Disclaimer: My intentions are never to drag someone's name through the mud. Therefore, no names are mentioned other than mine.
That's right, People! I got stiffed this weekend. I am left asking, "What now? What did I do wrong? How can anybody do what they did and still be able to sleep at night?" I tell myself, there is nothing that can be done, other than to wash my hands of it and continue onward. BUT, I'M STILL FUMING!!!!!!!
So. Here's what happened.
Two weeks ago, an acquaintance contacted me (via Facebook) to help her rehearse a few songs for a show that happened yesterday. Because of my busy schedule, I gave her the option to record rehearsal tracks for her. When I threw that option out there, I never heard from her again until three days before her big show. Three days, People! She messaged me and said she totally blinked, she was desperate because she didn't know some of the songs, and didn't read one lick of music. To help a friend of a friend out, I agreed to record tracks for her. Because she was a friend of a friend's, I charged her a huge discounted rate. That being 50%. My first MISTAKE.
A Friday night mind you..I could've been lounging with Husband to wind down the week, catching up on shows we saved on Hulu. But no, I spent a good 6 hours, (4.5 chargeable hours) in front of my Roland, MacBookPro, and wearing these GAWD awfully heavy headphones, and I went-a-plunkin'. Not to mention, I had the worse case of sinus-somethin'-or-other-induced headache. I sent off 5 10-second tracks to her around midnight with the final total. Even at 4.5 hours, I still knocked it down to $100. My second MISTAKE.
Here is my policy for my tracking services:
1) I charge by the hour.
2) I send off sample clips of what I've completed, and once I have received a payment via PayPal, I send off the full tracks.
I immediately got a response saying that she was not expecting to pay $100, but was only expecting to pay $25 and a "little bit of a rush charge." My heart dropped. Here's the kicker, she was expecting me to push record on my iPhone and plunk out a bunch of songs in under and hour and send it off to her with a crap-ton of wrong notes. I don't do that. I'm a professional. I make PROFESSIONAL rehearsal tracks. I was tired, I was sick, and I wanted to cry. Just so I can go to bed a little quicker, I said to her if $25 is all she can afford, $25 it is. I then canceled my PayPal invoice of $100, and resent a $25 invoice. My third and fourth MISTAKE.
After not seeing a reply from her, 1AM was rolling around, I just said, "Eff it. She's pissed off. I'll just send her my effing tracks so I can get on to bed. I spent too much time tracking these songs to not go to use." Tracks. Sent. My fifth MISTAKE.
Since the final tracks were sent, I never heard from her again. I figured it was because she was too pissed off to talk to me. I didn't sleep well that night. I woke up feeling sick to my stomach. It was probably a combination of my sinus-somethin'-or-other-induced headache, or the reality of losing $100. I was hoping between sending the tracks off last night to the following morning, that I would get a Paypal receipt saying that a payment has been made. NOTHING. No Facebook message, no emails, NOTHING.
Around the afternoon, my STUPID-SELF decided to be the bigger person, after weighing in on the fact that I was not straight up about how long it would take to record those tracks. I sent a final email to her saying to please have the tracks ON ME due to the fact that I neglected to tell her EXACTLY what my services and charges were. It was MY MISTAKE to assume that she knew the definition of what a rehearsal track is. My sixth and FINAL MISTAKE.
Sunday rolled around. I was still licking my wounds. I told our mutual friends what happened, and all they could really do was repeatedly say "Sorry" to me. (Side bar: No one should ever have to apologize for someone else's asinine behavior!) I distracted myself by having friends come over, cooking a nice meal for them, and we had an awesome marathon of American Horror Story. It was fun. But like Charlie Brown, I had this rain-cloud over my head. At this point, all I wanted was a, "Thank you!"
Today, as I went to work, I remembered Said Person telling me that she is really good friends with my Boss Lady. I have nothing to lose. I went to Boss Lady's office, and asked how good of friends she was with Said Person.
Boss Lady: Who?
Me: Said Person
Boss Lady: I don't know who that is.
Me: Well, according to her, you two are great friends. She said you even powdered her boobs once. She use to work here.
Boss Lady: I don't know who that is.
Me: I was really hoping you two were actually great friends so you can hound her for stiffing me.
Then she proceeded to holler at Other Two Bosses in the office next door and told them to come in.
Boss Lady: Do you know Said Person?
Other Two Bosses: Oh yes! Not with good reviews though. Why?
Me: She stiffed me.
En Masse: I'm so sorry!!!!
They proceeded to recall why she no longer worked there, and it was best that everybody parted their own ways. They also said that any GOOD PERSON would at least try and pay the $25, even though I comped her on the whole thing.
Here's another kicker. When I asked Other Two Bosses to define what a rehearsal track means, this is what they said.
1) A performance quality track. Piano Only
2) $25+ per song
3) Two tracks normally provided per song. One with melody. One with accompaniment only.
When I told them she thought I would just push record on my iPhone and plunk out 5 songs back to back in an hour, and send off a huge track with a bunch of wrong notes, they all said, "NO PROFESSIONAL IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD SEND OFF A TRACK A MORON CAN DO THEMSELVES."
There was some consolation to all this. The Theater world is very small. The Bosses are very well connected, and are "in the loop" of all future castings happening in Southern California. They also told me that Said Person's name will be dropped at future castings if she were to show up. Ouch.
Moral of the story:
1) Never bypass business policies when someone "in need" contacts me.
2) Treat my business like A BUSINESS.
3) 50% upfront. Always. And Forever.
Lesson. Learned.
Til' Next time, Y'alls.
P.S. I am trying to recover the loss. So if you are in need of the follow tracks (Piano Only), please contact me at rwongburdett@gmail.com
Phantom of the Opera
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
Light at the End of the Tunnel
U.N.C.O.U.P.L.E.D.
Unexpected Song
Monday, February 25, 2013
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Let Me Get Something Straight!
Dear Dancers,
Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I love the people I work with, and I love the copious amount of valuable information I have absorbed from them. In fact, I can confidently say that along with my fellow Dance Musicians, we have put in more dance hours than most dance students. Therefore, there are things that need to be aired. Things that I really shouldn't see, and things that shouldn't happen in a dance class. I'll start with the more serious matters first.
