live-stream concert vibes.

I can't believe it's already Friday! (and now almost Saturday because I kept getting distracted while writing today) I swear this has been the shortest week I've had since early March. Anyhow, I've been busyyy.

A pianist friend of mine and I decided that we would play a small live-streamed concert before I leave for NYC so we have been preparing and rehearsing all week. The world of live-streaming, the intricacies of YouTube, and figuring out optimal sound for live-streaming is pretty uncharted territory for me. Cross your fingers that the sound is listenable on Sunday. I'm doing my best!

I guess I'm burying the lead a bit.... If you'd like to tune in, we will be going live from my YouTube channel at 6 pm EST on Sunday July 26th. Taya's YouTube Channel

We have decided to make the concert free and accessible but have chosen a few organizations that we believe in and are asking anyone who tunes in to donate at least a ticket price to them. I'm going to list them here just in case you feel moved to donate as well!

ACLU of Oregon - Helping the protesters who have been injured and arrested by the ragtag federal officers that are mass-arresting in Portland.

Black Trans Femmes in the Arts - a collective connecting Black trans femmes and providing them with the skills and resources that they need to make and share their work

Manna Food Bank - Local food bank that serves Western North Carolina.

Program - to be performed from The Porter Center at Brevard College.

Taya Ricker, Violin and Vance Reese, Piano

Grande Sonata for Piano and Violin, Op. 83  - Ferdinand Ries (1784 - 1838)

Garden Scene from Much Ado About Nothing, suite from the incidental music for violin & piano, Op. 11 -  Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897 - 1957)

Sonata no. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 ‘Kreutzer’  -  Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)

I took a break.

I took a break from violin and HOLY COW it felt good.

It felt good to not be constantly, and I mean ALL OF THE TIME, worrying about my intonation, phrasing, not being good enough.... I could go on and on but you get the point.

So yeah, it felt pretty dang nice to take the pressure off of myself and to reset. Because really, I'm ultimately the only one creating that feeling.

So for the past month instead of stressing over my practice and my playing, I spent my days working out, and cooking, and eating, and drinking, and watching tv.

I revamped my resume, launched this blog, organized my music library, and began reading again.

This week I unpacked my violin and began practicing again - well sorta: Scales with drones and an etude or two...

I'm hoping that at least for a while I can approach my own playing with much less personal judgement and much more joy.

New jobs and finding confidence.

As a musician, I feel so very lucky to be starting this season with multiple part-time jobs!

... But let me tell you, it's been a trip.

As summer 2018 came to a close, I was beginning my third (and potentially final!) Certificate year at Carnegie Mellon University as well as training for a new online job working as a part-time stylist for Stitch Fix. I was convinced that I needed extra income and was so psyched to be doing something style and fashion related. I didn't see many gigs on the horizon and, although my performing confidence had come a long way, I still had very little confidence in my ability to play any sort of audition well.

Whew! that fall semester was a COMPLETE whirlwind! The Stitch Fix job turned out to be much more time-consuming than I had anticipated and as a result, I was overworked, stressed, and underprepared for nearly everything I had going on musically. By the end of October I was dealing with severe neck pain and immobility (read a little about that here) and was forced to take multiple weeks off from playing violin. By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, I was a complete mess.

I credit my mother for convincing me that it was OK to quit (Quit the online job, that is), and to continue to trust in the process and trust in my time in school. After all, it IS important to make the most of everything we have while we can.

Fast forward to the present- I am so excited to be playing this 2019/2020 concert season as a member of both the Erie Philharmonic and the West Virginia Symphony orchestras.

When I reflect on my preparation for the auditions for these two ensembles, I realize that the biggest change was in my confidence. Yes, I prepared differently, and yes, I practiced... But I BELIEVED.

I believed in my own process.

and, I believed in my own musical ideas.

You know that quote? 'She believed she could, so she did.'

Yeah... I think it's pretty true.

Ok, is that a little too esoteric? Here are a few, more actionable, practices I've learned that work for me for audition prep:

* Have an organized folder or book for EACH audition.

* Make weekly practice charts.

* Record yourself. (doesn't need to be each day but definitely every few days!)

* Play everything even quieter than you think.

* Practice with the metronome ALL THE TIME. No, but really.

* Intonation and Sound. (need I say more?)

* TRUST YOURSELF.

...on that note, I think I should go practice.