This summer will be quite different from the summer of 2010. An obvious change will be that I will spend much more time here in No. Indiana. I confess to having developed an "itch" for travel. Now that my grant funds have been spent scratching that itch is much more difficult. For all intents and purposes my Lilly project has concluded. The changes I've gone through, the people I've met, the challenges I've faced, the places I've visited, and the time I've devoted in the pursuit of becoming a better fingerstyle guitarist have easily culminated into one of the most rewarding years of my life. The wonderful thing about all of this is that I will be forever positively changed for the experiences.
Now I face the summer of 2011 with a definite increase in my skill level as a guitarist, a bit more courage as a performer and the desire to build on the phenomenal foundation that my grant activities facilitated. I've come to the conclusion that I must take the time to really plan out my practice time. I have so many pieces of music that I want to learn but there is not enough time to absorb them all. Quality is intrinsically more important than quantity. So a fair share of my time will be spent improving and internalizing the pieces I have memorized and then add some other pieces. I do not want to trade off tunes in my repertoire. I want to strengthen and build my repertoire. I want to play a core set of pieces without fear of stumbling through them and instill expression into my performance as well. Perhaps this summer will bring with it a spark for musical composition.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
The Desperate Conclusion to Spring Break
I think we all agree that humans are affected by the weather. Today, the Sunday before returning to school after Spring Break, was an absolutely gorgeous day. It was Summer today, 83 degrees at one point and sunshine all day long. Who could feel lousy on a day like today? Well I know that is possible but for me the weather today was a major boost to my mood. I admit that I was pretty useless and sluggish the past week. Just couldn't muster much excitement about much of anything. Until today, the best two days of the Week of Freedom were shared with my grandsons. I had a great time taking them to see "Hop" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". I also admit having an excellent time picking on my eldest grandson Austin. The boys seemed have a great time too. Skyler got out of the car twice to hug me goodbye when step-dad picked them up. Sure made me feel loved. John and I went to see "Hanna" yesterday and we decided it was a pretty good flick. Wide open for sequel. Since John had to work all this week that was our one "fun" activity, that and getting our tax return prepared(can you sense the fonts oozing sarcasm).
Today I managed to actually finish up some work on my computer. I had replaced the hard drive over a month ago and because I lacked screws to mount the drive my computer case was left wide open with its guts exposed. I also purchased a new DVD/CD/BluRay drive because my current one is mechanically starting to fail. So I installed the new one today and installed the software that accompanies it. Seems like that job went smoothly. I took things a step further because I dug out the Edirol audio interface and installed that as well. This gives me the capability to plug in a guitar and record directly to my computer. I have been using Acoustica's Mixcraft software. I must admit it was a pain the A$$ to tweak the settings to get it play nicely with the Edirol. Eventually I was successful and that led into spending about 4 hours recording a few tunes. It was excellent practice and a good way to evaluate my playing. Now I have a about five tunes recorded and added to my iTunes library. Funnily, iTunes gave me the option to put my name down as artist and to create an album title. Since some of what I recorded was noodling and improvisation I decided a fitting album title is "Don't Expect Me to Play That Again".
Oops it's 11pm, must go to bed.
Today I managed to actually finish up some work on my computer. I had replaced the hard drive over a month ago and because I lacked screws to mount the drive my computer case was left wide open with its guts exposed. I also purchased a new DVD/CD/BluRay drive because my current one is mechanically starting to fail. So I installed the new one today and installed the software that accompanies it. Seems like that job went smoothly. I took things a step further because I dug out the Edirol audio interface and installed that as well. This gives me the capability to plug in a guitar and record directly to my computer. I have been using Acoustica's Mixcraft software. I must admit it was a pain the A$$ to tweak the settings to get it play nicely with the Edirol. Eventually I was successful and that led into spending about 4 hours recording a few tunes. It was excellent practice and a good way to evaluate my playing. Now I have a about five tunes recorded and added to my iTunes library. Funnily, iTunes gave me the option to put my name down as artist and to create an album title. Since some of what I recorded was noodling and improvisation I decided a fitting album title is "Don't Expect Me to Play That Again".
Oops it's 11pm, must go to bed.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Progress Being Made
It's been awhile since I visited my own blog. It is amazing how much time school takes up and how exhausted one can feel after a day with the kids. It is a mere two weeks before Spring Break and I believe everyone at school is ready to relax for a week and recoup some energy to close out the end of 2010/11 school year. Winter's ugly grip may have finally eased and in fact today the temperature managed to rise to 70 degrees! The last of the artificially made snow mountains have actually melted in the past day or two. Oddly we have not had one of our intense rain storms that usually does this work. Does this hearken a dry growing season? Our farmers won't be pleased with that. Hopefully the protracted and snow filled Winter has put a major dent in the fleas, tick and mosquito populations.
I have been making time for guitar practice on a daily basis. In fact I cannot remember a time when I didn't manage at least an hour of playing time each day. Well wait a minute there was the day we flew back from Ireland. It's pretty tough to play guitar when it is packed away in the bowels of an airplane.
Certainly the high point of the past few months has been my trip to Inverness, Florida for the Floral City Gillacamp held at Full Moon Concerts the venue owned and operated by David and Terri Hartman. This intensive workshop filled the final weekend of February and it again required that I pack up my gear and board a plane. Although I am still quite an "amateur", I am becoming much more comfortable with negotiating flight arrangements, rental cars, airports etc.
