Smartmusic

I was talking to my lovely girlfriend on the phone after receiving a message from a bar looking for acts to book (you know those random myspace messages that sees a genre and automatically asks if you wanna book with them) when I checked my school mail and there was an email requesting that we all buy a subscription to Smartmusic.com

From what I've gathered (and have paid $45.95) is this site helps the music student practice. You purchase a subscription (the average is $100 a pop), and then you purchase the necessary accessory (a foot pedal, a vocal mic, a instrument clip, and some other deal), and in a week or two you will have the software and mic at hand.

I guess in two weeks I shall review my first time experience with this product. I've ran into this product before when I was a Music Ed Major. I had to sign up for the MENC and with that I received a subscription to two journals of music, and one reviewed or listed gifts for your musician in your life-Smartmusic was one of those gifts.

I think I'll check it out even further, and comment on it later in the month.

But I saw the Departed


I'm not one for guns and blood but damn I enjoyed this movie...

Maybe it was the Irish ass kicking

or Dropkick Murphy's "I'm Shipping Up to Boston"

Happy New Year's

What did everyone do for the holidays? Or in my case...what have I done this past month of not updating my blogger??

School has come and gone, and now I'm on my winter break. I am glad to say that my hard work paid off with a 3.9 GPA for this semester and a 3.98 GPA as my cumulative GPA (Which means...I got a 3.9 this semester and last semester).

The holidays came to fast and went by to fast. The theatre was rocking with spirits for John Edwards, and then with some country christimasy music by Kenny Rogers (just know when to hold 'em...know when to fold 'em....err...don't get me STARTED!!)We finished the year at the theatre with a little of ALY AND AJ (Into the rush...I would NOT mind going into the rush with those two if you know what i mean ^-^) and a little ditty of nastiness with Jim Norton. How much can a girl hear about ass sex and blowjobs in one night?

My christmas was full of musical gifts. I received a guitar foot stand, guitar polish, my Jimi Hendrix springs, and several jazz cds. Yes cds...there are just some albums you NEED to own physically...not digitally.

I got Diz n Bird LIVE! at Carnegie Hall, which is awesome. You can hear Diz and Bird talk and shit, but listening to Bird LIVE, is an amazing thing.

I got Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain...which is another awesome album. It combines the genius of Gil Evans and Miles being backed up by a full orchestra. Along the classical jazz fusion is Bird's Charlie Parker with Strings. Oh man, amazing.

I also got Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool, which I haven't had time to really listen to. I've been excited over the previous 3.

But my christmas isn't christmas without some KELLY CLARKSON. I got her new album, which is pretty cool. I just wish I had the song NEVER AGAIN when my first girlfriend broke up with me....

I was really hoping that I was going to secure a 1B Bach flugelhorn mouthpiece but unfortuately BACH is only producing standard moutpieces...no special orders because of the strike they just settled. I'm going into the city next week for my 20th birthday and I'm going to ask people at Sam Ash what they could recommend if I can't get a Bach mouthpiece, and on the cheap side since Bob Reeves mouthpieces are expensive. I need to get one before I go back to school.

Did I forget to mention I had my first concert in over a year and half in December??

With the jazz band at school, it was pretty sweet...topping any concert I had in high school. Probably because I felt completely at ease, but the line up consisted of "Don't Explain", "Lonely Woman", "Tico Tico", "Our Spanish Love Song", "Night of a Thousand Eyes", "How Deep is the Ocean", and of course... "Watermelon Man". I somehow recruited a few more musicians and we should have a pretty sweet line up next semester.

I'm going to try...keyword try to update as much as possible.

Til next time!

PoJ

The Haydn will always kick my ass

It's been way over a month since I last wrote. Shame on me. I have been doing a lot of studying and been putting way too many hours over at the theatre. I think my boss takes a schedule, blows it up, sticks it on a corkboard in her humble abode and throws darts at it and wherever the darts land, those days are mandatory. She had good aim in October considering there were 11 shows and out of those 11, 7 were mandatory.

But work aside, let's get to the music portion.
Music Theory is moving along nicely, I even secured an A on my midterm. With only a few weeks left in the semester, I'm moving along and my professor has confronted me with the notion of becoming a music major. I'm going to take up the offer to hash it out with her somehow.

Sight-Singing...I'm actually passing. I got a 92 on the midterm, and I was expecting a 65. My professor there is very nice and we're on the same train so we often run into each other as we drag our tired bodies to head home (with me only on the train for maybe 6 minutes while she sits there for 40).

Jazz Band is going just ok. Last week my mother came home from Ireland and I had to miss my trumpet lessons and practice because at the time I was escorting my brother on the bus and train home. However, plans changed at the last minute and I ended up with the night off. There's no school today but they're having a rehearsal, but I don't have to go because I'm not part of the gig next week...yet I have to attend it. I'm not going into that here. So I get to go to a gig. The major gig is on Dec. 9th, which will be my debut as an Adelphi music student...or undeclared music student...or poser music student...whichever you prefer.

