Laurel Black Music

Not much has changed around here these days. Just keepin' on, keepin' on. I'm making videos about twice a week in preparation for competition. They're not made to share, but made for me to pick apart and plan the next day's practice session. Some have been close to being share-worthy, though!! In the meantime I made a satirical video about White Knuckle Stroll , one of the obligatory pieces in the first round. As it's by Casey I feel like I'm in the unique position of making fun of the preparation process. It's difficult to prepare a piece that is FAST and DOESN'T STOP. Practicing slow helps you learn it incorrectly, but in the end, how it feels to play it at tempo and how it feels to play it slowly are so far apart technically that there's no point in slow practice once the notes are down. Naturally, this makes preparation of this piece require organization, as I know I can't just practice it for 2 hours on a whim. I have to strategize w...

After saying all summer that my substitute church gig was just that, I accepted a longer commitment last week.  I'll be the pianist and choir director (let's call the whole deal Music Director ) of a local church in Princeton. I've worked out a trial period, through Christmas, with the pastor, at which time we can both evaluate and see if it's a good fit.  I'm comforted by things like this because I am a commitment-phobe about all things except marrying Casey.  Seriously, don't ask me what I'm doing tomorrow because I'd like to be free to change my mind and it affect nobody . I had my first rehearsal with the choir last night.  There will be some sneaky "lemme teach ya how to read music" moments, but overall I can tell that everyone just has a good time and is glad to be singing.  I think they've had almost 2 months off due to the whole substitute/no regular director situation.  Everyone there seems to be really nice and was courteous d...

It's funny how at the end of May I always feel like Laurel, you have plenty of time. Make your little schedules and don't procrastinate. And then I make the schedules and I stick to them, but here we are at the beginning of July and I feel like I have SO MUCH left.  I suppose this is the life of a musician and a general busy person, really.  I enjoy being active but hate having too many commitments.  In the "achievements" category, I've memorized 4 pieces for the Italy Marimba Competition in September and am now in the record/critique stage of preparation, which isn't too far behind where I'd like to be.  I'm still working on the final round rep choice. I finished one class only to begin another this week. I prefer face-to-face teaching, without a doubt.  Online classes always result in snarky emails and students accusing you of "losing" their submissions.  Plus, I like to use my computer time for blogs, writing, and research, and ...

Daily life at this point is extraordinary, if I can say so myself. I'm teaching an online class, which is ideal for a flexible work schedule and morning grading/coffee time. Sometimes I go for a runwalkrun in the morning, sometimes I sit outside and read, other times I get to the practice room early. Now that I'm officially registered for the marimba competition in Italy, my practices are regimented and planned. Oddly enough, I've memorized a few pieces in a short timespan. As a player who usually reads everything, I'm pretty proud of this. One of the pieces is by husband, and I find it hard to practice that piece when he's in the building. It's my own insecurity, I know. I'm sewing some each day, which makes me happy. I'm restarting The Artist's Way , which means I'm reconnecting with myself. I'm reading The Power of Now , a book that was recommended to me years ago by Dr. Sousa. I'm preparing my Movement for Musicians course for t...

Being the procrastinator I am of technology-related tasks, I am still uploading videos of Turning Point's October concert at CU. It was an evening of marimba duets, some adapted for the instrument and others composed for it. It was fun. I'm slowly uploading everything to my YouTube channel, Laurel Black .  I still have a few more to go, not to mention the recordings I'm planning to do for the summer. SO MANY. Today's new video addition s: Three Transformations , III. Rhumba Rubio by Andrew Thomas; Three Preludes, II. Andante con moto e poco rubato, and III. Agitato, by George Gershwin. In other news, I'm 99% committed to playing in the Italy Percussion Competition  on marimba. Other areas include vibraphone, timpani, snare drum, drum set, and composition. I figure it will be good for me to play in a competition, regardless of the outcome. I've been here in my comfortable little town for two years now, playing concerts with friends, putting together projec...

The title speaks for itself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp6qaQUxIpk

This past weekend was an eventful one for percussionists in WV. Casey and his students headed off to the WV Day of Percussion held Shepherdstown.  There were solo competitions and performances by a variety of colleges in the state. Concord performed well, which is great! Casey was enthusiastic about how his students played, and that's always a good thing. :) Also held this weekend was the Marshall Day of Percussion at Marshall University in Hungtington, WV. I was super stoked that Steve Hall, professor of percussion at MU, invited Matt to hold a class and perform during his weekend's events. How cool! Steve graciously hosted Turning Point in October, so I am very excited that Matt was able to bring his brain back to WV to talk about music stuff. Despite these great events, my weekend was spent at home, preparing for the present week. I have two remaining recital hearings, and full run-throughs of 4 recitals tomorrow!! Eek. But, I am prepared. And, since I stayed home this ...