Gillacamp, as always, was a fantastic experience! I had the privilege of meeting another batch of dedicated guitarists from Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Arkansas and Illinois. It was especially nice to reconnect with friends. My friend Camille graciously provided me with lodging, yummy breakfast oatmeal and tours of the area including an opportunity to get my feet wet in the ocean. We spent a number of hours discussing our approaches to guitar and playing tunes. Mark, a very seasoned player and his spouse, Jennifer traveled from Chicago to attend camp. Their joyful approach to life is infectious. Richard provided us with excellent instruction as we freshened our skills and broached new musical territory. It seemed as though the topics and structure of camp fit my needs and desires perfectly. I had the opportunity to improve upon "Scarborough Faire" and to work on developing some sort of comfort level with slide. We planted the seeds for learning "Thumbsing", one of my favorite Gilewitz tunes and for Richard's arrangement of "Sunflower River Blues", a John Fahey piece I have wanted to learn since I first heard Richard play his arrangement nearly three years ago. The camp location at the Full Moon concert venue was perfect. The owners have an amazingly nice venue situated on their farm. They have converted a barn into a little concert hall complete with a really nice sound system, lighting and enough space to accommodate an audience numbering of around 100.
Saturday's menu included some timing work to warm us up, picking pattern practice that Richard used to orchestrate us into an ensemble, slide exercises and Scarborough Faire. After we worked on "Scarborough Faire" on Saturday, Richard had me come up and play it for the group using his LR Baggs Acoustic Reference Amp for sound. I think I may have been the only student with experience playing that particular arrangement prior to Saturday's session. Richard quickly targeted my timing flaws. There isn't much that gets past el Maestro. Since I've been working on this piece for over a year my mistakes are pretty entrenched. He upped my apprehension by telling me I'd be playing the piece again on Sunday on the "BIG STAGE". Holy Panic! Batman! Although I was nervous during my mini performance, I was calm enough to avoid the dreaded adrenalin hand tremors. All in all Saturday's activities offered up really big delicious and nutritious musical meal. Can you tell that I composed that last sentence while being hungry.
Saturday evening was truly grand. After a bit of a break, Camille and I returned to Full Moon for the evening's concert. David and Terri played a fun and varied opening set that featured vocals, guitar and piano. I can see why they put together their own little theatre paradise because they obviously enjoyed performing together and their set was solid and entertaining. Richard followed with a spectacular two set concert. He was hot from the first number to the last and the crowd was very receptive. In fact Dave and Terri said Richard's show set a new attendance record. I just love these opportunities to see Richard play. I try to absorb as much of his technique as possible, but I'm don't possess the ability to pick up music from listening to it. I definitely envy those who have that advantage. Maybe this is something I will develop as I become more experienced but it does seem to be a natural thing for some players. I, in contrast, need as many visible crutches as possible like having the music to reference. I do benefit from listening to the music I am learning and practicing. It helps me internalize the tunes and rhythms.
Sunday morning started pleasantly. Camille and I rose reasonably early with the intention of heading to the ocean. I had lamented that last June, even though I had spent seven days in Coral Gables, I never made it to the ocean. Camille was determined to rectify that situation so we used a couple hours of free time to go to the beach where we got our feet wet and watched the surf. As I said a great way to start the day. This adventure was followed by brunch with the Gillacampers and back to work at Full Moon where we worked on learning Thumbsing and Sunflower River Blues and participated in a master class. The master class format had each of us performing up on stage. I was the first one up and did a reprise of Scarborough Faire. I surprised myself and settled right into playing. I stumbled in a couple places but was able to continue playing despite of the bloopers. Then each camper, David, Terri and Richard all made comments. Lots of helpful stuff was shared and one of the campers, a newer player, said I was his new hero. He was very complimentary. It felt good to have someone appreciate my playing but I was quickly brought back to earth by the critiques of the more experienced folks and Richard who able to give me some excellent pointers that covered stage presence, dynamics and timing. It meant a lot when Richard said that I appeared to be relaxed during my performance and he was looking for me to show signs of stress. He said I had entered the next stage, the first stage is becoming so stressed that you screw up and cannot complete the tune. The next stage is being able to mask the nervousness. I think I like this thing of performing first, if I have to wait for everyone else to play then the apprehension builds. After I was finished I was able to relax and focus upon trying to provide helpful critiques for the other players. Mark did a really nice job of showcasing one of his compositions and he has a nice relaxed stage presence. Another guitarist name John also played a really nice personal composition with a zen like quality. Camille was the Gillacamp idol although when she played one of her tunes. Everyone was very impressed and she was pleasantly shocked by the positive reaction. At the conclusion of the master class Gillacamp was officially over and it was time to pack up the gear and direct our attention to a post camp party where we all had the chance to kick back, socialize and reflect on the weekend's activities. I found myself feeling a bit blue. This has become a Gillacamp pattern because I simply do not want the workshop to end. We returned to Camille's home after the party and I had to get myself packed for an early morning exit. In fact I was driving down the highway towards the Orlando airport by 6am. Yawn.
