Midweek Mutterings

It would appear that RTP's days of freedom are coming to an end. Today he had his second interview for a day job with the state. While I would not recommend this line of work for the long run, it has provided a necessary income and RTP may find that earning a small income does relieve stress. Stay tuned...

I am in the process of finalizing a project with a recording engineer. Last week I recorded an unaccompanied piece. First I'd like to say that it's a shame that there aren't more competitions for musicians over the age of 30. In light of the current job market, a flutist might be in their 30s before they are hired for a college job or selected for an orchestral seat. Entering competitions is one way to not only expand the resume, but sharpen the skills. The MB competition is open to flutists of all ages.

What I've found over time is that the recording process trains you to be musically consistent. That has been a very valuable quality to me as I've performed concertos and rehearsed chamber music. A true professional can play the excerpt perfectly multiple times and many times students are quite irregular. They may play horribly in a lesson and exclaim that they played the piece much better in practice. (Of course that may be a cover up for not practicing, but I believe there to be some truth to that.) My HS voice teacher, Joan Boytim, always made us record our lessons. Now I'll admit that I didn't always have time to listen to that tape until the day before the lesson, but listening to yourself is an excellent way to understand the teacher's point. One of my goals when I am in a college teaching position again is to incorporate this into the weekly lesson. More about this perhaps another time.