been on the stoop for a long time.
Bless her furry grey heart: Lucy’s been trying to email you guys. While I’m gigging like crazy and finishing up at Hopkins, she was hoping for some pen-pals to keep her company. Don’t tell her I know about her little…
Back for more, eh? Here are some additional questions from the Q&A on Twitter: @CatePolacek asks: Oh, oh, can you explain the false string thing? I’ve yet to change mine, but your recent experiences are…
It’s been busy times in the stark raving life of your friendly neighborhood cellist. I suspect this will be one of the last blogs at this address: the whole shebang is going to move over to my big site. But…
I woke up this morning, certain there was an intruder in the house. Lucy D. WonderCat had the big eyes, and I could hear what sounded like someone rifling through the contents of my toilette in the adjoining bathroom. I…
The audition pieces are chosen for very specific reasons. They want to see you hold down a sense of time when rushing is what feels good, they want to see huge flexibility in dynamic range, tone quality and color, intonation,…
Ed: Now with more soundy sound!
10) It’s too hot. You don’t say! We live in the desert, in case you hadn’t noticed. 9) I’m, er…sick. (on the phone, with festive sounds in the background) You will be after the 7 vodka tonics you’re in the…
Dear Friends, I lead a very good life. I would generally say that I am upbeat, resilient, and able to cope with the painful and stressful stimuli that present themselves to me from time to time. That is, until yesterday.…
…I only wish the very last one had been edited out. EDIT: now showing: Episode 2.My personal fave is the Storm Trooper. EDIT, again: The Star Wars Special!