Projects, Projects, and more Projects

I am becoming a bit overwhelmed with everything that is on my plate. Upon completing my clarinet sonata, I've received a few other requests to write solos for certain performers. I'm currently working on a Euphonium Solo for Daniel Stull, a very talented musician at Michigan State University who happens to be a good friend of mine from my time at the University of Louisville. I've started the piece but have not gotten very far....it will be a little out there, but that's bread and butter for Daniel so he'll probably enjoy playing it! I just have to be careful not to make the piano part too challenging. Finding a very good pianist to play the accompaniment for a soloist can be difficult at times.

I also am sad to say that I've neglected a piece that would probably get the most widespread amount of listeners, and that was a euphonium solo with band accompaniment for Brandon Jones and the University of Louisville Wind Ensemble. I guess part of the reason I've put this off is because I feel to even consider this large-scale work a performance it has to be next to perfect, and I still feel a lot of my compositions have too many flaws. That could be because I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to my music - well, writing it anyway. I'm probably not strict enough when hearing performers, but I'm still relatively new at this. I also don't want to come off as a complete dick to someone who is courteous enough to perform my music.

My friend Heather has also requested another clarinet solo, but we haven't talked about that lately so I'm not sure if that's still a go.

Between all of these works and trying to hold together two jobs and helping my family out financially....i really don't have time for myself anymore. It sucks, but at the same time I guess its the choice I took and I need to live with it. We ALL make choices and we have to live with the consequences of those choice without finding people or situations to blame. There are certain people in my life that I hope read this - certain people who try to make excuses for what's happened to them in their life when really it was their fault all along. I've accepted the faults I've had and am making my life the best I can despite these faults. Hopefully others will do the same.

I'm not sure where that came from, but I felt like it needed to be said at some point. Bottom line is I'm a very busy person right now. I hope my friends can understand that if I don't respond to them when summoned in anyway.