Archive for September, 2009
Mid-week post. Today the UISO will play Stravinsky’s Firebird and Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Piano Concerto with UofIowa faculty member Ksenia Nosikova. She sounds amazing!
This week we had some unfortunate news. Celebration Bridal, the store Kate has been working at for several years, will be closing on October 31st. We are exploring all of our options at this point and we are hopeful that something will come to fruition in a timely manner.
I can’t believe that are already five weeks deep in the semester. I have been keeping up with all my work, classes, and practice, and it seems like I haven’t accomplished anything yet. That is very frustrating.
At any rate, this weekend promises some fun! Way back in March Kate and I purchased tickets to Dave Matthews Band in Des Moines for tonight as her Birthday present. This will be my first “big” rock concert; I am quite looking forward to it. Tomorrow – homework, paper, and practice, and go Iowa! Beat Penn State!
“Carn”. It’s how many mid-westerners pronounce “corn”. Why? I have no idea. All I know is that corn is both delicious and non-nutritious as you don’t really digest it. Not to mention the fact that we cover it in butter and salt. Alas…..
The point of this post is thusly:
You know you are in Iowa when the “weed” in the freeway median is corn. Yes, I saw several stalks of corn-weed today and it was awesome.
I was looking in my iTunes for a recording of a piece that he is working on and I couldn’t find anything. I know that I have four or five versions of it, but there was nothing in iTunes. Where did it go?!?
The third week of school has come and gone. It was a short, four day week due to Labor Day. Significant events from week three:
The following pictures were taken about ten months ago here in Coralville, Iowa. I went down to one of the areas hit hardest by the flood of last year and there was an upright piano that has obviously received significant damage. The sun was starting to set, so the colors were optimal. Enjoy.
We just received news that Ligget Hopkins, Kate’s grandfather has passed. He now returns to Him that gave him life, to spend eternity with Ruth Hopkins. Below is a picture of the two of them with Kate and I at our wedding reception.
From left to right: Ruth Hopkins, Jonathan and Kate Allen, Ligget Hopkins
We had a great three day weekend. We grilled on both Saturday and today (Monday). We had a good time with good friends.
I have been doing the Alessi Routine found here for the past week and my chops feel great. I figured it was a good time to do some major changes to my practice situation since I just finished with the three orchestra auditions. I have never incorporated much mouthpiece buzzing into my routine, but this has been pretty effective for me.
We also did some hanging with the Whiteheads, our neighbors across the hall. We always have a good time, especially with the twins! Here they are in super-cute Superman pajamas!
Noah - Up, Up and Away!
Noah and Ethan Whitehead in Superman jammies!
Week two of school is wrapping up. After today I will have seen all of my students for this year at least once. There are certainly some promising students! It makes me reflect on my first semester of my freshman year at the University of Northern Colorado. I was really fortunate that Buddy Baker opted to take me on instead of putting me with the TA at the time. I am sure that I would have learned a lot from the TA, but to be able to study with that master of teaching in his final year prior to retirement was invaluable. I didn’t study with him long enough to memorize all of the “Buddy-isms”, but he was able to help me get a good, solid foundation that has served me well. I have been teaching for a while, but this seems to be the first that that it is “for keeps”, or so it seems. I hope that I can share things with these students that will help inspire and motivate as well as give a solid foundation for musical expression and the fundamentals of trombone playing.
Dr. Jonathan Sayre Allen 