This is an interview with John McLaughlin Williams, musician extraordinaire. I’m looking large with life and big hair!

my son William in his plant-like stage

Then suddenly, one gets smiles, a little babbling, and a stream of steady changes from day to day, until one day, the child actually communicates something intentionally and your heart soars. For me, that day is today, where my son made the sign for milk, and I gave him milk, and he was satisfied. He is in his eighth month now, and I’ve been showing him the Baby Signing Time videos which seem to captivate him. He loves looking at other babies and young folk, plus he enjoys the music. I enjoy the videos too.

Perhaps the first way we did communicate was through music, though it was more subtle and basic. I played a lot of vocal music for him and sang silly songs, and I quickly learned which music calmed or excited him. I play Appalachian folk music, strophic songs, Renaissance vocal music, Chopin Nocturnes (which capture his attention when he’s upset), children’s nursery rhymes, anything by Bach, and the list continues to grow.

It’s also fun to imitate the sounds he makes, and listen as he mimics the sounds I make. It’s like a jam session without needing to know music theory. Each day is a new discovery of sound, signing and communication. I’m loving it!

The most important thing if one has never lifted heavy weights before, is to find a trainer who can help with proper form. It’s the same with playing viola, good form can help evade pain from bad posture and make playing easier. A good trainer will  gauge the weights, guide your form, and keep mixing up the workouts so you don’t get bored. Of course, the discipline comes from you!

I  prefer to train 3 times a week, with workouts in three categories: arms/shoulders, chest/back, and legs. I record my workouts so I can see my progress. I still enjoy a good run from time to time, and I usually preface my workouts with a mile run. I also find yoga very helpful with alignment.

Eventually I will get back to my regular workout routine. My new bundle of joy has completely changed my schedule, but I try to do something every week!

The recital is at Lorain County Community College on March 10, 2010 at 7:30 pm as part of their Signature Series. I will be performing with Shanelle Cook on piano. I did an interview on the Cleveland NPR show Around Noon about the concert and the Porter album. It went well, and I had never done a live radio interview before.

On February 28, I performed Jeffrey Mumford’s piece wending on the Cleveland Composer’s Guild.  I will also perform it on my recital in LCCC March 10.

I performed the debut of Leslie Adams’ viola piece L’extase d’Amour for his Cleveland based fan club on February 15. Channel 3 was there taking footage, and a very nice piece was presented about him. 

The length of practice depends on what I have to prepare. On the rare event when not much is going on, I spend a couple of hours on scales, intervals, Dounis shifting and finger strengthening exercises, bowing techniques like up and down bow staccato and thrown bow, and etudes. If I have a recital or recording session to prepare, it’s usually around 4-6 hours of practice. This can get tricky to manage as I also have the Cleveland Orchestra rehearsal schedule to consider.

When I practice, I’m always listening for basic musicianship, which I consider to be intonation (playing in tune), good rhythm, phrasing, and a singing, beautiful sound quality. The point is to always listen, so I try to vary how I practice so I don’t get bored. I am, however, methodical. In my warm up, I always practice shifting, intervals, and scales, and if I’m not to overrun with pieces, I practice a technical etude. The music I practice constantly changes, so there’s no way to get bored there.

Having just had a child a couple of months ago, practicing has become rather erratic. However, it is getting more scheduled, like my son’s sleep habits. I have my longer sessions when he is asleep or someone else is watching him, but sometimes he practices with me when I do my warm up. If he is up to it, he can tolerate up to an hour, which I find amazing for a 10 week old.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and happy practicing!

This is my new son William, who is 6 weeks old, in his green bassinet.