Warm-Up Wednesday starting 6/22/22

Hi everyone! Warm-Up Wednesday, (previously called Let's Warm-Up!), will begin this Wednesday morning, June 22nd from 10am-11am EDT. on Zoom. The session will be very engaging and includes work into breathing, mouthpiece techniques, slurs, some range building and a variety of articulations. Here is a link to the under 5 minute introductory video: https://youtu.be/VPfccriikR0 A donation of $5 is required. If there is a real hardship with this price for some of you, please get in touch with me soon. Those who are interested in attending, whom I don’t know yet and have never participated in any of my offerings, please send me an email as soon as you are able. Please send your donations to paypal.me/vierabolter. HERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT to say about paying on paypal: Once in a while some people press the wrong box and a fee is taken out and we have to pay extra and we actually get less because a fee is taken out of the donation. -There are two choices once you hit paypal.me/vierabolter, 1. in the blue square on the left it says it says personal. 2. in the white square on the right it says purchase. 3.*** YOU WANT TO PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL.*** If you press the purchase box it is a BIG problem for us. You are not purchasing a material item. PLEASE ONLY PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance! There is also a place to mark down what you are paying for. Please put Warm-Up Wednesday in that area. Also feel free to pass this email along to all those that might be interested .If you are sending this email to others whom I might not have emails for, please have them send me an email so they can get a Zoom link and get on the email list. It's best to have your donation in by Tuesday, June 21st by the end of the evening. If you are late, please send in your donation as soon as possible on Wednesday June 22nd and email me at normtobe@gmail.com or text me 617-759-1620 by 9:30am EDT. If you have not received an email from me by 9am EDT on 6/22 and have already paid, PLEASE get in touch with me asap. Only those that have sent in the donation will get a Zoom link. Looking forward to warming up alone and together!! Norman Mr. Bolter etc.

FBSMC 14, Companion post for video 1, "How Does Your Garden Grow?"

