Festivals, Conferences, Sessions, oh my!

What are the benefits of a summer festival? How do you maximize your time there? It seems overwhelming, but the Mikes are here to help!

Have you ever felt like the Mikes don't say enough puns? Thenn this is the episode for you!  

The Mikes discuss kinds of practicing, offer some person tips to maximize your time in that claustrophobic joy box, and maybe make some friends along the way.  

Everyone loves Keith Aleo!  Here he is diving into his life story (since birth...) along with wonderful charm, helpful advice and a solid train of thought (pun).  

The Mikes held captive a wonderful person/percussionist/musician George Nickson. George has his fingers in many pies (yum!), so the Mikes try to get to the bottom of the pan on how George maintains his sanity, skills, and joie de vivre!

The Mikes reflect on concertizing, teaching, planning, and productivity, and make a plan for the future.

Episode recorded January 2025.

Mike T. thought we were talking about Timpani mutes, but together we talk about timpani concepts and basics also, which is a better topic.  

The Mikes attempt to remember each others' names and it proves difficult.  Mike T. gets quite animated and goes on a lengthy monologue.  He should have been sedated but wasn't.  Overall, a great discussion of the reasons and techniques of memory and music, in our humble opinions.

The Mikes enter into a battle royale over the best etudes in this iconic text. Blood is shed, but feelings are not hurt.  How to prepare these? Which ones should I play for an audition? Are they etudes or solos? Do they still matter?

Also, we originally recorded this with a video in mind but scrapped it. You'll understand once you listen.  We hope you enjoy!

The Mikes discuss one of the warhorses of 20th-century music: Iannis Xenakis. Fun debate, pieces we never knew, and of course, loud sounds!

http://www.mikedropduo.com

The Mikes discuss our summer reads, postulate about future reads, and fill in the cracks with the usual banter. Maybe one of these books will interest you!