I'm loving summer!

The hike last weekend was fantastic, I had a great Kung Fu class today, I'm going hiking again on Saturday, tomorrow will be filled with Canada day delights, and I just finished a bunch of projects in a row.

The most recent project was a wedding arrangement for voice and string quartet. Originally, I was under the impression that it was for voice and piano, but it turned into a string quartet accompaniment. That's delightful for the wedding, but it took up significantly more time than a piano arrangement would have. Oh well, it turned out well enough, though saccharine as weddings often do!

Really, the only things I NEED to do before going back to school are write a make-up essay and study for the Baroque entrance exam.

Non school-related, I have a stack of piano duo music to learn over the next two months.

I also have some composition projects which are both WANT and NEED, in a sense. I should really finish my Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird cycle/collection:

...Speak of the devil....

In the latest issue of the CMC Newsletter, BC regional director, Bob Baker made mention of the VISI ArtSong Collab and my pieces in particular:

"One of many highlights of the day was the performance of Thirteen ways of looking at a blackbird by Michael Park, during which the singer changes character from that of a woman singing to a blackbird to that of the blackbird singing in response. Participants were transfixed by the transformative effect created through the words and the colour of Gayle Shay's voice, truly demonstrating the power of verse."

I don't mean to brag [yes, I do], but talk about good press!

The other WANT/NEED project I have in mind is an orchestral piece. If I start it during the summer, I'll be able to finish it by November, in time for the VSO reading session deadline.

Also, I feel like I should always be working on something. I had a sense of non-procrastination this last weekend and I want to keep that sensation going.

Speaking of procrastination, I'm making great progress on the Golden Girls. I've been watching them sporadically all year and I'm now on the final season. I don't know how I'll react when it's over and I have to watch the one season of the spinoff they did without Bea Arthur, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.