1) The Musician Does Not Exist
This is probably the biggest issue I have with students, because it affects me directly. First of all, I am a human being. I am not a part of a wall. I am not a robot. I am not an iPod. I am not a machine. I am a real-life person playing music for your dance class. Most schools that have a dance program do not have the resources to pay for a live musician. So you are very lucky to be able to attend a school that utilizes REAL people playing music for you. Please don't take us for granted. We deserve some respect.
Here is a list of things that I personally have experienced that proves that my presence doesn't make one bit of difference to them.
a) The piano is furniture
When I find the dancer's schtuff ALL OVER the piano, and piano bench, and every available space around the piano. One time, I actually picked up a student's "spread" and moved it across the room. She was so mad at me that still to this day, refuses to walk up to the piano and thank me like the rest of the class.
Oh, and yesterday, someone actually stuck GUM on the side of the piano.
b) Attitude (Behavior, not the position)
My job as a Dance Musician is to communicate with the teacher to get a tempo, meter, and appropriate music for you. I write EVERYTHING down in class in case we repeat the same thing in the next class. I know exactly what I played. Not every Dance Musician does this. I do. I have gotten smartass remarks from a student when I was trying to talk to the teacher as she was trying to figure out how to count a certain phrase. I had a student in front of me telling me I'm wrong. You know, I might be wrong, but I might also be right. It's not your place to tell me that. It's also not your place to tell me I'm going too fast or too slow. Please tell the teacher, and have the teacher tell me. That's how it works. So I don't want you snapping your fingers in front of me. It's annoying. And RUDE.
I've also gotten countless eyerolls, the "What a bitch!" under-the-breath whispers when I nicely ask people NOT to stand in front of me. This has happened in almost all the schools I have played for. There has only be ONE time where I didn't mind the look-of-death from a dance student. The only reason why she got away with it, was because she was 8, and she was so darn adorable. But for the rest of you, you're an adult. Act like it!
c) Sh*t Dancers Say
Are dancers not aware that I am there and I can hear them?
"I hate it when so-and-so plays for our classes because so-and-so plays the same thing over and over again. Sooo boring!"
"This teacher is soooo mean to me! She can be such a bitch sometimes!"
"She keeps telling me I need to pull my spatulas together. I can't find my SPATULAS!!"
And my favorite:
"OMG! I totally didn't do my Doodie-Duty this morning. I feel soooo bloated!"
d) The Ballet Wall
Please Read On...
2) The Ballet Wall
I guess this is no longer a secret. I have a collection of photos I have taken since 2010 of dancers forming a wall in front of me. This all started when I got tired of saying, "Excuse me!" or "Please don't stand in front of me." or "Mooooooove it!" with no result. I just threw my hands up in the air and said to myself, "That's it! I'm done being nice! I'm taking a picture of the wall, and posting it on Facebook." If my dance friends see the pictures, they tell their fellow dancers what I do when I play for their classes, and behold, the wall is gone. Most of the time.
Some of the awesome teachers I work with actually tell their students, "A picture of your behind ends up on Facebook when you form a wall in front of Becca!" The wall quickly parts like the Red Sea. Most of the time.
3) Boys with no dance-belts
For non-dance people, you might be asking: What is a dance-belt? It's a jock-strap for dance. A sports bra for men. It essentially keeps your huevos in a basket. 'Nough said.
Luckily, this hasn't been much of an issue for me anymore since I no longer play at community colleges where you get random members of the community taking classes. I had one old man who sported a tight unitard with no dance-belt, who would come up to the piano, and throw his leg onto the piano to stretch. His ::cough:: would be right in my face. Gross. After asking him nicely to please do not use the piano as a barre because it's a musical instrument. Mr. Old-Unitard would repeatedly swing his ::cough:: in my face, I finally yelled at him one day and I don't feel bad about it.
Then a couple of years ago while working at an university, I can only assume this poor kid forgot to do his laundry or he ran out of dance clothes on a Friday. He waltzed into class with no dance-belt, and wearing bright yellow tights. That year, it happened too many times with too many male students, at that specific school.
Okay people, you need to understand this. I am sitting. I'm at ::cough:: level. Please be mindful of this, and show up with support.
I can only imagine that dancing without a dance-belt probably feels a little bit like doing Shawn-T's Insanity without Lululemon's Tatatamer, in fact...without ANY bra.
Finally, this whole entry was brought on today because I heard the b-word being passed from one person to the next when I kindly ask them not to stand in front of me. I can only take that for so long. These are little things that the teacher don't always see because he/she is busy TEACHING. Please have some consideration and show a little appreciation for your Dance Musician. She really loves her job, and takes it very seriously. In fact, she looks forward to going to work everyday, and seeing all you beautiful dancers doing beautiful work. Please be nice, and take 5 seconds out of your busy dance schedule and thank the musician playing for your class. Not just me. But for ALL my fellow colleagues. We all take pride in what we do, and sometimes we simply want to be acknowledged. And please boys, put your huevos in a basket.
Sincerely,
Becca Wong
Don't get me wrong, I love my job. I love the people I work with, and I love the copious amount of valuable information I have absorbed from them. In fact, I can confidently say that along with my fellow Dance Musicians, we have put in more dance hours than most dance students. Therefore, there are things that need to be aired. Things that I really shouldn't see, and things that shouldn't happen in a dance class. I'll start with the more serious matters first.
1) The Musician Does Not Exist
This is probably the biggest issue I have with students, because it affects me directly. First of all, I am a human being. I am not a part of a wall. I am not a robot. I am not an iPod. I am not a machine. I am a real-life person playing music for your dance class. Most schools that have a dance program do not have the resources to pay for a live musician. So you are very lucky to be able to attend a school that utilizes REAL people playing music for you. Please don't take us for granted. We deserve some respect.
Here is a list of things that I personally have experienced that proves that my presence doesn't make one bit of difference to them.
a) The piano is furniture
When I find the dancer's schtuff ALL OVER the piano, and piano bench, and every available space around the piano. One time, I actually picked up a student's "spread" and moved it across the room. She was so mad at me that still to this day, refuses to walk up to the piano and thank me like the rest of the class.