Lessons are going nicely. I'm tackling the Haydn, and it's kicking my ass. I think I got through it once and I was very proud of myself. I've found a new love in the second movement. Around measure 20 there's a nice long chromatic crescendo to a high A flat that within context of an orchestra sounds so beautiful.

The jaw is acting up now and then, my health hasn't been too stable, but I'm pushing forward. I feel crappy now but I've been playing through it because it makes me physically feel better but afterwards I feel like a mess. A painful mess. I'm very tired but I guess I just continue forward.

guitar/flugel talk

I've finally crawled out of my work filled hole! It's been a grand time in jazz. I am having a blast playing with a few other people. Our director is a great guy who knows his shit. The two hours go by really fast, and I'm starting to feel strong again. I get a little sore everyday.

But my main topic. My flugelhorn frankie. I want to invest in a new mouthpiece. I'm using the mouthpiece that came with Frankie. I have a hard time adjusting to it, it's old and I was looking at Jet Tone or Bach for a new mouthpiece. Now Bach goes by the same measurements as trumpet mouthpieces. I grew up on 1Cs, 5Cs, 7Cs...that's the way i know how the order a size.

I was thinking about moving away from Bach mouthpieces because I heard it takes a toll on the lips, because the rim cuts or something like that. I really can't remember what my old trumpet teacher used to say. I was looking at Jet Tone because I like the way it looks, and it's a good price...especially since I want to experiment around with a few. What a better way to do it with an affordable and reliable brand? But then comes the issue of sizes.

There are diffferent numbers and letters. So then I looked back at the Bach mouthpieces...I'm very familar with them. Who knows what I'll do. When the time comes, I'll tell you what I did.

Right now the story is I'm buying a new guitar. I'm getting (or hoping to get) an Ibanez Acoustic Electric guitar. It's a nice looking guitar. The one that I want to get is purplish. It's not a true purple, but a nice woody purple...if that makes sense at all. I love the way it felt while playing. It has a tuner on board (always a plus for me...cause I really suck at tuning by ear). It's a nice weight, and not too big or bulky so it fits in my small frame. Let's hope the city has it...and it makes it home with me...and not with my girlfriend...who just bought a Martin mini. The girl is insane...making it 6 guitars in her house.

Week 3

The semester is rolling along smoothly. I've been back to school for about 3 weeks and the music theory class isn't so bad. It's designed as a course for both majors and non majors to take. It's giving me a good backing for a return to music.

I started lessons with my teacher at school. She's really awesome. I've had 3 lessons so far and it's going awesome. I'm tackling the entire Haydn again. She really made me buckle myself down and improve my playing. She is very gentle as well because she knows about the accident, so she encourages me and tells me to back down when she realizes that i'm in pain.

I'm really stubborn when it comes to pain. I want to keep pushing because I want to do really good. I want to show her that she was right in taking me on as a student. She approached me last semester to take lessons, so I really want to make it worth our while.

I was sitting in the practice room yesterday with my teacher, finishing packing my stuff up when two people from the department come in. One points at me and said:

That's your horn player...

Cue Marybeth's screaming eyes and erractic heart rate. I had to catch my breath, I was so scared.

He wanted me to paly for Jazz band...

So I did it. I sat in class and we played a few tunes that I knew and all ready they said it was a huge improvement from last year's trumpeter.

I'm really excited about this chance to re emerge myself in music but I'm scared. i'm scared of turning back into the egotisical person that I was in high school. I'm scared of the power that music has over me and the way it can turn me into something that I haven't been in over a year.

I'm dedicated to my girlfriend, I'm settled down. I'm pretty settled for a chick who jumps at every loud sound. I feel scared, excited, vunerable, and determined.

I feel like Becky Hammon being traded to San Antonio and being told she has to lead the entire team....

I'm back from my little hiatus. The month of August was extremely busy at the Theatre. I even got over time. Awesome.

School started up. I'm taking Music Theory and Ear training one as well as trumpet lessons. The theory class is going smoothly and I'm actually regaining my love for theory studies. Ear training is kinda fun and I'm hoping I get through it all.

I started my trumpet lessons last night. I had a little discomfort with my jaw but overall I have my range almost back.

A post finally

Hey everyone. It's been a while because I've been at work non stop for the past...2 weeks or so. A few things:

~This week is going to be busy.
~I have off for a few days
~I got called for Jury Duty...however I need to postpone my date because I start classes the day they called me.
~MY girlfriend is so cute
~I'm going to take my girlfriend to a Met game for her birthday (well that's pending because i'm waiting on her mom for a go ahead)
~I got my haircut
~The Liberty are a game away from the playoffs...we need Washington to lose and we need to win the last 4 games.
~I went shopping and got a load of stuff all under 60 bucks
~I'm researching Jazz books and recordnings to add to the Christmas list.
~