The Summerglen Files

Sorry the tips are a day late this week…but these tips come with a bonus! I redid my slide cleaning video as well, and you can check it out on YouTube or on the Summerglen Music resources page. Happy cleaning and lubricating, everyone!

When I was in high school, my trombone teacher had an endless supply of laments about the weak state of my lungs (and tone). Unfortunately for both of us, his instructions to “breathe deeper” and “fill up my lungs” lesson after lesson weren’t exactly getting results. But what DID get results was the day he got fed up with my wimpy long tones, threw up his hands and said, “Put down your horn and take a lap around the block!”

This was perhaps one of the best trombone lessons I ever had, simply because it taught me what filling the lungs and supporting the tone really means. When you run, you’re asking your body to do some hard work–and your body needs lots of oxygen to get that work done. Your lungs expand, you breathe more deeply, and you naturally support your breath a little more than normal. Over time, this exercise beefs up your lungs, and helps you understand exactly what your lungs feel like when they’re full. And knowing how to fill your lungs is one of the keys to playing trombone beautifully.

Breathing exercises and running, even though they don’t involve the horn at all, have been some of the most effective things I’ve done to become a better trombonist. I started out with some wimpy lungs, but after years of exercise, they’ve become powerful and strong (and my tone has followed suit!) The greatest thing about this is that YOU can beef up your lungs, too. Just put down your horn and take a lap around the block.

Happy Monday, Summerglen friends!
We’ve been insanely busy over here at the ‘glen. I’ve been working hard on setting up another after-school elementary band and some creativity workshops for businesspeople, and Andrew has been out playing solo percussion shows! (Pics of his latest show will be up within the next couple of days!)

But the thing we’re most excited about this week is Andrew’s upcoming Drumset Setup and Tuning Workshop at 2112 Percussion this Thursday at 6:30pm. Andrew has a really cool evening planned–including teaching how to set up your drumset to make playing easier, helping you decide which drumheads are best for you, and demonstrating how to tune your drums to get a great sound. This workshop is FREE, and is open to drummers of all ages!

If you have a burning drumset question that you would like Andrew to answer at his workshop, post your question to Andrew’s facebook page, and he’ll make sure to cover it on Thursday! If you don’t have Facebook, please feel free to ask your question here in the comments section. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

2010 has been the year of the solo percussionist here at Summerglen. While I’ve been holing up in my studio playing the David concerto and making trombone tips videos, Andrew has been composing and gigging up a storm! Here are some videos of Andrew performing two of his own compositions: one for snare drum, and the other for various percussion “stuff.” If you like these videos, be sure to check out Andrew’s next solo percussion show–it’s this Saturday, February 20th from 1-3pm at The Nature of Art in Holly Springs, NC! Enjoy!

Not much is going on here in Raleigh, because many of our roads are still icy–so I’ve been using the snow-induced down time to explore some great musical & arts-centered websites. This one, Entrepreneur the Arts is one of the most exciting sites I’ve found for working artists. It’s packed with resources, articles, and business advice for artists, and is truly a must-read for full-time artists of any discipline! Many thanks to Durham clarinetist Scott More for passing along the link.

Two things especially jumped out at me on the Entrepreneur the Arts site: their aim to “tap into the power of creative artistry to innovate lives, bottom lines, and the communities we live in,” and their commitment to helping artists build more fulfilling careers through entrepreneurship. These two ideas resonate deeply with me simply because THEY WORK! Over the past 3 years, we’ve seen the benefits of artistic entrepreneurship and a community focus come alive here at Summerglen. Andrew and I are definitely well-fed, happy artists…and the ETA website shows you how you can be one, too!

Here’s a sampling of some of the helpful articles over at ETA:
Identifying Your Ideal Client

How to Be a Thriving Artist in this Economy

13 Steps to a Happy Artistic Life

Hope you enjoy these articles as much as I did. Many thanks to Entrepreneur the Arts for your support of working artists!