With each Gillacamp experience, my appetite for learning increases and my capacity of internalization expands. In the beginning it was everything I could do to get my right hand fingers to hit the correct strings in the proper order. I had no concept about timing and rhythm. Music theory was something I knew existed but I completely lacked any knowledge base. I was like one of those journals you can buy from B and N with blank pages waiting to be filled. Some of those pages are being filled but there are an infinite number waiting for attention. I am having a great time working on alternating bass rhythms and a wide range picking patterns with increasing dexterity and speed. Memorization of pieces of music has shifted from being absolute frustration to being an absorbing challenge. I can work out the timing of many pieces, my notation reading is improving and I am developing a fundamental knowledge of theory. Richard has remarked that my tone and hand position are good so my efforts on those mechanics are paying off. It is especially exciting is that my energy and drive have not dissipated. I actually have a repertoire. It is varied and in need of constant attention as I work to get each piece worthy of playing for an audience. Realistically none of the pieces are polished enough for performance. I have been making gains and at the same time I have much to learn as this journey continues.
I have been making time for guitar practice on a daily basis. In fact I cannot remember a time when I didn't manage at least an hour of playing time each day. Well wait a minute there was the day we flew back from Ireland. It's pretty tough to play guitar when it is packed away in the bowels of an airplane.
Certainly the high point of the past few months has been my trip to Inverness, Florida for the Floral City Gillacamp held at Full Moon Concerts the venue owned and operated by David and Terri Hartman. This intensive workshop filled the final weekend of February and it again required that I pack up my gear and board a plane. Although I am still quite an "amateur", I am becoming much more comfortable with negotiating flight arrangements, rental cars, airports etc.
Gillacamp, as always, was a fantastic experience! I had the privilege of meeting another batch of dedicated guitarists from Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Arkansas and Illinois. It was especially nice to reconnect with friends. My friend Camille graciously provided me with lodging, yummy breakfast oatmeal and tours of the area including an opportunity to get my feet wet in the ocean. We spent a number of hours discussing our approaches to guitar and playing tunes. Mark, a very seasoned player and his spouse, Jennifer traveled from Chicago to attend camp. Their joyful approach to life is infectious. Richard provided us with excellent instruction as we freshened our skills and broached new musical territory. It seemed as though the topics and structure of camp fit my needs and desires perfectly. I had the opportunity to improve upon "Scarborough Faire" and to work on developing some sort of comfort level with slide. We planted the seeds for learning "Thumbsing", one of my favorite Gilewitz tunes and for Richard's arrangement of "Sunflower River Blues", a John Fahey piece I have wanted to learn since I first heard Richard play his arrangement nearly three years ago. The camp location at the Full Moon concert venue was perfect. The owners have an amazingly nice venue situated on their farm. They have converted a barn into a little concert hall complete with a really nice sound system, lighting and enough space to accommodate an audience numbering of around 100.
Saturday's menu included some timing work to warm us up, picking pattern practice that Richard used to orchestrate us into an ensemble, slide exercises and Scarborough Faire. After we worked on "Scarborough Faire" on Saturday, Richard had me come up and play it for the group using his LR Baggs Acoustic Reference Amp for sound. I think I may have been the only student with experience playing that particular arrangement prior to Saturday's session. Richard quickly targeted my timing flaws. There isn't much that gets past el Maestro. Since I've been working on this piece for over a year my mistakes are pretty entrenched. He upped my apprehension by telling me I'd be playing the piece again on Sunday on the "BIG STAGE". Holy Panic! Batman! Although I was nervous during my mini performance, I was calm enough to avoid the dreaded adrenalin hand tremors. All in all Saturday's activities offered up really big delicious and nutritious musical meal. Can you tell that I composed that last sentence while being hungry.
Saturday evening was truly grand. After a bit of a break, Camille and I returned to Full Moon for the evening's concert. David and Terri played a fun and varied opening set that featured vocals, guitar and piano. I can see why they put together their own little theatre paradise because they obviously enjoyed performing together and their set was solid and entertaining. Richard followed with a spectacular two set concert. He was hot from the first number to the last and the crowd was very receptive. In fact Dave and Terri said Richard's show set a new attendance record. I just love these opportunities to see Richard play. I try to absorb as much of his technique as possible, but I'm don't possess the ability to pick up music from listening to it. I definitely envy those who have that advantage. Maybe this is something I will develop as I become more experienced but it does seem to be a natural thing for some players. I, in contrast, need as many visible crutches as possible like having the music to reference. I do benefit from listening to the music I am learning and practicing. It helps me internalize the tunes and rhythms.
