The return of in-person MBSC was such a joyous experience in Vero Beach, FL! Students from across the country, as well as Canada, Mexico, Spain, Portugal, and Germany gathered to learn music from multiple styles from world-class faculty, who presented three concerts for the Vero Beach International Music Festival! Stay tuned for next year’s dates! :)
Read MoreSince becoming a father 3 years ago, I've become intimately aware of so many classic songs for children. The appeal of these songs span many countries and centuries, and there is a simple genius to the best of them. Making this album was a cathartic experience, reclaiming songs I’ve heard a million times by engaging with them creatively and exploring their limits. My hope is that kids can enjoy listening to these familiar songs in a new way, while also providing some extra interest for the parents in the room, as well. :) What makes this album particularly special was the collaborative partnership with avant phonograph artist Barry Rothman, who brings a one-of-a-kind sound palette and instinct for mischief.
Order the new children's album: ROUND AND ROUND: Kids' Songs for Mixed Ages
You can also stream the album here.
Rain Rain Go Away is the last single/video from my new album of children's songs, ROUND AND ROUND: Kid's Songs for Mixed Ages. This track was created spontaneously in the studio, without much of an initial plan, actually. The melody of this song is so short and begs for repetition, so we wanted to explore an unexpected feel, settling on some non-traditional chords that helped us meditate on the dark and helpless feelings that might motivate the chanting of these lyrics ... Barry and I successfully achieved our desired level of creepiness, to a point that my wife actively dislikes this one ...! :) Big thank you to my Iranian video director, Omid Aeenehchi, for another beautiful story to share in this video!
Check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSDBgoM_3eI.
WHEELS ON THE BUS is the second single from my upcoming album of children's songs, and is particularly fun because this is the first piece of recorded music I've ever released on which I don't play ANY cello! :) I'm finally living my dream publicly and rocking out on my electric tenor guitar ... This arrangement is actually the product of me sitting with my daughter with my looping pedal. Wheels on the Bus has been her favorite song for a long time, so I would play the melody and loop it over-and-over so I could add some chords to the next loop. Then I would allow her to hit the strings of the guitar and add her own sounds to a third loop. After doing this multiple days, I started adding my own new chords and changing the feel of the song, for my own amusement. Barry, of course, helped make this a magical emo soundscape. And SEPAS to my Iranian video artist, Omid, for another beautiful story to share. Check out the full length at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSDBgoM_3eI.
Pre-order album at https://www.brightshiny.ninja/round-and-round (in bio)!
It is with a heavy heart that I announce publicly my difficult decision to stop teaching at Berklee College of Music at the end of this school year/semester. I have been honored to be Associate Professor here since Fall of 2012, where I’ve worked intensely with 63 private students over the past 10 years, as well as many more in ensembles. Alas, evolving priorities have instigated an attempt to shift my work/life balance, as I am consistently thwarted by the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day ... This felt like the right moment to create some space in my life for whatever may come in the next 10 years. Although, it's likely just a mid-life crisis ... I'm turning 40 this month ... !?
Berklee is the most progressive and diverse String Department in the world - this semester, alone, I worked with cello students from Brazil, America, Spain as well as a singing fiddle player, a Taiwanese erhu player, and a Puerto Rican quatro player. I’m really going to miss this unique environment where I can work with students from such a wide array of cultures, backgrounds and interests.
I want to thank Melissa Howe for having the faith to hire me 10 years ago, and Dr. David Wallace for being such a caring and thoughtful Chair for students and faculty, alike.
Yesterday was my last day of obligations, listening to students’ final proficiency performances, but I look forward to getting to come back and visit again in the future! As long as someone can let me into the building, that is ...!
Read MoreThe first single/video from the album is TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR, which you can listen to, or watch this absolutely gorgeous animated video by Iranian artist Omid Aeenehchi! :)
You can pre-order the whole album here! Makes a great gift!
Since becoming a father 3 years ago, I've become intimately aware of so many classic songs for children. The appeal of these songs span many countries and centuries, and there is a simple genius to the best of them. Making this album, ROUND AND ROUND: Kids’ Songs for Mixed Ages was a cathartic experience, reclaiming songs I’ve heard a million times by engaging with them creatively and exploring their limits. My hope is that kids can enjoy listening to these familiar songs in a new way, while also providing some extra interest for the parents in the room, as well. :) What makes this album particularly special was the collaborative partnership with avant phonograph artist Barry Rothman, who brings a one-of-a-kind sound palette and instinct for mischief.
RELEASES JUNE 10 on Bright Shiny Things. Pre-order yours HERE! Makes a great gift :)
Read MoreI am very excited to be the Artistic Curator of a new concert series at one of my favorite venues in the world! The new GLOBAL JOURNEYS series will be presented by the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, MA, which was recently featured in the audition scene of the Oscar-winning movie CODA! :) The debut concert will be a duo show with me and my guru, the great Sandeep Das on Sep 25!
