How Conductor Auditions work 2

 In my previous post, I discussed various hats a Music Director wears.

So what do the Music Director Auditions look like? 

Major orchestras do not announce position openings. My guess is they consider guest conductors they invited in the last several years. Without much warning, they announce who the next Music Director is. 

Professional regional orchestras typically announce the position opening and solicit applications. These materials may include: resume, letter of interest, sample videos, and sample programs. After the committee reviews the materials, they may conduct a Zoom interview then narrow down to several Finalists.

Once you're a Finalist, you program a concert you will conduct. This is where you get to be creative! Conducting is absolutely my favorite part of the job, but programming is a close second. Every orchestra has their unique challenges, and you will have the opportunity to construct a striking program within the organization's available resources. Once the programming is set, you will communicate with the librarian, personnel manager, etc to make sure every logistical details are set. 

During your audition week, you will attend many events to meet donors, patrons, community partners, or visit a school or two. The search committee will observe if you are capable of connecting genuinely with all the constituents of the organization. While being professional, I think it's important to be authentic. It is hard to keep up a facade, and I would like the orchestra to choose me for who I am, and not who I pretend to be. 

The relationship between the Music Director and the orchestra is like a friendship. Through the rigorous vetting process, all finalists are capable of doing the job. I believe the most important factor of this relationship is if there is a chemistry that sparks excitement, joy, and trust. The committee tends to highly value this element during the selection process.

At a later date, I'll discuss how staff conductor auditions work. I hope 2025 brings you full of excitement, joy, challenges, and loads of fun.

How Conductor Auditions work 1

 Happy New Year!

A few weeks ago, I presented a class called "Orchestra Auditions: Procedure and Tips." During Q & A, several students asked how the conductor audition works, but we didn't have adequate time for a discussion. Since I am preparing for an audition/interview as the Music Director of West Valley Symphony in a few days, I thought I'd collect my thoughts on what it takes to prepare for an audition as a conductor.

There are several positions conductors can audition for. Early in the career, you may audition for a staff conductor position: Assistant, Associate, or Resident Conductor. These positions' job descriptions may include covering (i.e. be a back-up conductor for) the Music Director and Guest Conductors, and conducting Family/Education/Community concerts or other subscription concerts as assigned. Your main job is to be ready, conduct efficiently, and meet the needs of an organization. I will dive into the staff conductor audition at a later date.

The Music Director position is more involved. The MD wears many hats:

1. Artistic Leader: Set the artistic goal for the orchestra. This can come in the form of programming, the format of concert, composer you present, soloists your feature, and auditioning and selecting musicians.

2. Conductor: By far, the best part of the job- you rehearse and conduct works you programmed!

3. Ambassador of Arts/Performing Arts: You represent the organization and performing arts in the community you serve. The orchestra may be the only professional performing arts organization in the community. You may be a liaison between other cultural, educational, service, or arts organizations in the area. Being an engaging speaker/communicator is essential. 

4. Advocate for contemporary composers: I believe it is important to promote and present the music written by composers of our own generation. Without this advocacy, it is impossible to leave wonderful music our peers are creating for the next generations of musicians and audience. Making meaningful connections with composers you believe in is important to this process, and presenting the works in captivating ways is helpful. 

5. Manager: Although you will work with the Executive Director who manages the administrative side of the orchestra, you do work closely with the Personnel Manager (who ensures all the appropriate musicians are hired), Librarian (who prepares music), and Orchestra/Production Manager (who makes sure that stage is set up and equipments are present at rehearsals and concerts). They will need clear and timely communication and guidance to do their job effectively.

In my next post, I'll discuss what a Music Director audition may look like.

Cost/Time saving recipe #4: Pizza!

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful time with your loved ones today. I made tonkatsu, as one does. I'll share a recipe for that at some point in the future.

A few hours after tonkatsu lunch, my son asked if we can have pizza for dinner. I, of course, obliged.

I have been making my own dough for a while, because it's super easy.

I basically follow this recipe on Fine Cooking.

