South Carolina Music Awards, Summer Travel, and Jane Austen revisited
This month I received an invitation from a fellow vocalist to take part in voting to select winners from among the nominees for the 2016 South Carolina Music Awards, which uses an open voting system (voters may cast as many votes as they choose and may be from anywhere in the world). To my surprise, my name was on the ballot as well, under "Jazz Artist/Group of the Year!" Apparently, the selection committee receives write-in nominations from fans of particular music styles throughout the state of South Carolina during the nomination period (the spring of each year), then selects nominees from that pool based on the number of fans they hear from, and opens up the voting during the early summer. The awards presentation and red carpet event will occur July 23 in our state capital, Columbia, South Carolina. Having never previously experienced these awards, I am excited to participate and attend, and possibly perform there as well. Anyone interested in casting votes is warmly invited to click on the ballot here (you will need to enter a valid email address each time you vote so that the selection committee knows you are not a robot, but you will not be contacted or placed on any email list for doing so). If you would like to hear and see some of my live performances to help you decide, you are welcome to go to my YouTube channel. Thanks!
The summer brings more than a bit of traveling--replete with stops in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, New York, Georgia and Florida. While on the road it always seems most challenging to find places to practice the piano and to get enough rest and proper nutrition, not to mention accomplish other necessary work. Visiting family and friends will be a beautiful perk this summer, as dedication to one's profession and geographical distance tend to limit the frequency of visits through the years. I look forward to enjoying mountains, TWO oceans, forests, lakes, state and national parks and long highways amid family visits, rehearsals, concerts, and business-related work, squeezing in vacation time wherever possible.
For those reading this blog regularly, you must know that I will be bringing Jane Austen's Persuasion with me on these trips... I have read through Chapter 5 or 6 and still have a ways to go... Even though my month of "rest and reflection" is over, the book is not. Let's face it--I can't REALLY devote an entire month to only rest and reflection... can anyone?? I did slow down, though, and completed my life audit and career audit, which I discussed in last month's blog. I also worked diligently on the business aspects of being a professional musician, practiced regularly, wrote song lyrics, spent time in the flower garden, and taught some Skype voice lessons, among myriad other responsibilities. Even today the worklist is too long to accomplish it all... so perhaps being away will be the ticket to making faster progress through the book. Let's hope so.
Gotta run... and I hope you enjoy your summertime!
The summer brings more than a bit of traveling--replete with stops in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, New York, Georgia and Florida. While on the road it always seems most challenging to find places to practice the piano and to get enough rest and proper nutrition, not to mention accomplish other necessary work. Visiting family and friends will be a beautiful perk this summer, as dedication to one's profession and geographical distance tend to limit the frequency of visits through the years. I look forward to enjoying mountains, TWO oceans, forests, lakes, state and national parks and long highways amid family visits, rehearsals, concerts, and business-related work, squeezing in vacation time wherever possible.
For those reading this blog regularly, you must know that I will be bringing Jane Austen's Persuasion with me on these trips... I have read through Chapter 5 or 6 and still have a ways to go... Even though my month of "rest and reflection" is over, the book is not. Let's face it--I can't REALLY devote an entire month to only rest and reflection... can anyone?? I did slow down, though, and completed my life audit and career audit, which I discussed in last month's blog. I also worked diligently on the business aspects of being a professional musician, practiced regularly, wrote song lyrics, spent time in the flower garden, and taught some Skype voice lessons, among myriad other responsibilities. Even today the worklist is too long to accomplish it all... so perhaps being away will be the ticket to making faster progress through the book. Let's hope so.
Gotta run... and I hope you enjoy your summertime!
