Catching My Breath!

The day after my last blog post, the hubs had a brain aneurysm. He came out the end as good as new, and I couldn't be more relieved! It certainly brought our relationship to a whole new level. It was great before, but now there is certainly more gratitude about the time we have together.

A question I get asked frequently is "Were you scared?". There wasn't time to be. Everything happened so fast. We were taking it as we were dealt with it, and having to make decisions quickly. I got to have my meltdown when they rolled the hubs into surgery, but it was a healthy meltdown. The next question I get asked "Wasn't anyone with you?". No, no one physically was there. I think that was best. I think I would have felt obligated to keep it together if someone was there. Because when I break down, it is ugly and worrisome. When they wheeled Brian back in, he was chatty and "drunk". Then I wasn't worried anymore. The whole experience was amazing. He was in agony, and then two hours later he felt great. He just kept getting better. I almost felt guilty his parents drove/flew down from Pennsylvania in record breaking time to be there when he got back - I know they were glad to be there and see for themselves he was fine.

Looking back at the whole thing, I probably should have been more terrified. I don't think at the time I had all the information about what usually happens when people get brain aneurysms. People love to tell you stories about how they know someone who was 26 years old with a wife and four babies who died from a brain aneurysm. There's nothing more comforting than hearing that (sarcasm). Rest assured, we witnessed first hand in the Neuro ICU what the usual outcome is for brain aneurysm. Poor Brian got severe survivor's guilt every time he had to go for a walk down the ICU unit. Every other patient was not usually even conscious. When Brian walked down the ICU unit it was like a parade. All the nurses would get so excited to see a walking patient. I sometimes think the walk was better for the moral of the staff on that ICU unit.

Once Brian was on the mend, my focus changed fast. Nothing like the possibility of health and financial disaster to really get one motivated. Our two weeks in the hospital really kicked things into overdrive. Usually, I don't take on more than one commission at a time with the same deadline. Motivated by the need to pay hospital bills and the weeks the hubs was going to be out of work while he got back to 100%, I signed two commission contracts with the same deadline and a third soon after. I'm thankful that worked out, and that people have faith in my compositions, it gave us more latitude financially. However, I had to ramp up my work. If it paid, I didn't turn it down.

What should have been a month of hanging out with the hubs while he healed, turned into the craziest month of taking care of Brian, juggling work, family, dogs, and sleep. I do have to say I never slept better during that month. If I laid down on the bed I was out. I am grateful to friends and family who helped take care of us during that time - some of them I missed because I fell asleep during the visit. Friends did everything from showing up with magazines to help with the boredom (not mine!), buying me dinner - because you forget to eat, to getting my paycheck to me so we wouldn't miss a mortgage payment, and even a friend who stayed the weekend last minute while Brian was in the ER and transferred to Emory. All those little things really made a huge difference. So next time this happens to a friend, even just showing up at the hospital to say hi or giving them a couple bucks to hit up the vending machine can really help out. It doesn't take much in a time like that. I know I never know what to do when friends are in that situation - it doesn't have to be a big gesture to make a huge impact.

So Brian is back to "normal" and so am I by the time October rolled around. It's been a flurry of flute playing, teaching, and composing. So much happened, I'll have to space out the posts. The next 4 months look equally packed. Then May will hit, and I will long for these days that are too busy to blog about any of the events. For now, this post explaining my absence will have to do. I'm pretty sure the "My Husband Had An Aneurysm" excuse has been played out by now. Don't worry, we joke about it, but we know things could be a lot different and that is not lost on us. I'm thankful we get more time together.

This Is Summer?

Every year I summer comes around and basically I white knuckle it until October when work picks back up (ie students and gigs). This summer is no different in the student and paid gig arena, but in the composition department is has been a record breaking season for me - well as far as summer is concerned. This summer has been filled with commissions, performances of my works, and a competition win!

My summer kicked off in the win column when it was announced in June that I won The Flute View's Composition Competition. Winning a competition is rare, especially for me. Winning meant a little money to help us get through June (record breaking low since I started teaching - thanks students for getting awesome and going away to music camps). It also meant a lot of publicity as well as a premiere of the my winning composition Percolate for flute trio. I haven't heard the premiere yet, but I'm sure it was amazing since it was performed by Viviana Guzman, Andrea Fisher (Fluterscooter), and Alice K. Dade. Did I mention that there was all sorts of publicity tied to this? There was a Youtube interview and a podcast interview with The Flute View.

