This week's newsletter looks at memorization, careers, and being present with what's directly in front of us.

Props to @laurastrickling.bsky.social for her short video on how the arts needs to fit into your own life, rather than the other way around.

Managing the return of history by focusing on what is right in front of us.

My latest newsletter is out with music from Liszt and Whine Problem as well as a look at different traits that could be rising or falling in value.

Here's a video of my student Carlos Rojas Rodriguez performing the Etude No. 6 from ranz Liszt’s Grande études de Paganini at The Royal Conservatory’s Mazzoleni Hall a few months ago.

Which personal traits do you see as gaining in value in the coming years? Which do you see losing value?

Congrats to my former student Emrys Bourdeau on the release of Sleem, Whine Problem's deubt EP! Apple, Spotify, and Bandcamp locations are on the link.

My newsletter is back! Sign up at the bottom of the page on the link. I (mostly) send out updates on Sunday mornings.

A while back I purchased an 1898 annual calendar of the Toronto Conservatory of Music, the former operating name of @royalconservatory.bsky.social. Here's a gallery of some photos from the calendar. There's also a skill-testing question from the 1898 History exam...

We're all inundated with information and it's only going worse. Asking yourself the question of why you're consuming information can perhaps reduce the burnout caused by overexposure, especially with algorithmic feeds on places such as Facebook.

I’ve been blogging since 2005 but was on hiatus for ages. Now I’m back, fountain pen shots and all.

Putting thoughts to paper with a fountain pen is how I like to start every morning. This Platinum 3776 music nib actually came with a dual grind, and the writing here is with the cursive italic back side. Diamine Evergreen is always a pleasure to write with this time of year.

Some advice on How to Weather the Storm, including “create something lovely for yourself or others”, “moderate your exposure to the bullshit”, “find the people who are already doing the work, and follow their lead”, and “join something”. [kottke.org]

Excellent reflections on Bishop Mariann Budde's inaugural prayer service sermon and reactions to it by @kkdumez.bsky.social, whose book Jesus & John Wayne my Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity history and theology students are reading this semester. kristindumez.substack.com/p/between-go...

Nobody has the luxury to be "unpolitical" anymore.

This is important... www.patrickrhone.net/trust/

A voice of calm from Annie Mueller. anniemueller.com/posts/in-fea...

Today is my only teaching day this week. Grateful as always to be working with so many fine students and colleagues.

Housed in the Ensemble Library at Eastman School of Music are compositions from the legendary jazz pianist and composer Duke Ellington, thanks to a donation by Eastman alum Luther Henderson III ’71E, ’73E (MM) www.rochester.edu/newscenter/r...

Examining at @royalconservatory.bsky.social in Toronto this week! Yesterday Allison Wiebe and I heard ARCT candidates performing on a Steinway concert grand in the superlative acoustics of Mazzoleni Hall.

Always good to talk to John Blake of CNN, although truth be told, I’d prefer to have written a slightly less relevant book.

Where have the entrepreneurs gone in Canada? Guess we’re a dying breed. marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevo...

Richard Griffiths on crafting cohesive writing from unorganized notes. Maybe I don’t need that Zettelkasten after all. writingslowly.com/2025/01/12/m...

Good reminders…

Driveway is cleared and ready for yet another Saturday teaching marathon!

For Christmas, my wife bought me my first Montblanc 149 fountain pen, from The Origin Collection 100th Anniversary series. I’m liking the retro look and the nib writes exceptionally well. The MB Coral ink is from my oldest daughter and is somewhat similar to Red Fox.

Definitely going to add a few of these to my reading list for 2025.

Over the last while I've been thinking of how I can return to a form of the curation-style blogging that I've been doing since 2005. Simon Willison's article on his approach to writing a link blogis an exceelent guide. simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/22/...

First day of 2025 back at @royalconservatory.bsky.social for a day of teaching. It’s always a pleasure to work in such a magnificent building.