Price

Everything worth doing has a cost.
Everything has a cost.
The trick is to do the stuff worth doing without incurring more cost than you can manage.
How do you decide what is worth doing versus what is "fluff"?

In the business world, decisions are actually pretty easy if you manage well. Cost vs benefit is a pretty clear answer when it comes to investing.

In the "family" world, particularly the arts world, it is not so easy to make calls. We are starting something new, there is an adoption curve, and a window where it takes time to get established. How long is it? Our goal is to increase volume of work and value to the "world", not to increase profit.

When you can't cut costs any more, it is time to increase revenue or cash inflow. time to raise money any way we can. Even that plan has a price. Give up control, spread the load.. but NEVER compromise the education & experiences we provide.

Do one good deed...

...I personally try everyday to do ONE good act of kindness. Obviously I hope I do more, but I consciously try and do at least one. Whether that be letting someone in front of me in traffic, if I'm grocery store shopping and I have a lot but the person behind me just has a bottle of water, I let them go through. Really, just one thing a day. I try, sometimes I do two! Sometimes I forget until I say my prayers and then I'm like, shit!
So that's why I really like these commercials. I know nothing about the company but I like the message the commercial sends. I think it's important, I mean when is the last time you witnessed a random act of kindness? It would be nice if the world was really this way, well I think it might be...it could be. ;-) peace

Part 1


Part 2

Enough

The music is enough, or it should be if you are a musician. I have been reflecting over the competition experience a bit in the last few days. Okay, truthfully, I couldn't sleep last night and this is a summary of what I was thinking about until about 2am...

As a musician, I spent most of my formative years trying to please the other musicians around me. I am a pleaser, I know that... I needed to do it good enough. I needed to always be better. The equation here is not totally wrong for me now. I understand that I do need to continually strive for excellence, continually try to improve myself, my knowledge, and my skills. However, I do not do all of that because of others. I do it because I have been given a blessing by God and I am obligated to use and share my talents. The music and the intersection it provides between performer, composer, audience and source is worthy of this attention and diligence.

Charles' wonderful quote about the Artist Experience resounds in my mind over and over again.

“Artists are interested in expressing the human condition. They are interested in all of life. As an art form, classical music explores every facet of the human condition: pain, passions, conflict, disappointments, as well as love, joy, peace, self-control, and much more. As music gives a broad picture of human experience, it provides a tremendous gift to the church. It shows something of the need for God in daily life outside the church’s walls. It also speaks of the presence of God wherever we find ourselves.”
The Artists’ Perspective--Dr. Charles Hulin IV

As I drove into work this morning, I was amazed at the beauty of simple songs which I had long ago stopped listening too. My interest in musical study has been renewed in the past months, my confidence restored. I pray that I may maintain this sense of purpose and that the music will be enough.

===========================

Psalm 8 (New International Version)

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Heroes!

Ok, my mind hurts! It's all a blur...did you see it? did you like it? Chills when I saw the previews for the rest of this season! I watched Chuck, then Heroes and now Journeyman...Mondays will be busy for me this season! Ok yes I put a lot of emphasis on TV and yes I could focus attention else where but hell, I work a lot! Tonight is a great night of TV, the new season starts...I got kudos at work...life is wonderful. ;-) peace

Heroes!!

Tonight is the the season premiere of the second season!! More later...

Songs of Sunday

Howdy! Can I just say...that last night was my official last night out! Really, I'm to old...I don't wanna hear, your as young as you feel or age is just a number. No, I woke up with what I thought was a massive hangover, then I thought about it ('cause the mind is going too)I didn't drink that much, and, I don't drink hard alcohol. Just beer! So I'm like ok...then why do I feel like a truck not only ran over, but then backed up and did it again? My body hurt, I was nauseous, headache etc. but I didn't get drunk!!?? Well factor into the fact I'm usually in bed by midnight (and I think I'm cool, cause ALL my friend are in bed between 9 and 10). So I'm talking to Greg and I'm like, ya know...I tried to find an excuse...like I got blitzed last night, but that wasn't the case. The case, was...I'm old and I stayed up way past my bedtime and not only that, but I was actually busy walking and being social and all of that after midnight. *sigh* I got into bed around 3:30 a.m.! Like normally the time I get up to pee!!
So Mecca, who is way younger than I am, felt the same way today, but she was shooting Tequila so, um...she has an excuse. The last time either one of us went out was on my birthday!
In any case, we were both a wreck this morning and I'm really thinking of like, joining a Bunko group on my Saturday nights! ;)

