February 2009 Archives

And people think the Well-Tuned Piano is long!

I'll blog again in April, probably when the baby arrives.

We're at 57 days until the due date, and things are definitely getting exciting.  I'd like to think that I have 57 days to do the things I might have wanted to without kids, but alas, I'm too busy to do anything other than what I need to do.  :)

It might also be good to make sure the baby has a place to live once she decides to grace us with her presence.  I think that's my job, eh?

What'll happen once my kid goes to school?

I have caught just about everything that's gone around this year, which is very uncommon for me.  I usually get one cold a year and that's about it.  It's pretty rare that I have to miss work or school due to illness.

But this year I've gotten everything.  I got that lovely intestinal bug that, with the exception of appendicitis, made me more sick than I had been since high school.  Throw in another four colds or so and that makes for a rather unhealthy Andy.

Carrie says its a sign that I need to finish up with school.

But what on earth am I to do when my kid start to interact with disease infested vermin (you know, other people's children)?  I mean, I know three kids right now that have had RSV, one of whom drooled all over me.  My prognosis is not looking good.

By now you've no doubt heard that Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill pulled a Milli Vanilli/Ashley Simpson by using a recording for the inauguration (what do you mean the piano won't stay in tune in sub-freezing temperatures?).  Well, someone sitting close to these artists managed to nab a recording of what they were actually playing.  The results are shocking!

Yesterday afternoon I gave a performance of half of William Duckworth's Time Curve Preludes at Pittsburg State University in southeastern Kansas.  As part of their Tuesday recital series, I actually had about 50-60 students in attendance, and since recitals are rather poorly attended at UMKC this was the largest audience I have had since I was an undergrad.  I was pleased with the performance and even more pleased by the enthusiasm it seemed to generate.  Not only were they a very gracious audience, but I also had several students asking the see the score (probably the #1 request I get) and asking me about the pieces.  By way of introducing myself to Avila University, I will be giving the same performance on February 15.  With any luck I'll get even more piano students next year (and not fewer).

On a related note, things are definitely starting to get busy around here.  I beginning to think that I need a planning committee for my life.  I'll begin meeting my students at Avila tomorrow, which will be fun, but this position is definitely something I didn't anticipate when planning this semester.  Throw in an oboe recital accompaniment gig, my own recital, doctoral comps, and of course a new baby and all of a sudden I'm looking at what will no doubt be the toughtest semester of my 9-year college career.

Why then, am I so excited?  Is there a Jessie Spano breakdown in my future??

With the Superbowl today being today, I thought I'd post two of my favorite beer ads.  Rather than going with any of the big American companies, though, I thought I'd post some from our friends down under.  Only in Australia can you get beer ads that spoof classical music.  You've probably seen these at some point, but I think they're worth another look.

First up, the Victoria Bitter Beer Symphony

Here's a neat 'behind-the-scenes' video:

And finally, Carlton's Big Beer Ad: