Greetings! It's been quite some time since I've given this blog attention, but that's fortunately been due to me working part-full time as a music teacher (part-time pay for full-time commitment) as well as being fortunate enough to be playing with several different groups on a regular basis!  It's great to be able to look at my calendar and always see shows coming up in the near future that I'm actually in! 

        At some point, I'll post some more regular entries into this blog (I'm thinking of a gear review for the next thing), but for now, I'd like to shamelessly plug a contest going on with one of the bands I'm currently with, The World's Heaviest Jam Band.  For those of you who haven't been keeping up, it's a project that started in the summer of 2013, died, then was resurrected that's starting to gain some steam in the New Jersey general area.  The idea is to take musicians from different musical backgrounds and put them together to see what they come up with.  This is what we came up with:

       
        Anyway, if there's one thing being in Swing That Cat has taught me, it's that having a unique image and personality for your band is one solid way to make a mark for yourselves in the local music community and to blow away the competition when you play multi-band shows.  Due to this, we decided that a logo for the band might be a nifty thing to have in order to start making our band stand out in other ways than just our music.  The other option is for us to just be like every other garage band and have our band name typed up in a slightly uncommon font that blends in on a promotional poster.

         So, below are the rules for the contest.  Please share this with anyone you know who may be interested.  We're really hoping to connect with as many artistic individuals as possible through this, which to us is infinitely more important than the logo itself.  In addition to the contact methods listed in the posting, you can also contact me via this website here.

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WORLD'S HEAVIEST LOGO CONTEST!

We here at the World's Heaviest Jam Band are in need of a logo for our band -- something more than just our name in fancy font. We thought it would be awesome to put this out to the fans and see what you guys can come up with. . .IN CONTEST FORM!

What We Need: A logo for the band.

What Should It Look Like?: We're not going to limit your creativity with specifics, but Joe doesn't like flowers. You can draft up rough ideas and show them to us as many times as you like, and one of the guys in the band will give you some feedback to help you out. Check out our videos on YouTube if you haven't to get an idea what our music's like and what our vibe is.

Prizes: The winner of the contest will have their logo selected, used, and credited to them for all band activities and promotions. You'll also get $50 and the first ever World's Heaviest Jam T-Shirt with your logo on it (before even anyone in the band has one). In addition, if we ever make a full-length studio album, you will be on the list to receive one of the first copies signed by the members of the band.

We know $50 isn't nearly enough for your art, but we're quite poor ourselves.

When It's Due: Submissions are due on September 1st, 2014. You can contact us our Facebook page. The winner will be notified within a week or two of the contest deadline.

Even if you're not artistic, please pass this contest along and share it with your friends! We want to meet and work with as many artistic individuals as possible!

Sketch away, friends!

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The World's Heaviest Jam Band is a Jersey-based group consisting of four professional-level musicians from vastly different musical backgrounds. The band dabbles in music drawing from influences such as rock, heavy metal, jazz, and funk.

Image and Video Credit Links:
Thanks to Little House Booking for the photo of the band!
Thanks to the guys over at The Jam Room Music Complex for doing an excellent job mixing our demos as well as providing a consistently great rehearsal space for our band!
Generic Rock Music: http://www.tutsking.com/wp-content/uploads/live-music.png

Hello readers!  I apologize for it having been a number of months since the first part of my multi-part installment on DIY improvisation instruction.  It is quite a large undertaking and, quite frankly, life has been crazy since that last post.  I've been living and traveling all over the place for a number of reasons, including the continued search for steady employment, a friend's wedding (where I was the best man), short substitute teaching and janitoring assignments, and a sudden burst of gigs in December.  It's been wild, but I'm still alive...somehow!

I've done some updating/slight adjusting around the website.  The most notable change is the addition of a "previous gigs" link on my Calender tab.  After talking with other musicians and browsing around for myself, I thought it would be nice to avoid too much clutter on the page for people looking for my future engagements while allowing potential bookings and curious individuals to see where I've been recently.  I will probably be listing a year at a time on there starting from this past December.

I've recently been sitting in with a group based in South Jersey called "Swing That Cat."  They took a number of videos during our New Year's Eve gig.  I'm hoping to post one or two of those to my YouTube channel.  I'm just waiting to get the ok from them...because asking before using someone else's stuff is always a good thing to do.

