Growing up

Recently, I asked a friend, who I have not seen in quite some time, to lunch. Believe it or not, this is significant! After asking him to lunch, I thought it very strange and exotic. In previous years, friends and I could talk and have fun in school, hang out after sports practices, and pass nights away leisurely with hardly a worry. Times such as that are become less and less frequent! Now, it has occurred to me that I am not able to see my friends on a whim as I once could, and my life is no longer structured so that my friends are always nearby. I now have to result to adult tactics: I now have to be truly proactive enable to keep a friendship going. Asking a friend to lunch... there seems to be no other time in which we may both be free. I now have to ask people to lunch. Strange and exotic. I'm not exactly sure I like it, but I am growing up. These things happen.

I think myself quite smarter than I was a year ago. Being so young, I am by no means wise, but I have grown wiser than I was before. I am pleased to see myself and those around me grow, change, and improve. Now, I dedicate more time to myself than I did a year ago. I seek to make myself happy more than before - and others less than before. This is not to say that I don't seek to make my loved ones happy - I do - but I hold my own self as a higher priority and the results show.

I no longer accept any compromise for becoming a more skilled and experienced musician. I am working much harder in that regard than I did in the year previous. I've learned pieces by Howells, Mendelssohn, Purcell, and Couperin in the past month alone. My lessons with Mark Laubach have helped me to practice more thoughtfully and understand more fingering possibilities, increasing my overall technique. My conducting and voice lessons with Dr. Decker have helped extend my range and have added warmth and body to my voice, while maintaining the brilliance I already had naturally. I have been directing a church choir, learning service music every week, giving private sessions to soloists... it is so invigorating to teach and direct and organize!

Music aside, I've improved exponentially as a runner so far this Autumn. I've dropped my cross country time from a record of 23:05 last year, to a record of 21:36 - with a month left in the season to improve further still.

Now isn't a time for us to be concerned with others. Young people (my age specifically, and a few years older) must prioritize, focus on themselves rather than others, and make compromises less frequently. The time will come later in our lives when we will once more be able to focus on others more strongly and loyally. For now, I hope my young friends and peers strengthen their focus more on themselves.

Integrated Arts 2011: Week 1

Week One of the BTE Integrated Arts Camp 2011 is over! Integrated Arts is a two week day camp for students aged six through thirteen where students learn about the culture of a certain country or area of the world through art, music and theatre (and sometimes food!). This year, the theme is the Caribbean! The first week is over, and here is some of the artwork the students have made in art class. I'm going to update this post soon with some of their artwork! I didn't get any footage of music or theatre yet, but I will by the end of the second week!

Love and Companionship can be Painful Reminders...

The past two days I've spent mostly at my friend Lydia's house. We watched the Beavis and Butt-head movie and 'The Bucket List', had a picnic, got soaked in the rain, talked, played life and just had a wonderful time. I love her so much and I truly appreciate the time I spend with her and her family. That being said, spending this time around them and thinking about how much I appreciate them gets my emotions going. Sometimes, it makes me think of things I regret and things I have lost. Now, in this reflectively sentimental state, I'm thinking about mistakes I've made - and how sorry I am for them. I love Lydia so much. However, thinking about that love - thinking about how much I love her and how beautiful she is - reminds me of how much I have loved others, some of whom I have lost, some of whom I have grown apart from.

Summer Music - Part 1

My new position as assistant organist and choirmaster at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church is going swimmingly! The choir is unbelievably kind - they all know my name and I'm working hard to remember all of theirs! I've made some friends in the choir and have enjoyed their company, there are already some inside jokes which I am in on!

On July 20th, we had a rehearsal in preparation for a visit from Bishop Nathan Baxter. We had rehearsal at the Decker household followed by a party. I worked with the men in the basement while Dr. Decker worked with the women at the piano upstairs. After some rehearsing - we enjoyed a large meal (and just about everybody but me enjoyed beer or sangria!).

Here are some photos from the event, taking by Ken, a stunning bass.

Some of the men socializing before warming up with some hymns. 

Men rehearsing in the Decker basement, myself at the keys.

Myself and Dr. Bill Decker at the piano after a successful run of the anthem

Bishop Baxter came, and the music was sublime - the choir sang very well and the bishop remarked how he was moved by the offertory and communion music.

At the same time, I've been playing in the pit band for the Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble summer musical - 'The Landlover'. Here are some photos of the pit band after this afternoon's matinee.

DJ Mikestro (guitar, keyboard) and myself (keyboard)

L to R: David (guitar, mandolin, banjo), Connor (drums) and Nick (bass guitar)

Recital Success!

My third professional solo recital was a success! I played very well and was confident from start to finish. We had approximately 87 audience members in attendance and raised just under $300 in free-will donations. Here is a picture of myself speaking before the final piece on my program.

My dear friend, one of my very dearest in fact, Darren Motise came down from Poughkeepsie, NY just to see me in recital. Darren, Courtney and I had lunch at Prana Juice Bar and the Namaste Cafe on Friday, followed by a trip to the mall. After the recital, my grandparents, the Deckers, some school friends and Darren and I went to dinner at Rosemarie's - talking about everything from what groups of people we would send to jail if we ruled the world, how intriguing/disgusting the Tyra Banks show is, dead deer, and much more. After dinner, we borrowed a lighter from a guy in reflections and set of fire crackers in the church parking lot - at midnight!
The next day, Julia, Andrea, Courtney and I had brunch with Darren at Bloomin' Bagels and bid our farewells until next time! Here's a picture of us taken by Darren:

My third professional recital is in about 21 hours. I'm not nervous - but I am very stressed. I'm feeling rather depressed at the moment. But I shouldn't be, because wonderful things happen tomorrow! Darren Motise is visiting from New York. He and I are going out to lunch at Prana/Namaste at 1:00. At 4:00 we're meeting up with Bob Glass to see his Hauptwerk project. Also, my grandparents are visiting from Dayton, Ohio. The recital should go very well. Dr. Decker and his wife will be there, Harry, Courtney, Andrea, Hugh, Sam, Lyell, Alex, Kathy, Jessica, John, Mother Marjory, Lydia and possibly Dorothy, Alyssa, Abby and Mark, too! Afterwards, some of my closest and dearest friends and I will go out to dinner and have a good time.

I've been listening to a lot of the piano and chamber music of Mendlessohn and Faure lately, as well as Bach concertos and the typical Haydn masses. The music is depressing to me, at the moment. The music is so powerful and sublime - but I am feeling empty. This blog is becoming a diary it seems! Haha! Woah - watch out narcissism!

Recital Poster!

The always amazing Courteny Sabo came into First Presbyterian Church to shoot some photos and today she sent me her poster design for my recital this upcoming Friday. I couldn't possibly be more pleased! The poster amazing! I'm having twenty-five printed and will post them throughout Bloomsburg.