well first i had some toast...

Ok, so i didn't do much today really. i went shopping, ate out for lunch, felt like CRAP afterwards, went to pedagogy of composition, and went to a concert.

Pedagogy of composition is so awesome. i love it. that's all i got right now on that subject. lol. we're talking about assessment. and we went over our syllabi in class. it's funny, the head prof actually said "you're going to be great in an institution, writing rules and such. i bet you'll end up on every committee." lol. i followed that up by saying "you should see my lesson plans, when i write them. they actually follow MENC format!"

after class i went to a concert, the first Musica Nova concert of the semester. I take issue slightly with the name, but it's been at UMKC longer than i have, so there's little i can say. lol. I'd just like something cooler sounding like "Death Whalers" or "Alliance for the Federation of Contemporary Musical Literature" (aka AFCML) or something like that. Musica Nova sounds so...old...this from a guy who's myspace is musicaimprovica. LOL.

It was a good concert. the performers here are top notch. it's the first time i've heard any of them in a solo or chamber setting, and i was beyond impressed. really makes me feel even more that this was a great choice. the guest composer was Alvin Singleton. I found his pieces to be very interesting studies. not quite my cup of tea, but very interesting, a lot of good work. I actually like his piece for solo snare drum the most. Definitely worth playing, for all those percussionists that read my blog. (HA!)

I was probably most impressed with the piece by Asha Srinivasa. I had been hearing a lot about the piece (i know a guy who knows her...pretty well...i mean, they ARE married, after all. lol) and Asha as a composer, so i was interested to hear a piece live. It was quite well done. I was quite expressive, but not in a schamltzy neo-romantic way. I quite liked it

and now, i'm going to lay down to sleep, or something similar in thought. I might bring a piece to a MC with Alvin Singleton and this amazing pianist Teresa McCollough. or i might just sit and learn a thing or two. or 50...