Finally, I will be getting back to this blog.  We'll see what that means exactly, but I will at least try to complete what I started with my last post.

Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me in some way recently, whether it be financially or spiritually.  It's been a wild ride, but it's been amazing to see how many people are interested in what I've been doing and genuinely want to see me succeed.  I truly am lucky to have such great people around me wherever I go.

Onward to 2014!  May all of you have an amazing year!

           Improvisation in music is probably one of the most mystifying of the many skills which can be developed by a pro musician.  People who can do it at a high level make it look effortless, leaving all the square cats not in-the-know exclaiming, “They did that without reading music, and they made it up as they went…and it was good?  IMPOSSIBRU!”  Likewise, many musicians (especially those who begin with a regimented course of study) are reduced to being no better than blundering fourth graders when asked to improvise a passage of music, briefly mumbling that they don’t know how to improvise before sitting down and churning out some Paganini.

          However, this hesitation is unnecessary.  Improvisation in music is only scary so long as one subconsciously holds on to the belief that there is a single, “right” way to learn anything.  Improvisation is as limitless and varied as the people who pursue it as a serious course of study are.  Music, as an artistic discipline, is supposed to be creative.  What is more creative than making music on the spot in real time?  At least for me, improvisation is the height of what a musician can be – completely honest, a fully-grown and developed version of themselves both technically and spiritually as expressed through music. 

           While those of us who have gone through formal academic music training might be encouraged to think that there is a “correct” way to learn to improvise, I believe that there are many routes a musician can take to develop this skill, and figuring out what combination of methods will work at any given time for the individual is a part of an endless journey of self-enlightenment.  Over the next few blog posts, I will be talking about a few of these methods, the advantages and disadvantages of both, and providing some resources that someone can use as a starting point if they’re interested in pursuing any of this.

           In these entries, I will be referring to improvisation in a jazz context, but I have used many of these concepts while playing in other styles, and I have used things I have learned studying other styles in jazz.  All things in music are connected.  If you can’t accept that concept, you probably have no business improvising.

#1 – Licks and Such Tricks

What It Is: Constructing musical phrases from a series of pre-learned licks, sort of like interchangeable parts on a machine.

Pros: easily quantifiable, a huge number of resources available for learning new licks, increasing theory knowledge can increase the mileage a single lick gets significantly

Cons: can remove all of the creativity from the music being performed, can make the musician overly predictable and numb to musical interaction between themselves and the other members of the group

           Perhaps one of the easiest ways for any musician to begin improvising would be a licks-based approach.  This is especially good for musicians who were trained classically before attempting to study improvisation.  There are no vague terms, no gray areas about when certain notes work and when they don’t, and no mystical mediation on a mountain to find yourself.  Just memorizing and shredding licks in all keys.

           One of the greatest advantages of this method is that it takes some of the vagueness out of improvising.  You learn this lick, it works over a ii-V-I progression, and hey, I learned some more theory, and it turns out this lick also works over this, this, and this.  Awesome!  Pre-learning licks and being able to chain them together is also the best way to prep for those breakneck-speed tunes where thinking about what you’re playing is near-impossible.  If you train yourself to play certain things fast, it’ll come out when you need to play fast instead of the musical barf you’re doing right now.

           On the other hand, pre-learning every single thing you’re going to play when “improvising” isn’t really improvising.  This is actually one of the major issues I have with many modern jazz musicians: most of them sound exactly the same.  Everyone studied the same licks.  Everyone learned the same tunes.  Everyone transcribes Michael Brecker.  Everyone sounds the same.  Can music really pride itself as a “creative” subject if no one is actually doing anything new or different?

           If interested in taking a licks-based approach, it requires a basic knowledge of your major and minor scales, as well as the “basic” scale that connects to each of the commonly-used chords (major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, and diminished).  These are things you should probably learn for any method of improvising, but not knowing these things will make a licks-based approach much more difficult aside from a few easy tunes in only a few common keys. 

           Licks can be pulled from recordings you like (of any genre), any books with written music in it, and even any musician friends you have who play the same three things over and over.