Oh, and yesterday, someone actually stuck GUM on the side of the piano.
b) Attitude (Behavior, not the position)
My job as a Dance Musician is to communicate with the teacher to get a tempo, meter, and appropriate music for you. I write EVERYTHING down in class in case we repeat the same thing in the next class. I know exactly what I played. Not every Dance Musician does this. I do. I have gotten smartass remarks from a student when I was trying to talk to the teacher as she was trying to figure out how to count a certain phrase. I had a student in front of me telling me I'm wrong. You know, I might be wrong, but I might also be right. It's not your place to tell me that. It's also not your place to tell me I'm going too fast or too slow. Please tell the teacher, and have the teacher tell me. That's how it works. So I don't want you snapping your fingers in front of me. It's annoying. And RUDE.
I've also gotten countless eyerolls, the "What a bitch!" under-the-breath whispers when I nicely ask people NOT to stand in front of me. This has happened in almost all the schools I have played for. There has only be ONE time where I didn't mind the look-of-death from a dance student. The only reason why she got away with it, was because she was 8, and she was so darn adorable. But for the rest of you, you're an adult. Act like it!
c) Sh*t Dancers Say
Are dancers not aware that I am there and I can hear them?
"I hate it when so-and-so plays for our classes because so-and-so plays the same thing over and over again. Sooo boring!"
"This teacher is soooo mean to me! She can be such a bitch sometimes!"
"She keeps telling me I need to pull my spatulas together. I can't find my SPATULAS!!"
And my favorite:
"OMG! I totally didn't do my Doodie-Duty this morning. I feel soooo bloated!"
d) The Ballet Wall
Please Read On...
2) The Ballet Wall
I guess this is no longer a secret. I have a collection of photos I have taken since 2010 of dancers forming a wall in front of me. This all started when I got tired of saying, "Excuse me!" or "Please don't stand in front of me." or "Mooooooove it!" with no result. I just threw my hands up in the air and said to myself, "That's it! I'm done being nice! I'm taking a picture of the wall, and posting it on Facebook." If my dance friends see the pictures, they tell their fellow dancers what I do when I play for their classes, and behold, the wall is gone. Most of the time.
Some of the awesome teachers I work with actually tell their students, "A picture of your behind ends up on Facebook when you form a wall in front of Becca!" The wall quickly parts like the Red Sea. Most of the time.
3) Boys with no dance-belts
For non-dance people, you might be asking: What is a dance-belt? It's a jock-strap for dance. A sports bra for men. It essentially keeps your huevos in a basket. 'Nough said.
Luckily, this hasn't been much of an issue for me anymore since I no longer play at community colleges where you get random members of the community taking classes. I had one old man who sported a tight unitard with no dance-belt, who would come up to the piano, and throw his leg onto the piano to stretch. His ::cough:: would be right in my face. Gross. After asking him nicely to please do not use the piano as a barre because it's a musical instrument. Mr. Old-Unitard would repeatedly swing his ::cough:: in my face, I finally yelled at him one day and I don't feel bad about it.
Then a couple of years ago while working at an university, I can only assume this poor kid forgot to do his laundry or he ran out of dance clothes on a Friday. He waltzed into class with no dance-belt, and wearing bright yellow tights. That year, it happened too many times with too many male students, at that specific school.
Okay people, you need to understand this. I am sitting. I'm at ::cough:: level. Please be mindful of this, and show up with support.
I can only imagine that dancing without a dance-belt probably feels a little bit like doing Shawn-T's Insanity without Lululemon's Tatatamer, in fact...without ANY bra.
Finally, this whole entry was brought on today because I heard the b-word being passed from one person to the next when I kindly ask them not to stand in front of me. I can only take that for so long. These are little things that the teacher don't always see because he/she is busy TEACHING. Please have some consideration and show a little appreciation for your Dance Musician. She really loves her job, and takes it very seriously. In fact, she looks forward to going to work everyday, and seeing all you beautiful dancers doing beautiful work. Please be nice, and take 5 seconds out of your busy dance schedule and thank the musician playing for your class. Not just me. But for ALL my fellow colleagues. We all take pride in what we do, and sometimes we simply want to be acknowledged. And please boys, put your huevos in a basket.
Sincerely,
Becca Wong
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Those Page Turns Will Be the DEATH of ME!
Over a year ago, I wrote about my love for my iPad
and how amazing it was to just carry around a small device that stored
all my sheet music. Since then, I've had the honor to play for many
dance and musical theater shows with my humble 1st Gen iPad. I've also
put many "miles" on two major page-turn foot pedals that have been in
the market since the iPad came out.
The PageFlip Cicada, and AirTurn. I can go into the specks and the nerdie-techie side of these two devices, but there are already some good reviews out there on these pedals. Instead, I'm simply going to write about my personal experience with these two pedals.
Last year, as I was prepping for Orange County School of the Art's Fall Production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." I purchased the PageFlip Cicada per the recommendation from the lovely people at forScore when I told them price is a factor in making a decision. My first impression of the pedal was that it was kind a flimpsy piece of plastic. Pairing the device was a little annoying, because you had to enter a code for the pairing to work. The other downside to this pedal is, you have to turn the pedal off to be able to use your keyboard because your iPad sees it as an external keyboard. It was also noisy and made a clicking sound when you pushed on the pedal. But it did the job that I needed it to do. Turn pages.
One month into our production, the pedal started skipping pages. I contacted PageFlip asking if they have suggestions of what to do, they simply sent me a new pedal. The second pedal worked beautifully, until Day #2 of our show. In the middle of the number "Pandemonium," the pedal stopped working. (Ironic, no?) I pushed it several times, and still the page didn't turn. So I quickly touched the screen to turn the page. I must have had two fingers on it because the "search content" option came up and the screen darken. (This was how I set up the app to make finding music faster.) I looked at the top right corner of my iPad screen, and noticed that the pedal was no longer connected. The Bluetooth symbol says it's "on" but not connected to any devices. I kept playing, and kept pushing on the pedal in hopes that it would reconnect. It did. The Bluetooth symbol flickered, and reconnected my pedal. By this point, my iPad was thinking, "Oh, you pushed the pedal 6 times while it wasn't connected so let me catch up to you!" By this point, I was completely lost in my music. I had to depend on my instincts that I know this show and can do it in my sleep and survived through Act 1 mostly from memory.