Sunday morning started pleasantly. Camille and I rose reasonably early with the intention of heading to the ocean. I had lamented that last June, even though I had spent seven days in Coral Gables, I never made it to the ocean. Camille was determined to rectify that situation so we used a couple hours of free time to go to the beach where we got our feet wet and watched the surf. As I said a great way to start the day. This adventure was followed by brunch with the Gillacampers and back to work at Full Moon where we worked on learning Thumbsing and Sunflower River Blues and participated in a master class. The master class format had each of us performing up on stage. I was the first one up and did a reprise of Scarborough Faire. I surprised myself and settled right into playing. I stumbled in a couple places but was able to continue playing despite of the bloopers. Then each camper, David, Terri and Richard all made comments. Lots of helpful stuff was shared and one of the campers, a newer player, said I was his new hero. He was very complimentary. It felt good to have someone appreciate my playing but I was quickly brought back to earth by the critiques of the more experienced folks and Richard who able to give me some excellent pointers that covered stage presence, dynamics and timing. It meant a lot when Richard said that I appeared to be relaxed during my performance and he was looking for me to show signs of stress. He said I had entered the next stage, the first stage is becoming so stressed that you screw up and cannot complete the tune. The next stage is being able to mask the nervousness. I think I like this thing of performing first, if I have to wait for everyone else to play then the apprehension builds. After I was finished I was able to relax and focus upon trying to provide helpful critiques for the other players. Mark did a really nice job of showcasing one of his compositions and he has a nice relaxed stage presence. Another guitarist name John also played a really nice personal composition with a zen like quality. Camille was the Gillacamp idol although when she played one of her tunes. Everyone was very impressed and she was pleasantly shocked by the positive reaction. At the conclusion of the master class Gillacamp was officially over and it was time to pack up the gear and direct our attention to a post camp party where we all had the chance to kick back, socialize and reflect on the weekend's activities. I found myself feeling a bit blue. This has become a Gillacamp pattern because I simply do not want the workshop to end. We returned to Camille's home after the party and I had to get myself packed for an early morning exit. In fact I was driving down the highway towards the Orlando airport by 6am. Yawn.
With each Gillacamp experience, my appetite for learning increases and my capacity of internalization expands. In the beginning it was everything I could do to get my right hand fingers to hit the correct strings in the proper order. I had no concept about timing and rhythm. Music theory was something I knew existed but I completely lacked any knowledge base. I was like one of those journals you can buy from B and N with blank pages waiting to be filled. Some of those pages are being filled but there are an infinite number waiting for attention. I am having a great time working on alternating bass rhythms and a wide range picking patterns with increasing dexterity and speed. Memorization of pieces of music has shifted from being absolute frustration to being an absorbing challenge. I can work out the timing of many pieces, my notation reading is improving and I am developing a fundamental knowledge of theory. Richard has remarked that my tone and hand position are good so my efforts on those mechanics are paying off. It is especially exciting is that my energy and drive have not dissipated. I actually have a repertoire. It is varied and in need of constant attention as I work to get each piece worthy of playing for an audience. Realistically none of the pieces are polished enough for performance. I have been making gains and at the same time I have much to learn as this journey continues.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Autumn Has Been Non-Stop With Activity-Oct.&Nov.2010
This October and November have been filled with an incredible amount of activity. In October NP UNplugged finally had its first Open Mic Night. It was arranged in record time to coordinate with the annual NPHS Open House. We had four acts consisting of eight performers, including myself. I provided impromptu guitar accompaniment for two singers. What a challenge, especially since I was only afforded a couple hours to get my head around two songs I had never heard before. For one of the tunes, I had 15 minutes preparation prior to performance time. The kids had a great time and parents seemed to appreciate their children having an opportunity to perform. Playing the role of back up musician gave me a bit of much needed stage time towards conquering the stage fright gremlin that I constantly harbor. I video-taped the performances but really haven't had the chance to review the recordings. I was very proud of the students.
Much of my time during the past four months has been directed towards preparing for Richard Gilewitz's visit to Michiana. I had orchestrated programs at all of our schools in the NPUSC district and for a concert/workshop at Fire Arts Inc.(the 3-D art based non-profit that I helped found)in South Bend.
Nearly a year earlier I made arrangements for Richard to appear on the Back Porch for an interview with show co-producer, Norm Mast. The Back Porch is a live acoustic music radio show broadcast on Sunday evenings on WVPE by our local NPR affiliate. This interview opened up the week's events with Richard. The broadcast went great as Richard masterfully handled the situation. He displays confidence while dealing with an audience whether they are connected by radio waves or sharing space in the same room. Somehow he manages to be simultaneously entertaining, artistically impressive, humorous, informative and engaging. I again experienced that privileged "fly on a wall" feeling since I was allowed to be in the studio during his interview.
This whole period has been an exciting time marked by hustling here and there, arranging for sound equipment(my Stagepas 500 portable PA played an invaluable role in Cougar Den and at Fire Arts), coordinating concert staging and sound checks at NPHS with Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert, getting all the ducks in a row for Richard's compensation, countless emails written, school announcements and phone calls made, filling out forms for this that and the other, developing schedules for the school day performances/clinics at NPHS, NPMS, Olive, Prairie View and Rolling Prairie Elementary Schools, arranging lodging for Richard and generally keeping all the stake holders informed and prepared.
In October, I used my artistic and photoshop skills to create two posters for the concerts at NPHS and Fire Arts. I was pleased with the results. Once these were printed I delivered the Fire Arts' concert posters to businesses and public venues in the South Bend area and the LaPorte area received posters for the NPHS concert. I also wrote up event announcements and submitted them to every news agency I could think of within the geographic area as well as to educational and civic organizations in the area.
Here is how the week progressed and after reviewing everything, I am not sure how Richard survived it all.
Sunday-The Back Porch interview
Monday-Morning concert and seminars at NPMS
Tuesday-Workshops and seminars at NPHS
Thursday-Morning concerts/seminars at three elementary schools
Friday-evening concert at NPHS
Saturday-workshop and concert in Livonia, Mi
Sunday-workshop and concert at Fire Arts
This simple list merely outlines all the activities and doesn't come close to detailing the energy needed to make it happen.