As if that wasn't enough, there were all sorts of festivals and music camps which included performances of my pieces. At Flutapalooza, I performed my piece Tamar for flute quartet with Perimeter Flutes. Dr. Mary Matthews and Matthew Angelo performed Chatter for two flutes at the Maryland Wind Festival. Then Dr. Elizabeth Robinson and Dr. Shelley Martinson took Railroad for flute choir to the music camps where they were faculty and performed them. Is this summer!?! I'll take it every year.

August is shaping up to be a good month as well thanks to the National Flute Association Convention. The Flute Choir of Atlanta directed by Kathy Farmer will premiere Summer Insomnia for flute choir that they had commissioned specifically for this performance. (Purchase availability coming soon!) I will join forces with my sister who is a physical therapist to give a workshop about pain prevention called "When Tooting Your Flute is a Pain in Your Neck". So I think this summer certainly makes up for last summer.

There's been bumps in the road - AC breaking in the car and the house, a flat tire, health junk. But we got through it. The hubs even quit smoking! How awesome is that!?!

Christmas Music for Flute Duets!

Oh yes, its about that time of year where I start touting all the Christmas Music I've arranged for flute duet. I know its only September, but they time you factor in search engines finding this article and the prep time musicians need to get their Christmas Music practiced and in a Christmas program for the season it makes me start peddling them in September. Actually, I work on them all year - even when I'm not in the mood. I'll put on QVC's Christmas in July programs and I get the courage to start putting a few more arrangements out.

I originally made my first few flute duet arrangements out of frustration. I had some really talented students who wanted to sight read Christmas music in their lessons, but the majority of the duets out there are ridiculously easy. Not a challenge at all. So I tried to make some challenging ones which included changing meters from simple to complex, and also playing in the higher register. I posted my first one "Silent Night" on a flute forum, and I took my dogs on a walk. When I got back, I had a half dozen orders waiting on me. So I did a few more. I have arrangements of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night", "Coventry Carol", "What Child Is This?", "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", "We Three Kings of Orient Are", and "Pat-a-Pan"

Not only did the arrangements help my students get some extra practice while having fun, but we were able to have extra money for our Christmas that year - not to mention how it helped build my skills as a composer. So every so often, I'll arrange a few more. I even did some Easter Flute Duets as well as Wedding Flute Duets. All this duet arranging got me thinking - I should write an original flute duet using extended techniques that I love, like beatboxing. Chatter for flute duet was born.

I'm grateful that teaching my students led to arranging which led to writing an original composition I'm proud of. Who would have thought? Now go buy my Christmas Music for Flute Duet :) Did I mention they work for violin as well?

Keep On Keepin' On

Mikey (1997-20014)

Let's just say this summer has been less than stellar for the Chamberlains. We've had a lot of emotional and financial kicks in the gut (our beloved kitty dying, car accident, lack of commissions, and student drop off for the summer), but there's been some really wonderful moments too (5 year anniversary, trip to see the in-laws in beautiful Pennsylvania weather, visits to local parks, lots of composing, etc). Luckily, its been nothing we can't handle, and in 30 years we'll laugh about all the nuttiness this summer has offered us. The one thing we have learned is that we must keep on keepin' on. We doing everything right, its just every once in a while we're going to hit some obstacles and we've got to get around them.

There does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel. I'm just starting to get a trickle of student returning from the summer, and even a couple of new students. I'm starting to get notifications about compositions of mine being performed by others, and I am looking forward to deciding what I would like to compose for in the future. The good thing about not having any commissions lined up is that I can choose what I would like to do, but keeping in mind to compose for friends. Nothing makes me more frustrated than composing a piece that sits on a shelf never to be performed.

As I wrap up this composition for the Wilderness Act Performance Series, what's next? I use to have a hard Nick Demos' blog posts have confirmed what I have always feared is true. You have to keep thinking ahead. I can't be all Scarlet O'hara and worry about it tomorrow or I'll find myself with nothing to work on next.