During intermission, I decided to re-pair the device by "forgetting" the device and pairing it again. There was something I noticed. Because all these people were in the theater, I was picking up about 20 Bluetooth signals. Now, not having much knowledge of how Bluetooth technology worked, I immediately assumed the pedal was getting a Bluetooth-interference from the audience because there were simply too many devices out there. Act II wasn't any better. The pedal kept losing connection and I ended up playing the rest of the show by memory. Goes to show you, you can't always depend on technology to work, and you still have to rely on your skills.
After the run of the show, I emailed PageFlip again with videos showing him exactly what happened in the middle of a performance. The PageFlip guy was kind enough to send me yet another pedal that he personally tested himself. The 3rd pedal was fine until I had to take it somewhere. The back-pedal stopped working, and something was rattling inside. That was when I decided that perhaps I need to look into the AirTurn. Going through 3 pedals in a year isn't economical for anybody. In reality, if I had to repurchase the PageFlip Cicada 3 times, I would have just purchased the AirTurn in the first place. Lesson learned.
When I finally got the AirTurn, my first impression already was that it was a much sturdier pedal. It's made in the US of A, unlike the Cicada which was made in China. The pairing was simple. No complicated codes to enter. You simply turn on your pedal, turn on the Bluetooth on your iPad, and pair up the device. It was quick and easy. Another advantage was the ability to get your iPad keyboard to pop up if I need to respond to an email or hop on Facebook to post a snarky status. All you have to do is push the little red button, and the keyboard pops up. How fantastic is that?
The touch compared to the Cicada feels a little different. The Cicada had a medal contact that would trigger the page-turn. I know this because after the third pedal, my dear husband took the pedal apart to see how it worked. The AirTurn's pedal is shaped like a U. It takes a little bit more muscle, but only be a smidge. The AirTurn takes no time to get use to. Because of the sturdiness of the pedal, it's much more ideal for gigging musicians like myself. Let's be reasonable. I take very good care of my things. I'm not one to play frisbee or broom hockey with it. But I do work with jr highers and high schoolers half the time, and with dancers the other half of the time. This means, there is always a slight possibility that someone might accidentally kick it across the stage or studio floor. In that case, AirTurn wins by a landslide. (Kids, I do not recommend any of you doing that. It was just an example!)
I decided if I was going to do a write-up about these pedals, the AirTurn needs to survive through my high school Fall Production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Well, not only did this little guy survive, he passed with flying colors. I did run into a small snag, it had nothing to do with AirTurn, but everything to do with my humble 1st Gen iPad. I guess it's that time to upgrade.
At the end of the day, I need a device I can depend on. I highly recommend the AirTurn to any gigging musicians out there who is using the iPad. Not for just the durability, but also the fact that you can use your internal keyboard with the pedal connected. To me, that was a huge win in my book. The PageFlip Cicada is still a good device, however, not for a professional musician. If you were say, a private instructor and teach out of your own home, and the Cicada stays in one place, it works great. But if you are traveling on a daily basis from one location to the next, AirTurn is the way to go!
Happy Playing!
Interested in purchasing the Airturn?
http://www.airturn.com/
Interested in purchasing the PageFlip?
http://www.pageflip.com/
The PageFlip Cicada, and AirTurn. I can go into the specks and the nerdie-techie side of these two devices, but there are already some good reviews out there on these pedals. Instead, I'm simply going to write about my personal experience with these two pedals.
Last year, as I was prepping for Orange County School of the Art's Fall Production of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." I purchased the PageFlip Cicada per the recommendation from the lovely people at forScore when I told them price is a factor in making a decision. My first impression of the pedal was that it was kind a flimpsy piece of plastic. Pairing the device was a little annoying, because you had to enter a code for the pairing to work. The other downside to this pedal is, you have to turn the pedal off to be able to use your keyboard because your iPad sees it as an external keyboard. It was also noisy and made a clicking sound when you pushed on the pedal. But it did the job that I needed it to do. Turn pages.
One month into our production, the pedal started skipping pages. I contacted PageFlip asking if they have suggestions of what to do, they simply sent me a new pedal. The second pedal worked beautifully, until Day #2 of our show. In the middle of the number "Pandemonium," the pedal stopped working. (Ironic, no?) I pushed it several times, and still the page didn't turn. So I quickly touched the screen to turn the page. I must have had two fingers on it because the "search content" option came up and the screen darken. (This was how I set up the app to make finding music faster.) I looked at the top right corner of my iPad screen, and noticed that the pedal was no longer connected. The Bluetooth symbol says it's "on" but not connected to any devices. I kept playing, and kept pushing on the pedal in hopes that it would reconnect. It did. The Bluetooth symbol flickered, and reconnected my pedal. By this point, my iPad was thinking, "Oh, you pushed the pedal 6 times while it wasn't connected so let me catch up to you!" By this point, I was completely lost in my music. I had to depend on my instincts that I know this show and can do it in my sleep and survived through Act 1 mostly from memory.
During intermission, I decided to re-pair the device by "forgetting" the device and pairing it again. There was something I noticed. Because all these people were in the theater, I was picking up about 20 Bluetooth signals. Now, not having much knowledge of how Bluetooth technology worked, I immediately assumed the pedal was getting a Bluetooth-interference from the audience because there were simply too many devices out there. Act II wasn't any better. The pedal kept losing connection and I ended up playing the rest of the show by memory. Goes to show you, you can't always depend on technology to work, and you still have to rely on your skills.
After the run of the show, I emailed PageFlip again with videos showing him exactly what happened in the middle of a performance. The PageFlip guy was kind enough to send me yet another pedal that he personally tested himself. The 3rd pedal was fine until I had to take it somewhere. The back-pedal stopped working, and something was rattling inside. That was when I decided that perhaps I need to look into the AirTurn. Going through 3 pedals in a year isn't economical for anybody. In reality, if I had to repurchase the PageFlip Cicada 3 times, I would have just purchased the AirTurn in the first place. Lesson learned.