Hopefully you enjoyed and received some valuable information and insights from Video 1 “How Does Your Garden Grow?” This blog post will highlight certain points that were brought up in about the first half of video 1 by making things clearer with examples and approaching them through different angles. It is quite comprehensive so take your time to be in a process with it. It is not about being in a typical school setting as this opening section talks about. At 1 minute into the video, the current educational system is mentioned. Let’s use the words spoken on the video to easily look at the basic form of school learning: 1. study 2. gather information 3. take test It would have been more accurate to change the order to: 1. receive information 2. study 3. take test For a musician it could be understood as: 1.take lessons (receive information) 2.practice (study) 3.take an audition, play a concert, taking a lesson (test) FBSMC is about organic learning. Thus the ongoing phrase, music s a living thing. FBSMC education is building a relationship with nature, life and your art as a living integrated part of life. Thus the Living Overlay System: 1.Robotic Automatic System (body-complex) 2.Skill and Choice (ability and discerning mind) 3.Integration and Art (purpose and connection to essence) At a more beginning level it would be: 1.Vehicle 2.Driver 3.Destination At 5:30-5:49 in the video, there is a question asked: “Why would Nature grow a vine like bittersweet?” To be clear, not all bittersweet is an invasive species. Some were brought here from Asia and others are native to central and eastern North America. Everything in Nature has its place. We might not want certain things in our garden even if it’s native to our land because it will get in the way of the kind of garden we want to grow. It is important to remember that Nature doesn't do anything arbitrarily. There is a reason and purpose behind each living thing whether we can see it or not. Nature’s laws are intelligent and always work towards balancing life. Also in the video, it says that Honeysuckle is not an “invasive” species. The kind in our yard might be a Japanese Honeysuckle which IS an invasive species but there is also a native Honeysuckle that thrives east of the Mississippi river. The flowers on our Honeysuckle plants are yellow, but there are other Honeysuckles that have white and sometimes pink flowers. (The fragrance is amazing! So tender and sweet). Not all things that are taken out of a garden or yard are “invasive” meaning from outside the local geography. However, they are removed because other things want or need to be planted in that space. Like people, not all local plants get along with each other! :-) The Moving Center The moving center, which was not mentioned in the video, is located in the stomach and it is an enforcer of habits. It has an incredilbly strong influence on our lives and it is up to us, our will and deliberate conscious intentions, to have control over it as much as possible by understanidng it and building a relationship with it. Humans are influenced in enumerable ways; family, friends, schooling, the work place, genetics, neighborhood, country, and even our time of birth and so much more. *These influences can unconsciously mold our thinking, habitual actions, moods, likes and dislikes, attitudes, values and on and on. All of which can condition the moving center which is a member of our first overlay, the automatic robotic systems. Our moving center is itself a robotic automatic system which creates and enforces habits which are formed through constant repetition of actions whether they be mental, emotional or physical. For example, we can have a repetitive thought pattern that if repeated on a regular basis will turn into a habit via our moving center but at the mental level. The same process happens when and wherever repetition is taking place i.e. the way we walk, eat, brush our teeth, play our instruments and so forth. Now, there is a reason we have a moving center and thank heavens that we do! However it is up to us to manage what we want to grow in our habit life garden, for certain habits like over-eating when we are under stress, will drain our energy and cause ill health. This is what is meant by the phrase 'life style change." Change in order to be healthier mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Also the phrase, "take control of your life" is about you driving the ship of yourself instead of unconsciously being led by acquired habits without any awareness and thought. Depending on how long you have been doing something, it can take a long time to "rewrite" those habits and move beyond them. SO! Just like bittersweet can strangle our plants, certain habit "plants" can strangle our intentions and slow its progress. But other habits can move our art in a forward direction by forming good attitudes and playing foundations IF, we are aware of them by ongoing critical thinking, meaning in this instance, having “observant-awareness” which can increase our command over the moving center directing our habits in a more productive and deliberate direction. At 8:55-9:04 in the video, maintenance practice is mentioned. Yards and gardens take a TON of constant maintenance and this is directly related to Mother Nature. The Earth itself is dependent on the laws of Mother Nature to keep things in order and good maintenance. Everything has a purpose doesn't it? Ask yourself this question; "Does everything I do in my playing have purpose?" This is a great question because it will highlight the areas of your practice that do not have purposeful intention behind them. If it is not purposeful intention, most likely it will turn into a an unconscious habit that may or may not be useful.** We ongoingly create "habit plants" as referred to in the section starting at 7:19-7:50 in the video. This process of creating habits falls under the saying "you become what you think about." Which for a musician can be said as "you become what you practice." Some of the most important words ever said in understanding human and artistic development. At 11:56 in the video, the influence of environment is brought up and how it affects us unconsciously. It's very much like a bird flying by distributing its droppings that land in our garden. When we look at our garden and notice something we didn’t plant, we can pretty easily figure out the different ways in which it was planted. Being in an environment surrounded by lots of people, it can be more difficult to know what get's into at first. When we are using observant awareness, we can notice things that we haven’t come to deliberately that are expressing themselves through our thoughts and actions. Parents are certainly in for a shock when they see their children come home from school and wonder what is coming out of their mouths! They think, “They didn’t get that from me! You weren’t raised that way!” That doesn’t mean all the outside the famly influences were bad but it is noticable to the parent that it is "foreign." If a person is more serious about their life and art, they start to question what is in them and take out the “droppings” they do not want growing in their garden to make room for other thoughts to sprout and grow. As a great life mentor of mine said, “It does depend on what you know; how my friend does your garden grow?” *The Robotic Automatic System which is our whole human body-complex has (among the many other systems housed in our body-complex) a voluntary system and an involuntary system. Thank heavens we don’t have to remember to beat our hearts or consciously think and control all the parts of our digestive processes! It is automatically done for us. Try to understand that because we are gifted with choice, the ability to have awareness and discernment by deliberate voluntary thinking, our created habits (whether conscious, semi conscious or unconscious) informs our involuntary systems. Notice when we are preoccupied with more stressful, negative or coarser thoughts, it affects our health. This says that all the systems in the involuntary automatic system i.e.nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and excretory systems to name a few, are affected and react all in their own way. Hence you literally become what you think about and practice. Thus the importance of having an actual healthy attitude informing our involuntary systems. Ponder: will - w = ill. **pedagogical note: This is where playing can move into sounding robotic as opposed to being alive! The teacher can have a very important role in balancing healthy mechanics and fundamentals based on the actual needs of the student. Following a rule book or "orthadoxy" of a certain "school" of playing and/or teaching does not work for all students. Everyone of us are custom made! Depending on the approach of teaching, one can relate to the student by being robotic and blind to the actual needs of the student, or be an uplifting and engaging process of discovery!

Monthly Masterclass Series, Class 17, 5/21/22, Aptitude, Attitude and Application