Checking out Bush Mountain for WAPs

time thinking about another composition beyond the one I am working on, but the past year and

I know (hopefully) starting in September my schedule will ramp up in the teaching and performing department which will lead little time for composing. At least not the hours I got to spend this summer. I'll be lucky to get two hours a day. Projects I would like to work on, because I've had requests, are a flute choir piece and another band piece. So hopefully, by the end of the year I'll have a couple new compositions ready for premieres.

In the meantime, while income is not what we would like it to be, its doable. I'm thankful that the only sacrifices we have to make is that we can't travel or buy the extras. We just keep paying the bills and think of creative free ways to spend our time together (thank you, Ingress, state parks, and the library). If we keep on keepin' on the work will pay off and things will get rolling again. Hey, its the summer. It's all a part of being a freelance musician.

Summer Doldrums

Sailors and pirates feared that area near the equator of the earth call the Doldrums where there was no wind for the ship's sails to capture and move forward on the journey. Freelance musicians have a time of the year where the gigs, students, and therefore money dries up. That time is called the Summer Doldrums. Little or no money comes in, but you still must press forward and pay your bills. Most times, you can limp by with teaching summer camps, playing weddings, or a trickle of dedicated students that will continue lessons over the summer. I've been lucky with most students sticking through the summer, and usually I have a big composition project that will help us stumble along until we reach the glorious horse latitudes of September.

This summer has been different for me. A majority of my students have been able to go to various away camps, go onto college, or visit the grandparents. My effort to find a commission for the summer has been unsuccessful. I expect this June's paycheck from students will be the lowest of the year. Luckily, we anticipated a hard month, and we made sure we had no credit card debt...until the cat got sick and the hubs was in a car wreck (he's fine!) all in the same week, last week.

It happens. Life decides to see what you can take. So we're taking it. It's helped make a lot of decisions for

us. For example, I won't go to the National Flute Association Convention this year, we won't take a vacation, and we had to sell some stock options to cover the bills. This should get us through the next two months if I can maintain my student load, and hopefully the kiddies come back soon - and if ASCAP could dump a nice performance royalty check in my bank account this month, that would be great.

At least things are stable and I don't have to get another job, for now. I'll just keep writing and hope to sell some music. Maybe I'll get a gig. Maybe I'll get new students. It's all part of living on the edge in a freelance world. I'll keep waiting, and maybe some air will fill the sails of our tiny ship. In the meantime, I'll be on a hardtack diet made of peanut butter sandwiches and tap water for the summer, but it's still worth it! Avast ye, mateys!

If you enjoy my nautical writing, you might enjoy my nautical composing. Listen to "Nautica" for solo piano.

New Things

I am not a creature of habit. I rarely like to repeat myself. I love to experience and try new things, especially when it comes to music and travel. Perhaps that's why I love to perform new music and compose. I like to try and experience music I have not heard before and even better, when it has never been performed before. The past few months have been a healthy dose of repetition and new things. Over the past year I have traveled to Hartford, CT 3 times. Don't get me wrong, Hartford is a neat town filled with fabulous musicians (courtesy of the Hartt School) and friends. Luckily, I've been to Hartford 3 times because I've had 3 different premieres - "Trajectory", "Elasticity", and "Stridulation". Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to hear the same piece performed. I try to go to all my premieres. I'll even try to go to repeated performances if its a place I've never visited before and I can swing the money for the travel. Any excuse to travel, even if it might be some remote college town in the middle of a corn field - say Missouri, but that's another blog post.

So what does a girl do when she can't come up with the finances to travel to glamorous places? Well she tries all sort of new things in town. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and teach a workshop at the Atlanta Flute Fair called "Beatboxing to a Better Bach". I am by no means an expert in beatboxing. I leave that to Greg Patillo, but I use it in my music and I do have the basic understanding. So teaching a group of beginner beatboxers wouldn't be beyond my scope, right? Sure! It went well to my surprise. I certainly succeeded in getting EVERYONE dizzy. So by the end of the workshop I'm sure no one could remember anything.