When I finally got the AirTurn, my first impression already was that it was a much sturdier pedal. It's made in the US of A, unlike the Cicada which was made in China. The pairing was simple. No complicated codes to enter. You simply turn on your pedal, turn on the Bluetooth on your iPad, and pair up the device. It was quick and easy. Another advantage was the ability to get your iPad keyboard to pop up if I need to respond to an email or hop on Facebook to post a snarky status. All you have to do is push the little red button, and the keyboard pops up. How fantastic is that?
The touch compared to the Cicada feels a little different. The Cicada had a medal contact that would trigger the page-turn. I know this because after the third pedal, my dear husband took the pedal apart to see how it worked. The AirTurn's pedal is shaped like a U. It takes a little bit more muscle, but only be a smidge. The AirTurn takes no time to get use to. Because of the sturdiness of the pedal, it's much more ideal for gigging musicians like myself. Let's be reasonable. I take very good care of my things. I'm not one to play frisbee or broom hockey with it. But I do work with jr highers and high schoolers half the time, and with dancers the other half of the time. This means, there is always a slight possibility that someone might accidentally kick it across the stage or studio floor. In that case, AirTurn wins by a landslide. (Kids, I do not recommend any of you doing that. It was just an example!)
I decided if I was going to do a write-up about these pedals, the AirTurn needs to survive through my high school Fall Production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." Well, not only did this little guy survive, he passed with flying colors. I did run into a small snag, it had nothing to do with AirTurn, but everything to do with my humble 1st Gen iPad. I guess it's that time to upgrade.
At the end of the day, I need a device I can depend on. I highly recommend the AirTurn to any gigging musicians out there who is using the iPad. Not for just the durability, but also the fact that you can use your internal keyboard with the pedal connected. To me, that was a huge win in my book. The PageFlip Cicada is still a good device, however, not for a professional musician. If you were say, a private instructor and teach out of your own home, and the Cicada stays in one place, it works great. But if you are traveling on a daily basis from one location to the next, AirTurn is the way to go!
Happy Playing!
Interested in purchasing the Airturn?
http://www.airturn.com/
Interested in purchasing the PageFlip?
http://www.pageflip.com/
Monday, May 7, 2012
Has it been 10 years?!
About a month ago, I returned to my old stomping ground at Riverside Community College to visit the dance faculty. The moment I walked in, it was like I was home visiting my family. The studio still looks the same, with some minor changes here and there. The teachers are still the same, sitting in their office/green room where the core dance students hang out, while the students in the studio are rehearsing for their then-upcoming student-choreographed concert. I was quickly greeted by two enthusiastic "Hellos!" Followed by Rita, assertively ordering a dance student to get her ass off a chair so I can sit down. Ah, still the same. We quickly caught up, and one of the things Rita asked me was, "When are you going to write in your blog again? You have good things to say." So...Rita and RCC Dance...this is for you!
10 years ago, Riverside Community College gave me my first Dance Accompanist job. Here I am ten years later, and I've had the opportunity to play for major dance companies in the world, and for world renown dancers and choreographers. I owe my success to the people who pushed me into this career. I've written several drafts of what can I say about my job ten years later. I keep deleting it and rewriting it. Finally, I came to this. I will write about 10 things I have learned during the 10 years I have been working as a Dance Musician.
These are in no particular order. Just 10 thoughts that popped in my head in the last 5 months I have had to think about what I would write about 10 years of being a Dance Musician.
1) Keep it Simple
I use to think that you have to be a virtuoso 24/7 to impress the teacher. I was wrong. For one, I was exhausting myself. Two, I was playing the wrong music. Then I figured out, if I keep it simple in the beginning, and slowly build up to something big towards the end of class, it was more effective. Once I figured this works for me, I found myself not feeling drained or tired at the end of class and I was able to do it all day.
2) Work Hard, Be Kind
This was what Conan O'Brien said before he signed off on his last Tonight Show on NBC. It's true. Work hard, and be kind, and great things will happen to you. (Go Team CoCo!)
3) Stay Humble
If I let things get to my head, I am only setting myself up for failure. There's that saying, "You are only as good as your last performance." This is true for everything that anybody does in their profession. I am as good as my last class. I know I can always be better. If I'm cocky about what I do, I only become bitter, and also become an unpleasant person to work with. That's no fun for anybody. The only person I am responsible for is myself. So I have to be hard on myself. If I'm not happy with my last class, I have to try and figure out how to be better.
4) Be Professional
It's amazing to me how people get away with doing unprofessional things, and still have their jobs. Again, this is true for any profession. It's not difficult to show up on time, and report to your jobs when they are scheduled. If you don't show up repeatedly, you lose your job. It's that simple. At least that's what I tell myself. Where ever I am on the freeway at a specific time, if I know I should already be passing a specific exit, and I'm not quite there, I call and tell the teacher I may be late. I also do whatever I can to stay awake. I always have coffee. And no, you can't have a sip.
5) Don't Dance Where You Work
Don't sleep where you eat. Same thing. I use to do this when I started at RCC. Things just became a little too weird for me and for the other dance students. Am I a staff member now? Or am I a dance student? What exactly is my role there? I'm not exactly faculty, but I'm not exactly a student anymore. It was just easier to keep dance and work separated. There is always an exception to the rule. I have taken classes where I play, but most of the students are adults who are 30 years or older. So they understand why I take class.
6) Dance Teachers are Dancers First - They Are Not Musicians
One of the common things I hear when I talk to other dance musicians, is that sometimes dancers have a hard time trying to convey what they want. So we, the musicians are trying to "translate" what they want or need. So I always do my best to be patient when they are trying to speak my language. But I also believe that it's equally important to understand theirs. That's why it's important for me to take class. That way, I can kinetically understand the kind of music that would be appropriate for what dancers need.
7) It's Business, Not Personal
This is a sticky one. Because when you do something you love, it becomes personal. I've had a teacher tell me I need to play more like a Russian man. Uh...no. That same day, I called my boss and told him I really can't deal with this teacher for 10 more weeks. I've also had Russian teachers yell at me in Russian. I raised my rate after that job, and they never called me back. So sometimes when things get a little heated, I do my best to deal with it. This job is pretty stress-free. But sometimes, teachers and students get a little ridiculous. What do I do about it? I take it to Facebook! I spew and quote the things teachers do and say to me, and I turn it into a joke. My friends laugh, other dancers sympathize, and then we move on. At the end of the day, it's business. Sometimes I raise my rates to avoid working at certain places, and amazingly, people surprise you and are willing to fork up more money for you to be there. It's Business. Not Personal.