Today's videos is Mika's Big Girl video...I love the tune and the video is cute, well anything with Mika in it will be cute. ;-) Skinny bitch! (oh yes, I'm so a hater today!)
Have a great week everyone! ;-) peace

Liszt songs

I have been studying and doing some basic research on Liszt songs. Very exciting repertoire for Charles and I to work on. I can't remember the last time I was inspired to do research/musicology type work just for me. It might have been at some point in undergraduate at WCC.. ;-)

I have been exploring Google Apps and the data below is posted in one of my "docs".. very cool as a reference.


Liszt stuff to read: publications/books/songs

FRANZ LISZT’S SONGS ON POEMS BY VICTOR HUGO. By. SHIN-YOUNG PARK.

Miller, Richard. “The Songs of Franz Liszt.” Preface to the score of Franz Liszt: Twenty-five
Songs for Voice and Piano, vol. 1. New York: International Music Company, 1998.

Turner, Ronald. “A Comparison of Two Sets of Liszt-Hugo Songs.” Journal of the American
Liszt Society 5 (June 1979): 16-31.

Headington, Christopher. “The Songs.” In Franz Liszt: The Man and His Music, ed. Alan
Walker, 221-247. London: Barrie & Jenkins, 1970.

Hennemann, Monika. “Liszt’s Lieder.” In The Cambridge Companion to Liszt, ed. Kenneth
Hamilton, 192-205. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Douglas, John. “Franz Liszt as a Song Composer.” NATS Journal 43/4 (March-April 1987):
4-15.

Armbruster, Carl. “Franz Liszt.” Preface to the score of Franz Liszt: Thirty Songs for High
Voice. New York: Dover Publications, 1975.

Cooper, Martin. “Liszt as a Song Writer.” Music & Letters 19/2 (April 1938): 171-81.

Hall, James Husst. "The Art Song." Norman, Okla. University of Oklahoma Press, 1974.
eBook ISBN: 9780806170541, ISBN: 9780806111971

Westminster choir online video

Wow, found this video of the choir concert and couldn't remember if I had posted it before. This is an excellent job of adapting a choral concert experience for online video presentation.

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=686985782

Just do it ?

Nike has branded this phrase and as I have gone through this week, it has struck home. I have made many choices in the past 12-18 months and the overwhelming instinct in most cases was to wait and think, analyze, gather feedback, etc..

All of that is valuable, but the real plan must be to spend time in prayer, seeking guidance from God. We are not to trust in our own abilities. We are in fact told to rely on him for all things. The question always arises: What does that mean for me now?

My answer: If you have put the preparation time in in prayer and you are operating out of faith, then you must "JUST DO IT".

Preparation is key, but action is required.

Liszt was famous for quote which in essence said. We are obligated to share our gifts with the world. Not asked.. we are OBLIGATED, ASSIGNED, EXPECTED...

That means giving, not getting. Intentionality is where it starts and finishes. The results are not the goal. Judgement and worth is not up to us. God just says "Trust and Obey, for there is no other way"

Random Thoughts...

For the regular readers you know Random Thoughts are usually memories I have from childhood..... or yesterday. :) Today I was thinking of how I had to sit on my dads shoulders when we were walking through a field because of the grasshoppers, yes grasshoppers! They were swarming! My brother froze in the same field as I did, but I was able to run back to my dad and I rode his shoulders to go back and get my brother. Ok, we were like 6 and 3 at the time, so the field was probably our back yard! LOL no, it was a field and we were probably no more than a few feet from my dad but it seemed like miles. We went and got my brother and my dad picked him up too and I remember telling him was ok, I guess I felt strong 'cause I was on my dads shoulders. I don't have a lot of fond memories of my dad...but that's a good one. We get along ok now, but it is memories like that, that I truly treasure.
Happy Hump Day tomorrow. ;-) peace

Golfing nut!

