Holiday roundup

Well, the holidays are over and it is pretty much back to reality. I went down to the in laws' place for a couple of days before Christmas. The it was back to Rocky Mount for Christmas with my dad and finally up to Virginia Beach for Christmas with my mom. It was a lot of traveling in a few days but now it is over. It was good to see all my family and I got lots of nice stuff. I got clothes, a watch, bracelet, gift cards, a tool set, some wall decorations, and some money. All in all it was a good Christmas. I am so thankful just to be alive to celebrate it.

On a side note, when I got home and checked my mail, I had a letter from the Roanoke Symphony telling me I wasn't qualified to audition and it would not be the best use of my time to audition. All I have to say to that is bring it on Roanoke Symphony.....

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Update

So my tooth is feeling much better today. Hopefully the wisdom tooth is calming down. It usually flares up about once every couple of months but this time it was the worst ever. I hope to be able to practice today, I'm looking forward to it.

This week I started doing weight watchers. I know I know, it's a bit lame but it works! Doctor says I have high cholesterol and I need to lose some weight to get it under control. My doctor's appt. is the first week of January, leave it up to me to weight until the last minute to start. Anyways, I am going to go see if I can practice some today, then a long afternoon and evening of teaching lessons. Peace.

PS - I was only kidding about accusing Tony of cheating on his diet. I am proud of him and wish him the best. GO TONY!

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TYBE Rehearsal #4

Tonight's rehearsal left a lot to be desired to say the least. I know that the band is improving and are really starting to come together, but it's just not fast enough. I feel like some of the kids do not know how to practice or just simply don't practice enough. Things just aren't moving at the pace that I think they should. This week was the last week that I am going to be "passive" about their playing. They have two weeks to clean up any more stuff and build their chops before I start going after stuff real hard. Anyways......I know they are young and they are improving. Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased. I just want it to always be better.

Tomorrow I will spend the day practicing....Hopefully it goes well.

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Rough weekend

What does a sore throat, toothache, and sore nose = A VERY ILL ME!

I haven't been feeling well much of last week and having to play the Nutcracker through this last weekend did not make it any easier. I am happy to have the gig though, the money came just in time. A friend of mine let me borrow his bass trombone to play the gig, and I noticed that it really has helped my playing since I've been on it. It has helped to build my air use in the lower register which is where I struggle the most. I went back to my tenor trombone yesterday and I had a much fuller sound. Sweet!

Today is my last Brass Band rehearsal before Christmas. Yeah, I called it brass band b/c we ain't no brass ensemble no more! It has been going really really well, I think we are going to have a killer first concert. Tonight we are going to read a couple more pieces that we will be performing later in the season. I'm excited. The band sounds good on the new horns and they are really working hard.

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Good Weekend in Wilmington

I had a really nice time in Wilmington last weekend. The orchestra performed much better than the last concert I had played with them, and made it more enjoyable to play. We did some selections from the Nutcracker as well as some Christmas Carols. We also played Winter from the Four Seasons with a young violin soloist. She was no older than 10. She absolutely blew it out of the water. It was great to listen to a young student be such a great performer. All of my students have a lot of work to do and there is absolutely no excuse.

All in all it was a good weekend. I stayed in a nice hotel and after I had to be out on Sunday, I sat in the bar at Chilis and watched football until the concert. Exactly what I wanted to do! I enjoy playing in Wilmington, hopefully I will get to do it more ofte. I am so thankful to be getting gigs.

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Long Day

Today was a pretty long day that started much earlier than I wanted it to. I didn't really get much sleep last night and the fact that the cats had me up at 4:30 this morning didn't help. It ended up being a good day though. I went and saw the NC Symphony rehearse the Saint Saens, Organ Symphony. Man did they sound good!! John Ilika played well as usual and the whole brass section was kickin it. The finale was rippin fast too. It's so nice to hear live music, especially when it's played well. Live classical music is so under appreciated in society today. I wish teachers would influence their students to attend more live concerts. There is just nothing like the electricity that gets flowing when great music is performed by great musicians. I laughed like a kid in a candy store just listening to rehearsal.

I also got to check out the cornets and tenor horns that the TYBE is gonna use. I'm afraid to say that they are of better quality than the TYBB's horns. Connie did a great job getting them fixed up and I am so thankful that she is letting us use them. The kids are gonna be so pumped.

I ended the day by teaching some lessons which also went well. I love it when my students practice. Now I've just been practicing for the remainder of the night. Gonna be another long one tomorrow. I'm substitute teaching at Northern Nash. Erik is leaving to go do an All-County band somewhere, so I am subbing for him tomorrow and Friday. Wish me luck.

