Behind The New Rainbows

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The New Rainbows is the first real “band” I’ve been in.  I played in a flute quartet while in school, but we never really tried to promote ourselves professionally (we were all too busy with school at the time).

It’s been a lot of fun and a learning experience for me to promote our duo.  There were a lot of expenses I hadn’t really anticipated, but that I recognized as investments and money well spent.

My favorite photo of the shoot! Totally worth it :)

My favorite photo of the shoot! Totally worth it :)

Here are the expenses we’ve incurred in the past couple months.  I’ll leave out the details for modesty’s sake, but you can still have an idea of the cost.

Photoshoot

  • Skirt (for me)
  • Shirt and tie (for him)
  • Rainbow accessories
  • Makeup (for me)

Recital (April 21, 2013)

  • Printing (posters + programs)
  • Reception snacks

New music

  • Mozart, Flute Quartet K.285
  • Piazzolla, Libertango
  • Assad, Circulo Magico
  • Bach, Arioso
  • Poulenc, Sonate
  • Giuliani, Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 85
  • Bozza, Trois Pieces

Promotions

  • Printing (flyers)
  • Custom thank you cards
  • Business cards

Listening

  • Rampal/Stern/Rostropovich recording of Mozart flute quartets

Not to mention all the time spent designing, promoting, and rehearsing.  But I genuinely love doing all of that stuff, so I don’t mind.  And I know it’ll pay off later :-D

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Satisfying Snacks

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A couple of weeks ago, I identified my pastry eating habit as an easy place to edit my eating.  After all, I wasn’t really wanting a pastry all that much, I was just hungry at work and that’s what was there (I work at a bakery).

step away from the pastries!

step away from the pastries!

I started to bring my own snacks to work instead.  I usually bring two.  That way, when I get hungry (I always do), I have something to munch on.  Occasionally it will be the kind of day where I really really REALLY want to eat a pastry, in which case, I don’t cause myself too much grief and just eat it.  It was just eating it everyday which was definitely excessive.  Most of the time, though, I just need a little energy boost midway through my shift.

Here are some of the things I might munch on at work:

  1. Fresh fruit
  2. Fruit smoothie (fruit juice + frozen fruits)
  3. Nuts
  4. Yogurt (usually with some chopped nuts)
  5. Cheese cubes/sticks
  6. Prunes/dried fruit
  7. Trail mix
  8. Boiled soy beans
  9. Bread + nut butter (I love Justin’s)
  10. Bread + cheese
  11. Veggies + hummus (cucumbers, carrots, celery, or cherry tomatoes work well)
  12. Bread + dipping oil
  13. Caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzerella, basil, balsamic vinegar)
  14. Rice + pickled veggies (I like cucumbers, daikon, or some roasted seaweed)
  15. Frozen yogurt
  16. Dark chocolate chips
  17. Tortilla chips + salsa (and maybe guac)
  18. Bran or whole grain muffin
  19. Fresh fruit + cottage cheese
  20. Cup of veggie soup

These are my favorites.  I usually try to have something that contains water or fiber or protein, because I find them satisfying and I don’t feel lethargic afterwards.

I also make sure to sip water continuously throughout my shift.  This helps to curb hunger and keep my energy up.  I walk around a lot and talk to a lot of people, so dehydration can happen rather easily.

These two things (bringing snacks + drinking water constantly) have really made a big difference in my energy level and mood.  I’m no longer exhausted (and useless) when I get home from work.

It does cost a little more to buy my snacks at the grocery store (since I can eat pastries for free at work), but it’s definitely worth it for my energy, self esteem, and health.

Please share your favorite snacks in the comments below! :-)

New Music for New Rainbows

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Here is some new music The New Rainbows have acquired recently and are excited to start working on!

IMG_20130429_102007Also, not pictured is an arrangement of Mozart’s flute quartet (originally for flute, violin, viola, and cello), K. 285, Sonate for flute and guitar by Francis Poulenc, and an original piece written by Robert.

We’ve got lots of performances this month:

  • Wednesday, May 8, 2013 @ 10AM: Kid’s Concert at Denton Community School
  • Saturday, May, 11, 2013: House party
  • (Pending confirmation) Thursday, May 30, 2013 @ 6PM: Banter
  • Saturday, June 1, 2013: UNT on the Square @ 1PM

View more New Rainbows info here, or click the link at the top of the page :)

Ukulele Update! 上を向いて歩こう　aka. Sukiyaki

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*UPDATE* Sorry about the YouTube privacy setting! The video should now be viewable.  Thanks Mortimer for letting me know ;-)

This song is by Kyu Sakamoto and remains the only Japanese-language song to reach the Billboard Top 100, which it did in 1963.

wikipedia.com

wikipedia.org

The Japanese song title, “Ue o muite arukou” has nothing to do with the nickname title “Sukiyaki.”  The Japanese title translates to something like “I look upwards as I walk.”  ”Sukiyaki” is a traditional Japanese stew type dish.  Really yummy, but unrelated.  The phrase to “look upwards as I walk” refers to trying to stop crying as you walk and think of a loved one.