Resources to Check Out:

1.) “Hip Licks for Saxophone” by Greg Fishman

2.) Transcription Books Like This

3.) YouTube Videos Like This

Image Credit Links:
Monk: http://www.labgrab.com/files/science-news/images/LabGrab/Buddhist_Monk.jpg?1310158811
Sax Meditation: http://pad2.whstatic.com/images/thumb/3/3a/Meditation-1.jpg/251px-Meditation-1.jpg
Bach Shreds: http://www.wnyc.org/i/200/0/c/80/1/bach_bass.jpg
Waterfall: http://misslisee.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1000997.jpg
Sax Pic: http://advocacy.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/images/preparation-access/undocumented-students-and-dream-act/sam-profile-undocumented-sax-player/sam.jpg?1363038361
Cantina Band: http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/hmv5xyMyt_w/hqdefault.jpg

          Sadly, due to a number of things outside of my control, the full-time job I mentioned finally getting in the edit of my previous entry was something that I had to walk away from.  I was lucky enough to almost immediately find a long-term substitute band director position for a local high school, so I’m currently able to keep eating at least until the end of October. 

           However, like any great musician, the eternal question remains and haunts me like the ghost of an unwelcome mother-in-law – “what’s next?”  Thus, my job search continues.

           It has certainly been quite a journey thus far, filled with ups and downs that I never would have foreseen for myself a year ago.  While the process of applying for jobs has been reduced to the submission of a lengthy digital form for most places, the interviews themselves have proven to have all been very interesting experiences.  Some of these have stood out more than others in terms of the actual process, the expectations of the job, and pure weirdness.

           Take a journey with me, bros.

#3 - “WHY CAN'T WE OFFER YOU MORE?  WHYWHYWHY???"

Where It Was: Catholic Elementary School in Southeastern Pennsylvania
Official Title: Elementary Music Teacher (Part-Time)
What It Actually Entailed: To this place’s credit, it was exactly what the job title implies.  Sing and dance with the children.  Teach some of them to play the trumpet poorly.  You know, elementary school music.

Why It Was Weird:

           Now this was a job that I had thought was too good to be true.  The previous two people who held the position were people I knew from college, and the most recent one had recommended me to the principal, who apparently was very excited to bring me in.  He also mentioned that he believed that the position was being changed into a full-time position from a part-time position, which just seemed like perfect timing.

           Not only was it still a part-time gig, but the principal spent the entire time lamenting that he couldn’t make it a full-time position, and how he was frustrated that he kept hiring and quickly losing highly-qualified people because they would find a full-time gig somewhere else and would understandably leave.  He then asked if I would leave if something better came along (no joke), and then immediately took it back by saying that I didn’t have to answer that for him.

           I thought I put up a pretty good interview even after the surprise disappointment that this job wasn’t the final answer I was hoping that it would be.  However, I ended up losing the job to a lawyer who wanted to teach music part-time for funsies (which shows you how awesome the market must be for lawyers right now) who was also apparently the only other candidate brought in for an interview.  I wasn’t too upset about it, however.  I mean…yeah, why wouldn’t I leave if something better came along?  It wouldn’t be good counsel to stay where I’m not making enough to earn a living.

#2 – “Actually, the Position We Posted Isn’t What We’re Looking For…”

Where It Was: Public School District in Southern-North Jersey
Official Title: Middle and High School Band Director
What It Actually Entailed: Teaching the students from pre-K to second grade.

Wait…What?:

          Yes, you read the title and the responsibilities correctly.  This job was a tip I had seen posted on the New Jersey Music Educators Association’s Facebook group from the guy who presumably had the job before.  I sent out this application within a day or two after quitting my previous job, so it seemed like a godsend to see a job posting for what I wanted to teach for the grade levels I was interested in so immediately after becoming unemployed.

          I should have realized something was up when the Applitrack application system didn’t even ask for my resume’.

           I was lucky enough to hear about the disturbance in the Force from the girl who went before me to interview, as she knew the guy who was going after me.  Apparently they weren’t interviewing for a middle/high school band director spot; they were interviewing for a pre-K to second grade general music teacher. 

           For those of you who aren’t musically inclined, this is like asking a mechanical engineer to handle your tax forms.  Sure, he/she can probably do it, but an actual accountant would be a much better person to ask.

           I actually wrote a rejection letter to this school district, which I had to send more than once because the principal’s email inbox was apparently too packed to receive any more messages.  I wasn’t even aware that was a thing anymore.  However, it felt really good to stand up and say with confidence that the school district wasn’t good enough for me, especially since I could basically wallpaper a house with the number of rejections I have received thus far.