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TYBE Rehearsal

Last night's rehearsal went very well. It was clear that the kids went home and worked on their music which was nice because I wasn't expecting that. The group is still getting used to playing with each other and it's only going to get harder next week when we get cornets and tenor horns. I have a lot of work to do to mold and shape these kids into what I want it to be and what it needs to be, but it will get there. As long as they keep working we will be fine. Next week I am going to really work them hard, they have no idea.

I finally have all but one piece passed out and I'll do that next week. Now all we have to do is show up and play. I can't tell you how excited I am about how it's going so far. I hope that we keep it up all year. Now TYBE kids.........GO PRACTICE!!!

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Daily Routine part 2 - The 10 minute rule

As I was searching the web for some articles about practicing I came across one by Josh Bledsoe who is getting his DMA in Trombone at ASU. His article talked about the 10 minute rule. Basically, if you have tasks that you want to get done over time but never seem to get them done, you spend ten minutes a day on them. As simple as it sounds this is a really good approach that I have been trying over the last couple days. For me it is things like reading a book, score studying, blogging, etc.

How can the ten minute rule apply to practicing? Think back to my previous post about the daily routine. If you took all the areas that need attention in brass playing and gave 10 minutes to each then you could have a fairly lengthy routine that never gets bogged down in one area. That's the whole point of the 10 minute rule, it is a short enough amount of time where you can spend the whole 10 minutes being focused on whatever it is you are working on. Imagine spending 10 minutes a day working the upper register. That would be 1hr and 10 minutes per week spent in that range. Plus, those 70 minutes will probably be more focused and concentrated than if you just sat down and started playing. This leads me to another topic for later: having a goal while you practice.

So over the next few days/weeks try spending 10 minutes a day doing something that you would like to get done; Cleaning a room, reading, listen to music, research, whatever. See if you don't begin to chip away at the task without over working yourself.

Be back in 10....

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Daily Routine Part 1 - Setting a Routine

So lately I've been trying to find different routines to start my practicing with. I have been doing the same few sets of things, mostly Remington and Schlossberg. I have been looking around and have found some different routines by Alessi, Ellefson, Brent Phillips, and John Whitaker. I don't like any of them but I do like some from each, so I'm gonna put them together to make my own I think.

I think it is a good thing not to get in a rut of doing the same stuff everyday, especially if it is a limited routine. This idea promotes working on things a certain way whereas if you approach the same concepts in different ways then in theory you will be more flexible with whatever it is that may be presented to you. Not to mention if you do have a routine that you do everyday it is very easy to not focus during that time, which defeats the purpose of the routine. If you do not have a daily set of things that you practice meaning.....you don't really practice fundamentals, then I suggest you start. Remington and Schlossberg are great places to start for brass players. Just remember that your routine/drills/warmups or whatever you call them have to touch all the major areas of brass playing.

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Thanksgiving

My wife and I's first Thanksgiving dinner in our home was a success. We had all of my family and hers over for a total of about 15 people. My first attempt at deep frying a turkey was also a success, but believe me it tasted better than it looked. My mother in law put a lot of butter and seasoning on the outside of the bird so when we put it in the deep fryer it was turning black on the outside within 30 minutes. We took it out and put it in the oven for a few just to get the legs done a little more. I gotta tell you, it was one of the best tasting turkeys I have ever had and I'm not a turkey fan either. There were rolls, muffins, cornbread, stuffing, cranberry sauce, beans, rice, mac n cheese, sweet potatoes, collards, ham, pineapple casserole, potato and chicken salad. All in all it was a great meal and a great time spent with both our families. Hopefully next year we can get the turkey to look as good as it tastes!

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TYBE First Rehearsal

So my first rehearsal as music director of the Triangle Youth Brass Ensemble was last night. Everyone was there and it was a great time. Since hearing the auditions last week I've been real excited to get started. We have a full band which is totally awesome AND we are going to be a real brass band this year!! We passed out baritones, flugelhorn, and Eb soprano cornets last night and in the next two weeks we are getting tenor horns and Bb cornets. There really are going to be some very cool things happening this year.

For the first time playing together and sight reading the music I thought the group did very well. I can tell that this is going to be a good group. The repertoire I picked is challenging yet fun to play and is going to make them work. I also plan on working their tails off too! There is a lot in store for them this season: Scott Hartman, trombone soloist and James Ketch, trumpet soloist will be working with the band this year. Plus we will be able to give a performance at the NABBA competition this year since it's in Raleigh. All I know is that I need to go work on my baton skills!!

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The Happenings

So a lot has been going on in the past month or so. Marching band has really gotten heated up going strong. Both groups I teach are doing really well. My studio is starting to grow which is great because marching band is almost over. TYBE auditions are coming up soon and i'm real excited. There has the potential to be a lot of great players in my band. The repertoire I have picked for the season is going to be incredibly challenging but very fun. Be back later.

