Getting straight what I can and cannot do

Kehaulani

There keep cropping up assumptions about my background and I don't blame you for getting it confused. I hope no one thinks this is pretentious, because it's not. It's just that there are some things I know, but some things I have very little experience in, and they keep gettig mixed up. Knowledge of one thing doesn't imply knowledge of another. I wouldn't normally do this, but I think it might be helpful in avoiding any further confusion.

Training:
Secondary school: trumpet
College: BM on French horn, trumpet. MM on sax, flute.

Professional (sequential):
Service: French horn, trumpet
Free-lance composer/arranger
A.F. Band Commander
Self-employed sax and flute player, conductor, composer

Then: 2 major strokes, at least 3 minor strokes, unable to use left hand, so back to trumpet. And what a way back it has been.

Example of professional performance:
Royal Hawaiian Band, Air Force band, Tokyo Youth Philharmonic; French horn
Air Force band, soul band, big bands; trumpet
Big bands, county concert band, jazz and rock combos; saxes, flute
-most playing experience has been here

Conducting: the Arlington Symphony, USAF Band, D.C., Austin Civic Wind Ensemble, three German city bands, All-Sound Big Band (Germany)

BM: Composition major, Theory minor
MM: Composition major, Woodwind minor
DMA Conducting

BigDub

This is all both amazing and extensive, Kehaulani. I hope there is no indication from my responses and posts that would infer any disrespect or lack of admiration on my part.
I think I just need clarification as to why you felt the need to put all this out there. Did you feel slighted or disrespected by someone at some point here?
I think I would have the same respect for you if you were a comeback player and couldn’t quite nail the Bb major scale yet.
Also, these are only words on a screen to me. Never have I seen any of these arrangements, nor heard any of this playing by you or your various groups, so there is a bit of a void in this whole resumé. This is only to say, I would LOVE to hear or see something more from you. That's my take on it. It’s not a challenge or rebuttal, but more of a desire on my part.......I'm a bit of a visual person....
My days as a student were difficult because of my learning style as well. Write it down and I will struggle. Show me or let me hear it, and I am halfway there. See?

GeorgeB

@Kehaulani

You deserve a lot of respect for all that you have accomplished in your life so far, Kehaulani...and I have a feeling you are far from finished. Man, you are an inspiration.

Kehaulani

First thing, being respected or otherwise, LOL, that wasn't an issue with me, at all. I have worked with musicians who had advanced formal training and those strictly from the streets. There was always much to learn from these street guys, so I don't think of a formal education as trumping anything.

The same goes with amateurs. There's always something to be learned from the next person. And, in my case, that particularly holds true, because I'm having to relearn a lot of stuff and what amateur players are dealing with may be exactly the same that I need. There are almost two complete years I don't even remember.

Regarding recordings of me, I've traveled light over the years. I've lived in nine different states and two countries, traveled/worked throughout the Western hemisphere from Saigon to Moscow, and have not carried much with me.

But to my current situation, I've moved from two hospitals, two rehab centers and two Independent Living facilities with little to no storage facilities. The only things I have (I'm old) are some VHSs and I don't know how to transfer that to this format. I'd be glad to, but I just can't.

GeorgeB

@Kehaulani

Don't sweat it, Kehaulani. Hell, you don't have anything to prove.

Dr GO

@Kehaulani said in Getting straight what I can and cannot do:

Arlington Symphony, USAF Band, D.C., Austin Civic Wind Ensemble, three German city bands, All-Sound Big Band (Germany)
BM: Composition major, Theory minor
MM: Composition major, Woodwind minor
DMA Conducting

Question Kahaulani, did you start conducting the Arlington Symphony before or after obtaining the DMA for Conducting?

Kehaulani

@Dr-GO said in Getting straight what I can and cannot do:
Question Kehaulani, did you start conducting the Arlington Symphony before or after obtaining the DMA for Conducting?

I was the rehearsal conductor under David Pollitt as part of my work towards my Doctorate at Catholic University of America, D.C.

BTW, that's Arlington, Virginia not Arlington, Texas.

Dr GO

@Kehaulani said in Getting straight what I can and cannot do:

@Dr-GO said in Getting straight what I can and cannot do:
Question Kehaulani, did you start conducting the Arlington Symphony before or after obtaining the DMA for Conducting?

I was the rehearsal conductor under David Pollitt as part of my work towards my Doctorate at Catholic University of America, D.C.

BTW, that's Arlington, Virginia not Arlington, Texas.

So after you degree, did you get another conductor gig?

Kehaulani

Yes. Concurrent with my Doctoral work, I was an Air Force band director, so I was conducting at the same time. I retired from the A.F., moved to Germany and finished my degree.

I stayed in Germany and continued conducting, this time the city bands I mentioned, the Chamber players of the Southwest German Radio/T.V. Orchestra, the University of Kaiserslautern Concert Band, as well as leading Jazz big bands. After about 20 years in Germany, I moved back to the U.S. and then conducted the Austin Community Wind Ensemble.

My first stroke ended my conducting.

Dr GO

@Kehaulani said in Getting straight what I can and cannot do:

My first stroke ended my conducting.

So sorry to hear this. Hopefully there is good prevention now to keep the progression under control. My thoughts go out to you.

administrator

@Kehaulani you certainly seem well qualified.

My post about "graduate school" was more of a reality check for the current generation as to what could (probably will) happen if they enter graduate school.

The market can only take so much saturation of any type.
I also don't subscribe to the motto "do what you love", but rather "love what you do."

Brian Moon

@Kehaulani Do you let the trumpets play like Reiner did?

Kehaulani

@Brian-Moon said in Getting straight what I can and cannot do:

@Kehaulani Do you let the trumpets play like Reiner did?

I don't understand your question Bran, sorry.

Brian Moon

@Kehaulani
When you conduct do you have hushed trumpets like the present day Philadelphia Orchestra or do they play to the back wall like they did in Chicago under Reiner in the 50's and 60's?

Kehaulani

Well, it's kind of a simplistic answer but I just balance the volume in the whole ensemble and fit the trumpets in in the proper musical context.

When I was a younger conductor, I was describing what I wanted from the trumpets in a particular passage. After a mind-imaging description of what I wanted, using flowery words and a beautiful description, a trumpet player raised his hand and asked bluntly, "You mean you want us to play louder"? LOL

From then on, I just conducted the music and let the mechanics be handled by the various musicians, unless they needed some help - and they did but I just asked in very direct ways.

I mean, for the level of ensemble we play in or direct here, if it's good, the musicians take care of a lot of it, themselves. When they need help, I give it.

adc

You have my deepest respect. And thank you for your service. It has been a pleasure listening to your posts over Three forums over the last several years!!!

Brian Moon

@Kehaulani

Sounds like a very reasonable answer.