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Chris Foley

@chrisfoley.bsky.social
86 followers 96 following 47 posts
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
This week's newsletter looks at memorization, careers, and being present with what's directly in front of us.
world.hey.com
In order to recall them meaningfully in performance
Last week one of my students was having some trouble with memorizing a piece and asked if I had written anything about the subject. As it turns out, quite a lot. For a while I've been wrestling with m...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Props to @laurastrickling.bsky.social for her short video on how the arts needs to fit into your own life, rather than the other way around.
foleymusicandarts.com
Fitting the Arts Into Your Life — Foley Music and Arts
Many of those I’ve met in the profession with long, meaningful careers have had one thing in common: their careers don’t look typical. You’ve got to prioritize life because there’s no guarantee that s...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Managing the return of history by focusing on what is right in front of us.
foleymusicandarts.com
Finding a Centre of Gravity — Foley Music and Arts
Life was so much easier when we felt we were at the end of history and the world could be predictably smooth sailing. But history is back and many of us are struggling with how to process the fast ...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
My latest newsletter is out with music from Liszt and Whine Problem as well as a look at different traits that could be rising or falling in value.
world.hey.com
Like the stock market, the value of these traits can rise and fall
One of the recurring conversations I've had recently has been about traits in people that are valuable in situations such as at work, with family, or friends. Like the stock market, the value of these...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Here's a video of my student Carlos Rojas Rodriguez performing the Etude No. 6 from ranz Liszt’s Grande études de Paganini at The Royal Conservatory’s Mazzoleni Hall a few months ago.
foleymusicandarts.com
Carlos Rojas Rodriguez Plays the Paganini-Liszt Etude No. 6 — Foley Music and Arts
Here’s a video of my student Carlos Rojas Rodriguez playing the Etude No. 6 from Franz Liszt’s Grande études de Paganini at The Royal Conservatory’s Mazzoleni Hall a few months ago (don’t shoot the vi...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Which personal traits do you see as gaining in value in the coming years? Which do you see losing value?
foleymusicandarts.squarespace.com
More vs. Less Valuable Traits — Foley Music and Arts
What are the traits that are becoming more valuable vs. those that are losing value?  Quarter--Mile looks at this question  and comes up with some personal qualities that are becoming less...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Congrats to my former student Emrys Bourdeau on the release of Sleem, Whine Problem's deubt EP! Apple, Spotify, and Bandcamp locations are on the link.
foleymusicandarts.com
Sleem is Whine Problem's Debut EP — Foley Music and Arts
My former student Emrys Bourdeau is a member of Whine Problem, a London-based punk band who just released Sleem, their debut EP. You can play the tracks from Bandcamp below; you can also find it on ...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
My newsletter is back! Sign up at the bottom of the page on the link. I (mostly) send out updates on Sunday mornings.
world.hey.com
Safe, curated, non-algorithmic ways to read about cool stuff
The last few months have been busy as always, with our studios operating near capacity. My examining route in January took me to Toronto Central at the RCM building on Bloor Street as well as the Toro...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
A while back I purchased an 1898 annual calendar of the Toronto Conservatory of Music, the former operating name of @royalconservatory.bsky.social. Here's a gallery of some photos from the calendar. There's also a skill-testing question from the 1898 History exam...
foleymusicandarts.com
The 1898 Toronto Conservatory of Music Annual Calendar — Foley Music and Arts
This is an article in draft that I found on my Drafts dashboard that I originally (mostly) wrote well over two years ago but never published. Although I did post the photos on Facebook, I never posted...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
We're all inundated with information and it's only going worse. Asking yourself the question of why you're consuming information can perhaps reduce the burnout caused by overexposure, especially with algorithmic feeds on places such as Facebook.
foleymusicandarts.com
Stay Sane With Outcome Orientation Rather than an Information Diet — Foley Music and Arts
Navigating the accelerating rate of information that is constantly thrown at us is one of the evolving challenges that every one of us are navigating. Add to the mix the new regime in Washington and i...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
I’ve been blogging since 2005 but was on hiatus for ages. Now I’m back, fountain pen shots and all.
foleymusicandarts.com
I haven’t published anything on this blog since May 2023 but early 2025 is as good a time as ever to return to it — Foley Music and Arts
I want to get back into blogging and I know how to do it. Start simple, start at the level of the blog post rather than planning too much. The goal is output rather than views or stats. That’s no long...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Putting thoughts to paper with a fountain pen is how I like to start every morning. This Platinum 3776 music nib actually came with a dual grind, and the writing here is with the cursive italic back side. Diamine Evergreen is always a pleasure to write with this time of year.