#1 – “LGBT? GTFO!”

Where It Was: Catholic High School in North Jersey
Official Title: High School Band Director
What It Actually Entailed: Trying to completely rebuild a failed instrumental music program from the ground up.  Travel to the three middle schools every afternoon after teaching high school in the morning in an attempt to recruit so that more than ten kids would be in the high school concert band.

Why It Was Weird:

           First off, the school had a “president” in addition to an actual principal, and this Commander-in-Chief/head priest was the only person I interviewed with aside from some random guy in one of the back offices who happened to major in music in college but hadn’t done anything musical since.  Now, they try to prepare you for some pretty tough interview questions, both in college and on those YouTube videos that promise to help you do things like speak more confidently and find God’s match for you, but this interview topped that.

           This interview was so unreal, I have to write out this guy’s questions.  Keep in mind the first question was followed directly by the second, and no, any creepy wording is NOT something I’m making up.

Question 1: “We have a lot of pretty girls attending our school.  Suppose one of them develops a crush on her instrumental music teacher.  What would you do?”

Question 2: “Suppose one of your male students comes to you one day and asks to speak to you in private.  He then says that he thinks he is having sexual feelings for another male student in the class.  What do you tell him to do?”

           …alright, the first question…ignoring the creepy for a second…WHY WOULD YOU EVEN ASK THAT?  The answer to that for any teacher who can be trusted with students is completely obvious.  Actually, it’s also obvious to lying, digusting sleazeballs that shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near children.  Also, Mr. President, why are YOU commenting on the level of attractiveness of your female students?  Something isn’t right here.

           Second, many of the higher-ups in the Catholic Church have made it clear that they’re not ok with the gay community, some of the more zealous members even go so far as to bluntly state that being gay sends you right to eternal damnation and suffering when you die.  You know, God’s infinite love for all people…except if you disagree with the church.

           It’s a private school, and they can do what they want in regards to hiring people with consideration of their beliefs.  I get it.  Unfortunately, the system is infinitely bigger than me, and I can’t do anything by myself to change it.  So what did I say when he asked me that question?  I remember almost word-for-word what I said:

           “Well, Father, first off, that seems like a very heavy question for the music teacher.  Second off, I’d tell him to really think about what he’s feeling and to seek help from his family and friends in helping him to figure things out, because hopefully they’re the kind of people who will support him and love him, no matter what.  I don’t have a problem with gays, either male or female, because I’ve had many friends who were, and I think that some of them were the best and most admirable people I’ve ever met.  I know the Church doesn’t necessarily agree with that.”

           I then looked him in the eyes in complete silence in what was probably the most badass moment of my year up to that point until he moved on to the next question.  Some people may have lied/stretched the truth when going for a job interview in a religious private school, but I refuse to compromise my core values, or the welfare of a student in that type of situation, because I’m supposed to love or hate someone based on what someone else tells me to do.

           Ironically, about a week or so later, the media went crazy over the current Roman Catholic pope, who went on record taking a “live and let live” stance on the question of homosexuality.  He had already made some waves among the more conservative members of the religion by washing the feet of women as well as men during one of the traditional rituals of the church, which was certainly “most unorthodox” as can be.  That’s the kind of man who should be a religious leader – someone who puts love and equality first.

          Of course, I’m sure I didn’t get the job because they went with a more-qualified candidate.  I’m sure that was the only reason.  Completely sure.

Image Credit Links:
Penguin Unemployment Line: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HF5IhE5te_A/TuMCoXwDFVI/AAAAAAAABgA/zDZCgL9BWbY/s640/job-interview-4.jpg
Wendy’s: http://www.eatdrinkdeals.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/wendys.jpg
Grinch: http://www.rossettimarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ss_mean_grinch.jpg
Most Unorthodox: http://i.livescience.com/images/i/000/028/703/i02/throwingpapers.jpg?1341400267
Rejection Letter Wallpaper: http://www.sfgate.com/blogs/images/sfgate/scavenger/2009/05/08/3469774674_f4d9714ac0375x249.jpg
Internet Studying: http://www.soundfeelings.com/images/StudyingComputer.jpg
Minion Say Whaaa?: http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/fTHL0MAWkmY/hqdefault.jpg
Pope: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Pope_Francis_in_March_2013.jpg
Skeptical Dog is Skeptical: http://wakingupnow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/skeptical-dog.jpg

Here's the second half of my two-part series on things I learned going to school for music.  If you're just starting out on the journey, or if you'd like some reminders of your majoring in music basics, these are the blog posts for you!