Ok, so I suck...I do...but then...then I get that one nice hit on the ball and hit the sweet spot and it's all worth slamming my club into the ground all the other times!! LOL Naw, I am getting better but this evening was just a real bad round! It was a new course though and I always do bad on a new course I've never been on (well not this bad!). Other than my aspirations to be a better golfer not much going on. I know I need to move as I'm really itching for my own place now but it's just matter of saving and looking and all that comes with moving. I'll miss my roomie though, we get along ok. People who play golf or so nice, it's like all about etiquette and I must say, it works. I golf alone (awww, poor me) and a lot of time if I'm waiting on a couple in front of me, if they don't ask me to play through ('cause as a single you go faster) they will ask me to play with them, like tonight. Great way to meet new people and also learn the sport of golfing from others. One of the perks? Hot guys like to golf!! LOL so um on that note, enjoy! Hope everyone has a great week! ;-) peace

Buon Giorno

We are in the finals of the Garrison competition. Yesterday's semis went well and we are pleased to be performing along with such wonderful artists.  Since our performance is at 11:30 this am, we awoke very early and I am writing this as I sit in the beautiful sun room of Ariel and Vivian Dechosa, watching the world slowly fill with light.  Charles came upstairs just now and shared Psalm 59:15-16 with me and I also shared Fernando Ortega's "Creation Song" with him. 

Today as we enter into the glory of music making I pray that our music can touch those around us and that our performance will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. 

I will sing to the Lord all my life, I will sing praises to my God.

Psalm 59:15-16 ( KJV)

Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied. 

But I will sing of the power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Perez Hilton

*sigh* I can't stand him, he's fat, he's ugly...he's just nasty but I'm watching his show on VH1, Perez sez about the VMA's. He says Britney is a train wreck (no argument here) but he is a train wreck! WHY CAN'T I TURN AWAY, WHY CAN'T I CHANGE THE CHANNEL? I'm so ashamed right now, I feel dirty, I need to flog myself like the albino in the Da Vinci Code! So since it's on VH1 and since his/her show is on 11-midnight...the next program on is Nocturnal State...VIDEOS!
The first video the night? One of my fave songs...Nickelbacks Rockstar! Why can artists say bitch on the radio waves but they can't drugs? You can say ho and ass and bitch, but you can't say drugs? Amazing. In any case...enjoy this vid...how many "stars" can you find in the video?


Was that Wayne Gretsky??

I love Paul Wall...anybody know who that is in the Vid?

Well if you don't here he is in a Brooke Hogan video...yum.

Press to Podcast

The Midlothian exchange published a nice article about my upcoming competition. worth a few minutes.
http://www.midlothianexchange.com/npps/story.cfm?ID=1256


And we now have an official "podcast". Lots of good recordings up there including some of our material for the competion this weekend. click here to visit. You can even subscribe to it in your iTunes and download to your iPod or iPhone.. If you are lucky enough to have one.

Preparation for...

Charles and I finished our last major rehearsal last night for the Garrison competition. I was struck by the impermanence of so much of our work. As musicians, our preparation is not a finite event. This feels like I am stating the obvious. We prepare, practice, practice, practice, and then when the clock strikes the time.. We execute and perform where we are. As a teacher I have tried to explain this concept to my students for a long time through overly melodramatic statements..

"The perfect performance does not exist.
We can never be good enough, if we think we are good enough, we should quit"

For me, this reality is best defined by the concepts I have learned from Charles Hulin, post school. Our performance is an exploration of a point in time and space. The intersection of performer, composer, poet, and audience into one fleeting experience. Each member of the previous list has a role to play. Each must exhibit maturity and give of themselves in an open, honest, transparent manner. Each must prepare and practice their "art". The beauty of music is that sometimes we get it right. When the intersection occurs, a thing of beauty is created. A focal point for all of the energy delivers a wave of energy into the world that touches the very souls of those participating. The music inspires, reprimands, demands accountability, and provides blessing. It is a gift, the performance is a vessel. The moment is fleeting and impermanent.

God speaks to his world through this intersection of events in the midst of his divine concurrent diversity. He is in all things, all times and is the source.