This song is super popular in Hawai’i, and played often on the oldies station there, so I assumed that everyone knew it.  I was wrong, though, because none of my mainland friends have heard the song…

Photoshoot + Video: The New Rainbows

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Here’s a New Rainbows photoshoot we did a couple of weeks ago with Ed Steele.

My favorite photo of the shoot! Totally worth it :)

Also, here’s another video below from our recital on April 21.  This piece is Berceuse et Serenade by Eugene Bozza.

Loving: Music Prints

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I’ve been really into prints in the past couple seasons, and lately, really loving music prints.

It was almost mind-blowing when I realized that for my new group The New Rainbows, I don’t HAVE to perform in all black! How exciting!!

I purchased this skirt from Anthropologie for our New Rainbows photoshoot (coming soon!!):

images-1

I couldn’t find a better image, but there are cutouts of music in bird shapes on a sky background.

This season, Marc by Marc Jacobs has a music print:

style.com
style.com
style.com
style.com
style.com

 

And from Fall 2011, Dolce & Gabbana:

style.com
style.com
style.com
style.com

Do you know of any other designers with music prints?  Let me know!

Some of My Pants Won’t Button, I Draw the Line

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A few of my pants fit comfortably, but those are the ones that used to fit me loosely…

It’s time to do something about it.  This is probably a weight gain of 5-10 pounds.  Most likely less than 10, because I’m not a really big person, and that much would probably be a lot on my frame.  But, I really can’t afford to buy new clothes, and I don’t want to, either.

Now, I know weight is relative to each individual, and the body they feel comfortable in is a very personal thing.  I just know that I put on a few pounds in the past few months, and I also very much knew that I wasn’t eating well.  I work at a bakery, and it got to the point where I was eating multiple pastries daily, as a habit.  That’s really too much for anyone, and eating so many of them also diminishes the pleasure of a yummy pastry.

Psychologically, it’s probably because I’ve had some changes in my life in the past few months that I’m adjusting to:

  1. Moving into my own apartment
  2. Having a boyfriend (after being single for a while)
  3. New coworkers

Now, I’m not blaming any of these things, because they’re all very wonderful things.  The only reason I even mention it is because I know that we are more susceptible to change our (eating) habits when we are experiencing personal changes.

All of those changes have placed a greater sense of responsibility on my shoulders, and in an attempt to save time and money, I started eating a lot of things from the bakery, eating out, and generally investing less energy into nutrition.

I love sweets and despise diets, but really what I hate more than all of that is feeling bad about myself.

So, it’s time to draw the line.  It’s not too hard of a thing, really, because I don’t feel like eating pastries when I feel fat.  And I’ll start small, like taking a couple of weeks off the pastry habit.

Video: Histoire du Tango (1986), Concert d’aujourd’hui

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Here’s a video from Sunday’s performance!

The New Rainbows, with me on flute and Robert Hokamp on guitar.

This is the last movement of Histoire du Tango, by Astor Piazzolla.

Enjoy!

Recital Wheels and Cogs

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In case you haven’t heard, The New Rainbows, a flute and guitar duo with me on flute and Robert Hokamp on guitar, is playing this afternoon at Blue Mound United Methodist Church at 4:30 PM.

With that in mind, obviously I’ve been thinking a lot about recitals and all the things that need to be organized and considered when putting on a recital.  This is the second recital I’ve done since I graduated in August 2012, and each time I do one, I feel the whole process gets easier and smoother.

images

Here are the things I consider when planning a recital:

Planning

  • Level of formality: How do you want to interact with the audience?  What will you wear?  What time will the recital be?  In what type of venue?  What will the audience be like?
  • Musical selections:  How long will the program be?  What style(s) of music?  Is there an interesting variety?
  • Practice time (personal and ensemble):  How much preparation will be required? Is this a particularly busy time of the year? Is this a style I know well? How much time will need to be spent rehearsing as a group?  When should the rehearsals start?

Pre-Performance

  • Promotion: How will you inform people of your event?  Who can help promote your event?  When should you start promoting your event?  What kind of design is appropriate for the poster/flyer?
  • Program: What type of design for the program?  Will you include program notes?  What type of information should the program notes contain?
  • Recording (video/audio): Who will record?  On what?  Recording is a great tool to review performances.  I’ve found that if I think something was bad, it probably wasn’t really that bad.  It’s also a great resource to observe personal growth and creative evolution.
  • Reception: Will there be a reception?  What do you want to have there?  Where will it be?  What will you need to bring (cups, plates, napkins, etc.)  Who will set up the reception?

