The Summerglen Files

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 [...]

[Read more →]

Greetings, and happy new year!
January is one of my favorite times of the year. For one thing, I totally dig chilly weather, and January is one of the only times it gets cold here in North Carolina. But even more than the nip in the air, I love the quiet, reflective [...]

[Read more →]

There’s been some kind of nasty tropical weather system passing over Summerglen for the past couple of days, and it’s made my sinuses and head quite, er, hostile toward trombone playing. During cold and flu season each year, many trombonists are in this same boat, facing the not-so-fun possibility of having to play sick. [...]

[Read more →]

Earlier this week, I stopped by Andrew’s blog and was intrigued by one of his posts about balancing creative input and output. Andrew compares his creative expression to a conversation–just as a totally one-sided conversation gets boring, creating turns into drudgery if it’s always going one way. Reading his post made me think [...]

[Read more →]

Perhaps one of the best ways to relax is to get out of town and take a nice vacation. Although it can be tempting to make excuses like, “Oh, it’s too expensive” or “I really have a lot to do,” vacation is important, even vital, to our sanity and creativity.
Last weekend was [...]

[Read more →]

On Day 1 of our 17-day retreat, the weather was gorgeous! So Andrew and I did something that has always been therapeutic for both of us–we worked in the yard.
We’ve had a swimming pool sitting under our house for 3 years now, waiting to be filled and enjoyed–but we’ve always been too busy to [...]

[Read more →]

2009 has been a wild and crazy year for us Summergleners…we’ve been writing books, setting up ways to market those books, getting a salsa band up and running, working with students, playing heaps of shows, and planning creativity workshops, summer ensembles, and various kinds of school bands. It feels like we’ve been working nonstop, [...]

[Read more →]

As many of you know, I just finished writing my very first book, Women Embracing Creativity: Unleashing Your Inner Artist. Writing the book was a lot of work, but it was fun work. I’m really good at showing up and doing what needs to be done day after day without worrying what the [...]

[Read more →]

For anyone engaged in any activity that puts their work in front of others, criticism is an unfortunate reality. While criticism can be highly beneficial, some forms of criticism can be quite frustrating and painful–especially critiques that are condescending, unsolicited, and off-the-mark.
This morning after a church gig, I was on the receiving [...]

[Read more →]

Feeling worn out? Come take a Fall Break! At the end of this month, my friend Sharon Hayes and I will be leading a retreat to help you relax, nurture yourself, and get in touch with your creative side. All the information is below, and you can register for the retreat on [...]

[Read more →]