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups luke warm water

1/2 TBS yeast

1 TBS olive oil

1/2 TBS sugar

2 tsp salt

4-5 cups of flour

In a standing mixer, pour water, yeast and sugar. Let yeast grow for a few minutes. After yeast starts bubbling, add flour (4 cups to start), olive oil, and salt. 

Mix at low speed. Add more flour as needed. Once incorporated, make into a ball, cover with a towel and let it rise for 45min. (Recipe says 2 hours, but who has time for that?). 

After it rises, divide the dough into 4 small or 2 large pizzas.

Preheat oven to 425F.

Make sauce. 

Ingredient:

6 oz tomato paste

15 oz tomato sauce

2 TBS each of oregano and basil

1/2 tsp each of garlic and onion powder

1/2 TBS salt

1 tsp sugar

Mix vigorously. No need to heat anything, which is nice.

Roll out the dough to your preferred thickness, add sauce, and any toppings of your choice. 

I usually roll it out on parchment paper, so counter top doesn't need cleaning, and the loose flour won't fall into the oven and cause the fire alarm to go off. (<= spoken from experience.) Place the pizza with parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven.

Pizza was eaten swiftly, so I didn't get a chance to take a good picture. 😅

You can portion off the dough and sauce and freeze them! Transfer them to fridge in the morning, and would be thawed out by the time you are ready to cook dinner. 

Buon appetito! 

Another cost/time saving recipes: Chicken!

 Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Today my students reminded me that I actually have a blog 😅

Here's another cost/time saving food prep idea. When I buy chicken breast from Costco (10-12 pounds?), I chop them up into bite sizes pieces, and marinade them.

Left: Salt, pepper, and sesame oil

Top Right: Salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil

Botton Right: Salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, and olive oil

I portion them and freeze.

You can transfer it to fridge in the morning, and usually it's thawed by the time you're ready to cook dinner. It feels less daunting to cook up a meal when chopping/seasoning is already done. Serve with a salad and rice/pasta/bread, and you have a nice balanced meal!

We're almost at the end of the semester, so let's keep going strong.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving!

KD

Another cost/time saving recipe: #2 Chicken vegetable soup

 Hi friends,

Yesterday I shared my meat sauce recipe. Some of you might be wondering "WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THE LEFTOVER CARROTS AND CELERY??"

Well, good question. You can always eat them as is 👍 Costco has great individual hummus. (BTW, I don't work for Costco nor they sponsor me here 😂) But when you come home exhausted, you're too tired to chew crunchy vegetables. #iykyk

This time, I made chicken and vegetable soup, using leftover Costco Rotisserie Chicken. This Rotisserie chicken is my son's FAVORITE food in the world, so we buy at least one a week. The leftover meat turns into soup or Japanese curry (more on this later).

Here's my rough attempt of my soup recipe:

1. Feed your son his favorite parts of the chicken, then take apart the leftovers and dice

2. Chop up carrots and celery (leftover from meat sauce)

3. Dump the carrots and celery in a giant pot, add chicken broth and simmer for 20 minutes

4. Add chicken and simmer for additional 10 minutes (or until you remember it's still cooking)

5. You can portion them off into freezer-safe containers, and freeze for the days you have zero motivation to cook.

I keep this soup pretty basic, so I can add flavoring depending on how I feel. Sometimes I add chili oil, curry powder, or "Italian" seasoning, so I don't get sick of it.

Also, I still had plenty of carrots and celery left, so I chopped them up and froze them in few batches. I'll use them in soups or curry later. 

Buon appetito!

Fall 2024, here we go! & Meat sauce recipe

 Hi friends,

Fall 2024 semester started this week! It's going to be a great semester.

I know some of you have started a new job, student teaching, grad school, etc., and I wanted to share some ideas to take care of ourselves. We get so busy worrying about our work, taking care of our family/pets, and forget to take care of our basic needs. Consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: 

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

from Simply Psychology

We need to make sure our physiological needs are met before we go up the pyramid. This includes food and sleep. As a night owl, I need to follow my own advice of getting enough sleep, but luckily I can function pretty well with 5+ hours of sleep. 

