Video Interview with Katie Bergløf

Hi everyone! I recently did a video interview with Katie Bergløf, author of the blog Living with Embouchure Dystonia. We cover embouchure injury, recovery, and other topics, too. Check out the interview below as well as Katie’s excellent blog. I continue to play every day, and I hope you’re playing, too. I wish you healthy chops and a beautiful sound!

A Podcast Interview on Lip Injuries

Howdy, everyone! I recently did an interview for the podcast Trumpet Dynamics, and I had a great time talking with host James Newcomb about lip injuries in general and my own journey specifically. The episode was released today, so here it is, fresh out of the oven! [audio mp3=“http://lipripblues.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/05-Trumpet-Dynamics-Podcast-Interview-Jonathan-Vieker.mp3”][/audio] If you’re curious, I’m still playing every day and getting better and better. This site has become more of an archive, but I’m writing twice a week about productivity, personal development and living a meaningful life over at jonathanvieker.

Good News, Everyone! I’ve Got a New Site

Back in November, I posted briefly about the future of this site and where I saw things going. I felt like I’d said most of what I had to say about trumpet lip injuries, and I was becoming more interested in writing about broader topics like personal development and productivity. At the same time, I felt like The Lip Rip Blues served a valuable purpose to the brass community, and I didn’t want to dilute it with other kinds of content.

Personal Update: Visiting the Cleveland Clinic

In November, my lower lip started acting up: weakness, muscle spasms, etc. It’s been hard to figure out what exactly is going on with it, so I recently went to the Cleveland Clinic to see Dr. Richard Lederman, a world-renowned neurologist who’s written extensively on performance injuries, particularly embouchure problems in brass players.

Here’s what I found out!

Manage Your Self-Talk: What 7 Days On a Bike Taught Me About Music

This post is the second in a series of three, so, you know, expect another one on this topic. Here’s a link to the first post. Thanks for reading!

My last post was all about the importance of perseverance. Whether you’re riding a bike across Iowa or trying to become a better musician, all you really have to do is keep pedaling. Everything else pales in comparison to perseverance.

We gotta put in the time and keep putting in the time. There’s no substitute for not quitting. We can make the journey more pleasant, though, by controlling our self-talk.

Perseverance: What 7 Days on a Bike Taught Me About Music

This post is the first in a series of three, so, you know, expect a couple more on this topic. Thanks for reading!

The past two summers, I’ve spent the last week in July riding my bike across Iowa with 15,000 other people.

I speak of RAGBRAI, a weeklong rolling Mardi Gras that’s been a fixture in Iowa culture for the last 43 years. I’m taking a break this summer, and I want to reflect on what the experience has taught me about being a musician. But first, here’s a little background on this strange phenomenon.

What I Wish I Knew In College: Staying Engaged In Class

I work in higher education as an academic advisor, and I spend a lot of time giving advice I myself didn’t follow as a college student. Welcome to “What I Wish I Knew In College!"

Spring is here, and it’s a busy time of year at your local university. Everyone’s a little tired and stressed, but the finish line is in sight! I’m meeting with the last of my advisees (mostly freshmen) to talk about classes for next fall and assess how the current semester is going, and that means I’m hearing a lot about my students' classes: what they like, what they don’t, and why.

A big part of working in higher ed is helplessly watching your students make the same mistakes you did (despite advice to the contrary). I imagine it’s a lot like being a parent.

Anyway, one of the biggest mistakes I made in college was failing to realize that my attitude had an effect on the professor. “Wha?” you say? Read on, for I shall explain!

Adventure vs. Safety: How Do We Decide?

  • Jim Rohn Adventure or safety?

It’s one of the big questions in life. Do we seek out new experiences, or do we try to make today like yesterday and tomorrow like today?

We all lean one way or the other (my gut instinct is to cling to safety), but the best part is that we’re not stuck with our gut instinct. We get to decide what our philosophy will be. Hooray for free will!