Sometimes we run into people or things that should be more flexible, but instead become obstinate obstacles. We can accept them as they are. Or, we can decide to do something about them. Case in point: my 9th grader received a vibraphone rental for Christmas this year. However, being a cheap rental, it did not… Continue reading Admiring perseverance
Category: Musician
Self-care and recovery days
There's a lot on the calendar some weeks. It could be fun stuff like holiday celebrations and gatherings of friends. Or it might be a nonstop schedule of family chauffeuring. Sometimes it's long hours at the job for a crunch week. Sometimes it's an array of previous commitments (choir rehearsals, weekly basketball, networking events) --… Continue reading Self-care and recovery days
Finding the Opportunity
Finding opportunities out of obligations is about more than the old optimist's creed of "making lemonade from lemons." It's about efficiency. It's about attitude. It's about shaping your reality. Once my dad was told to attend a dinner event 3 hours away to represent the company, accept an award, and shake hands with the governor… Continue reading Finding the Opportunity
Metallica
I am not a heavy metal fan. I rank it just above gangsta rap and country music in my mental list of "least favorite music genres." I tend to dismiss the songs as so much noise, much as a connoisseur on the other side of the spectrum would be dismissive of an operatic aria. Perversely,… Continue reading Metallica
Someone in the audience
No matter what stage you're on, when you're performing, there's always a special joy if you know someone in the audience. It makes everything more real. Maybe because there's a witness. Someone there to hear the tree fall, so that the noise it makes matters. A performance isn't a performance without an audience anyways; otherwise,… Continue reading Someone in the audience
The Joys of JJFoley 