Black & White Party of Big Band Movie Music Yes, The Bureau of Standards Big Band returns to Jimmy Mak’s for the third time this Saturday! ** The Rose Festival Starlight Parade is happening around the same time. Allow for…
How to Give a Practice Performance and Stop Stage Fright It’s time again for the Spring recital performance. My students have been practicing their solos and ensemble pieces. They have been practicing scales and long tones; their foundational skills. And…
While it is true that I can make music on my own, it is wa-aa-ay more fun to play with others. I appreciate other musicians and the groups we form to play music together. Over the years I have participated…
I stumbled upon* an interesting web service a couple of weeks ago: A Song A Day. You sign up for a daily email Monday through Friday, tell them what types of music you like, mention some favorite artists or composers,…
Today, I attended #PressPublish, a day-long WordPress blogging conference run by the folks at Automattic. My intention for attending was to get the spark back into my writing here @ MegGrace.com and be inspired to want to write again. Great…
Last week when 7th grader Zach arrived for his sax lesson, he found me watching a live feed performance of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra. Juilliard is in New York City and I am in Portland, Oregon. Yay, Interwebs! I invited him…
27th Season Opener The Portland Wind Symphony is thrilled to announce the opening of their 27th season! Guest conductor Dr. Daniel Schmidt will lead the ensemble in a rich variety of music, including the Overture to Candide, by Leonard Bernstein;…
A timber wolf howls, and is answered by a soprano saxophone. Another howl, and a singer calls out. A choir joins in, accompanied by drummers, chamber orchestra, and pipe organ, in celebration of the beauty of the earth. Missa Gaia/Earth…
On May 29, my intrepid students and I performed transcribed jazz solos in the Spring recital for an appreciative audience at the Courtyard at Mt Tabor in Portland. During March, April, and some of May, we each listened to a…
This time last year, I was on retreat in Washington on the Lewis River. My days were filled with hiking, meditating, and writing music. It was a sweet 4 days of time alone in nature, away from my daily workaday…
Contentment is the new work for wind ensemble by myself and Kelly Dugger. It will have its world premiere on March 29 in Las Vegas. I’m flying down for the performance and a visit with my sister and her family.…
Accelerando; Italian word meaning to accelerate. Used in the musical world as a reference to tempo, which by the way is another Italian word meaning time. I immediately thought of Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice as a great example of accelerando. This…