Reports on my forays into web design and coding.

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LadybugPsst.

Y’all know already that I hate Christmas*, and that I’m not a fan of calendar-based gift-giving.  But I know that I represent a (vocal but lovable) minority in holding those positions—and anyway, the news I’m about to share with you kinda takes the idea of calendar-based giving and flips it on its head.  So with only reluctant acknowledgment that “Black Friday” is hurtling our way.…

I’ve just launched a new page on my website that allows you to purchase gift lessons for your friends and loved ones, right online!  You can purchase single ad-hoc lessons for the “list price” of $40 each, or save money by purchasing lessons in “packs”:

  • The “Baker’s Month“ gives your student five ad-hoc lessons for the price of four—or you could think of it as $32 per lesson.
  • With the “Season of Music“ package, your student can study weekly for 15 weeks—three months worth of lessons—for $450.  That’s less than the price of 12 ad-hoc sessions bought separately!  (This package works out to $30 per lesson.)
  • And if you’re feeling particularly benevolent (and feel like getting a great deal)—you can purchase the “School Days“ package: 40 lessons for just $1120.  It’s like getting 12 free lessons over the course of the year, or paying only $28 per lesson!

Whichever package you choose, you’ll pay online using your PayPal balance or credit card, and immediately receive a confirmation email (from scheduling@acuityscheduling.com) with the Certificate Code that your recipient will use on my Gift Session scheduling page to schedule their sessions.  You’ll also receive a link to a Gift Certificate that can be printed and/or emailed to the recipient.  (They’re quite sharp-looking, if I say so myself.)

You can compare those packages and purchase one (or more…) on this page, found under the “Teaching” tab of my website.  And as always, I hope you’ll feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

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photo of David by Kris Rogers, August, 2017If you’ve been paying close attention to my website over the last several days—because clearly there’s nothing else going on in the world that deserves your attention*—you’ll already have noticed that a few of the page banners have been updated with new photos.

A couple of months ago one of my students glanced at my website landing page, then up at me, and back again, and commented, “You know, that doesn’t even look like you any more.”

I took it as a compliment—one year ago this month, in August, 2016, I started working with an amazing trainer from Performance Fitness Training, and added New York Fitness Clubs to my morning routine twice a week. Zach is the best kind of coach: patient, gentle, and supportive, without a hint of judgment or condescension.  My goal at the time was to get back to a place where I felt healthy—I was tired of feeling out-of-breath and sweaty when I got to the top of a few flights of stairs.  And with Zach’s help, I’m there: feeling not only good about myself, but good about the habits I’ve built up, and able to focus on the long-term good feelings even on those “I’d rather stay in bed an extra hour” mornings.

So last week I headed up to New York again to visit Kris Rogers, bass player and photographer extraordinaire.  His photos have been the highlight of my website and promotional materials since 2015, so it seemed only fitting to ask him to document the next step in the journey.  He and I spent a rainy but laughter-filled morning together (with Gabe, on an off day from his theatre internship, making snide comments in the background), and produced a paltry 981 photos, a few of which you can see in my Electronic Press Kit.  My husband has already gushed over them, but he’s a little biased…. I hope you’ll take a look through if you’re so inclined, and let me know what you think!

*The inhumanity demonstrated in Charlottesville, Virginia, this weekend, and our elected leaders’ cowardly response to it, are embarrassing and infuriating. I have found this guide helpful in considering how I will be a stronger force in Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, Multi-Cultural work today, tomorrow, and beyond.  We can do better, y’all.

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One of the “fun” (heh) things about being a solo entrepreneur is that one has only one’s own mistakes to learn from.  Happily, it also means that along the learning curve you get to develop really wonderful relationships with the folks who have supported your business.

RtD BookOn Thursday I got a very pleasant email from the interim senior minister at First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus, sharing the wonderful news that their two choirs would like to share my solstice cantata, Remember the Dark, in their worship services on January 29.  Her staff was concerned, though, that for a congregation of their size the cost might be prohibitive.

(This is what happens when I base my pricing structure on congregations the size of my beloved little UUCV: the kind of numbers that make sure my expenses are met for a small order suddenly seem unwieldy and unreasonable for larger groups.)

So I appreciated the gentleness of the email, and after a little bit of Dashboard finagling, I was delighted to be able to respond with a new volume discount pricing structure for Remember the Dark.  The Columbus choirs—and now, anyone—can order larger quantities of RtD scripts at up to a 60% discount.  Just place the order through my Shop page, and the discount should automatically apply: 20 or more copies are only $3.00 each, and 50 or more copies are only $2.00 each!

I’ll be reviewing my catalog over the next several weeks to evaluate the pricing of my choral inventory, but if you have a particular request please follow Rev. Jennifer’s lead and contact me.  It’s all about the relationships!

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20160219_123751If you’ve tried to access davidmglasgow.com over the last 36 hours or so, chances are you received at least one very apocalyptic-sounding error message.

My entire domain (goodness that sounds regal) was down, and it was completely my fault. It’s back up now—thanks more to people who know much more than I about these things than to the self-flagellation I’ve been engaged in since yesterday morning—so website and email should be functioning normally again.

If you’ve tried to reach me, please accept my apology and re-send your message.  (There’s a contact form here if that’s easiest for you.)

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frederic-chopin-1838
Frédéric Chopin, 1838. Oil on canvas, by Eugene Delacroix.

One of the things I love most about my career is that I get to experience a never-ending stream of new repertory—between my work at UUCV, at Open Stage, at CASA, and elsewhere, I never have time to get bored with the material I’m working on!  The downside to this excitement is that I seldom have time to really dig in and master a piece of music in a way that feels “complete.”  Or rather, I seldom take time to really dig in….

So today I spent a few hours procrastinating all of the work I’m “supposed” to have gotten done today, and instead put some time into brushing up on one of my all-time favorite piano solos, Chopin’s E Minor Nocturne.  I first performed this piece at senior piano recital in high school, so it seemed appropriate to use this as my first experiment with digital recording.  I played the piece on my Yamaha P-140 digital keyboard into GarageBand on my Mac using Garritan’s amazing Abbey Road Studios CFX Concert Grand Virtual Piano, and produced a recording that sounds almost disconcertingly like the way the music sounds in my head when I think about playing it.  (Did that make any sense at all?)

Anyway.  Take a listen, and let me know in the comments what you think.  There will, I hope, be many more of these “demo tracks” to come!  But for now, I’m going to take this Nocturne as my cue to head off to bed.  In six minutes it’ll be New Year’s Eve!