Richard's week at the schools opened with a very early morning concert at NPMS. Can you image presenting a concert to a whole school of kids(around 700 students) at 7:30 am. I sometimes have difficulty facing a group of 20 kids for my first class of the day at that time. Well Richard managed to pull that off and then he followed it up with a series of classroom presentations that didn't conclude until around noon. I received very positive feed-back from three of the instructors at the middle schools. They were extremely pleased with Richard's presentations. One down and two more intense school days to go as Tuesday brought a day of activities to NPHS.
I want to include some of detail about Tuesday's activities at the HS since I was able to observe one of the workshop sessions that was open to student guitarists and the seminar for the band classes. We had between 15 and 20 students attend the guitar workshops. From my point of view the participants were attentive and engaged throughout both sessions. Richard adapted to the group's "needs" after his discovery that the experienced kids really wanted to perform and have him critique their performances. The kids ate this up and they were very supportive of each other as well. I enjoyed seeing that aspect blossom. Because I was teaching a class, I missed the first workshop but during this one Richard went over fingerstyle technique and introduced a couple of pieces of music to the students. I had a number of students approach me the next day to tell me how much they enjoyed both of their workshop experiences. At the close of the second workshop the kids begged Richard to play some tunes for them. Of course they had to request "Stairway to Heaven" and Richard had them "drop-jawed" as he played and embellished the well-known riffs of this Led Zeppelin piece. I enjoyed watching the students' faces light up and huge smiles break across their faces while they watched Richard nimbly negotiate the fretboard. They were equally appreciative of his rendition of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun". I think some of them left with bruised arms as their neighbors elbowed them to share and indicate enthusiastic approval.
Later in the day we shifted activity to the Cougar Den, a large classroom with a stage and terraced seating. Every one of the 100+ seats was filled by members of the band, choir classes and the workshop attendees. This time Richard performed several tunes and responded to questions from the audience. Again the kids were riveted. Questions flowed especially from the workshop kids who felt the most comfortable since they had developed a rapport with Richard. He also used these students to help set up and break down the stage area. Their conscripted efforts became a learning experience as Richard explained speaker and mic arrangement, sound adjustment etc.
Richard had a well-deserved day off on Wednesday as I went through my daily teaching routine. Our evenings throughout the week consisted of going over the week's schedule, sharing meals at local eateries, and squeezing in a movie or two. I confess to hacking away at sleeping time to make everything happen. Especially valuable for me were the opportunities to work in some individual lesson time which is wonderful compensation for the stress that naturally accompanies this sort of activity. During our lesson time Richard introduced some slide technique, critiqued my right hand mechanics and helped me improve upon the performance of some of my tunes. I found myself feeling almost desperate to take advantage Richard's accessibility. I have this constant drive fueling my efforts to learn whether it is through observation by attending Richard's concerts or direct instruction. There is this nagging pressure to take advantage of having a master teacher within reach. Every minute lost is truly expended and cannot be regained. I felt this same desperation to take advantage of opportunities when I had my lesson time with David Walbert. Life is short and my opportunities to improve as a musician are limited. A negatively minded person would develop a "why bother" attitude but I seem to possess an intrinsic bend towards the creative process. Being creatively productive is as necessary as breathing, sleeping and eating. Richard once asked me why I will bother to attend three of his consecutive concerts when it is geographically possible. I have only recently been able to put the answer to words. His concerts are not mere entertainment for me. They are educational opportunities. I observe his techniques, listen to timing, cadence, and note quality as I essentially try to internalize as much as possible about the mechanics and aesthetics of the performances.
It's a good thing Richard had a day of rest on Wednesday because Thursday made up for it. He started the day at Olive Elementary, then moved onto Prairie View and concluded at Rolling Prairie. He presented concerts and Q & A sessions for the student bodies of each school starting at 8:00 am and finally wrapping up at 2:45 pm. In all over 1500 students were entertained and informed. Reports have come back to me that the kids really enjoyed themselves. Later in the evening Richard and I went back to the district where we met Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert for a sound and lighting check for the Friday evening concert. This session went very smoothly and the sound was the best it's been in three years. In fact, using Richard's tweaks, Gail and Greg agreed that the sound was the best they had ever heard in the auditorium. Everyone left feeling rather euphoric and anticipating the concert the next evening.
My first chance within this tour to experience Richard in concert was conveniently staged at NPHS in our auditorium. The sound, with Richard's expert guidance, wonderfully filled this large space. This is the third annual concert here and familiarity has bred exceptional auditory results. Richard as the artist and Gail and Greg as supportive personnel have become quite a team that together produced a very professional and quality experience for an impressed and appreciative audience. Richard nailed his tunes and his humor gave everyone a much needed opportunity to sit back and shuck all the stress of the work week.
Early Saturday morning I drove to Livonia, Mi to attend a Gillacamp and the second of three of his weekend concerts. The workshop and concert were staged at Trinity House Theatre which is one of my favorite intimate venues. Since I had this tune memorized, I came into the workshop with the goal of improving the piece and making it a real part of my personal repertoire. I again took a stab at the hot seat by performing "Anji" and one of the other more experienced participants jumped aboard my train and we performed it as a duet until I allowed it to become derailed resulting in some vocal protestations from Richard. ARggh.