Read MoreMACHINES THAT FLY is a cello/voice album that features all my solo “pandemic” arrangements of orginal songs that I performed throughout 2020 and 2021. You can order it HERE. :)
Read MoreWatch my new video with Yo-Yo Ma Here!
The one-and-only Yo-Yo Ma is featured on my new single/video, out today! :) What a #pinchme moment to feature my life-long hero/mentor on this original song, paying tribute to the great Pablo Casals, another inspirational cello-playing human.
This song is featured on my new solo cello/voice album, MACHINES THAT FLY, coming out March 4 on Bright Shiny Things!
For string players 10-14 years old, each monthly unit will focus on “Exploring Creativity and Improvisation” through a variety of styles, techniques, games, practice routines, and assignments. Four amazing teachers will be featured throughout the season: Trina Basu, Mellisa Brun, Taylor Morris, & Lauren Rioux! Your kid can enroll in the month(s) that work best for your family's scheduling:
February: Saturdays at 12p ET
March: Sundays at 4p ET
April: Sundays at 12p ET
May: Saturdays at 4p ET
Enroll now at www.GuidedPracticeSessions.com/kids
I've been looking forward to hitting the road again with Joe K. Walsh and Zachariah Hickman for a while, and we're doing everything we can to make sure it's safe to go out to these upcoming shows! We just recorded an album last month, and have a lot of new songs and tunes to share with you all :) A bunch of Northeast dates, and ending the month at one of my favorites, WINTERGRASS FESTIVAL in WA. Refresh my website tour calendar for details. Hope to see you out there soon :)
Read MoreThis is a really cool and unique experience for musicians - you can think of it as a weekly spin class at the gym or a guided yoga workout, but for musicians who are interested in exploring non-classical styles, techniques, and improvisation! We’re gonna come out the other end with new muscles, new skills, & new inspiration by practicing together in a group! :)
Enroll now at www.GuidedPracticeSessions.com
Read MoreMy new album, "Planispheres" is out TODAY on the label Bright Shiny Things! The fully improvised collection of solo cello performances were captured at a warehouse space in Brooklyn, NY with a live audience of just one. "Stunning and intimate, Planispheres grasps at what it means to connect with another person, in a time when personal connections seemed almost impossible."
You can get yours HERE, or on Bandcamp!
Read MoreHooray! We have some exciting news for our Mike Block String Camp community: we're planning an IN-PERSON CAMP July 4-9, 2022.
You can enroll now at www.mikeblockstringcamp.com
We're eager to make music with YOU in 22!
Read MoreBIG CONGRATS to Yo-Yo Ma and Angelique Kidjo for the 2022 Grammy Nomination for Best Global Music Performance for the track “Blewu”, which was an arrangement I made for them to perform as a duo, and is on Yo-Yo’s most recent album “Notes for the Future” :) :)
Read MoreGUIDED PRACTICE SESSIONS are starting up again! www.GuidedPracticeSessions.com
This September-December features 9 world-class teachers from Mike Block String Camp, each offering a different unit of weekly LIVE Guided Practice Sessions (all recorded for later viewing).
These aren’t typical workshops, but more like a regular group class at the gym, or a Peloton workout for musicians!
Each GPS leader brings different repertoire, style, and skills to work on, and each unit has a custom curriculum that progressively builds on the participant needs and interaction during Q&A sessions. We’ll all come out the other end with new skills, new inspiration, and new friends!
Read MoreYo-Yo’s new album, “Notes for the Future”, features cello parts I wrote for him on 4 out of 9 tracks, including both singles “Blewu”, a collaboration with Angelique Kidjo, and “"Ha'oud", collaborating with the wonderful Lebanese band مشروع ليلى Mashrou' Leila. More info at https://www.yo-yoma.com/news/new-album-features-artists-from-five-continents/
Read MoreI was lucky enough to get to write the cello part for Yo-Yo Ma to record on a cover of one of my favorite Metallica songs sung by Miley Cyrus! If that wasn’t enough, Elton John played piano on the track, and the Grammy Award-Winning producer Andrew Watt spoke ridiculous sentences to me out loud that included phrases like “can you line up with Elton’s piano riff here?” #PinchMe
So, um, yeah … I’m pretty honored to contribute to this epic EPIC track … Yo-Yo is featured more in the second half, but the whole track is well worth a listen everyone sounds amazing. It deserves the over 10 million plays it’s already got in Spotify and 4 million views on Youtube….
https://open.spotify.com/track/43YC4iYmSsYueViJR4dBGA?si=cb6533947429400e