Hi All, This is a reminder about the Monthly Masterclass Series, class 17, called "Aptitude, Attitude and Application" this Saturday 5/21/22 from 11am-12:30pm EDT. This subject matter is part of an organic process that happens whether we are aware of it or not. It is a window and a gateway into the Overlay System and is an excellent tool for understanding our playing process and the people we work with. All are invited to bring your horns! A donation of $10 for students and 15-$20 for all others working and out of school is required. If there is a real hardship with this price for some of you, please get in touch with me soon. Those who are interested in attending, whom I don’t know yet and have never participated in any of my offerings, please send me an email as soon as you are able. Please send your donations to paypal.me/vierabolter. HERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT to say about paying on paypal: Once in a while some people press the wrong box and a fee is taken out and we have to pay extra and we actually get less because a fee is taken out of the donation. -There are two choices once you hit paypal.me/vierabolter, 1. in the blue square on the left it says it says personal. 2. in the white square on the right it says purchase. 3.*** YOU WANT TO PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL.*** If you press the purchase box it is a BIG problem for us. You are not purchasing a material item. PLEASE ONLY PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance! There is a place to also mark down what you are paying for. Please put Bolter Masterclass in that area. Also feel free to pass this email along to all those that might be interested .If you are sending this email to others whom I might not have emails for, please have them send me an email so they can get a Zoom link and get on the email list. Please have your donation in by Friday, May 20th by the end of the evening. If you are late, please send in your donation as soon as possible on Saturday May 21st and email me at normtobe@gmail.com or text me at 617-759-1620 by 10:30am EDT. If you have not received an email from me by 10:30am EDT on 5/21 and have already paid, PLEASE get in touch with me asap. Only those that have sent in the donation will get the Zoom link. Forward the best and leave the rest! Norman Mr. Bolter etc.

Monthly Masterclass Series class 15, 3/26/22, "The Magic of Rhythm, Pitch and Timbre"

Hi All! This is a reminder about the Monthly Masterclass Series, class 15, "The Magic of Rhythm, Pitch and Timbre" this Saturday 3/26/22 from 11am-12:30pm EDT.  This class will open up how to have a living relationship with this vital trio for without them, music would not exist in the world we live in. In fact, without "RPT", you would not be alive! Building a deeper living connection with them, your music making will expand and be more alive. You will also discover a wonderful self diagnostic tool to work with which will make your practicing more effective.  -Please bring a metronome, your horn and an open mind to this class!  A donation of $10 for students and 15-$20 for all others working and out of school is required. If there is a real hardship with this price for some of you, please get in touch with me soon.  Those who are interested in attending, whom I don’t know yet and have never participated in any of my offerings, please send me an email as soon as you are able.  Please send your donations to paypal.me/vierabolter.  HERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT to say about paying on paypal: Once in a while some people press the wrong box and a fee is taken out and we have to pay extra and we actually get less because a fee is taken out of the donation.  -There are two choices once you hit paypal.me/vierabolter,1. in the blue square on the left it says it says personal.2. in the white square on the right it says purchase.3.*** YOU WANT TO PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS  PERSONAL.***If you press the purchase box it is a BIG problem for us. You are not purchasing a material item.  PLEASE ONLY PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL.Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance!There is a place to also mark down what you are paying for. Please put Bolter Masterclass in that area. Also feel free to pass this email along to all those that might be interested .If you are sending this email to others whom I might not have emails for, please have them send me an email so they can get a Zoom link and get on the email list.   Please have your donation in by Friday, March 25th by the end of the evening. If you are late, please send in your donation as soon as possible on Saturday March 26th and email me at normtobe@gmail.com or text me at 617-759-1620 by 10:30am EDT. If you have not received an email from me by 10:30am EDT on 3/26 and have already paid, PLEASE get in touch with me asap. Only those that have sent in the donation will get the Zoom link. Forward the best and see you soon! Norman, Mr. Bolter, etc. 

Monthly Masterclass Series, Class 14, Articulation Versatility

The next Monthly Masterclass Series, class 14, will be Saturday, February 26th from 11am to 12:30pm EST. The title of the masterclass is "Articulation Versatility." This masterclass is going to be part of a series of classes inspired by What is Improvement?, a class held last month. This masterclass will be for those interested in building variety, versatility and flexibility in articulation. This class will have a lot of playing and many fun exercises to experiment with. So for those that can, PLEASE BRING YOUR INSTRUMENTS. If you want to just listen and take notes, of course that is fine too. 😃 A donation of $10 for students and 15-$20 for all others working and out of school is required. If there is a real hardship with this price for some of you, please get in touch with me soon. Those who are interested in attending, whom I don’t know yet and have never participated in any of my offerings, please send me an email as soon as you are able. Please send your donations to paypal.me/vierabolter. HERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT to say about paying on paypal: Once in a while some people press the wrong box and a fee is taken out and we have to pay extra and we actually get less because a fee is taken out of the donation. -There are two choices once you hit paypal.me/vierabolter, 1. in the blue square on the left it says it says personal. 2. in the white square on the right it says purchase. 3.*** YOU WANT TO PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL.*** If you press the purchase box it is a BIG problem for us. You are not purchasing a material item. PLEASE ONLY PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance! There is also a place to mark down what you are paying for. Please put Bolter Masterclass in that area. Also feel free to pass this email along to all those that might be interested .If you are sending this email to others whom I might not have emails for, please have them send me an email so they can get a Zoom link and get on the email list. Please have your donation in by Friday, February 25th by the end of the evening. If you are late, please send in your donation as soon as possible on Saturday February 26th and email me at normtobe atgmail.com or text me 617-759-1620 by 10:30am EST. If you have not received an email from me by 10:30am EST on 2/26 and have already paid, PLEASE get in touch with me asap. Only those that have sent in the donation will get the Zoom link. Forward the best!