Food, on the other hand.... I'm an Asian mom, so food and feeding my family is very important to me. I do most of the cooking, and I wanted to share some ideas that save time, energy, and money.

I make a giant batch of meat sauce for pasta every few weeks to keep in the freezer.

I used 3 pounds of ground beef, half a bag of Costco baby carrots and celery sticks, and onion flakes.

1. mince carrot and celery in food processor

2. brown beef (drain any fat/liquid)

3. add celery, carrot, and onion flakes (I add enough to cover the pot), garlic or garlic powder

4. add 2 cans of tomato sauce and about 4 cups of chicken broth

5. simmer for 2 hours

6. add salt and pepper to taste

7. divide up the sauce per portion and freeze.

This time I made 6 batches of 3 portions = 18 servings! 

These come in handy when you have zero energy to make dinner. It has enough vegetables, so if you have no salad, it's ok! 

Buon appetito!

Lesson from my Dad #2: Don't take yourself too seriously

 Continuing with lessons I learned from my dad's life. Previous post can be found here: Lesson #1

Lesson #2: Don't take yourself too seriously

Ever since I remember, my dad would get excited and cheered "お！やったー” whenever we broke a plate or a glass by accident.  This might be why I am still careless, because I never lived with a fear of being scolded from accidentally breaking things. He taught us that it's ok to make mistakes- just celebrate!

My dad was a smart man and successful in his own right, but oftentimes people (myself included) undermined him. Being an agreeable man with thick Japanese accent in a Southern state didn't help either. He never took offense at people's behaviors towards him. If I got upset at someone's rude behavior or comments, my dad would say "かわいそうだと思え” (feel sorry for them)- meaning, they must be sad and/or angry to act that way. As I got older, I was able to think in a similar way.

Being an Asian female conductor in Southern states (TX, KY, TN), I've heard questionable comments from various constituents. I don't get offended now, because 1. if they didn't know their behavior was borderline offensive, well, bless your heart; or 2. if they meant to be rude, well, I feel sorry for ya.

The best thing about not taking myself too seriously is that I don't have to spend energy getting offended or being upset. This allows me to focus on what's really important, so I can get my work done. If a musician challenges me while I'm on the podium, I don't get frazzled. I can still focus on the music and my job as a conductor, instead of getting upset at the encounter. 

Now, this doesn't mean you don't stand up for yourself. Not taking yourself too seriously allows you to sort through small petty incidents so you can focus on what's more important. Also, do always stick up for the ones that depend on you, such as your students and family.

My dad was also goofy. At my wedding, right before we walked out, he said "I'm going to trip on purpose." He said he wanted to make people laugh so they relax. Luckily, he didn't, because I'm pretty sure my mom would've killed him, and let's face it, he was the most nervous person there.

I am also not afraid to be goofy or silly, if the situation requires lightness. I like to have fun, especially when we make music. I know that when we are having fun, we make better music. Being able to not take myself too seriously, I can use humor as a way to lighten up the environment. 

So next time you make a mistake, laugh it off! It's really going to be ok!

my dad pretending to be boiled in hot pot

Tune in again in the future for more lessons from my dad 😝

Lesson from my Dad #1: Give yourself credit and praise yourself freely!

My sister and I lost our dad 8 years ago today to pancreatic cancer. It took a few weeks to process and began grieving properly. At that time, I shared my dad's "life lessons" on social media to pay tribute to his life. Since I started teaching a few years ago, I often find myself quoting my dad. I thought I'd write some posts of his "lessons" and how they relate to teaching young musicians.

So here it goes. 

Lesson #1: Give yourself credit and praise yourself freely!

