August 2006 Newsletter

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow,
as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."

- William Shakespeare

A line from Hamlet oft quoted by Sinfonians (members of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a music fraternity), and one to which I have given some thought of late. It was because of my experience in Phi Mu that I decided to become an undergraduate music major at SDSU and ultimately dedicate my life to music. Of course, "Chemistry 200 Lab" had a lot to do with me wanting to run away from a Physics Major, screaming and pulling my hair out. That experience aside; it is with an eager mind and fond heart that I return to my alma mater later this month to continue the Master's degree I started in New York.

I always liked the atmosphere of a college campus, and always assumed it would continue to be apart of my life in one way or another. Maybe I'm drawn to the all-pervading optimistic idealism of 20-somethings; or the intense pressure of study that forms rough young coals into bright adult diamonds; perhaps its the freedom to pass or fail depending upon your efforts - that entreprenurial ideal that "you get of it what you put into it." I'm not dissuaded by the fact that I will have to juggle full-time teaching and performing with a full course load, and still make some time to spend with my wonderful wife. Yes, it will be a trying time, but more importantly, it will be formative.

"But Karl," a chorus of elderly relative's voices in my head say, "a Masters Degree in music is largely useless!" Ah, but hearken ye, ancestral voices, to the quote of the month - sometimes, you need to follow your heart and not your mind. Would it interest you to know that I routinely "throw away my vote" on Libertarian candidates? You see, I'm still a bright-eyed optimist!

So, what does this stuff have to do with Seaside Brass? Why do I bring all of this up? To remind you that since I'll be knee-deep in Jazz Theory and Masters Research Procedures, I probably won't have much time for these little novellas I call newsletters. The ones that I do manage to post will probably be sadly wanting, and more often than not, I'll skip months alltogether. However will you survive without my deep ruminations?

Happenings:

- Even more pictures in the Gallery.

- Special Event season coming up at SeaWorld: woohoo!

- Roy Brown is leaving at the end of the month for Military Music Academy - we'll miss you buddy, and so will the 80 other bands you play with. :(
Hopefully, he'll be stationed back here next year.

- Big marketing push this month for Christmastime. If you're an agent reading this, I'll talk to you soon!

- Brad Steinwehe Big Band recording sessions next week. We'll record three of my tunes: "Nutville," "Seven Steps," and "The Perp".

- I'm actually taking a vacation later this month, albeit a short one, to Tahoe, San Fransisco, and Carmel, to see a friends wedding (Congrats Emily!), meet up with an old college buddy, and just hang out with my wife.

Hopefully, you'll hear from me next month. Until then,