Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Podcasting Audiobooks

I wasn't aware that there has been a movement by podcasters to record and podcast audiobooks of literature in the public domain. This was brought to my attention when Brenda Dayne emailed me asking permission to use one of my recordings from Haydn's Piano Sonata in E-flat Major in her podcast of Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Age of Innocence. Brenda had heard my recordings that I posted up on the Podsafe Music Network. She also informed me that when she is done podcasting The Age of Innocence, she will then add it to LibriVox.

Librivox is a website/podcast that provides free audiobooks from the public domain. I think this is an excellent service that they provide to the public. I think the possibilities for musicians (particularly Classical musicians) to have a new medium where they can collaborate with the storytellers of audiobooks is exciting. It's also a great way to familiarize listeners with Classical music pieces when it's presented in conjunction with these Classic novels.

Podshow PDN {podshow-26e6e26b529d7ffcaded51806865fe8a}

Thursday, June 08, 2006

GP3 Forum

The GP3 Forum stands for Group Piano/Piano Pedagogy Forum. This year's GP3 Forum will be held in our own backyard of the University of Oklahoma on August 3-5, 2006. It is a relatively small conference when compared to MTNA. However, it is more focused on topics directly related to piano pedagogy and group piano.

This will the third time that this forum takes place. It will be the first time that I attend. I originally wasn't sure if I was going to be around during those dates because of the move, but it looks like I won't be moving until right after this GP3 Forum. I'm excited about it because it will be a perfect opportunity to receive and share some tips with fellow pedagogy and group piano teachers from around the country. I think it will really help energize me with fresh new ideas as I take up my new responsibilities at Stephen F. Austin State University.

If you plan on going, make sure you register before June 15 as that's when the early-bird registration fee expires. You can register online at http://www.gp3forum.org.

Hope to see you there!