February 2025
Hello again! This month I have hardly stopped to take a breath, although a lot of what I’ve been doing is preparing for future performances - I’ve got to keep telling myself to rest when I can, as March, April and May are gearing up to be very busy indeed.
February started with another Bovidae out-of-town adventure - this time making our debut in Manchester at The Grand Central. We were supporting two extremely heavy bands (one thrash metal and the other industrial) and it made me a little anxious about how our quirky prog madness would be received, but I was worrying about nothing as the crowd loved it!
Thanks Niamh McManus for this action shot!
Bovidae’s next gig is at Corporation, Sheffield, for International Women’s Day on 8/3/25 - you can get your tickets to this here.
A lot of my February was spent in rehearsals with my other band, The Bowie Contingent, as we prepare for our weekend in Blackpool headlining Bowie Blast Off - a two day Bowie-themed festival. This will be the band’s fourth appearance at this event, and the third time I have been a part of it. It is no small feat headlining both the Friday and Saturday night of a festival as we’ll have to perform two completely different sets - that’s over 50 songs to learn!
Sadly, the notation course I planned didn’t go ahead due to lack of interest. However, all is not lost - I still have all my preparation and I’ll announce some more dates in the summer months. Hopefully by that point I’ll have the numbers to make this viable.
Sheffield Singers
On top of my two bands, the choir I accompany (Sheffield Singers) is also preparing for a concert in March as part of the Classical Weekend 2025. We are performing at the Winter Gardens - the full programme can be found here (along with a photo of us performing at the event a couple of years ago). Our programme contains a huge variety of different musical styles, so there will be something for everyone. It’s a free and informal event so please turn up to cheer us on!
I’m also very excited to report that Walter, the acoustic piano I learned on as a child, will finally be undergoing his renovation later this week. Richard visited him late last year to his first tuning in over twenty years, and as expected he found that a lot of work needed to be done. Of course it wasn’t going to be cheap so I had to delay it a while, but hopefully within a week or two Walter will be restored to a playable state!
Studio Improvements
As well as Walter’s restoration, I’ve been gradually working on improving my teaching studio. I’m trying to make some little tweaks every week or two, so that over time it becomes a lovely little sanctuary in which to learn and practise.
I’ve been purchasing new percussion instruments for students to work on rhythms with - so far I have a djembe, four guiros and some maracas. Once I’ve recovered from the cost of Walter’s repairs I’m planning on adding some tambourines and finger cymbals to my collection - and maybe some more unusual instruments too.
I’ve also acquired a new radiator (thanks Dad!) which has made such a difference - practising piano is always more enjoyable when you’re toasty warm!
And last but in no way least, I’ve completed my Emergency First Aid at Work course and purchased a first aid kit for the studio. I hope I never need use it but it is best to be prepared just in case.
Thanks for reading - although I have an exciting March ahead, I am also looking forward to putting my feet up at the end of the month and typing my next blog entry, with a glass of wine and a lot of fun stories to share with you.
Until then, keep practising!
