brenna blog

I’m music directing a production of Twelfth Night with the Shakespeare Society and the Hunts Point Alliance for Children. This is a position I initially applied for and interviewed for way back in September, but since they are both non-profits, they weren’t able to hire me until December. I am loving this project, my students, and the opportunity to spread the word of jazz to young people. Oh, I can hear you! Jazz? and Shakespeare?

Our production of Twelfth Night is being set in the Roaring Twenties, or the Jazz Age, also the time of the Harlem Renaissance. A perfect opportunity to teach children, especially my singers a bit of music history. I know how kids respond to jazz, it’s fun, it’s smart, it can be a bit rebellious. Why was it making the establishment so darned nervous in the 20′s? It’s no coincidence that Vince Guaraldi penned the scores for the Charlie Brown cartoon TV classics, or that the music director of Mister Rodger’s neighborhood was a serious jazz pianist.

Anyway…I’m having a blast, and I think the kids are too.

The miscommunication I was talking about is being handled, I hope, by a great deal of communication back and forth, though I’m concerned that it is still not with the correct people. I am dealing with it, and am not going to continue to write about it here.

I took the online test for Jeopardy last night and I don’t think I did very well. I’m going to audition for the Millionaire show, since it films here, and seems to be just a bit easier. It would be great to get a chunk of money like that, I’d finally be able to pay my back taxes.

Due to some miscommunication on one of my contracts (on my part and on the part of the company) I have to backtrack and reassemble some research I did in December. I need to put my results together by Friday for a meeting, along with a package of what I intend, or hope, to do with the project. I am being intentionally vague here, as I don’t want to step on any toes, but this is a job I applied for in September, and did not know that I had secured until the day I started working in December, because of the vague nature of the email communication from them. I did not receive a final script until just a few weeks ago. I’ve been flying without instruments, or radio contact, so to speak. I hope the communication will be opening up now. I am so passionate about this project and the students I am working with, I hope for the best and will give my best to this project. If all goes well, I will be blogging about this show and shouting it from the rooftops!

I am also beginning another music directing job in Queens on Wednesday. This one is more of a collection of scenes and songs with my friend and colleague Jessica Petschauer. The show goes up and closes before the aforementioned show and should be no conflict in schedule.

I have heard this word Portlandia floating about recently, and thought it was a film that was about to be released, but it is a television series about my old home-town.  It is hilarious.  I was recently dog-sitting at a place with full-cable tv and was able to catch a couple episodes, and loved it.  It makes fun of all the things about Portland that really irritated me, but also that I really kind of miss.

Amazon offers the first episode for free!

Check it out.

After church today, while I was waiting for the pastor to finish up a meeting, a couple of the ladies were talking about the collard greens that were served after church.  One of them commented that someone had asked if there were string beans in the collard greens.  The other said, “String beans in the collard greens?  I’ve never heard of that.  That’s just strange.  Who said that?”

“Oh, some young woman.”

“I’ve never heard of putting string beans in with collard greens.”

“Me neither.  I wish I could remember who said that.  I can’t imagine anything like that.”

“I know that’s just strange.  Who would do a thing like that?”

“I’m trying to remember who was even here today.”

“I don’t know, it’s just strange.”

“I haven’t heard of anything like that.  I wish I could remember who said that.  Who puts string beans with their collard greens?”

“That’s just strange, that’s all I’m saying.”

They dropped it for a while, and continued to clean up the kitchen.  One of the ladies sat down with me for a while, and I told her that I  didn’t have a real job aside from my church job, that I did little musical jobs all over the city.  She confided in me about her acid reflux, and how she can’t even keep water down sometimes.  The pastor was still in his office meeting with some new members, and one of the ladies in the office was talking up a storm.  I knew it was going to be a while before I got my ride home.

The other lady came back into the social hall to sweep up, and the discussion about the collard greens started up again.

“Who was it that said they saw string beans in the collard greens?”

“I don’t know.  Isn’t that the funniest thing?”

“Maybe it was the stems.”

“Oh, I bet you’re right.  Was probably big pieces of stems in the greens and they thought it was string beans.”

“I never let stems get in my collard greens.  I throw them away.”

“Me too.  I rip the leaves right off the stems.  There are no stems in my greens at all.”

“I ain’t never cooked any collard greens with pieces of stems in them.  You always at least cut the big parts of the stems off.”

“I saw big pieces of stems in there.”

“Child must have thought those were string beans.”

“I don’t know.  I never heard of putting the two together.”

“You heard someone say they saw string beans in the collard greens?”

“I did. I heard it.  It might have been that new Sunday School teacher.”

“Oh, that makes sense.  It would be that child.”

“I can’t imagine.  String beans in collard greens.  Never heard such a thing.”

My previous post was ambitious and hopeful.  Shortly after I published it, I received two job offers for part-time, temporary jobs, which would have made it possible to stay in my apartment almost comfortably.  I did not find a new apartment by January 1, and have not moved.  I still have a lot of work to do in my quest to downsize, and one of the jobs has fallen through.  I am still waiting to be paid by one of my clients in the south (Universities are notoriously slow – all the red tape).  It’s tough out there right now, but I keep looking for ways to make money and stay healthy.

Even with the news shows squawking about the streets not being cleaned up, I’m tucked inside my apartment with homemade split-pea soup, and lots to do.  I love it!

The universe,  or the city,  seems to be kicking me around a bit, so it’s time for me to do some kicking back.  Not “kicking back” in the sense of relaxing, but kicking things around to make some space for myself.  I’ve never been comfortable in the role of  victim, even though I certainly have plenty of excuses to step right into that role.  But, they are just that, excuses, and it doesn’t make for an interesting story.

In my twenties, I preferred to see films and read stories about characters who succumbed to their weaknesses or faults.  I so identified with these characters, even though at the time, I had little to compare with these fictional stories, aside from emotional pain.  Now that I have survived my twenties – and believe me, survival was not a given – and slogged my way through my thirties, with a firm commitment to stay alive – that is, if I have anything to say about it – and have really seen some scary sides of life in my forties, my perspective and values have changed.

So, not one to sit and let life happen to me, my upcoming plans are to unload many of my possessions, including furniture, find a different apartment – smaller and less expensive.  This I intend to make happen by the first of the year.

Rehearsals are under way for Threepenny Opera.  We have assembled a wonderful cast, and they sound great.  As Associate MD, I’m in charge of putting together the orchestra, and our rhythm section and woodwind section will be great.  If we can find a couple brass players, that will lighten my load on keyboard 2, in addition to adding those real colors.  The real thing is always better!

I feel like I’ve just come out from underground, even though I have just been attending school for two and a half years.  I need to re-establish my contacts in the theatrical and musical community, and catch up on some things that have been left behind (my tax filings…oops)  In the meantime, I’m looking for work to supplement my part-time position with the First Reformed Church of Astoria.

My work at Hunter College has given me some great contacts – ones that I will maintain – in the music and the theatre departments.  First, I’d like to mention Professor Priscilla Owens, who teaches a vocal jazz workshop at Hunter, as well as a private jazz workshop/performance ensemble called Jazzvox.  I have learned quite a lot from her.  She has helped me get out from behind the piano and polish up my solo performing skills.  Now, I have performed quite a bit, but in the context of a band, I was always behind a keyboard, bass guitar or drum set.  Trust me, being able to play and sing at the same time was less of a big deal to me than having the security of an instrument right there at my fingertips (or in front of my waist and hips).  Cilla has also used me as an accompanist in her jazz and beginning voice classes, and has sent me accompanying work.