9/4

It's hard to believe that we are already two thirds of the way through this year. It's kind of scary.

Usually my posts try to have some continuity to them or even have a title, but a lot of things have happened this week and I'm in no state of mind to try to organize them... ha.

I had my first lesson on Friday, and I thought it went pretty well. I'm studying mallets with John O'Neal, a Doctoral candidate. He studied at the University of Kansas and Florida State University for his Bachelor's and Master's, and then took 5 years off to practice and take orchestra auditions. But now he's here at UNT and, so far, I'm glad I'm studying with him. From what I can tell, he has lots of experience and some different, useful ways of thinking about technique (which I could really use some help with, not gonna lie).

I guess that's really one of my favorite things about the University. We have excellent faculty, and excellent TAs and TFs, and if you don't like the way one person teaches or how they play, then you'll probably find five or six other cats that have new methods and ideas that you haven't come across yet. And I'm pretty sure it's that way in every department, maybe not with the faculty, but there are enough good players here with diverse influences and wide areas of expertise that, if you really try, you won't walk away wishing you could have gotten more.

My drumset lessons are with Mike Drake, and I don't know too much about him. I know that he gigs a whole lot in the jazz scene and wherever he can find work, I guess. I'm excited to have a drumset lesson, and I know it'll be a good experience because I don't think Ed Soph would bring anything but a good influence here to UNT.

I've been searching around the internet in my free time for new music, and I've been tracing artists I already really enjoy and following them around to see who they like to play with. I found that two of my favorite people, Bela Fleck and Chris Thile, not only played together, but covered Radiohead:




I also really like this. There won't be anything new from TTA, but this was some of the last of what was released, and I must say I wish this wasn't the end of it.




Love it when things like that happen.

My performance opportunities will be the most stressful thing about this semester, and I think that's the way it's supposed to be. Hopefully I'll have enough time to work on my solo stuff, my Singers parts, Percussion group chops, Brass Band literature, and Brazilian beats and still keep up with my school work. I'll make it work, somehow.

Hope everyone's having a good Labor Day, and I hope everyone had an awesome summer, because I sure did.

M