My dad was the youngest of 3, with two brilliant older brothers. Being raised in Japan, I have a feeling he didn't often get praised by his parents. Perhaps this is a skill he developed as a child. Most men in his generation tend to be more humble, but my dad was different. He always took credit for everything he did and said, and he even took credit for his kids' accomplishments. He often said (jokingly, I think?) it's because of his wonderfully brilliant DNA, we succeeded. 😂

I somehow find this to be healthy and helpful. In school, you get weekly lessons from your applied teacher who gives you feedback. You take classes where you get grades. You perform in ensembles where the director provides affirmations and corrections. The problem is, once you're out of school, you get less feedback if any. Sure, you will have mentors and bosses in the real world, but you need your own compass to gauge your progress. As musicians, we are SO GOOD at focusing on what's wrong with our performance, but not so good at spotting what we have done well.

Being able to give yourself credit and praise your own progress are such useful skills. It's much less frustrating than waiting for other people to give you approval. 

My dad on Lake Austin, pretending to paddle on kayak circa 2010

Stay tuned for more "lessons" in the coming week! 

Advice for young musicians: How to prioritize your time

I am aware of the irony here, as I type this post while avoiding to finish my portfolio for annual Faculty Evaluation and Third Year Review. 

Today, I would like to discuss how to manage prioritize your time.  My students often ask me "how do you manage everything." Currently I juggle two jobs, a family, and MBA program. As a naturally anxious person and a multi-tasker, I always get things done. I love crossing things off my "to do" list. So, you would assume that my life is in order. NOPE! If you have seen my office or visited our home, you know that it's disorderly, to put it mildly. I stopped using the word "time management" a few years ago, because I realized we don't really manage time. Our actions are based on priority, and having a clear understanding of your values and preferences, and setting goals and concrete action plan along the way, will definitely help you prioritize your time. 

I use Trello app to keep track. This can be used on desktop and/or mobile.

So here are some tips on how to prioritize your time. 

First, make a list of things that matter to you in order of importance. This list will change as you go through life. For example, when I was a students, it was:

1. School; 2. Anything conducting related; 3. Health; 4. Socializing

As a classic introvert, I never had a need to socialize, so that freed up a lot of my time. When I was a young(er) professional, my list was same as above, except #1 became "Career advancement."

As a middle-aged, mid-career conductor/educator with a family, my current priority is

1. Family; 2. Health; 3. Anything teaching/conducting/work related; 4. Socializing

Once you have your list, start putting together a calendar.

For example, I enter performance dates in my calendar first, as those are planned months in advance. If I have any important family events, I enter those next. I now make medical appoints months in advance. When I was in my 20s and 30s, I would forego doctor's or dentist's visits for years because something always came up. I register for races (10K or sprint Tri) so I have a motivation to get out and run jog regularly. Then when an offer to guest conduct comes in, I put those in my calendar as well. After being in the field for 2 decades, I don't feel the urge to fill up my calendar with every opportunity that comes into my inbox. When I say health, I mean both physical AND mental health. I try to give myself at least one, preferably two, days of rest per week to recharge. As an introvert, it takes a lot of energy to be around people, and I need time alone in order to be engaging on and off the podium. 

As a music student, you should put your performance dates in your calendar, then due dates for major projects for classes. From there, start constructing a timeline with incremental goals. For example, if you have your solo recital scheduled in mid-April, set goals along the way in reverse order. (disclaimer: I just made up this arbitrary goals to support my explanation. I realize this isn't a practical planning for a recital prep.)

    -end of March- run-through of the program at 100% tempo

    -end of February- Music learned at 90% or tempo

    -end of January- find pianist, music learned at 80% tempo. 

From this, you can assign smaller milestones along the way. It can be daunting to look at the list of things you have to accomplish in a given amount of time. If you break down into smaller steps, it feels manageable and gives you a sense of accomplishment when you complete each task.

Each person is allotted 24 hours a day, so it's up to you to prioritize your own time. My suggestion is to make sure that your basic needs are met first: food, sleep, safety. Some people need full 8 hours of sleep. Some can function well with less hours. Clearly I never prioritized cleaning (my husband and my former roommates can attest to this), my appearance, or socializing, but most people need to attend to these to live an orderly and sane life. Everyone has their own set of values, thank goodness, otherwise the entire world would be a pigsty and most apparel industries would go bankrupt. As a student, I would dedicate100% effort into classes that mattered to me, but 80% or less to classes I cared less (Astronomy and Texas History, for example). Not many people can put their 100% effort into everything they do. That's why we need to prioritize. 

