Logging

For the time being I seem to be logging, not blogging. Though, technically I suppose my practice log is on the web, and therefore qualifies as a blog. I have been logging teaching points and assignments from my cello lessons, piano classes, orchestra and vocal ensemble rehearsals with fair diligence for over a month now. Chamber music rehearsals haven't been added yet, but I may do so now that the basic stuff is a habit. Funny thing is, that takes so much effort that my inspiration for this blog is running dry.

I'll have to ponder that.

I have a new book this week, which is why I'm writing here, now. I was so excited to discover that Corky Watkins' book Rosindust: Teaching, Learning and Life from a Cellist's Perspective has finally been published. Corky (or Cornelia, as primly embossed on the cover), is a cello teacher in Texas, and has been writing a newsletter (called Rosindust) for her students and a small but growing mailing list. I became a fan (and "subscriber") after I read one of her articles on Burton Kaplan's Magic Mountain Music web site: On Shifting for All Strings.

Some of the material is familiar, from the newsletters, and some is new to me. Possibly because Corky writes from the perspective of one who has come back from a painful overuse injury that kept her from playing for more than a few months, I especially like pondering her perspective on the mechanics of playing the cello. Though the book is written primarily for cello teachers, there is a wealth of material that is well within the grasp of, and useful to, thoughtful intermediate amateur adult players.

So that's what I'm doing now instead of blogging. Practicing, practice logging, and reading. BTW, Gigi is still doing great in her new home. Here is a picture of her already snuggling with one new brother, Pierre. Isn't it perfect that Gigi now has a brother named Pierre? Oh, and that's Hudson, whom she is apparently keeping in line quite well. She's such a trooper.