Thanksgiving: "Do It Anyway"

This poem has always deeply affected me. It hung in the music room in high school and in a way was my whole faith without even mentioning Jesus's name. Every time I read it some emotion would well inside me. Whether content, joy, determination, or guilt it did not fail to resonate within. As we approach Thanksgiving I am trying to truly appreciate the gifts and blessings I have been given and stop focusing on the failures, shortcomings, and frustrations. This poem puts me in a frame of mind to do good for "Goodness" sake and stop looking for gratification but to instead be the gratification in someone else's life. I want to show the people in my life that I am thankful for them. Gratitude is a wonderful emotion. If we spend just a small part of our day thanking God for our lives no matter how difficult the journey is (Calvery was not easy) and thanking those in it, it will be a lot harder to be unhappy.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Congrats Jorne!!

I just got home from a wonderful concert. Jorne played with David Kim, a world renowned violinist, and the Kutztown orchestra as one of the few exceptional high school instrumentalists in eastern Pennsylvania invited to perform. It blew me away and I am so proud of Jorne and all he has accomplished already as a bassist. Great job little guy

I'm Back and blogging up a storm!

 

   Hey all you people. I know its been a little while since I was last on here so I'm going to bring you up to speed on my life right now. Starting with my bass playing, this year I tried out for the chamber stings at Easton High School. its an auditioned group of about thirty kids that goes around and plays for different events in the community. Its a really fun group to be a part of and I have learned so much more about music since I started. I was really happy to have gotten first chair string bass on my first time trying out. Another this new this year is my teacher asked me to  play the bass in the schools wind ensemble we had our first performance two days ago on Veterans day. We played some really great music including one piece called ''AMERICAN VETERAN" which brought you through the life of just one of our brave soldiers that have and keep sacrificing for our freedom every day. It was a very nice ceremony and I'm very happy to have been a part of it. Now I know what you're  thinking why is a sting instrument in wind ensemble and I my answer is I don't know but my teacher has a reason even if it doesn't make sense to me. Ok last thing about  music I promise. Last night the orchestra had there first ever fall concert and we were honored to have the conductor of the Kutztown orchestra come down and play a violin concerto with us. He was an outstanding musician and on top of that he was a real nice guy. The audience loved every minute of the concert and so did I.
     On to SFAP ( if your are a new follower that stands for Sing For America Productions) "A Little Princess" rehearsals are going very well, everyone is learning there parts and doing a fantastic job. In this show alone with some other cast members I will be plays a magic African. I say magic because that's what is says in the script. Its a fun part filled with a lot of dancing, the best part is that I got to make up my own name in the show. The out of rehearsal stuff is going well too. The set is coming together quite nicely in me house and we are already selling tickets so we are going to have a great crowd for the shows. I think That good for this post so I will see you cats on the flip side, and by that I mean next Thursday peace.
    
    

"Move the Masses?": make it happen

 Alrighty, after over a month it's time for a new Tuesday blog topic!  Today I'll talk about advertising for A little Princess, our Christmas musical being performed at the Sottish Rite Cathedral in Allentown, PA, December 17-21. ( that was some publicity right there!) Yesterday Jorne had basketball intramurals (we ended up just feasting at Giant on 15$, but that's another story) as I walked into the team room I read a poster:

I thought to myself this....this is it. I will keep this mindset through the last 5 weeks of production as we reach deeper into the heat of the contest. I can't literally make people buy tickets to our musical, no, but why do I need to know that? I must work like I can. I will refocus from selling tickets to making sure the most consumers possible know about this event and are inclined to go through different methods of publicity and marketing.

   Since I work on close to no budget this takes a little creativity, but that is the fun of it. Employing ideas of guerilla marketing is one avenue. We also believe it or not see posters and yard signs as one of our most productive facets to an events advertising. The caveat is we need total coverage. I've broken down the townships by population and will hang 1 poster per thousand residents in each township through  Northampton and Lehigh counties doubling the effect in areas contiguous with the shows venue. Another key is to give EVEYONE the ability to help: radio stations, TV, magazines, and newspapers all called and given the mission statement and asked if they would help. People are generous, they like supporting charities and a patriotic one like ours, raising money for military families pulls on some  heartstrings. Now with that it is still a numbers game. Find your base 1 out of 15? 1 out of 20? say yes to a proposal from hanging a poster to appearing on their radio show, alright now you know how many outlets you can plan on hitting. Hopefully 500 or more. From their I try and constantly evolve the pitch.... what are we asking for and how. My dad still leads most of the actual pitches, he has a nac for that. Remember To turn all situations into a 'sales opp'.

   We get an average of 13,000$ or more in services or goods donated each show so that actually takes a lot away from our ability to directly advertise since we are constantly pitching for lumber, a venue, microphones, etc. So again it is time to be creative, hang up posters in their office, figure out their connections, and give them tickets hopefully creating audience members for life and word of mouth is the best marketing! These are the little things that make a big difference.

     For "A Little Princess" some of the other ways we will 'sell t

ickets' is through: motivating our cast and using their connections, appearing on local radio and TV shows, using our concerts to sell tix, informing schools and daycares, billboards, appearing at valley churches to announce it and have them bring groups, utilize assisted living/ nursing homes, post cards, social media and more.

 

 Hope this gave you some ideas and if you have any for us Please contact!

 

 

Election Day!

Tomorrow is election day! Some of you may be aware of this others may have no idea so here's a reminder! If you are old enough to vote go out and vote! Every vote counts! Don't think that just because each person only gets to vote once that each of those individual votes didn't make a difference. This election is so important to our country. Go out tomorrow and do the one thing you can do to ensure you had a say in who the people making decisions for your country and your future are going to be. Our country is not in a great place right now but each of us has the power to change that even if in such a small way as taking a few minutes out of your day to go vote. So go out, make your vote count! You have nothing to lose! I'll be working at my local polling place from 6am-9pm.. wish me luck! :)

Act Baby pt.4 FINALE!!!

Recap: In our acting segment of class I am giving a lecture series. This is a new technique we are attempting to try to give the student a base to work off of before putting principles into action. More importantly, through their written answers, we will know if they truly understand and internalize the concepts. Last weeks lesson: Becoming a Character



Acting Lecture Series Part 4 - Becoming a Character: portrayal and assessment





Now here you are you've found a meaning to perform, lost yourself, learned everything about a character you are to be come......now it is time to become it!!! Soak up the the information like a sponge in dyed water. practice different techniques see what feels right have others watch actively find your character, decide some things about the way you will potray him. keeping it natural. practice being this person and not yourself do exersises as hime work as him play as hime remembering the instructions i have laid out. 
        Here is the final step. This is actually where I say: all the instructions I've written, all that you now know about yourself, all you may be actively trying to suppress,  all you have learned of your character..... forget it. Wring out the water in the sponge letting the dye remain!  Try to let yourself once again go so you can freely act! This should feel thoughtless and fun. Weightless as you are within another or better another is within you instead of one acting as another.
   
       For a serious actor now he must asses his performance. Depending on the how long a role is being played and what direction you are receiving when you asses yourself varies. I do it constantly, to much even because it interferes with staying in character but to find the happy medium is hard. Even harder is what you use as your barometer to judge yourself. A subtle mix of all of these must be your tool for assesment, depending on your venue the value of each varies: audience feedback (in many instances the worst judge), peers, director, mentors, fellow performers, overall success of the show/other, your effect on the production/other, and yourself. Never stop improving and remember almost every opinion is bias for OR against you.
      
      That close our Series on an Introduction to acting!! Thanks For reading, what do you think?