Drop by the North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre for their hilarious production of Crimes of the Heart. Andrew and I saw this show last weekend and LOVED it! Also, be sure to grab a pre-show bite at Imperial Garden Chinese Restaurant, which is in the same shopping center as the theatre. They have excellent food, friendly service, and an awesome pianist who plays nightly. He’s got some serious chops!

If you’re in the mood for some great comedy and singing, come to the Carolina Theatre and see the Durham Savoyards production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operetta The Mikado. Christina will be in the pit on Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and on Sunday at 2pm!

Finally, on Sunday morning, join the orchestra and chorus at North Raleigh United Methodist Church for parts 2 and 3 of Handel’s Messiah. Performances will be at 8:30am and 11:15am. Come listen to Christina play extremely high!

When I was in high school, my trombone teacher had an endless supply of laments about the weak state of my lungs (and tone). Unfortunately for both of us, his instructions to “breathe deeper” and “fill up my lungs” lesson after lesson weren’t exactly getting results. But what DID get results was the day he got fed up with my wimpy long tones, threw up his hands and said, “Put down your horn and take a lap around the block!”

This was perhaps one of the best trombone lessons I ever had, simply because it taught me what filling the lungs and supporting the tone really means. When you run, you’re asking your body to do some hard work–and your body needs lots of oxygen to get that work done. Your lungs expand, you breathe more deeply, and you naturally support your breath a little more than normal. Over time, this exercise beefs up your lungs, and helps you understand exactly what your lungs feel like when they’re full. And knowing how to fill your lungs is one of the keys to playing trombone beautifully.

Breathing exercises and running, even though they don’t involve the horn at all, have been some of the most effective things I’ve done to become a better trombonist. I started out with some wimpy lungs, but after years of exercise, they’ve become powerful and strong (and my tone has followed suit!) The greatest thing about this is that YOU can beef up your lungs, too. Just put down your horn and take a lap around the block.

But the thing we’re most excited about this week is Andrew’s upcoming Drumset Setup and Tuning Workshop at 2112 Percussion this Thursday at 6:30pm. Andrew has a really cool evening planned–including teaching how to set up your drumset to make playing easier, helping you decide which drumheads are best for you, and demonstrating how to tune your drums to get a great sound. This workshop is FREE, and is open to drummers of all ages!

If you have a burning drumset question that you would like Andrew to answer at his workshop, post your question to Andrew’s facebook page, and he’ll make sure to cover it on Thursday! If you don’t have Facebook, please feel free to ask your question here in the comments section. We look forward to seeing you on Thursday!