Sometimes I'll even try things I probably have NO business doing, like conducting a musical's orchestra. Sure I had to take orchestral conducting in college and I have to conduct the church choir every once in a while, but I'm pretty sure that doesn't qualify me as a legitimate conductor. Somehow, I find myself saying, "Sure, I'll do it. As long as you understand I've never done this before." So I conducted my church's annual fundraiser musical. This year it was "The Music Man". I thank my lucky stars that its a musical with only 3 tempos: March, Ballad, and waltz. I was also behind a screen with the orchestra, so I'm sure I wasn't distracting anyone, and every orchestra left the pit with two eyes every show.

Now because each time this year I've tried something new, I decided to go WAY out of my comfort zone and make a fool of myself at the same time this week. I have no shame, and I'll try anything to spice up my musical life. Since I was little - 9 maybe? - I've owned a jaw harp. I've never done much with it except annoy my family on long car rides. (The jaw harp was foolishly bought by my parents on a 9 hour car ride from St. Louis, MO to Savannah, GA. They never thought I'd figure it out. It took 10 minutes. 8 hours and 50 minutes of jaw harpin' with popular 80's tunes on the radio!) So when a buddy of mine in Mercury Orkestar asked a group of percussionists I was standing with if any of them played jaw harp, I pounced! I've already had one appearance this past weekend, but on Friday at 7:45 at Smith's Old Bar I'll play 50 cents' "In Da Club" with Mercury Orkestar on jaw harp for 500 Songs for Kids. I do it for the kids, people!

 So what's next? What am I gonna do to keep it all interesting? Well I really don't know. I'm finishing up a commission for Clibber Jones Ensemble which has been a new composition challenge, but I'm sure I need to find my next scary and ridiculous challenge. I'm open to suggestions. Summer is a perfect time to do crazy things, at least I can blame the heat.

Remembering the Fearless Whistler

By the time I arrived in Athens, GA to audition for admittance into the University of Georgia's School of Music, I already had my heart set to attend the University of Central Florida. Then I met Dr. Ronald Waln, and I knew instantly he was the teacher for me. My audition was a lesson, not a tryout unlike the rest of my auditions. I walked into his studio ready to begin my audition, but he excused himself to run to the restroom. He was missing for 20 minutes when he popped back in and asked me to run my scales. When I was done he asked, "Could you play those again? You played them much better when I wasn't in the room." He got it. His teaching style was about encouragement and growth, not about testing or pressure. When my audition was over he walked me back to my mom who was frantically driving loops around the gigantic campus since she didn't know were to park. He waited with me until my mom drove up dodging the mob of students crossing the street during the change of classes. Once I got back into the car I said to my mom "I thought I wanted to go to UCF, but now I'm not so sure."

 Dr. Waln was coming to a close of his teaching career when I started my freshman year. I was going to be the last graduating class he taught, but he still obviously enjoyed teaching and performing. I'll never forget his first faculty recital my freshman year. He played "The Fearless Whistler" for solo piccolo by Michael Isaacson. When this 70 year old man picked up his music stand and ran across the stage for the sake of performing the piece up to full theatrics, I knew I made the right decision to go to UGA. He understood the balance technique, work, and fun. Its something that has stuck with me through the way I work and how I teach.

 UGA's School of Music was tough. The freshman class was 95 people, and by junior year I think we were maybe 30. The rumor was that the School of Music had the highest drop out rate. It wasn't uncommon to see someone breaking down in the student lounge. I was struggling. In fact, at the end of my sophmore year I dropped by Dr. Waln's office to tell him I was dropping my music major and going to be a single major in Graphic Design if I could get in. I thought Dr. Waln would say something like, "I understand, and that's probably a more stable career anyways." But instead he said, "That would be a big mistake, and I think you should keep at it another year." Somehow I came out of that studio still as a music major, and from that time on I had a different attitude. Everything indicated I should pack it on out, but someone from the inside believed in me even when I didn't. Everybody was telling me no, but this person who listened to me for at least an hour a week was telling me that I had what it took to get through this. At first I thought he was nuts. But when someone had been teaching as long as Dr. Waln you have to believe him. It got easier from there.


I lost touch with Dr. Waln when I graduated, something I regret. I did exchange some emails with him within the last couple years and he seemed his usual upbeat self, carrying on about his wife, the house, playing bassoon again and traveling. I doubt he remembered me out of the sea of flute students he taught over his life, but I'll remember him always and hope to keep his upbeat disposition when I perform and teach.

