​

I’m pleased to announce the release of the MikeDrop Podcast, a joint venture between myself and percussionist Mike Truesdell:

Mike and I chat almost daily about our approaches to music-making, productivity, pedagogy, and more, and we are going public, sharing some of our insights into issues facing contemporary musicians while delighting in the details and minutia of our world. Think of it as a synthesis of both of my newsletters: percussion and music meets history and cultural studies. With a little bit of laughter. We hope it’s valuable—and fun—for musicians and non-musicians alike!

With episodes each Tuesday and Thursday, subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts:

Episodes 1 and 2 are out today:

1. What to do with summer break, recorded in summer and released in winter (we’re professors…).
2. Our favorite technological tools

Future conversations cover everything from preparing for rehearsals, marking musical scores, our remarkably overkill approach to mallet choices, and interviews with luminaries in classical music. We share our favorite recordings, discuss the changing landscape of music in higher-ed, and dig into the minutiae of music-making, from method books to practice pads.

Over the past years, Mike T and I have developed a strange and wacky body of work, ranging from theatrical repertoire such as Georges Aperghis’ Retrouvailles:

​

to 16th, 18th, and 19th century keyboard and vocal repertoire (sorry, 17th century). Mike and I are racing to the bottom, tackling the core principles of our art form. I make a solo snare drum album, he records repertoire for… whistle…shirt…woodblock. Checkmate.

Hope you enjoy!

​​

​Unsubscribe / Manage Preferences​