8) Invest Your Time in Potentials
If I see that an establishment has potential for growth, or it's already growing, I stay there as long as they allow me to. Once things become stagnant, and I start to feel like I'm in a sand-trap, I move on. If I stayed, I would become bitter, and lazy. I've been in places in the past where I felt like I wasn't going anywhere. The teachers I was working with were burnt out. They were either in auto-pilot, or in survival mode. I constantly need to be inspired. In a way, I'm an opportunist. I know what I want, and I will set goals to get there. For me to feel alive, I need to feel a pulse.
9) Be Grateful For Every Job
Ironic, after just talking about raising my rates for places I don't like, and walking away from places that are no longer growing. But at the end of the day, I am grateful that I get to do what I love to do. For years, my mother tried to tell me I don't have a real job. Remember? I have a Chinese mother. I didn't become a doctor. I don't even sit at a desk, or teach anything. I just play the piano all day. It wasn't until she realized I was doing something she could gloat about, as in, I get to play for "famous people," she told me I need to thank God that I get to do what I do. You know what? I thank God every single day, that I can get up and do what I love to do and get paid for it.
10) Never Forget the People Who Helped You Get to Where You Are
Ten years ago, the faculty at RCC dance approached me and asked if I would like to play for a few of their dance classes. Before that, I didn't even know I could make this a career and be successful at it. They encouraged me to continue my education, and they gave me their blessing when I moved away to Orange County. From there, I played for Marie de la Palme, who got me a job at Orange County High School of the Arts. From there, I met Alaine Haubert who was teaching a master class. She got me a job at a pre-professional studio. I can keep this chain going for pages if I wanted to. But it if wasn't for the catalyst, I wouldn't be where I am today. So thank you, for everybody who got me to where I am. Here's to another ten years, which means I have to come up with 20 new things!
10 years ago, Riverside Community College gave me my first Dance Accompanist job. Here I am ten years later, and I've had the opportunity to play for major dance companies in the world, and for world renown dancers and choreographers. I owe my success to the people who pushed me into this career. I've written several drafts of what can I say about my job ten years later. I keep deleting it and rewriting it. Finally, I came to this. I will write about 10 things I have learned during the 10 years I have been working as a Dance Musician.
These are in no particular order. Just 10 thoughts that popped in my head in the last 5 months I have had to think about what I would write about 10 years of being a Dance Musician.
1) Keep it Simple
I use to think that you have to be a virtuoso 24/7 to impress the teacher. I was wrong. For one, I was exhausting myself. Two, I was playing the wrong music. Then I figured out, if I keep it simple in the beginning, and slowly build up to something big towards the end of class, it was more effective. Once I figured this works for me, I found myself not feeling drained or tired at the end of class and I was able to do it all day.
2) Work Hard, Be Kind
This was what Conan O'Brien said before he signed off on his last Tonight Show on NBC. It's true. Work hard, and be kind, and great things will happen to you. (Go Team CoCo!)
3) Stay Humble
If I let things get to my head, I am only setting myself up for failure. There's that saying, "You are only as good as your last performance." This is true for everything that anybody does in their profession. I am as good as my last class. I know I can always be better. If I'm cocky about what I do, I only become bitter, and also become an unpleasant person to work with. That's no fun for anybody. The only person I am responsible for is myself. So I have to be hard on myself. If I'm not happy with my last class, I have to try and figure out how to be better.
4) Be Professional
It's amazing to me how people get away with doing unprofessional things, and still have their jobs. Again, this is true for any profession. It's not difficult to show up on time, and report to your jobs when they are scheduled. If you don't show up repeatedly, you lose your job. It's that simple. At least that's what I tell myself. Where ever I am on the freeway at a specific time, if I know I should already be passing a specific exit, and I'm not quite there, I call and tell the teacher I may be late. I also do whatever I can to stay awake. I always have coffee. And no, you can't have a sip.
5) Don't Dance Where You Work
Don't sleep where you eat. Same thing. I use to do this when I started at RCC. Things just became a little too weird for me and for the other dance students. Am I a staff member now? Or am I a dance student? What exactly is my role there? I'm not exactly faculty, but I'm not exactly a student anymore. It was just easier to keep dance and work separated. There is always an exception to the rule. I have taken classes where I play, but most of the students are adults who are 30 years or older. So they understand why I take class.
6) Dance Teachers are Dancers First - They Are Not Musicians
One of the common things I hear when I talk to other dance musicians, is that sometimes dancers have a hard time trying to convey what they want. So we, the musicians are trying to "translate" what they want or need. So I always do my best to be patient when they are trying to speak my language. But I also believe that it's equally important to understand theirs. That's why it's important for me to take class. That way, I can kinetically understand the kind of music that would be appropriate for what dancers need.
7) It's Business, Not Personal
This is a sticky one. Because when you do something you love, it becomes personal. I've had a teacher tell me I need to play more like a Russian man. Uh...no. That same day, I called my boss and told him I really can't deal with this teacher for 10 more weeks. I've also had Russian teachers yell at me in Russian. I raised my rate after that job, and they never called me back. So sometimes when things get a little heated, I do my best to deal with it. This job is pretty stress-free. But sometimes, teachers and students get a little ridiculous. What do I do about it? I take it to Facebook! I spew and quote the things teachers do and say to me, and I turn it into a joke. My friends laugh, other dancers sympathize, and then we move on. At the end of the day, it's business. Sometimes I raise my rates to avoid working at certain places, and amazingly, people surprise you and are willing to fork up more money for you to be there. It's Business. Not Personal.
8) Invest Your Time in Potentials
If I see that an establishment has potential for growth, or it's already growing, I stay there as long as they allow me to. Once things become stagnant, and I start to feel like I'm in a sand-trap, I move on. If I stayed, I would become bitter, and lazy. I've been in places in the past where I felt like I wasn't going anywhere. The teachers I was working with were burnt out. They were either in auto-pilot, or in survival mode. I constantly need to be inspired. In a way, I'm an opportunist. I know what I want, and I will set goals to get there. For me to feel alive, I need to feel a pulse.