As performers in our play, we must each play our part. Contribute our piece and deliver with humility in hopes that the grand intersection might occur. We as men so often seek to define and take credit for the building, the whole, the "music". Our intention must remain on glorifying God as we sing/play. We must be diligent as Jesus taught, and we must strive for more than we are, embracing hope and faith that we might be a vessel for the Holy Spirit move through us and bind the "players" offerings into something extraordinary.

A grand revival would be my wish. I hope that God will bless Charles' and my offerings in the coming months and allow our music to honor him in a grand way. I sing praises to my God.

1 Peter 2:4-10 (The Message) Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you'll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent: Look! I'm setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. To you who trust him, he's a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,

The stone the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. For the untrusting it's a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way. They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.

But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.

Plumbing Problems...

...no no, my plumbing is fine! Here is the thing, my roomie thinks that our bathroom smells like sewage and the toilet doesn't flush properly. I can't smell anything and the toilet flushes fine for me. She has been going back and forth with the landlord and we have a cheap landlord who doesn't want to pay for anything. So um, I just sit here and let them go at it. So my roomie is like, we need to tag team her in our response...um tag team? It smells fine and the toilet flushes like every other one I have ever flushed, I would be lying! So I just basically say, well give me the script and I'll look at it and perhaps the tag team thing can happen. Now, I can't smell much at all...so it really could smell bad...but I would like to think I could smell sewage! ;-) peace

Reflections..911

Today is an appropriate time for reflections.

I remember hearing about the event at breakfast in the restaurant of the Hotel at Va Beach.

I remember making it back to the room just in time to see the second plane hit.

I remember resolving to use music to get through it.

I remember being concerned about my distance from my church family during the crisis.

I remember being glad that I was with my family.

I remember feeling angry and wanting to lash out at those who had attacked us.

I remember a profound sense of pride and unity as an American.

Things have changed these days, but not my feelings. I remain proud of my country, my family and my decisions. I can only hope that we all embrace the leadership mantle thrust upon us by our position in the world. We must accept it with humility.

Reading Signals vs Noise blog today and I gleaned this wonderful wisdom...

The way you treat people is the legacy you leave
"There are different ways to lead. Some people get results by yelling and bullying. But it’s even more impressive when someone can motivate people by teaching and caring. When you do that, you’re a successful leader and a successful human being."

How we go through each day is a testimony to those around us. Just as those people in the towers, or the firefighters, or the soldiers in today's Iraq.. We can't take time back.

Choose to love those around you. All the time. No excuses. It us up to each of us to actually care about people and not just ourselves.

Robin Thicke

So I'm sitting here EXHAUSTED after golfing all weekend (I'm telling you Golf is the new crack!) Well at least for me...wait...I've never done crack, that didn't sound good. But you mean what I know! So N E ways...I'm on the couch, I want to put a DVD in but it's so far away and I can't reach it. The remote is SO much closer! So I grab it start flipping and fire up the laptop, the first thing I see on Yahoo is how Britney opened the MTV VMA's...and um...she kinda sucked. Well shit, I gotta check this out so I point the clicker to the VMA's, yes!! I catch the last couple minutes of her "opening" performance and it was BAAAD...my roomie asked me later how it went and I responded "she looked like a fat cow caught in the headlights of a tractor!" I don't know why that came up first thing, but it did. Now ok, she has had two kids and I understand she's not as tight as she used to be, with that being said...don't wear a two piece! She looked dazed and confused and then she ran off the stage when her set was done! Ugh! Time to hit the pipe? dayum!!
Oh, got off track...so one of the artists nominated for a VMA was Robin Thicke, ok, who knew his daddy was Alan Thicke from Growing Pains! I thought his dad was hot when I was growing up!! His son, is even finer!! So that's my pretty eye candy for tonight! ;-) peace

Maturity

O, how I long for a time when churchgoers don't feel the need to judge others around them. Today, Tracee and I chose to sit out in the congregation with the kids so that we could see Josh be presented his First grade bible.. Almost everyone in choir understands this, or at least has the maturity to respect our decisions. But... not everyone does.

The looks, the smirks, the questioning. It is soooo typical, and this is from people that I love.. imagine what occurs from the people who don't even like us.