Check out the first part here if you missed it.

Network Constantly

           Before college even ended, I was pumping out job applications for teaching gigs at a fairly frequent rate.  I had considered the idea of graduate school, but I really felt that there was a lot of good I could begin doing sooner rather than later by just getting out there and spreading the Word of Bird.  Not being boastful, but I was definitely one of the top dogs leaving Rowan this past May as far as music education was concerned; I had tapped into a number of different aspects of music education, and there were even things I was able to teach and demonstrate that no one else in my group could even begin to do.  Here’s a visual metaphor of my current success in finding a full-time teaching position.

           In contrast (and without being too specific), I’ve known people to get through the music education program who should not be allowed anywhere near children for one of a variety of reasons, and, almost immediately, they waltz into a full-time gig with little to no effort on their part.  They continue on to a life of paying mediocrity as they’re protected by administrators who don’t care how much their students are learning about music so long as they never have to deal with any problem kids or crazy parents directly.  “How has the Force become so unbalanced in this way?” you may ask.  Networking.

           It gets said over and over again in pretty much every field you can think of, but it really is about who you know.  Maybe the other guy going for the choir job has choir experience, but you’ve worked with the marching band for the past four years after you got into college and know the principal on a first-name basis.  Maybe the other guy interested in this professional world music band actually doubles on flute, marimba, and bagpipes, but you’ve been hanging out with the band leader at the local pub every Tuesday night for the past three months, and he’s professed his eternal friendship to you on more than one drunken occasion. 

           In fact, this prioritizing of hiring buddies and relatives over hiring skilled educators is one of the major issues going on in the world of academia right now.  Unfortunately, real life isn’t always fair or just.  As for me, I’ll just have to work that much harder than I already have and hope for a lucky chance encounter.  I may even have to do some things for money that I never thought I’d have to…

EDIT: Between the posting of the first and second halves of this entry, I did end up finding employment as a saxophone ligature salesman/accounts manager for a company.  How did I find out about this opening in the first place?  Ironically, by goofing around on Facebook.  You never know what can lead to a job.

You Decide the Value of Your Degree

           90% of what I learned about music and who I’ve become as a musician during my past five years at Rowan was stuff I did for myself out of my own interests and personal drive.  I took private lessons on bassoon.  I added a double-major in performance because Rowan decided that “jazz education” majors don’t need to actually be good at jazz.  I learned about the basics of recording, from equipment to mixing.  I studied arranging and composition privately.  I researched interesting and unique literature to make my recitals more than just a cut-and-paste version of other sax recitals.  I learned assorted bits of music software on my own time.

          At Rowan, I had the pleasure of studying with Denis DiBlasio, probably one of the best bari sax players out there right now, as well as a monster scat-singer, engaging jazz flutist, and talented composer and arranger.  Our lessons, regardless of whether they were improv or arranging, always went in the direction that I was going in.  To clarify, the lessons were planned to build upon who I was as an individual and what interested me musically.  I would learn as much as I could handle, and I made sure to always take advantage of a living legend wanting to teach me more.

          I’m thankful that I put as much time as I did into bettering myself and increasing my knowledge about and passion for music.  So many people, more than you’d think, get into school for music and just blow through at a mediocre level, just enough to pass through the program and meet the requirements of the degree (whatever they so happen to be when you’re applying to graduate).  You need to be more than that.  You need to make yourself unique and interesting, especially in an economy saturated with great musicians and great music educators all struggling for the same small pool of work.

          Most importantly, take pride in what you do.  You only have one life.  Do something you’re passionate about, be the best you that you can be in it, and make it matter.