Lastly, having a support system is immensely important. As a graduate student, I had very patient and caring roommates who took care of me and my dog Maggie Moo. They dealt with my mess and fed me when I was finishing up my degree. Now, I have a husband who supports me and my neurosis. Out of all the mess, approximately 70% are mine and 30% are our son's. He also manages most of our son's school and sports activities, freeing up my mental real estate to attend to other things. Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. If your weakness takes up too much time and energy, and if it is possible to delegate, go ahead and delegate! It's ok to ask for help.

I will now get off my high horse and go back to editing my portfolio. Wish me luck!

Advice for young musicians: How to ask for recommendation letters

 Happy New Years everyone! 

Today, I would like to offer some advice on "How to ask for recommendation letters."

As a relatively new academic, it is absolutely a joy to write letters of recommendations in support of my students' future. I am honored to be trusted with this important task. Last few months, I wrote a fair number of letters for my students applying for graduate schools, scholarships, and music festivals. I thought I'd offer some pointers that might be helpful.

1. Whom should you ask? - This should be a thoughtful process. Make a list of professors, conductors, mentors that know you well. Then ask yourself some questions. For example: Did I represent myself well in front of this person?; Was I reliable?; Was I professional?; Were my interactions consistent?; Does this person know me well?; etc. Also, make sure your recommender is relevant to the institution you're applying to. For example, if you're applying for a scholarship sponsored by a religious institution, perhaps the music director of a church you perform at is better suited than a manager at a grocery store you work at. 

2. Once you decide on the list, ask for their permission. This can be verbal or via email. Example: "Dear Professor/Dr. ___, I am planning to apply for several graduate schools for Master's Degree in performance. May I list you as a reference? Thank you for your support! Sincerely, ____" This is always a helpful step for a recommender. The graduate school applications are generally due in December, which is the busiest time of the year. When I get a heads up weeks in advance, it allows me to prepare the letter when I have a moment. It might also be a good opportunity to verify their contact information and most up-to-date title they hold. Also, it's helpful to attach your updated resume in this email.

3. If the recommender does not feel comfortable being your reference, hopefully they will be honest with you. I have declined to be a recommender for various reasons, including not knowing the applicant well, or I didn't think I would be able to provide a positive support for their application. However, asking yourself proper questions (listed in #1 above) in advance should eliminate this awkward step.

4. Once you submit the applications, give the recommender a heads up with the list of institutions you applied for. In some cases, the link sent by an institution can end up in my junk mailbox. I would hate to be the reason my student does not get accepted into a program, just because a link got routed to my junk mailbox.

5. If you do not receive the letter in a timely manner, kindly and respectfully nudge the recommender. Example: "Dear Professor/Dr. ___, I just checked the application status for X, Y and Z universities, and they are missing a letter from you. Would you mind checking your spam/junk mailbox? Thank you! Sincerely, ___"

6. Optional: Report back to your recommenders with your news! Yes, we are constantly drowning in emails, but I get really happy to receive emails from my students with the news of their success, their plan for the next year, etc. So drop a note and keep us posted!

I hope this is helpful. Best wishes to those who are continuing on with your music journey!

My tool box: Brooks Adrenaline

Happy New Year!

Welp, it's been over a year since I posted here.

Today I'd like to talk to you about running and my trusted running partner Brooks Adrenaline!

I've been running (or as my son says "mom, you don't run, you jog,") since graduate school. I've tried a few different shoes, but I always come back to Brooks Adrenaline for stability for my flat-feet and over-pronation. 

To keep track of my running, I mean jogging, I use the Runkeeper app. It keeps track of the distance, pace, mood, and route. 

Conducting can be a stressful profession. I find running enables me to clear my mind or allows the music to germinate in my brain while it tries to make sense of it all. It also helps relax the upper body, which is essential to get the blood flowing to the shoulders and arms. As a perk of running in Texas, you may run into armadillos!

Happy Trails, everyone!

Kayoko