Back to New York.

Well, I am back from Michigan. The concert went o.k. There weren't as many people as I thought that there would be. It was a late concert, and the audience wasn't as receptive as I thought they would be. But I wasn't as prepared as I should have been. But it was a great learning experience.

I was able to finalize housing for Fall while I was there, as well as check out the city. The Ann Arbor Art Fair was happening while I was there. It is a big art fair, and quite fun. And the good news is that Lindsey didn't have the baby while I was gone!

Off to Kalamazoo!

I leave for Kalamazoo in the morning for my concert there. It will be July 22nd, at 910 West Main
Kalamazoo, Michigan at 9:15 p.m.
So blog updates will be even more sparse than they have been recently as I have prepared for this concert.

I have updated my webpage to include icons, the little picture next to the web site address.

Also, I have gotten my first mailing list requests which is exciting! It is finally working.

Lindsey is doing well except for charley horses in the middle of the night! Less than a month to go!

Exposure

Well Today I discovered a few new avenues to get some more exposure. I had a nice conversation with the mother of the owner of KSTAR 1400 AM radio, and 96.7 KQMB FM in Utah. I know that they have a Sounds of Sunday, and Sounds of the Sabbath show. So I will shortly be sending them a CD. There are a couple other avenues that I will be pursuing shortly.

Up and Running!

Well I am excited to report that my web page is now basically functioning. The contact form now works. And finally the Mailing List is up and running. So come join my mailing list.

Yesterday, Lindsey and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. I liked it. They real you in, and then wham! Time for another sequel. I thought it was definately entertaining.

Other than that, I am getting ready for my trip to Kalamazoo, and still working.

Lessons in Harlem

Today I went to church in Harlem at the new LDS Chapel. Here is a picture of the beatuiful building. The construction was under the direction of the temple committee of the church.

I teach piano lessons to members of the spanish speaking congregation after church. Here is a picture of our class.

The Harman Grant is making it possible for these students to have music books, and a keyboard that is leant to them to practice on. If they practice and make good progress, they can receive a coupon for their own keyboard to keep. The first keyboard that they were leant, goes to the next student and the cycle continues. We are making great progress. In two weeks, Felipe Munoz will be playing a solo special musical number in Sacrament Meeting. Some of the challeges are those that accompany group lessons, mainly lack of individual attention. But the majority of the students have never had musical instruction before, and can now count basic rhythms, read notes in both clefs, and can play one line melodies. This is a great achievement as piano lessons are not a major part of the students cultural background. I am quite proud of their accomplishments.

Getting things together.

I have been spending a lot of time working on updating my web page, blog, and resume in preperation for my Concert in Kalamazoo, and in the effort to get my music heard. Receiving contact from a recording label has helped to generate some excitement, and urgency to get this done, especially since I am not in school, and there is some down time at work.

Hooray! I finally got the contact page up and running. So go ahead and contact me!

Gotta Love Google!

One day you can find this blog on Google when you search for Brandon Bascom. The next day you can't find this blog anywhere, but you can find www.brandonbascom.com as the number one web page! Unfortunately my web page didn't fare so well on other sites like Yahoo!, where it was the 5th link, and Excite where it was the 19th. It didn't even show up on MSN, or ask.com.

I was also able to update my audio clips page, protecting my content.

Little steps, but headed in the right direction.

Update

This blog is now showing up on google, when a search for Brandon Bascom is made.

I have updated the biography and schedule pages on my website, www.brandonbascom.com. I hope to soon have this site fully functional.

I spoke with the contact at the record label today. He pretty much said the same things that his e-mail said. But it was nice to touch base with him personally.

Exciting News!

Today I received an e-mail from a Senior executive at a record label. He told me that they didn't have a fit for my music in their upcoming release schedule, but that he was very impressed. He said that he wanted to keep in touch. It was quite encouraging that my demo album got listened to. Maybe things will continue to develop. If not, I will probaby have to distribute on my own. Obviously this would not be my first choice if I could get a company do it for me. So, a positive step in the right direction. This is where I recorded my demo album, at The City College of New York.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy fourth of July. I spent the day at work at the Marriott Marquis.
And just so you know, you can't see the fireworks from The View Restraurant.

July 3

Nothing too exciting to report today. I spent some time preparing for next year at The University of Michigan, getting some of my music copied and ready to work on. I also put in some practice time preparing for my concert at the end of the month in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I will be playing at a Young Single Adults Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, on July 22, 2006. I am excited about this opportunity to perform there.

First Blog

So I thought I would try out a blog. I figured I could use this as a journal of sorts, a way for people to find out more about my music in connection with http://www.brandonbascom.com and a way to make photos and information accessible.


Here is a short biography.
Brandon Bascom, a native of Provo, Utah, began piano lessons at the age of three with Irene Peery. At the age of six he started lessons with Dr. David Glen Hatch. He soloed with the Murray (Utah) Symphony at the age of eight. In 1991 he was selected to appear in the Gina Bachauer Recitals Around the Towne, in Salt Lake City. He gave a solo recital in The Temple Square Concert Series in 1993, and 1995. In 1997, Brandon was a Utah Music Educators Association All State Selection. During the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City Brandon again performed a solo recital at The Assembly Hall on Temple Square. Brandon has won numerous festivals and competitions, including National Federation Music Club Utah State First Prize Winner 2003, NFMC Regional Finalist 2003 and a NFMC National Contestant 2003. He has appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras including The Brigham Young University Philharmonic Orchestra. Brandon has been the recipient of scholarships at Utah State University, and Brigham Young University. Brandon earned a Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University in August 2004. He has performed in several masterclasses with renowned artists such as Marian Han, David Dubal, and Martin Jones. Brandon and his wife Lindsey currently reside in New York City, where Brandon just finished a Master of Music degree at The Manhattan School of Music, and teaches students privately. He has studied with Arkady Aronov, Dr. Irene Peery-Fox, Ralph van der Beek, Gary Amano, and Dr. David Glen Hatch. Brandon served an L.D.S. mission in the New York, New York North Mission. Brandon and Lindsey are expecting their first child, a baby boy in August 2006, and will soon be moving to Michigan, where Brandon will be attending The University of Michigan.

After the baby comes, we will be moving from New York, to Michigan where I will be attending the University of Michigan.