Richard again nailed his tunes and jokes throughout that evening's concert. Even though much of the menu was different from the NPHS concert the quality of the performance was exceptional, attesting to his vast and accomplished repertoire. I truly don't know how someone can keep that much music in their head and be able to randomly perform it and at such a high level. Actually I suppose I do know....something like desire and dedicated practice laser focused for decades at the goal of being the best possible guitarist.
Round three began early Sunday morning as I drug myself out of my cozy bed at the Hyatt(thanks Hotwire for the cheap luxury room)and got out on the road arriving home in time to make it to Fire Arts ahead of Richard and make sure things were set for that evening's performance and to get things arranged for the workshop that afternoon. I consider the workshops to be my "selfish" time and I again had a few hours to devout to improving my repertoire. This time my focus was on Walbert's "Study for Margot" and I gleaned some ways to adjust left hand fingering and to add interest and smoothness to the notes. It is always fun to nudge a piece towards improvement.
The evening brought the final concert of Gilewitz Immersion 2010. We staged this fund raising event in the gallery of Fire Arts which is a cozy and unique atmosphere enhanced by being surrounded by displays of the sculpture and pottery of our member artists. An enthusiastic audience was treated to Richard's third two-set concert of the weekend. Even though he was understandably tired from a very intense week of performances, seminars, programs and workshops, no one could discern it. He approached this wrap-up show with as much energy and enthusiasm as the first show on the previous Friday. During all three concerts I don't believe a single member of these audiences left feeling like they weren't treated to anything less than exceptional displays of fingerstyle guitar skill presented in an unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere that was made even more valuable by the opportunity for laugh therapy.
So how does all this affect me as a guitarist? How could it not? Simply planning and implementing the events that I was responsible for tested and contributed to my knowledge of the life of a performing artist. In a sense I was a conductor and at times a delegator. I had many opportunities to learn about playing guitar, including technique, staging and sound adjustment, to learn about developing a repertoire, connecting with an audience, pushing past exhaustion, and making helpful people feel appreciated. I tend to be a spur of the moment sort of person. Everything would have fallen to bits if I applied that attitude to these events. I am constantly reminded of the rewards of hard work. My playing has certainly improved since Gillacamp 2008 and that is the result of two factors, having an excellent instructor and possessing the willingness to do the work. Will I ever develop the confidence to officially throw myself at the mercy of an audience? That remains to be seen. I'd say I am closer to that prospect than ever, but not there yet. Confidence in my repertoire is building, but I still haven't learned to relax, I still get the jitters bad enough to cause mental hiccups. All in due time....
Much of my time during the past four months has been directed towards preparing for Richard Gilewitz's visit to Michiana. I had orchestrated programs at all of our schools in the NPUSC district and for a concert/workshop at Fire Arts Inc.(the 3-D art based non-profit that I helped found)in South Bend.
Nearly a year earlier I made arrangements for Richard to appear on the Back Porch for an interview with show co-producer, Norm Mast. The Back Porch is a live acoustic music radio show broadcast on Sunday evenings on WVPE by our local NPR affiliate. This interview opened up the week's events with Richard. The broadcast went great as Richard masterfully handled the situation. He displays confidence while dealing with an audience whether they are connected by radio waves or sharing space in the same room. Somehow he manages to be simultaneously entertaining, artistically impressive, humorous, informative and engaging. I again experienced that privileged "fly on a wall" feeling since I was allowed to be in the studio during his interview.
This whole period has been an exciting time marked by hustling here and there, arranging for sound equipment(my Stagepas 500 portable PA played an invaluable role in Cougar Den and at Fire Arts), coordinating concert staging and sound checks at NPHS with Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert, getting all the ducks in a row for Richard's compensation, countless emails written, school announcements and phone calls made, filling out forms for this that and the other, developing schedules for the school day performances/clinics at NPHS, NPMS, Olive, Prairie View and Rolling Prairie Elementary Schools, arranging lodging for Richard and generally keeping all the stake holders informed and prepared.
In October, I used my artistic and photoshop skills to create two posters for the concerts at NPHS and Fire Arts. I was pleased with the results. Once these were printed I delivered the Fire Arts' concert posters to businesses and public venues in the South Bend area and the LaPorte area received posters for the NPHS concert. I also wrote up event announcements and submitted them to every news agency I could think of within the geographic area as well as to educational and civic organizations in the area.
Here is how the week progressed and after reviewing everything, I am not sure how Richard survived it all.
Sunday-The Back Porch interview
Monday-Morning concert and seminars at NPMS
Tuesday-Workshops and seminars at NPHS
Thursday-Morning concerts/seminars at three elementary schools
Friday-evening concert at NPHS
Saturday-workshop and concert in Livonia, Mi
Sunday-workshop and concert at Fire Arts
This simple list merely outlines all the activities and doesn't come close to detailing the energy needed to make it happen.
Richard's week at the schools opened with a very early morning concert at NPMS. Can you image presenting a concert to a whole school of kids(around 700 students) at 7:30 am. I sometimes have difficulty facing a group of 20 kids for my first class of the day at that time. Well Richard managed to pull that off and then he followed it up with a series of classroom presentations that didn't conclude until around noon. I received very positive feed-back from three of the instructors at the middle schools. They were extremely pleased with Richard's presentations. One down and two more intense school days to go as Tuesday brought a day of activities to NPHS.
