Do less, but do it better.
Generally speaking, I don’t want to take on many new adventures this year. What I do want is to dig deeper and do a better job with all of my projects. I often feel like I’m bouncing from one thing to another and unable to really give my best to a single project. Whether it’s practicing, performing, teaching, or writing, I want to singletask more often and give it my all.
Record regularly.
I absolutely hate recording. I feel that there’s always something that could be better. Whether it’s my performance, the environment, or the limitations of the recording equipment, I can nit-pick a recording to death and I just need to do it and evaluate the results later.
Develop more solo repertoire.
Over the past few months I haven’t added as many new pieces to my solo repertoire as I’d like. I’d especially like to step outside of the jazz idiom and add some more pop and original pieces.
Look for new performance opportunities.
I do perform locally often, but a few things I’d like to do include: set up a regular weekly or monthly gig that I can depend on and advertise, look for opportunities to showcase myself alongside other local musicians and students, and maybe even seek out some more out-of-town gigs.
Maintain a better relationship with my current and past students.
Often, I only connect with students at their weekly lesson. Although I never harbor ill feelings toward students who decide to stop taking lessons, keeping up with my all of my students through an occasional encouraging email might mean a lot. There’s no reason for people to stop working on their own or to be disconnected from studio announcements.
Exercise regularly.
The main benefit of working out for me is that when I work out regularly, I feel better and more alert, and I have more energy to devote to the rest of my day. If I follow through, I’ll surely shed a few pounds too, but the endorphins and extra energy are what I’m really after.
Volunteer at Dogtown.
Just dreaming, but my wife and I really admire the work of Best Friends Animal Society and have never visited the anywhere near Utah. It would make for a great vacation, but the question is is it fair to kennel our dogs for a week so we can go halfway across the country to help other dogs?
Got any good suggestions or resolutions for 2010? Let me hear about ‘em.
I have absolutely no problem with disclosure, but I’m kind of waiting to see how the FTC’s new rules concerning disclosure shakes out before spending much time writing a statement for this blog. Right now there is a great deal of confusion and controversy surrounding on whether or not disclosure statements are fair or necessary and specifically how to legally implement a disclosure statement for a blog. If you’d like a peek at how confusing the subject gets take a look at Randall Rothenberg’s Open Letter to FTC.
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This coming Saturday – December 6 – I’ll be hosting a student showcase at Donkey Coffee & Espresso. Music begins at 7:00pm and admission is FREE! The performance will probably run about one hour.
Unlike past recitals where I encouraged as many students as possible to participate, this performance will feature only three of my students: Lucas Reilly, Nkuli Shongwe, and Brent Wiley. Each one will have their own set of three songs to share with you. I’m extremely proud of the work these students have done in preparation for this event and I’m really looking forward to hearing them in an intimate live setting like Donkey. Expect a wide variety of material ranging from Foo Fighters to India.Arie and, of course…some Zeppelin! I’ll also be performing a few songs at the close of the show.
I sincerely hope you will consider attending and showing your support. This event was a LOT of fun to put together. If there’s a good response, I will likely plan future showcases. Students who are not participating in this weekend’s showcase should definitely come out and consider whether they might like to start preparing for the next one…
Hope you can make it!
John
The details:
Saturday December 6 2008 7:00pm
John Horne Guitar Studio Student Showcase
Donkey Coffee and Espresso
17 1/2 W. Washington Street
Athens, OH 45701
740-594-7353
ADMISSION IS FREE!
(There will be a donation box – all money will go to the Athens County Humane Society.)