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kottke.org @kottke.org · 24/01/2025
Some advice on How to Weather the Storm, including “create something lovely for yourself or others”, “moderate your exposure to the bullshit”, “find the people who are already doing the work, and follow their lead”, and “join something”. [kottke.org]
kottke.org
How to Weather the Storm
Without really meaning to, this week I’ve posted a few related articles around the theme of how to survive the next four years of the new oligarchical, authoritarian regime here in the US. I thought it would be helpful t
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Steve Harmon @stevenrharmon.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Excellent reflections on Bishop Mariann Budde's inaugural prayer service sermon and reactions to it by @kkdumez.bsky.social, whose book Jesus & John Wayne my Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity history and theology students are reading this semester. kristindumez.substack.com/p/between-go...
kristindumez.substack.com
Between Good and Evil
A challenge for Christians in the days ahead
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🖋 TiiaAurora 📚 @tiiaaurora.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Nobody has the luxury to be "unpolitical" anymore.
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Patrick Rhone @patrickrhone.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
This is important... www.patrickrhone.net/trust/
patrickrhone.net
Trust – Rhoneisms
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
A voice of calm from Annie Mueller. anniemueller.com/posts/in-fea...
anniemueller.com
In fearful times, turn toward the light - annie's blog
Good advice for when you feel lost in your head, panic settling in, is to name tangible things around you. Grip the edge of the table, name it: I feel...
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Today is my only teaching day this week. Grateful as always to be working with so many fine students and colleagues.
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University of Rochester @urochester.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Housed in the Ensemble Library at Eastman School of Music are compositions from the legendary jazz pianist and composer Duke Ellington, thanks to a donation by Eastman alum Luther Henderson III ’71E, ’73E (MM) www.rochester.edu/newscenter/r...
rochester.edu
Eastman scores
Luther Henderson III ’71E, ’73E (MM) has chosen the Eastman School of Music as home for his father’s Duke Ellington arrangements.
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Examining at @royalconservatory.bsky.social in Toronto this week! Yesterday Allison Wiebe and I heard ARCT candidates performing on a Steinway concert grand in the superlative acoustics of Mazzoleni Hall.
A computer and notepad on the desk in the foreground. In the background is a stage with two concert grand pianos.
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Kristin Du Mez @kkdumez.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Always good to talk to John Blake of CNN, although truth be told, I’d prefer to have written a slightly less relevant book.
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Where have the entrepreneurs gone in Canada? Guess we’re a dying breed. marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevo...
marginalrevolution.com
Canada's missing entrepreneurs - Marginal REVOLUTION
From John Ruffalo.
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
Richard Griffiths on crafting cohesive writing from unorganized notes. Maybe I don’t need that Zettelkasten after all. writingslowly.com/2025/01/12/m...
writingslowly.com
Maybe you can create coherent writing from a pile of notes after all
“My notes were like plans for a bridge”. …
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Christine Goerke @heldenmommy.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Good reminders…
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Driveway is cleared and ready for yet another Saturday teaching marathon!
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
For Christmas, my wife bought me my first Montblanc 149 fountain pen, from The Origin Collection 100th Anniversary series. I’m liking the retro look and the nib writes exceptionally well. The MB Coral ink is from my oldest daughter and is somewhat similar to Red Fox.
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Definitely going to add a few of these to my reading list for 2025.
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
Over the last while I've been thinking of how I can return to a form of the curation-style blogging that I've been doing since 2005. Simon Willison's article on his approach to writing a link blogis an exceelent guide. simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/22/...
simonwillison.net
My approach to running a link blog
I started running a basic link blog on this domain back in November 2003—publishing links (which I called “blogmarks”) with a title, URL, short snippet of commentary and a “via” …
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Chris Foley @chrisfoley.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
First day of 2025 back at @royalconservatory.bsky.social for a day of teaching. It’s always a pleasure to work in such a magnificent building.
The atrium of The Royal Conservstiry in Toronto.
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