I want to include some of detail about Tuesday's activities at the HS since I was able to observe one of the workshop sessions that was open to student guitarists and the seminar for the band classes. We had between 15 and 20 students attend the guitar workshops. From my point of view the participants were attentive and engaged throughout both sessions. Richard adapted to the group's "needs" after his discovery that the experienced kids really wanted to perform and have him critique their performances. The kids ate this up and they were very supportive of each other as well. I enjoyed seeing that aspect blossom. Because I was teaching a class, I missed the first workshop but during this one Richard went over fingerstyle technique and introduced a couple of pieces of music to the students. I had a number of students approach me the next day to tell me how much they enjoyed both of their workshop experiences. At the close of the second workshop the kids begged Richard to play some tunes for them. Of course they had to request "Stairway to Heaven" and Richard had them "drop-jawed" as he played and embellished the well-known riffs of this Led Zeppelin piece. I enjoyed watching the students' faces light up and huge smiles break across their faces while they watched Richard nimbly negotiate the fretboard. They were equally appreciative of his rendition of The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun". I think some of them left with bruised arms as their neighbors elbowed them to share and indicate enthusiastic approval.
Later in the day we shifted activity to the Cougar Den, a large classroom with a stage and terraced seating. Every one of the 100+ seats was filled by members of the band, choir classes and the workshop attendees. This time Richard performed several tunes and responded to questions from the audience. Again the kids were riveted. Questions flowed especially from the workshop kids who felt the most comfortable since they had developed a rapport with Richard. He also used these students to help set up and break down the stage area. Their conscripted efforts became a learning experience as Richard explained speaker and mic arrangement, sound adjustment etc.
Richard had a well-deserved day off on Wednesday as I went through my daily teaching routine. Our evenings throughout the week consisted of going over the week's schedule, sharing meals at local eateries, and squeezing in a movie or two. I confess to hacking away at sleeping time to make everything happen. Especially valuable for me were the opportunities to work in some individual lesson time which is wonderful compensation for the stress that naturally accompanies this sort of activity. During our lesson time Richard introduced some slide technique, critiqued my right hand mechanics and helped me improve upon the performance of some of my tunes. I found myself feeling almost desperate to take advantage Richard's accessibility. I have this constant drive fueling my efforts to learn whether it is through observation by attending Richard's concerts or direct instruction. There is this nagging pressure to take advantage of having a master teacher within reach. Every minute lost is truly expended and cannot be regained. I felt this same desperation to take advantage of opportunities when I had my lesson time with David Walbert. Life is short and my opportunities to improve as a musician are limited. A negatively minded person would develop a "why bother" attitude but I seem to possess an intrinsic bend towards the creative process. Being creatively productive is as necessary as breathing, sleeping and eating. Richard once asked me why I will bother to attend three of his consecutive concerts when it is geographically possible. I have only recently been able to put the answer to words. His concerts are not mere entertainment for me. They are educational opportunities. I observe his techniques, listen to timing, cadence, and note quality as I essentially try to internalize as much as possible about the mechanics and aesthetics of the performances.
It's a good thing Richard had a day of rest on Wednesday because Thursday made up for it. He started the day at Olive Elementary, then moved onto Prairie View and concluded at Rolling Prairie. He presented concerts and Q & A sessions for the student bodies of each school starting at 8:00 am and finally wrapping up at 2:45 pm. In all over 1500 students were entertained and informed. Reports have come back to me that the kids really enjoyed themselves. Later in the evening Richard and I went back to the district where we met Gail Bannister and Greg Hulbert for a sound and lighting check for the Friday evening concert. This session went very smoothly and the sound was the best it's been in three years. In fact, using Richard's tweaks, Gail and Greg agreed that the sound was the best they had ever heard in the auditorium. Everyone left feeling rather euphoric and anticipating the concert the next evening.
My first chance within this tour to experience Richard in concert was conveniently staged at NPHS in our auditorium. The sound, with Richard's expert guidance, wonderfully filled this large space. This is the third annual concert here and familiarity has bred exceptional auditory results. Richard as the artist and Gail and Greg as supportive personnel have become quite a team that together produced a very professional and quality experience for an impressed and appreciative audience. Richard nailed his tunes and his humor gave everyone a much needed opportunity to sit back and shuck all the stress of the work week.
Early Saturday morning I drove to Livonia, Mi to attend a Gillacamp and the second of three of his weekend concerts. The workshop and concert were staged at Trinity House Theatre which is one of my favorite intimate venues. Since I had this tune memorized, I came into the workshop with the goal of improving the piece and making it a real part of my personal repertoire. I again took a stab at the hot seat by performing "Anji" and one of the other more experienced participants jumped aboard my train and we performed it as a duet until I allowed it to become derailed resulting in some vocal protestations from Richard. ARggh.
Richard again nailed his tunes and jokes throughout that evening's concert. Even though much of the menu was different from the NPHS concert the quality of the performance was exceptional, attesting to his vast and accomplished repertoire. I truly don't know how someone can keep that much music in their head and be able to randomly perform it and at such a high level. Actually I suppose I do know....something like desire and dedicated practice laser focused for decades at the goal of being the best possible guitarist.