Image Credit Links:
Jazz Banner: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/31300000/title-pening-by-Sinn-black-panthers-den-31389927-559-143.jpg
Homer: http://www.joemartinfitness.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/HomerIzLazyAzz_couch_potato.gif
Means of Paying Rent: http://www.tofugu.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/sasebo-burger.jpg
Diploma: http://www.cesidebtsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/diploma.jpg
Bleeding Gums Murphy: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0176/4128/t/2/assets/blog_bleeding-gums-murphy-e1345176200526.jpg

FEATURES:
- Unique woven-cord design for maximum vibration
- Minimum surface contact
- Hand-made; Custom tailored to your mouthpiece

PROS:
- "Complete Acoustic Neutrality;" Does not change or alter the natural sound of the rest of your setup
- Clear support on extremes of range
- Increase in control of your sound

CONS:
- A bit tricky to get on correctly; noticeable difference if you don't
- Price tag a bit high for amateur or young players compared to cheap, stock ligatures

PRICE: $140 (all models); Free shipping in Continental U.S.; Lifetime Warranty

WHO IT'S FOR: Pros or players who put a great deal of time on the horn and want the best possible sound

VERDICT:  BUY - If you're a player who's looking to improve your sound and are interested in messing around with ligatures, this is one worth checking out.  The sound is pure, the support of the reed and of the sound is strong, and it's a well-built product that seems like it'll last.  You're paying a little more than you would for many other ligatures on the market, but you're paying for quality.

WEBSITE: http://silversteinworks.com/

           The end of summer draws neigh.  While I’m sitting here continuing to try and figure out this “real life” thing (I’ve stumbled upon the cure for the common cold, though that’s not related to my field, so I tossed the paperwork), many of my potential readers are preparing to go back to school.  Though I have both physically and emotionally finished with my undergraduate years of music school, I can’t help but think about my first year at Rowan University as a jazz education major and how different those experiences were from all my other years there. 

          All freshmen are dummies, regardless of where you go.  That is simply an integral part of the natural order.  However, there are a few hard realities that hit me at some point during my first year that I wish I could have walked in just knowing.  I guess the best way to learn where the random concrete wall in your house is placed is to walk into it over and over until you remember, but for those of you jumping into music school for the first time, here’s a few things you might want to keep in mind to get the most out of your education.

You’ll Be Busier Than Your Friends (and no one cares)

          So…college time…four classes per semester at three credits each…maybe a fifth class with one of them being a four-credit lab just because you’re so gosh-darn hardworking. 

           Nope.  Sorry to burst your bubble, but that kind of a schedule is for many of the other non-music majors.  Even taking a fifth year of some extra studies voluntarily and stretching out my plan a bit to let me breathe, I never had a semester where I only had four or five “classes” to worry about.  I think my record was somewhere around sixteen-ish at one point.  Yes, this includes private lessons and ensembles because you’re a music major.  It’s what you do.

           How is this possible without signing over the ownership of your first-born child for extra credits?  The majority of the classes I ended up taking for both the education and performance tracks were two, one, half…even zero credits.  While Rowan eliminated the latter being a thing, that still leaves you with nine courses if they’re all two credits each if you’re packing yourself to that 18-credit limit.  With the number of courses you need to finish for music education especially, you’ll want to pack yourself to the max each semester.

           …and your non-music friends won’t care.  They don’t have to; they’ll be busy with what they have to do in between wild parties four nights a week, and you’ll be busy doing what you have to do.  Your college major (and how much time you give to various parts of your life) is your choice.  You have a lot more choices to make in life, and few things worth having come easy, so be prepared to jump through some hoops if music really is your passion.  Flaming hoops.  Suspended above a shark tank.  And you’re a cat.

8 AM Classes Are a Thing.  Just Go.

            Oh man.  Majoring in music is going to be awesome!  You’ll be playing your instruments constantly, getting to hang with professional players on a regular basis, making musical contac…what?  8 AM classes EVERY DAY your first semester?  That’s it.  Might as well go major in something else where you can sleep until noon at the earliest every day.

            Know what else you have to pick responsible bedtimes for and wake up at particular times to not be late to things?  Real life.   Again, if you’re not willing to jump through those flaming sea-kitten hoops I mentioned earlier, maybe you shouldn’t be planning on spending your life doing it.

High School and You

           Look at that motivational picture I’ve constructed using only wit and technology.  Soak it in.  Let its words echo through your head.  Yes…that’s it…good…just a few more seconds…

           As a freshman meeting new people, you’re naturally going to draw on your most recent experiences as a means of validating yourself to the strangers you’re going to be spending several years with.  Everyone likes being impressive to some degree, even people who are modest and able to keep their egos in check.  You want everyone to think you’re legit, and you must be a good player if your high school’s marching band were national champions of your division or if the jazz band got a gold rating at three competitions.