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I'm Back

So after about a month and a half of not posting I'm back. It has been a long summer since my last post. I played 2 weeks of the musical Big River at ECU while simultaneously teaching their band camp. Then I taught a middle school camp in Morehead City, NC and I spent the last two weeks teaching marching band at Green Hope High School. It was a long but really good camp. They have some fun and really talented students. I'm looking forward to working there this year. I have Northern Nash's band camp next week. I'm looking forward to that and working all season. It's nice to be working at home again. Whew! A lot went on this last month or so. Stay tuned for more.

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Catching up

So it's been about a week since my last post. A lot of things have happened since then. I have managed to get some more students for my private studio, picked up another band camp in July, my new house is ready to move into, and my wife is currently sick. I really should blog more often so I don't have so many things to say at once.

I'm happy to say that www.jesserackley.com is back up and running. It has been a while but my site is finally going again. It's not finished but working. I'm working on a really secret and killer design that I will unveil around the middle of July. Till then there is a basic template that gets the job done. This will be much easier for my students to navigate thanks goodness!

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Settling in

So I'm starting to feel like I'm making some headway on the trombone. Taking lessons with John Ilika of the North Carolina Symphony has really helped change my approach to playing. Thanks John!! Things are going well and I am finally starting to settle in to my new routine of being a free lance musician. I wake up between 6:30 and 7 to see my wife off to work and then do my morning workout (walking, biking, etc.). When I'm done I shower and then plop myself in front of the tv and start practicing. I can usually get 2 to 2 1/2 hours before lunch. Then after lunch I practice some more, teach some lessons and then hang with my wife. It is such an easy schedule, but it allows me to spend the day "working" aka practicing. Hopefully I can keep this routine until one day I win a job with a professional orchestra. 

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What an idiot

So I was watching Sportscenter this morning as I always do to catch up on scores and such and there was a video of ex baseball player Jose Canseco in a mixed martial arts fight against  the superhuman-sized 7'2" 330-pound Hong Man Choi at the Dream Super Hulk tournament in Yokohama. Needless to say the fight lasted less than one round with Canseco getting knocked out. This is what you get for using steroids in baseball and then trying to get everyone else in trouble. Stay home and don't leave your house ever again you disgrace to all things sports related. 

Sorry for the rant but I thought it was too hilarious!

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Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a great day to buy furniture. It's just a great day to go shopping in general. Stores are getting rid of winter and spring items to make room for summer stuff. My wife and I went to Furniture Fair in Rocky mount to look at at a new bed. There were some good things and some ugly things. We ended up deciding on a bed and then after talking to the sales lady they were able to give us the whole bedroom set for about half off the original price. What a deal! After deciding on the bedroom stuff we just looked at living room suits for yucks and giggles. We ended up getting a floor model sofa, oversized chair and ottoman. Again, it was half off. We ended up getting two sets of furniture for the price of one. The were so eager to make a sale. It was a good day in my book! I also got lots of practice time in yesterday as I had no lessons to teach. The trombone is going really well and I'm excited about what is to come in the future.

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Alabama Audition Trip

I drove to Alabama Sunday after my gig in Wilmington to audition for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. It was a very long but fun trip. A couple of my frat brothers went with me to help me make the trip and it was a ton of fun. It was nice not to have to think about the audition and get real stressed out. It was just hanging with the guys on a real long road trip. The audition went well. I made it through three of the four excerpts in the first round; they were Mozart’s Tuba Mirum, Berlioz’s Hungarian March, and Bolero by Ravel. I played better than I did in Syracuse so I’m happy. Whenever the next one comes up I’ll be ready. Thanks for all the support everybody. I think I may leave you with something that never stops being funny.

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Mozart Requiem

Wilmington is such a beautiful place! I just finished playing Mozart's Requiem with the Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble. It was a good concert. The soloists were very good and the orchestra was good as well. That is a hard piece to do in one rehearsal with a pickup orchestra, but it went smoothly. I killed the solo in the Tuba Mirum movement. I got to hang out on Saturday with my buddy josh Tillman who played trumpet. We got lunch and took a tour of Kure beach. Such a cool place to be. Well, off to bed to drive to Alabama tomorrow. Later.

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Long Weekend

I just got done playing with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra this weekend. There were rehearsals on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and concerts Saturday and Sunday. Lots of time spent with the orchestra! It was a fun concert even though it involved a lot of time. We did Porgy and Bess, Rhapsody in Blue, and a Tribute to George Gershwin. Both soloists and the pianist I thought did very well. I am really excited about the possibility of playing in a professional orchestra someday. It’s just more fun than band. It was good to see Tony again and to meet Dave Kroschell, man what a killer bass trombone player! Hopefully I’ll get a chance to play trombone with those guys some more. Ok it’s time to practice some more excerpts, Alabama Symphony audition next Monday. I’ll leave you with Joe Alessi playing Bolero.

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