Box Five Philly Record Release Party - THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!!

Hi Friends,

This is going to be an active week for "blogging," as a lot of exciting things are coming up.

First, I want to let you all know about an event happening this Friday night at Tritone:  Box Five's Philly Record Release Party!

If you aren't already familiar, BOX FIVE is the "brainchild" of Mary Bichner, who describes herself as a "quirky composer and performer."  The following has been said about Mary and Box Five:

"Combining Mozart-inspired chord progressions and bratty Brit-rock hooks into a musical succotash she likes to call classipop, the eccentric yet loveable redhead hopes to breathe new life into the calcified world of 'radio-friendly' contemporary music through her memorable melodies and solid songwriting."

Originally from Philadelphia, Mary currently resides in Boston, but does return for the occasional Box Five show (like this one!!) Box Five is primarily a rock band, featuring Mary of course on keyboard and vocals; however, Mary frequently asks string and woodwind quartets to perform with the band.  That's where I come in, playing clarinet as part of the woodwind quartet for the shows in Philly!  (And sometimes randomly in other places like Brooklyn, NY! ;)

Performing with Box Five at L'etage, July 2009

Anyway, the band is definitely worth checking out, so if you happen to be free this Friday night, please do come out to support the release of Box Five's new album, "Leave the Earth Behind." Goli, another awesome band, will also be performing, along with a band called This Way to the Egress, who I haven't yet seen perform.  The Tritone is located at 1508 South Street, only moments away from where I myself reside, so if anyone is interested in meeting up before or after, get in touch with me!

The doors open at 8:30, there is a $6 cover at the door, and you must be at least 21 years old to attend.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.  I look forward to seeing lots of familiar faces out at the show!

Musically yours,
Tina

Run a Marathon... Check!

Hi Friends!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend!  I know this is a little delayed, but I wanted to take a minute to post a quick entry as a follow-up to my last post about last Sunday's Philadelphia Marathon.

So... I did it!  :)  I successfully completed the race, and ran for all 26.2 miles, only slowing to a trot at each water station.  I was fortunate the start off the race with many of my friends from the South Philly Striders and Fishtown Beer Runners, and to run almost the entire first half with one of the gals from the Striders, Ms. Kristin Harkins, who pushed my pace and was an awesome motivator (thanks, Kristin!!).

Extra special thanks have to go out to Ms. Darcy Borden and Ms. Dawn Mitchell for meeting up with my at Lloyd Hall (just after the half-way point), and running most of the rest of the way with me.  This was obviously the tougher half of the race to get through, and from miles 20-24 or so, trust me when I tell you I was miserable, haha.  I was not wanting to hear the positivity, nor did I feel like responding to anyone who was talking to me at that point, but I am proud to report I did not smack anyone.  :)

Mile 25 was when I came alive again and decided to turn up the heat!  The 4:15 pace person was now again within sight, and I realized at that moment that if I pushed myself I could still pass her, and finish the race in under four hours and 15 minutes.  My initial goal was, aside from just finishing, to finish in 4:30, so I was already on track to beat that goal.... but if I could finish in under 4:15... wow!  So I managed to use whatever energy I had left to actually race the last half-mile or so, blowing past the 4:15 pace person, with the cheers from the crowd carrying me.

Those who say finishing your first marathon is an emotional experience are right.  Not that it takes much for me... haha.  For me, it was the moment that I passed the 4:15 pace person, that I suddenly felt a rush of emotion.  I almost burst into tears (tears of joy, people), but then realized that my chest was tightening up and it was becoming hard to breath -- if I started crying I would likely have an asthma attack, so I managed to reign it in!  

Crossing the finish line was SO AWESOME.  Just the fact that I had just run a marathon, and then looking up at the clock and seeing 4:26:00, and knowing my chip time was much less than that... wow, what a feeling!!

Post-Race Photo with Darcy

I'd also like to thank Ms. Kathy O'Neill for being the "marathon taxi," picking up me and others bright and early to take us to the marathon, and also for creating and posting along Front Street some awesome signs!  Also, special Congratulations go out to Ms. Donna Searer for also completing her first marathon, despite fighting a knee injury!  So awesome!  Finally, thanks to Ms. Melissa Franklin for having Gatorade waiting for me at the finish line!!  

And everyone else who came out and cheered and supported me throughout this journey -- THANK YOU!!!   

Cheers!
Tina

P.S. If you'd like to see more photos from the day, click here.

"More than just a dotted line... More than just a dash"

Hi Friends and Happy Friday!

While I generally like to keep the focus of this blog to all things music-related, as many of you know, I am also a runner.  That said, I wanted to take a quick moment today to let you all know I am proud to be running my very first marathon this weekend -- the Philadelphia Marathon -- and to let you in just a little on my journey to get to this point...

At the beginning of this year, I was running very regularly.  With two half marathons under my belt, and having registered for two half marathons and my third Broad Street Run (a 10-miler) in the spring, I was feeling great about running.  I decided early on in the year that one of my goals for 2010 would be to complete a full marathon.  

