Here's what I've made of my summer:
As you can see from my previous blog entry, I was excited to take a piano tuning course at the Hartt School of Music that was to happen the last week of June. Unfortunately, the course was cancelled due to low enrollment. Feeling disappointed and at a loss for where else to learn, I called Marco Scott (of http://www.marcoscottpianoservices.com), who has been tuning my family's piano for two decades.
In a strange twist of fate, Marco had just gotten a shoulder injury and was going to be out of commission for weeks, unable to do much of his tuning and repair work or even drive. For most of June, I drove us around Fairfield County to his different jobs. We have unscrewed Steinways, attended a guild meeting, repaired faulty hammers, replaced felt, vacuumed dust, and restored a 97-key piano to perfect tuning.
I have loved learning and practicing this difficult and rewarding craft. An academic setting probably would have been a great experience, but you can't beat practical application. Marco has been a great mentor to me and I can't recommend his tuning and repair work highly enough. If you are in the Fairfield County area and your piano needs tuning or repair, give Marco a call. Or if you are looking to buy a carefully attended new or refurbished piano, stop by his shop in Stamford (and tell him I sent you!): http://www.hallerpiano.com/
Meanwhile...
I had my second wonderful summer at the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre. We spend four weeks together on the campus of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. It was a welcome break from the East Coast humidity!
By day, I teach general music and vocal ensemble skills; by night I am the music director for the musical theater show. This year's musical was The Fantasticks. I fell in love with the quirky score and the vaudevillian style of the show. Our high school-aged cast did a tremendous job pulling meaning out of esoteric lyrics. You can see photos of the production here: http://www.cgst.com/gallery
Photo by Don White