Private Entry

Private Entry

Private Entry

Congratulations to Rick Blatti, Associate Director of Bands at OSU, for being appointed Interim Director of the School of Music. Further congratulations to Tim Leasure, Assistant Professor of Trumpet, for being appointed interim Associate Director of the School of Music. I'm looking forward to next year!

I haven't posted in quite awhile. I tell myself it's because I have nothing to write about; I'm on the daily grind almost every day. But, I think it may have been long enough that it's worth at least giving a general description of the daily grind!

I spend most of my time at Ohio State, of course, but I'm not taking too many formal classes. I rehearse with the student wind symphony three mornings a week, and I have a private lesson once a week. Twice a week, all ~30 trombonists in the studio meet for class. On Tuesdays, we generally play as a large choir, conducted by our professor. On Thursdays, I teach the class; I divide my time between guided listening activities, solo student performance, and small chamber ensembles. Perhaps the most personally beneficial thing I'm doing this quarter is meeting with Tiffany, the horn TA. We play for each other once each week and give each other comments to help each other prepare for upcoming auditions and performances. Most of my time, however, is spent teaching private lessons. This is probably the biggest reason why I chose Ohio State for this program. I really appreciate the opportunity to build teaching experience with serious post-secondary students. And, I have to say, the students here are doing really phenomenal work. As we approach the end of the school year, I'm just astonished with how much progress everyone has made since September.

Last weekend was Katy's birthday, and we were able to get out of town for a long weekend and visit her family. It was really a very nice time. Saturday evening, a lot of her extended family got together for a cookout and party. My father in law opened up his pool table, and by the end of the evening, most of the men found themselves demonstrating that beer and eye-hand coordination have an inverse relationship. We spent Sunday and Monday relaxing with more family and friends, and began our abbreviated work week on Tuesday.