2010? Wow! That's gonna be a hard act to follow!

First of all I just noticed that I have been blogging since June 2006. How crazy is that? The goals are the same, and I have come a long ways on the journey. I just gotta keep on keeping on and find ways to keep things fresh.

2010 was a very good year. I thought 2009 was incredible, but 2010 certainly did me right as well. It's been exciting to have all the new experiences and find more confidence in myself, thanks to a slew of friends and colleagues who certainly have a lot of confidence in me (not to mention the hubby who seems to believe I could walk on water if I wanted to take on that task). Sure I get a ton of rejections like any other composer, but I learn from those and keep on truckin'.

So what were the highlights of 2010? I got a taste of being a touring musician. Music + travel = happy me. I got to go on a mini tour the the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, go to a Women Composers Convention to perform my own work, travel to Boston to play some concerts with my hubby and a friend (as well as make new ones) and set wheels in motion to travel more in 2011. And of course my all time favorite concert was playing on my husband's graduate recital here in Atlanta. He got the most incredible performances, which wasn't hard to do with the great music he had written. I can't wait to see what he writes next, he's taken a much needed hiatus ever since. I am starting to hear him tinker around in his studio, the bug is biting him.

I also wrote the most music in 2010 then I ever have. I probably doubled my list of compositions, thanks to the motivation of competitions and requests from friends. The two highlights being the 24 Hour Opera Project put on by Atlanta Opera and a commission from Hopewell Middle School Band which will perform the piece in the Music for All Festival in Indianopolis, IN this March. Without the urging of a few friends, family, and a failed negotiation of another commission I probably would not have found the gumption to take matters in my own hands and find my own opportunities. "No one is going to promote me better than myself" has turned into "No one is going to work harder for me than myself". Its just not enough to put my name out there. I have to make opportunities out of any situation, even if they are ideas I use to poo-poo before. "Ugh, band music and flute choirs just don't interest me" - They do now! Those are the people yearning for new music, and by golly I know those ensembles best! What was I thinking not doing this earlier? Yes mom you are right "Never say never".

So what is the plan of attack for 2011? How can I ride the momentum that got rolling for 2010? Well I need to find another commission. I am hoping the premiere of my band piece at Music for All will spark interest for other commissions but I can't bank on that. I also can't bank on competitions since there are so many people submitting to each competition. I will still submit by I got to rustle up new opportunities. There are a few colleagues I might investigate, but I know its time for the Chamberlains to take things more seriously. Maybe we need to put a recording out there? If we can get a recording project started with concerts lined up for 2012 and I can get another commission, I think 2011 will be spectacular!

Of course there are performances of pieces I wrote in 2010 for 2011, and its nice that I am not the one performing them. Its been a long time since I have had a piece performed that I wasn't performing it and both pieces include flute! My flute quartet "Tamar" will be performed at UAHuntsville New Music festival with prospects of other ensembles performing it in Georgia. My band piece will get a couple of performances in and out of Georgia. I just got to keep on writing more original music with a set ensemble in mind to sell it to.

Everything else will keep on track. Keep up with the students, keep up with the music engraving, keep up with the CraftHope projects and keep up with the hubby. I will also try not to obsess too much with the music career and try to have some non music related fun, don't want to burn out like I did with web design. Well, that's enough for the blog's longest ever post. Stay warm everyone!

Up and Coming

It's been a while since I've posted an update, but since concert season is about to rev back up I thought I would catch you up and let you know what lies ahead.

First off, I just signed a contract with New Atlanta Conservatory as flute/composition/theory teacher. They've also asked I start a Digital Media/Animation class for their art department and a student flute ensemble.

I have a few concerts lined up over the next couple of months at Agnes Scott College, Georgia Perimeter College, and even a concert/masterclass with duoATL at the Guitar Summit held at North Georgia College. But stay tuned because a past concert of duoATL is also airing on WABE's (an NPR station) Atlanta Music Scene in the coming months.

Lastly there is some negotiating in the works to have a couple of my pieces played in the coming year by New Atlanta Philharmonic. And that should be some outstanding performances!

And that's it, well besides planning a wedding by June. Plenty of time, right Brian? (Don't even get me started on his impossible schedule).