Laurel Black Music

This morning I finally pushed submit  on an application that has taken months to prepare. The Ima Hogg Competition , held each year in Houston, TX, is one of the foremost instrumental competitions in the world.  I wrote a few months ago about the rep I had to prepare for this: 2 movements of  Bach partita and 15-20 minutes of solo rep. It doesn't sound like much, and I suppose in the scheme of what it could  be it really isn't, but what has been absurdly difficult is capturing recordings that are of a quality I would submit. Luckily, husband purchased some nice microphones which have made marimba recording SO MUCH MORE PLEASANT. So, that wasn't the problem. The problem was not making stupid errors. duh , says the Greek chorus. Maybe it's because I typically use recording as a practice tool more than something to share with the world, but it's really difficult to not make stupid mistakes. Welcome to the world, Laurel , says the Greek chorus.  It also does...

This year at PASIC there were many sessions about dealing with "musician's stress." I'm going to be honest: I didn't go to any of those sessions.  I know  what happens to me when I start to get stressed out. I know  what to do to help me get through it.  I know  that all I have to do is get started and I'll feel better.  So, I avoided those sessions because I think I know how to handle it.  Yet it sneaks up on me, as I'm sure it does all of us. I'm assuming the stress of which they speak is that feeling that never goes away, the feeling that says "hey, you're not practicing so you're being a terrible musician."  That's what I feel right now.  In my mind this stress is sometimes personified as a really snarky smurf-like character who just mocks all of my reasoning. Oh, it was Christmas?   Oh, you were spending time with family?   Oh, you had a migraine? Oh, you were enjoying making a gift for someone? Oh, you...

Well, it only took a few months, but I have FINALLY uploaded some videos. Something about having to watch them myself, then decide if I like them, then edit them is very daunting to me. And there's the whole thing of being judged by them. Anyway, I kinda got over it and put up a few new videos on my YouTube channel. Here's what you'll find: The Body of Your Dreams  - Jacob TV Over There  - Carla Bley Land  - Takatsugu Muramatsu an improvisation - me

I'm a planner. Husband makes fun of me for it -- my need to carry around my HUGE day planner everywhere I go.  I like making lists. Even more, I like checking off things to be done from said lists. In light of my overall positive experience from the Italy competition, I've decided to take on a few more projects. Are some of them out of my league? Maybe. But, I figure the practice I'll do getting ready for them will only serve me well in the future. So, to put my marimba-focused To Do list out there: 2015 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition      My teacher, Nancy Zeltsman, told me about this competition a few years ago. I'm just now grown the cajones to try it. The top players receive a cash prize, but also get to perform with the Houston Symphony.           PRELIMINARY TAPE DUE January 28, 2015           REP: 2 movement from a Bach sonata or partita; 15-20 minutes solo rep         ...

I figure I should update everyone on how the competition went, especially now that some time has passed. As a person who has always felt that competitions just 'weren't for me,' I must admit that I enjoyed the experience.  The negative aspects were more negative than expected, but the positive ones were MUCH more positive! So, you let in the bad with the good, I suppose. The Positives 1. It's really, really  good for you to practice so meticulously.   I decided rather late to participate in this competition. It was announced in January(?) but I didn't register until late May - mere days before the deadline.  I knew I'd have to practice differently than usual, considering I had months to catch up on.  Having to memorize the music quickly, including the tempos and all markings, wasn't a new experience, but it was good to do it again after a few years. Since my accompanist job is all about reading and listening, it felt good to focus so intently...

Nothing written here for longer than I like.  Between starting the church job officially , preparing for  classes, and freaking out about the competition, (all while trying not to spend TOO much time sewing), I've been a little busy. Today marks the end of week 2 of classes, and I am LOVING my new schedule. I'm teaching classes to music majors only , a first for me, and it's really rewarding. I like teaching Intro to Music, but this is soooo much better. Not too much playing yet for me, but that will change rapidly as students are assigned repertoire in their lessons. Luckily, I've been able to focus (somewhat) on the competition, and will be presenting a recital in about a week to get a run-through of the rep in front of lots of people. I've played for Casey and for students, but I need a scary auditorium full of folks to make me nervous. My involvement at the church is enjoyable, but the week does get long. Wednesdays are now 12-hour work days, and if there...

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...