I am a mature musician, a mature Christian, an experienced parent, and I am not subject to the judgement of choir members on where I sit or what I do on Sunday morning. The accountability that I so often preach about, does not apply here. Somehow writing this actually makes me feel less irked by the whole thing.

Family trumps choir EVERY time both for the kids and for me. I will be sitting in the congregation at least once a month from now on so that I can enjoy worshipping with the kids and help to teach them what to do and how to act. They need to see their parents model appropriate behavior.

Inclusionary, exclusionary, judgement versus acceptance.. Things that make you go HMMMMM. I wonder what Jesus would say and do...

Pavarotti

I gave my performance at Chowan last night and I think it may have been some of the best singing I have EVER done. I love the pressure, the adulation, the intensity and the pure fear before the "moments" that occur in live performance like this.

As a tenor, I was overwhelmed by the loss of Luciano Pavarotti yesterday and I shared my personal Pavarotti story with the audience last night. At the intermission, I talked with Charles and Kathy and thought about how I always thought that I would have the chance to sing and perform for him again. I just "expected" to be able to interact with him once I became a professional. Naive, arrogant, hopeful... my emotions and memories are all largely irrelevant now that he is gone. I will not have that chance in this world. Perhaps I missed it, perhaps I simply made the right decisions and prioritized.

Regardless, A GREAT artist and light has gone out of the world. Pavarotti transcended opera and classical singing. He defined what an operatic tenor is to the real world. As a bambino, I idolized him, his exquisite technique and performance style. His charisma seemed to transcend the confines of the space and time of traditional performance and he created appeal to the mass world. This is something that NO other opera singer has ever done, and may never do again.

As we closed our first half with the Bellini songs, I removed my white handkerchief and held it for the remainder of my recital as a tribute to the great singer. I pray that Pavarotti was a believer and that he is now a recipient of God's abundant grace. I hope for the chance to meet and sing with him someday "in cielo".

I am thankful that God blessed me with the performance experience last night and I vow to never again take for granted ANY opportunity. This sounds like a cliché but I think I am beginning to understand more of what is important in life and the trade offs that I am forced to make. Many people that I know live from vacation to vacation, or from birth, to weddings, to funerals. I don't live my life that way. I live from performance to performance, from rehearsal to rehearsal, from worship service to worship service. My way is not better, but I think it is different.

Each opportunity is precious as we interact with the people around us and build relationships allowing us to demonstrate God's love. My music simply provides a context for me to build relationships with my world. I pray that God will bless me and my house and that our talents and skills will be used to glorify him.

Lord, Thank you for Pavarotti. Grazie a Dio.

Perspective (coffee or cup)

My friend Ricky sent this to me today. I am thankful for him. I don't usually like or even read multiple forwards but this one was different..for some reason I can't explain. I didn't write it, don't know who did, but I am thankful for their effort wherever they are...

COFFEE NOT THE CUP

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the Professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.
While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup it self adds no quality to the coffee. In most
cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this:

Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee!

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything."

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

I'm back...

...I had a great time in Oregon and I was so excited to try out my new clubs. I mean my game sucked, but at least it sucked with my own brand new clubs! Which are now dirty by the way...I need to clean them. My brother and cousin are coming down in a few weeks, so by then...I need to get my "A" game going....or...get a game going. I'm going to go to the driving range at least twice a week and go and play 9 holes on the weekends. I'll probably have to go by myself but that's ok, I want to get better. Work is going to pick up again as I'm being assigned to work with a new team who have a lot for me to do. So that's good, I'm also cutting back on the amount of time I put it with this job. My brothers life in Oregon was just so peaceful and laid back that I realized how hurried and stressed I am. Don't get me wrong, my brother can keep his little coastal town of 6,500 people, I need my freeways, traffic jams and the occasional helicopter flying over head with a searchlight! Although, I'm sure I can attain a work/life balance that is both productive and not so stressful. All in all it was a good trip and I'm glad I went and I'm anxious to get back on the course and work on my swing. I took some photos and posted them on MySpace, feel free to check them out. Can I just say that all the photos were taken with my 2 megapixel Nokia phone and I must say they look pretty darn good for a camera phone!! Well, I didn't get service up there...so um it was just a camera for the duration of my trip! ;-) peace