9) Be Grateful For Every Job
Ironic, after just talking about raising my rates for places I don't like, and walking away from places that are no longer growing. But at the end of the day, I am grateful that I get to do what I love to do. For years, my mother tried to tell me I don't have a real job. Remember? I have a Chinese mother. I didn't become a doctor. I don't even sit at a desk, or teach anything. I just play the piano all day. It wasn't until she realized I was doing something she could gloat about, as in, I get to play for "famous people," she told me I need to thank God that I get to do what I do. You know what? I thank God every single day, that I can get up and do what I love to do and get paid for it.
10) Never Forget the People Who Helped You Get to Where You Are
Ten years ago, the faculty at RCC dance approached me and asked if I would like to play for a few of their dance classes. Before that, I didn't even know I could make this a career and be successful at it. They encouraged me to continue my education, and they gave me their blessing when I moved away to Orange County. From there, I played for Marie de la Palme, who got me a job at Orange County High School of the Arts. From there, I met Alaine Haubert who was teaching a master class. She got me a job at a pre-professional studio. I can keep this chain going for pages if I wanted to. But it if wasn't for the catalyst, I wouldn't be where I am today. So thank you, for everybody who got me to where I am. Here's to another ten years, which means I have to come up with 20 new things!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
The Piano and Me, and the iPad Makes Three
Being busy for not blogging is a lame ass excuse. I know this because people say they are "busy" to avoid seeing their family members, in-laws, and annoying acquaintances. The truth is, I've been too LAZY to check-in consistently. So...sorry.
Now that I got that out of the way, on to the main event. My iPad!! (I know I'm a year late. Sorry...again.)
When I first started my career as a dance musician, I was lugging around a crate strategically strapped to a luggage dolly. In that crate was about 10 music books with tabs sticking out, mainly books I've collected over the years. The crate, along with the books probably weighed more than 20 lbs. When word got out, and I started getting more and more jobs, and playing at more locations. Some locations required me to park in BFE, and I had to drag my dolly over a bridge, into the woods, passing several buildings before I get to the dance studio. This schlepping-method quickly changed when it started to rain...HARD. I remember one rainy night, I spent the night scanning the music from the books I used, and consolidated it all into one binder. Over the years, this 20lb dolly evolved into a 10-lb binder.
I used this binder for a good year, and it made traveling from place to place a lot simpler. But still, it was 10 lbs. I decided it would be "clever" of me, if I converted all the ballet class music I used into Finale, then save every piece of music I have carefully edited into PDFs. This "conversion" took about 3 years to complete. At the end of this project, all my music was uniformed, it was cut to 16-32 measures, and were fitted onto 1-2 pages to avoid less page turns. I thought to myself how clever of me, and what great efforts I went through to get to this amazing ballet class book I have today. Then the morbid side of me thought, in case I die...someone can inherit this binder! Then the recipient wouldn't have to go through the struggles of finding ballet-appropriate music.
I also thought to myself, wouldn't it be amazing if Apple would make a device that would read PDFs, and all I have to do to turn the page is touch the screen? Wouldn't be even more amazing if this device weighs almost nothing and it would last all day? I joked about this to my colleagues who were always telling me that I need to write to Apple so they can make such a device. I never did, because Apple was already working on such a device since the iPhone just came out at that time.
There was already a tablet product out in the market for your sheet music. It was called the MusicPad Pro. Problem was, it only lasts 6 hours, and I needed it to last all day. It's also quite heavy from what I've been told. It doesn't do email, web browsing, and it has no calendar. These are all things that I needed in one device
Enter the iPad.
After months of twisting The Husband's arm, I got my hands on one. For the general population, the iPad was just a giant iPhone made for gaming enhancements, movie viewing, reading, to sum up, a toy. For me, it's a music reader, and an office built in one device. As long as the studio has access to wifi, I can now do email, and book jobs while I'm ON a job. The response is minutes instead of a 24-hour period for me to go home, open my Dino-MacBook, wait for the rainbow wheel to tell me if I am available to play on this date, at this time.
I now have more than 300 pieces of music stored in my ForScore app. Everything can be sorted into Plié, Duple, Triple, Ronds de jambe, Adage, Grands Battement, Waltz, Mazurkas, Petite Allegro, Grand Allegro, Variations, Musical Theater, and on and on. Now finding music is just a matter of seconds, instead of minutes. The neurotic part of me even have spreadsheets so I mark every piece of music I play, where and when I played it so the dancers and teachers don't get bored with me.
The questions I always get asked are: Is it big enough for you to see? What about turning pages? Answer is: Yes, it's big enough to see. ForScore is simply a fancy PDF reader, designed for musicians. So all you have to do is scan your scores at a low dpi, and load it into the app. But I went as far as reediting my music in Finale, I made the print bigger, and I spaced out the music so that the last bar gives me a free hand to reach up to touch the screen. Then another question is: But didn't that take forever for you to do? Answer: Yes! It took me the course of 3 years to get everything inputted into Finale. And yes, I am that dedicated to my job.
When I moved down to Orange County, I vowed to myself I wouldn't do Modern Classes if I didn't have to, since lugging around a djembe AND a cart of music was difficult enough. I was putting a lot of strain on my shoulder. Since the economic times have been tough for everybody, me including, I knew I would be missing out on more opportunities if I wasn't playing for Modern Classes. So I can now program percussion loops into the iPad, and play the djembe on top of it, and layer tone-clusters on the piano. I have myself a one-chick-band, and I don't have to put too much stress on my body doing it.
The only downside of my iPad and me, I am no longer known as that Asian girl with the crazy mohawk who plays the piano for ballet. I am now considered "cool" by the young kids because I HAVE an iPad. I'm okay with that. In this day and age, it really makes no sense to fall back on the times and miss out on opportunities because you have to stick to your "old-ways" of being "old school." No. I enjoy being a nerd! Because at the end of the day, it pays off.
Now that I got that out of the way, on to the main event. My iPad!! (I know I'm a year late. Sorry...again.)
