OK, this is quick. I'll be out of the office for the next couple of days and I have to be out the door at 5:00 p.m. to take my cat for her annual shots.
I've been doing more thinking/exploring about marketing my music service, A Touch of Class. I'm becoming more and more convinced I need to develop a website to get the word "out there." Fortunately, Local #94 of the American Federation of Musicians (my union!) has the capacity to link websites of musical groups on its website, http://www.promusicok.org/ (click on AFM Entertainment at the top of the page, scroll down, click on "Chamber," then you'll see A Touch of Class listed). Question is how I can get a website set up for almost no money. Yahoo was suggested to me, so I checked the Yahoo website . . . certainly very reasonable, but my head is spinning at all the options available! Really, I just need a website where I can discuss my services, my qualifications and a clickable link to send e-mail. I'd like the website to show up on the major search engines, and ideally I'd like an online form where someone who's interested in a group can point & click to answer some basic questions, submit the form & I can get right back to them with a bid.
I also need to get a mailing out after the first of the year to start lining up wedding jobs . . . I'm at a loss as to how to design a flyer. Something that will grab the attention of church organists so I can be recommended to couples considering the addition of strings to their wedding music (no, I am not seeking to displace organists) and those couples getting married at non-church venues.
Any ideas, anyone?
On an unrelated note, I saw this article & it really spoke to me about the horrible events of 11/2/04:
Challenge to 'Anybody But Bush' types
Let's build a coalition based on change, not fear
by Byron Williams
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=18094
Not a whole lot to report today . . . other than TGIF!
I'm glad I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow morning . . . first day in a long time that I've done that. I just hope I don't get too carried away with the vegging out, 'cause I've got a lot of housecleaning to do before my mother gets here!
I'm starting to collect names of wedding venues, bridal consultants, etc, for marketing purposes. After the first of the year I plan to start sending information out about A Touch of Class (my wedding music service) in hopes of getting more work. I'll probably do that after I contact organist/choirmasters of Episcopal churches in northeast Oklahoma, and other non-Episcopal churches that might be good targets. Thank goodness Casey will be willing to help with this.
Last weekend I played a concert with the Bartlesville Choral Society -- had a great time sitting with Nan Buhlinger, the former Executive Director of the OK Mozart Festival. She's a warm, friendly woman with a terrific sense of humor. Turns out she's a member of St. Luke's in Bartlesville -- we had quite a conversation about the untimely death of Fr. Michael Athey. The folks at St. Luke's are just devastated by the news (Michael was curate there just after he was ordained). Anyhow, I mentioned to Nan that I would be available for the January concert of the Bartlesville Symphony Orchestra -- Dale Clevenger (principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) will be conducting that concert. Hopefully I'll get that gig . . .hopefully I'll get a gig with Wichita Grand Opera. Lisa's been good about helping with connections in Wichita (I couldn't do the Don Giovanni production they wanted people for last month).
Ah, the joys of driving for dollars! I have almost 75K miles on my 4-year-old car, thanks to all the trips to Arkansas and elsewhere to play symphonic music!
A bouquet of skunk cabbage (as Ann Landers would say) to the Board & management of the former Tulsa Phiharmonic, who ran the orchestra into the ground two years ago. And to the donors of Tulsa who let the orchestra die, and who refuse to put forth the money to start a new professional orchestra.
Well, it’s great to see some positive things going on, for a change! (At Trinity, anyway.)
Things have definitely changed for the better in the last 1½ months or so since Casey Cantwell officially became OCM at Trinity. Things had already gotten much better since June when Tappe left, but now that Casey’s officially in the position I’m seeing an energy and optimism in the choir that I haven’t seen before. Case in point: A couple of weeks ago at our first Evensong we seemed to breeze right through the psalm (sung in Anglican chant, of course). Before we had always seemed so intimidated, so afraid we were going to make some fatal mistake. But at our last Evensong we probably sang the psalm better than we’ve sung it before. The choir is singing with more confidence and conviction these days. Casey makes efficient use of rehearsal time, and so on Sunday mornings we have been thoroughly rehearsed in that morning’s anthem(s).
We’re having fun, too! Just the fact that Eric Gibson is with us again has brought back a lot of joy. We’re not afraid to laugh & enjoy ourselves. Casey has indicated he’d like to see more informal choir get-togethers to foster the sense of community that we need. We’re getting to know one another again, which is good. Hopefully Casey will continue his New Year Day open house – he’s a wonderful cook. Another way he continues the Tom Matthews tradition – like Casey, Tom was a fantastic cook.
Most of all, it’s great to see folks returning to the choir who’ve been away. Before last night several folks had returned – and Rosie Halpin was back last night! Hooray! She was all smiles and clearly glad to be back. When folks return that’s always a morale boost.
We’ve got our scores for the Vivaldi Gloria, which we’ll be singing Christmas Eve. Plus, we’re doing Randall Thompson’s Alleluia – on All Saints Sunday, I believe. Peter Gehres, one of our high school Trinity choir members, and two girls in the St. Cecilia choir, are visiting Sunday School. classes and teaching the children about the music in our liturgy. Since we use the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, this fits in perfectly. Outside of the music department, we’ve started handing out loaves of bread to newcomers at Trinity. Connie Cronley has joined the staff as parish development coordinator, and she’s already making a huge difference – I was overjoyed to get an e-newsletter the other day!
Things are definitely looking up at Trinity!
http://www.trinitytulsa.org/
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