Monthly Masterclass Series, class 13 "What is Improvement?"

Hi All! This is a reminder about the Monthly Masterclass Series, class 13, called "What is Improvement?" this Saturday 1/29/22 from 11am-12:30pm EST. Improvement is one of those words that can seem to have an obvious meaning. When you look at it from different angles, we can see where the general associated meaning might actually be inhibiting improvement. What do we want to prove in our improvement? So for those interested in this, try to come up with other words that come to you if you had to describe improvement. Try doing that for the next few days if you can because it will help tune you into the masterclass. :-) Does improvement come with it's own cost?? Hmmmm.... Hint: it's not what you do, it's the reasons why you do it that determine its value. A donation of $10 for students and 15-$20 for all others working and out of school is required. If there is a real hardship with this price for some of you, please get in touch with me soon. Those who are interested in attending, whom I don’t know yet and have never participated in any of my offerings, please send me an email as soon as you are able. Please send your donations to paypal.me/vierabolter. HERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT to say about paying on paypal: Once in a while some people press the wrong box and a fee is taken out and we have to pay extra and we actually get less because a fee is taken out of the donation. -There are two choices once you hit paypal.me/vierabolter, 1. in the blue square on the left it says it says personal. 2. in the white square on the right it says purchase. 3.*** YOU WANT TO PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL.*** If you press the purchase box it is a BIG problem for us. You are not purchasing a material item. PLEASE ONLY PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance! There is a place to also mark down what you are paying for. Please put Bolter Masterclass in that area. Also feel free to pass this email along to all those that might be interested .If you are sending this email to others whom I might not have emails for, please have them send me an email so they can get a Zoom link and get on the email list. Please have your donation in by Friday, January 28th by the end of the evening. If you are late, please send in your donation as soon as possible on Saturday January 29th and email me at normtobeat at gmail dot com or text me at 617-759-1620 by 10:30am EST. If you have not received an email from me by 10:30am EST on 1/29 and have already paid, PLEASE get in touch with me asap. Only those that have sent in the donation will get the Zoom link. Forward the best and see you soon! Norman Mr. Bolter etc.

Monthly Masterclass Series, Class 12, "Ask Norman" 12/18/21

The next Monthly Masterclass Series, class 12, will be this Saturday, December 18th from 11am to 12:30pm EST. The title of the masterclass is "Ask Norman." This is a chance for everyone to ask me any question your mind. It might be about a particular playing issue you are confronting, a pedagogical question, 3 dimensional sound, musical connection, section playing, you name it! If there have been things you have been working on that I've mentioned and you would like some insight or more clarity on it please ask. The space is open for questions and we can see where that takes us! Sorry for the late notice, but after looking more carefully on the calendar, this is the only Saturday that would really even have a chance of some people participating. The Saturday after is Christmas and the one after is New Year's Day, so maybe not! :-) A donation of $10 for students and 15-$20 for all others working and out of school is required. If there is a real hardship with this price for some of you, please get in touch with me soon. Those who are interested in attending, whom I don’t know yet and have never participated in any of my offerings, please send me an email as soon as you are able. Please send your donations to paypal.me/vierabolter. HERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT to say about paying on paypal: Once in a while some people press the wrong box and a fee is taken out and we have to pay extra and we actually get less because a fee is taken out of the donation. -There are two choices once you hit paypal.me/vierabolter, 1. in the blue square on the left it says it says personal. 2. in the white square on the right it says purchase. 3.*** YOU WANT TO PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL.*** If you press the purchase box it is a BIG problem for us. You are not purchasing a material item. PLEASE ONLY PRESS THE BLUE BOX ON THE LEFT THAT SAYS PERSONAL. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance! There is a place to also mark down what you are paying for. Please put Bolter Masterclass in that area. Also feel free to pass this email along to all those that might be interested .If you are sending this email to others whom I might not have emails for, please have them send me an email so they can get a Zoom link and get on the email list. Please have your donation in by Friday, December 17th by the end of the evening. If you are late, please send in your donation as soon as possible on Saturday December 18th and email me at normtobe at gmail.com or text me 617-759-1620 by 10:30am EST. If you have not received an email from me by 10:30am EST on 12/18 and have already paid, PLEASE get in touch with me asap. Only those that have sent in the donation will get the Zoom link. To your well being! Norman Mr. Bolter etc.