Then, I faced a set-back--knee troubles.      

Out of nowhere, I started having knee pain toward the end of my training for the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville.  I went out and got a knee brace, took a break from running, tried to do what I could to rest the knee.  The knee pain didn't go away entirely, but I was able to complete the race in Nashville in 1:57, achieving my goal of finishing in under 2 hours.  I was in a good deal of pain afterward, though.  After Nashville, I bought new sneakers, kept running with the brace, was trying to take it easy.  I then proceeded to run the Broad Street Run and Odyssey Half Marathon, suffering through some pretty brutal knee pain.  It got to the point that I couldn't even run one mile without being in excruciating pain.  I was at my wit's end at that point, my hopes of ever running again at all, let alone running a full marathon, completely shattered.  

In May, I went to see an orthopedic doctor over at Jefferson Hospital, who gave me the news that the knee pain I was suffering was due to a condition commonly referred to as "Runner's Knee," that it could be corrected with some special stretches done regularly, and that I could continue to run without causing any physical damage to myself.  He even told me that I could still run a marathon this year, if I really wanted to.  I laughed and thought, yeah right!  

After doing the suggested stretches for several weeks, I started running regularly again, even running with a group three days a week, and was feeling good!  I was unbelievably relieved, and thankful.  I still did not think for one moment, however, that I would be running a marathon.  That was until one day this summer, I was having lunch with a friend--someone very special to me and who I admire--and he convinced me that I could, and should, sign up to run the Philadelphia Marathon.  So that very night, I did!  

Since making the commitment, I have trained very hard for three months, along with others in my awesome running group, the South Philly Striders, and I am proud to say that this Sunday, November 21, 2010, I will be running in the Philadelphia Marathon!   

My goal is to finish in 4:30:00, but I will truly be happy just to finish the race.  I will be running with Donna Searer, with whom I've been doing a lot of the training -- this is also her first marathon!  The picture below is from our 20-mile run with some others from the group!  

20-Mile Training Run ("Big Long Fun Run") - October 30, 2010

If you are interested in coming out to the race to cheer us on, here is a map of the race course -- there are also designated cheer zones.  I would be delighted to see any friends and family members who can make it.  The race starts bright and early, at 7 am, on the Ben Franklin Parkway.  I will likely cross the starting line around 7:20 or so.

My journey to get to this point has been a challenging one, with ups and downs, much like anything else in life.  Training for this marathon has only reinforced my beliefs that you can achieve your goals, whatever they are, as long as you have the will and determination to achieve them.  

And with that, I'd like to leave you with the lyrics to a Rush song called "Marathon."  Enjoy, and I hope to see some of you along the race course this Sunday.  Wish me luck!

Tina

"Marathon" by Rush

It's not how fast you can go

The force goes into the flow

If you pick up the beat

You can forget about the heat

More than just survival

More than just a flash

More than just a dotted line

More than just a dash

It's a test of ultimate will

The heartbreak climb uphill

Got to pick up the pace

If you want to stay in the race

More than blind ambition

More than simple greed

More than a finish line

Must feed this burning need 

In the long run...

Chorus

From first to last

The peak is never passed

Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes

One moment's high, and glory rolls on by

Like a streak of lightning

That flashes and fades in the summer sky

Your meters may overload

You can rest at the side of the road

You can miss a stride

But nobody gets a free ride

More than high performance

More than just a spark

More than just the bottom line

Or a lucky shot in the dark

In the long run...

Chorus

You can do a lot in a lifetime

If you don't burn out too fast

You can make the most of the distance

First you need endurance

First you've got to last...

Chorus

Interesting Article in Scientific American

Hi Friends!

Life has been busy of late, so it's been tough to write as much as I'd like to.  Wait, who am I kidding, life is always busy!  In any event, I wanted to take this moment to just quickly share an article that a friend recently shared with me, that addresses the importance of music in childhood development and education.

If you are remotely involved or interested in music, you have undoubtedly heard at one point in time over the years about the importance of music, and the arts in general, in a child's education.  This is a topic I have been particularly concerned with for a long time, particularly as schools are increasingly slashing budgets and classes related to music programs.  I hope to find time in the future to personally do some more research and write my own article on the topic; however, in the meantime, a substantial amount of research and studies have been performed, and there is extensive information out there that is worth reading. So don't hold your breath waiting for my article!  :)

The article I wanted to share with you today, is one I thought was worth reading.  Recently published in Scientific American, "Hearing the Music, Honing the Mind" is a brief article reinforcing the benefits of children being exposed to music at an early age, not only in school, but at home.

Feel free to leave comments with your thoughts!

Musically yours,
Tina

P.S. Don't forget to check out Archbishop Prendergast's production of "Annie," which opens this weekend and runs through next weekend!  There are lots of children in the show, demonstrating first-hand how we can get our kids involved in music!  How do you like that plug?? :)