Thinking About the Future

  • Thank yous:  Who contributed to making the event possible?  Many times loved ones support us in ways we don’t appreciate when we’re in the midst of performance preparation, but I think it’s important to really show your gratitude for these people who put up with us.  There are a number of ways you can do this -do whatever feels right to you. I like to give out little illustrated thank you cards.  Some people prefer to announce thank yous after the recital or reception.
  • Planning for the next performance:  I didn’t always do this, but I found that it really helps me to start planning for the next performance before the current one finishes.  This way I have something else to start getting excited about and practicing as soon as the recital is over.  Without the anticipation of the next event, I feel kind of aimless and get bored or depressed.

What types of things do you notice when you attend a recital?

The New Rainbows: Playing This Sunday in Denton!

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Don’t forget to check out the first performance of The New Rainbows (under this name) with me on flute and Robert Hokamp on guitar.

We’ll be playing on Sunday, April 21, at 4:30 PM at the Blue Mound United Methodist Church. Here’s our cool poster we designed and illustrated together:

poster copyYou can check out a video from our pre-Rainbow era (before we decided on a name) below!

We hope to see you there! :-D

100th Post: Other Types of Bridges

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This is a bit of a landmark for me- my 100th post, and it’s just about my 6 month mark since my first post.

I’ve really enjoyed having a blog, although at the time I started it, I didn’t realize how much time and energy is required to produce good posts on a regular basis.  It’s a challenge for me to be consistently engaging and entertaining.

But, the blog has been something that I feel is important to my personal growth.

You might ask, “How is that?”

It’s one of those things I don’t really know.  I feel like I’m learning something good here, but I can’t put my finger on it.  Know what I mean?

Even though I sometimes wish I had more time to practice and more energy to invest in my relationships, I’m not going to give up my blog.  Anyway, everyone always wishes they had more time for this or for that.

I think blogging has forced me to look inside and be more genuine and generous with my personal experiences.  I think sincerity comes across in a blog (especially over time), and it’s the only way to create a relationship with your readers, and really, people in general.

I know that everything I experience has been experienced before by someone somewhere, and I’m not all that unique.  But that’s okay, because I just want you to relate to me.  Hopefully, at some point there is something I write that you can understand, laugh with, or smile in acknowledgement to.

I want to connect with people, not glorify my experiences -an emotional or intellectual bridge of sorts.

Check out this cool bridge in Taiwan!

Check out this cool bridge in Taiwan!

Most of the time, I think our experiences are more similar to each other than they are different (and more similar than we really wish to admit).

“The steps may be different, but the dance is the same.”

Blog on!

In Defense of Naptime

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I don’t know about you, but I LOVE naps.  I can pretty much nap at any time of the day (even after breakfast… it’s happened).

new-blake-edwards-breakfast-at-tiffanys-

Nothing is better when I’m tired than getting into my PJs for a nice midday snooze.  I like when it’s sunny because it makes my bed warm and cozy and I like it when it’s dark and rainy because it makes my bed seem warm and cozy by comparison to outside.

There have been times when I’ve tried to stop taking naps because I thought it was “lazy,” but I can never last for very long that way.  It’s not unlike trying to cut out sweets or go on a diet or something of that nature.

Nothing refreshes me like a good nap.  There are different versions of naps:

  • The Long Nap:  This nap is usually to catch up on sleep and it’s planned for -I don’t set an alarm, I just sleep until I wake up.
  • The Timed Nap: This one is probably the one I do most often and happens between events. It most often happens after work, because sometimes I work at 5:30AM and when I get home I’m pretty useless, but it’s also to early to go to sleep for the night.   This one is usually about an hour or so.
  • The Super Short Snooze: This one’s usually between 5 and 20 minutes and happens when I feel overstimulated and I need to clear my head, but I don’t have much time.  It’s easy for me to wake up from a short snooze, and I’ll often sleep on the floor for this one so I don’t get too cozy.  Sometimes I just lie on the floor in silence with my eyes closed for a few minutes and it does the trick.

I probably take some kind of nap at least a few times a week.  I used to try to avoid it, but I just kind of accept now that I’m one of those people that needs a lot of sleep.

My mom said as a baby I slept a lot too, so I guess I’m the same now.

Anyway, I know now it’s better for me to sleep if I’m tired.  I don’t know why, it seems like a simple concept: Sleep when tired.  Eat when hungry.  I guess it sometimes gets confusing when there is always all this research telling you to do this and don’t do that and eat this and not that.

As for me, I know I’ll keep napping, no matter what they say!