When I first started my career as a dance musician, I was lugging around a crate strategically strapped to a luggage dolly. In that crate was about 10 music books with tabs sticking out, mainly books I've collected over the years. The crate, along with the books probably weighed more than 20 lbs. When word got out, and I started getting more and more jobs, and playing at more locations. Some locations required me to park in BFE, and I had to drag my dolly over a bridge, into the woods, passing several buildings before I get to the dance studio. This schlepping-method quickly changed when it started to rain...HARD. I remember one rainy night, I spent the night scanning the music from the books I used, and consolidated it all into one binder. Over the years, this 20lb dolly evolved into a 10-lb binder.
I used this binder for a good year, and it made traveling from place to place a lot simpler. But still, it was 10 lbs. I decided it would be "clever" of me, if I converted all the ballet class music I used into Finale, then save every piece of music I have carefully edited into PDFs. This "conversion" took about 3 years to complete. At the end of this project, all my music was uniformed, it was cut to 16-32 measures, and were fitted onto 1-2 pages to avoid less page turns. I thought to myself how clever of me, and what great efforts I went through to get to this amazing ballet class book I have today. Then the morbid side of me thought, in case I die...someone can inherit this binder! Then the recipient wouldn't have to go through the struggles of finding ballet-appropriate music.
I also thought to myself, wouldn't it be amazing if Apple would make a device that would read PDFs, and all I have to do to turn the page is touch the screen? Wouldn't be even more amazing if this device weighs almost nothing and it would last all day? I joked about this to my colleagues who were always telling me that I need to write to Apple so they can make such a device. I never did, because Apple was already working on such a device since the iPhone just came out at that time.
There was already a tablet product out in the market for your sheet music. It was called the MusicPad Pro. Problem was, it only lasts 6 hours, and I needed it to last all day. It's also quite heavy from what I've been told. It doesn't do email, web browsing, and it has no calendar. These are all things that I needed in one device
Enter the iPad.
After months of twisting The Husband's arm, I got my hands on one. For the general population, the iPad was just a giant iPhone made for gaming enhancements, movie viewing, reading, to sum up, a toy. For me, it's a music reader, and an office built in one device. As long as the studio has access to wifi, I can now do email, and book jobs while I'm ON a job. The response is minutes instead of a 24-hour period for me to go home, open my Dino-MacBook, wait for the rainbow wheel to tell me if I am available to play on this date, at this time.
I now have more than 300 pieces of music stored in my ForScore app. Everything can be sorted into Plié, Duple, Triple, Ronds de jambe, Adage, Grands Battement, Waltz, Mazurkas, Petite Allegro, Grand Allegro, Variations, Musical Theater, and on and on. Now finding music is just a matter of seconds, instead of minutes. The neurotic part of me even have spreadsheets so I mark every piece of music I play, where and when I played it so the dancers and teachers don't get bored with me.
The questions I always get asked are: Is it big enough for you to see? What about turning pages? Answer is: Yes, it's big enough to see. ForScore is simply a fancy PDF reader, designed for musicians. So all you have to do is scan your scores at a low dpi, and load it into the app. But I went as far as reediting my music in Finale, I made the print bigger, and I spaced out the music so that the last bar gives me a free hand to reach up to touch the screen. Then another question is: But didn't that take forever for you to do? Answer: Yes! It took me the course of 3 years to get everything inputted into Finale. And yes, I am that dedicated to my job.
When I moved down to Orange County, I vowed to myself I wouldn't do Modern Classes if I didn't have to, since lugging around a djembe AND a cart of music was difficult enough. I was putting a lot of strain on my shoulder. Since the economic times have been tough for everybody, me including, I knew I would be missing out on more opportunities if I wasn't playing for Modern Classes. So I can now program percussion loops into the iPad, and play the djembe on top of it, and layer tone-clusters on the piano. I have myself a one-chick-band, and I don't have to put too much stress on my body doing it.
The only downside of my iPad and me, I am no longer known as that Asian girl with the crazy mohawk who plays the piano for ballet. I am now considered "cool" by the young kids because I HAVE an iPad. I'm okay with that. In this day and age, it really makes no sense to fall back on the times and miss out on opportunities because you have to stick to your "old-ways" of being "old school." No. I enjoy being a nerd! Because at the end of the day, it pays off.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Musicality: Just like dimples...some have it, some don't!
All year long, I've been wanting to write about the subject of Musicality. There are so many different directions I can go with this subject that every time I start to write, I end up getting frustrated and walking away from it. Therefore, this past year, my running theme has been Musicality. I am convinced that this is something people are born with, like dimples.
What is Musicality? Merriam-Webster defines it:
What is Musicality? Merriam-Webster defines it:
1 : sensitivity to, knowledge of, or talent for music
2 : the quality or state of being musical : melodious
Both musicians and dancers can agree with me when I say that there are people who can dance or play an instrument well, but have no musicality what-so-ever. They stumble through rhythms, or they ignore the music all together. I believe Musicality lives in ones' body. If you don't feel it, you don't have it.
As a musician, I often look at playing for ballet classes like I'm accompanying a mute choir. Everybody is moving en mass and it's my responsibility is to know what is going on at all times. In the best scenario, the teacher will narrate verbally so I know exactly when they are switching sides and when they are ending the exercise. But unlike accompanying for a choir or a soloist, musicians and dancers need to work together like a conversation. They have to be sensitive to what I'm playing, and at the same time, I need to be 100% aware of what is going on.
Dance is competitive, just like life. With that said, I don't care if a dancer can do 5 to 10 pirouettes. Yes, it's impressive and I stop and go, "Wow! They can spin for days!" However, I'm screaming on the inside going, "Land on the damn MUSIC!" If the music only allows you to do 3 pirouettes, do 3 pirouettes, not 6! Unless you can spin in double-time. If you can spin in double time, then I shall bow to you. There's also the case of Adage at the centre. Are dancers so fixated on balancing themselves on their developpés and their port de corp that phrasing completely go out the window? I can only pull back so much. Or how they love to just sit on a plié for days and wiggle around to find their place before going up for a pirouette which again, results in them BEING LATE!!!!! Dancers need to meet me in the middle. Is that too much to ask?
Here is my last thought. I promise.
I had the opportunity to work with Kee Juan Han from Washington Ballet School. He had a lot of funny quotes which I will have to post later. But this was one that strikes a chord, no pun intended.
He said, "I need to see the music!"
Calling out to all dancers, I need to see the music.
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