"So what is it you do?"

Too much

First things always first: Help us produce Sarah Kirkland Snider’s “Mass for the Endangered”

Donate here: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/shift-orchestra-project/campaigns/5120

And you can check out our website.

Now onto the news:

Conductor’s have a difficult time explaining their job to anyone (sometimes even to themselves). I have the additional benefit of being a rather versatile music director, which means I wear far more hats than should be fashionable.

What can I say? I’m a trendsetter.

In the past couple of weeks I’ve helped a few seven-year-olds write and compose a new 30-minute children’s musical.

“We did it!”,—from “The Forest Task”, written by some summer camp kiddos.

I’ve continued my MD tasks for “The Music Man” with the Arlington Children’s Theater, hiring 6 musicians and training 44 young actors.

Pit pig, seen here, guarding over our scores.

I’ve transcribed a Venezuelan children’s song. (Okay technically it’s still being proof-read but I’m counting it).

And, of course, I’ve been working on the “Mass for the Endangered”. Fundraising, recruiting, selling ads, prepping for ticket sales, and laying the groundwork for our advertising.

One of the things I really enjoy about my career thus far is the variety. I wrote songs for kiddos earlier with the Cantata Singers but it’s been awhile since I’ve helped young’uns write a musical, and it turns out I’ve really missed it. Maybe I’ll find more time for it this year.

The productivity gurus often say that breaking up your routine is important to keeping busy. So today I’ll break up my routine by napping in various locales all over my apartment.

Am I doing this right?