Round three began early Sunday morning as I drug myself out of my cozy bed at the Hyatt(thanks Hotwire for the cheap luxury room)and got out on the road arriving home in time to make it to Fire Arts ahead of Richard and make sure things were set for that evening's performance and to get things arranged for the workshop that afternoon. I consider the workshops to be my "selfish" time and I again had a few hours to devout to improving my repertoire. This time my focus was on Walbert's "Study for Margot" and I gleaned some ways to adjust left hand fingering and to add interest and smoothness to the notes. It is always fun to nudge a piece towards improvement.
The evening brought the final concert of Gilewitz Immersion 2010. We staged this fund raising event in the gallery of Fire Arts which is a cozy and unique atmosphere enhanced by being surrounded by displays of the sculpture and pottery of our member artists. An enthusiastic audience was treated to Richard's third two-set concert of the weekend. Even though he was understandably tired from a very intense week of performances, seminars, programs and workshops, no one could discern it. He approached this wrap-up show with as much energy and enthusiasm as the first show on the previous Friday. During all three concerts I don't believe a single member of these audiences left feeling like they weren't treated to anything less than exceptional displays of fingerstyle guitar skill presented in an unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere that was made even more valuable by the opportunity for laugh therapy.
So how does all this affect me as a guitarist? How could it not? Simply planning and implementing the events that I was responsible for tested and contributed to my knowledge of the life of a performing artist. In a sense I was a conductor and at times a delegator. I had many opportunities to learn about playing guitar, including technique, staging and sound adjustment, to learn about developing a repertoire, connecting with an audience, pushing past exhaustion, and making helpful people feel appreciated. I tend to be a spur of the moment sort of person. Everything would have fallen to bits if I applied that attitude to these events. I am constantly reminded of the rewards of hard work. My playing has certainly improved since Gillacamp 2008 and that is the result of two factors, having an excellent instructor and possessing the willingness to do the work. Will I ever develop the confidence to officially throw myself at the mercy of an audience? That remains to be seen. I'd say I am closer to that prospect than ever, but not there yet. Confidence in my repertoire is building, but I still haven't learned to relax, I still get the jitters bad enough to cause mental hiccups. All in due time....
Monday, December 20, 2010
I have a few minutes......
It seems as though the rest of the educational world has started their winter break. NPUSC has two staff in service days this week. I must admit difficulty with concentration upon things that are school based when holiday preparations are nagging at my time. I started this day with a general lack of rest. I have been sleeping well lately but last night true sleep was non-existent. As a result I struggled to stay awake during this morning's presentation which was pretty dry and not at all related to my content area. If I share more it could be construed to be a negative attitude.
I'm getting ready now to participate in a little workshop about Google Apps. This should be useful and maybe I'll stay awake because I have to be actively engaged.
I'm getting ready now to participate in a little workshop about Google Apps. This should be useful and maybe I'll stay awake because I have to be actively engaged.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Close of the Semester 1 Is Within Reach
This school year has been very busy indeed. Everyday brings challenges in and outside the classroom. I have adapted to having less time to maintain a sustained guitar practice schedule. I now find myself using spare moments in between my daily duties at work and at home to grab a guitar and polish my tunes, attempt to learn some new ones and develop better technique. Lunch time at work is usually a matter of quickly eating some yogurt or a sandwich and then playing guitar. At home I have guitars within arm's length whenever I am working at the computer or winding down in front of the television. I admit to having a bit of an obsession with crime dramas.... the CSI type. I often have a guitar in hand as I "sort of" watch these shows. Sometimes I drop the volume level so low that the show keeps me company rather than engaged. I have been working on a few new tunes, three to be exact, Walbert's arrangement of Across the Universe, Richard's Daughter of Pete's Feet, and the newest being Al Petteway's arrangement of She Moved Through the Faire. Each piece has its own challenges. I started working with Across the Universe last week and it is farther along than the other two pieces. I'm progressing fairly well at getting the puzzle pieces memorized and lined up. Being the Christmas season I have been working at a few holiday tunes but somehow I find it more difficult to devote lots of time to them. Although "tis the season" I set my priorities to focus upon tunes that aren't so tied to the holidays. I may have mentioned that my practice time is limited these days.
A rarity has occurred this evening, Sunday Dec. 12th.(actually now Monday the 13th). We are in the midst of a nasty winter storm which is accompanied by really icy roads. In fact, this afternoon I barely avoided being hit by a driver who was unable to stop at an intersection. ABS, quick reactions and sheer luck saved the day. With conditions expected to worsen over night, school has been canceled for tomorrow. I am looking forward to having some additional "real" practice time during the day. Perhaps I will make time to go over how I have been applying my grant experiences to the classroom and NP UNplugged club this autumn.
A rarity has occurred this evening, Sunday Dec. 12th.(actually now Monday the 13th). We are in the midst of a nasty winter storm which is accompanied by really icy roads. In fact, this afternoon I barely avoided being hit by a driver who was unable to stop at an intersection. ABS, quick reactions and sheer luck saved the day. With conditions expected to worsen over night, school has been canceled for tomorrow. I am looking forward to having some additional "real" practice time during the day. Perhaps I will make time to go over how I have been applying my grant experiences to the classroom and NP UNplugged club this autumn.
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