           No one cares.  More specifically, no one who matters cares.  You may be carrying some awesome success stories of your high school’s ensembles with you, and those memories are definitely worth holding on to.  However, you’re going to be interacting with the big fish of the other small high school ponds as well as many working and relevant professionals in the field almost every day.  In fact, to get the most out of your time in music school, you need to meet and interact with as many people who can hand your metaphorical musical buns to you on a golden platter of sunshine and diamonds as much as possible.

           Start working towards something new and better now.  Don’t dwell on past successes – they’ll just hold you back from doing greater things.  Miles Davis always looked forward, and he did alright for himself.  You know, besides all the substance-abuse issues.

Click here for Part 2!

Image Credit Links:
Ensemble: https://gustavus.edu/music/images/FAITH3wide.jpg
Fancy Pool: http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/3-ROOF-POOL.jpg
Jerbs: http://mimg.ugo.com/201012/2/7/2/135272/cuts/took-our-jobs_528x297.jpg
Cat: http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/blogflame.jpg
Epic Blanket Fort: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3661/3463193384_89c72d5c9a.jpg
Buns: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dYJa5r_cDZ8/TIl6MI_e8-I/AAAAAAAAA6A/DMs8-4Apods/s400/Brioche+Buns+1.jpg

            …alright, that’s enough poetic theatrics.  Getting down to business, I suppose a certain amount of personal introduction is in order, as is the custom to any first entry of a blog. 

            My name is Joe “Strazz” Straczynski.  No, not Joseph Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 and other assorted all-things-geekery fame. 

            I’m a musician who recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey with degrees in music education, jazz studies, and K-12 subject matter education.  I’m currently job-searching and using those fancy honors tassels to keep my curtains parted during the day, because I’m a classy sort of gent who uses curtain tassels.

            If you’d like to know a little bit more about my credentials or music-related work I encourage you to check out the rest of the website that this blog is attached to.  I’ve broken myself down as a performer, an educator, and as a composer/arranger, and there’s plenty of subcategories to explore within those.  At the very least, you’ve got some recordings and pictures to look at.  There’s a lack of kitten pictures, but there’s only so much of that you can handle in one internet-browsing session, right?

…fellas?

What It’s All About

            I first got the idea to start this blog from one of my guitar-playing, music-teaching friends.  He got on a kick about having a personal website (an idea I DIDN’T steal from him…stop looking at me like that), and he mentioned how a blog was a good way to attract readers and to get people clicking on your site again and again.  For a musician/writer, that equals more potential gigs.

            I have been considering doing some type of semi-regular series via my YouTube channel for a while now, since I wanted to keep things interesting on there, and you can only play “Giant Steps” so many times before people get tired of you.  A blog seemed like a good way to get some of my thoughts out there while giving people who may not necessarily care about my own musical pursuits a reason to stop by and read some stuff.  At the very least, it’s yet another creative outlet for myself to encourage myself to keep growing and exploring in a very tough and unforgiving musical world.

            As of right now, I’m going to keep things loose and say that my blog entries will be about anything “music-related.”  This could include album reviews, thoughts on recent trends in music education (and boy, are there trends right now), equipment reviews, and beyond.  If I notice a particular entry causing an increase in attention to my website, I may stick with topics related to that.

How to Interact, Jack

            Shocked I knew your name, eh Jack? 

            Yeah, yeah, I know that 0.0000000000000000000000000000000019% of the people who read this paragraph won’t be named “Jack,” but imagine how that rare Jack will feel upon seeing me call upon him by name.  It’ll be even more intense than getting called by the professor in Advanced Animal Husbandry only when you don’t know the answer.  You know, because he cares about your education.

            I’m completely open to any suggestions or comments about what you readers see on my blog.  I would love to see ideas for future entry topics since I’m doing this for you, the public, as much as I’m doing it for my hatred of the fourth wall and all of the oppression it and “The Man” have brought upon us since their rise to power in the late 80s.  I would be even more thrilled if I could spark some kind of interesting discussion in the comments section.  That’ll probably take longer to get going, since you need to get people reading your blog and become inspired enough to scroll down a bit further and write out a comment, but I’d be happy to see that fateful day happen.  I just humbly request that any comments are kept family-friendly.  I do have a reputation as an upstanding member of the education world to uphold.