A Day in the Life: Joanna Blendulf

Springtime is finally here in Bloomington, IN! I can’t believe that nearly four years ago around this time, I was in Portland during a PBO set when I received a call on my cell phone telling me that I was being offered my dream job at IU, my alma mater! After teaching here at the Jacobs School of Music for nearly four years, I have found a certain rhythm to my workday, which always begins with a strong cup of Stumptown (!) coffee with breakfast while our cat, Freya, curls up in my lap.

I reluctantly leave the breakfast table to get ready, making sure I have packed everything that I need for a full day at my studio at IU. Lunch? Check. Scores? Check. Hand sanitizer? Check. Extra masks? Check. The list continues, but I’ll stop there. My commute consists of an 18-minute walk from our rental house south of campus to my studio, during which I am deep in thought about the day’s events. Once I arrive at Merrill Hall, I walk up the stairs to my studio on the second floor and marvel at how quiet things are in the building, aside from faint sounds of a piano being tuned or someone practicing euphonium down the hall. Just 13 months ago, the hallways and stairwells were full of students and faculty, lively with chatter and activity. After settling into my studio, sanitizing my desk, chairs and stands, warming up on the instruments I need in the morning, double-checking my lecture for my Zoom class, filling my humidifier, and answering emails, I am finally ready to get started. Wait! I also need to tune my harpsichord (which I also sanitize)!

This is where I sit during the day when I give private Baroque cello and viola da gamba lessons to my 11 students, including both majors and secondary elective students. We usually have fun!

After lunch, it’s coaching chamber music ensembles, teaching more private lessons, and directing major ensemble rehearsals. Right now, our Concentus Ensemble (which I am co-directing) is preparing a program of Medieval music from France to perform during the Medieval Academy of America conference next month. My students are playing vielles (Medieval fiddles) in that program. Meanwhile, I am also playing cello with my students in the Classical Orchestra. With all of these activities, my afternoon passes very quickly and all of a sudden it is dinner time! It is also time to put all of my instruments to bed for the night and sanitize everything again before heading back home. I love to cook and bake bread (sourdough these days – my starter’s name is Fred), so this is a relaxing time in my day…if I don’t have to run back to school to attend a recital or perform later in the evening, that is. When that happens, I can usually be found in our main performance venue, Auer Hall:

After a satisfying day, my late evening is spent curled up on the couch with my husband and our cat until all three sets of eyelids have become heavy and then it is time to call it a day.

Thanks for letting me take you through my typical day’s events during these atypical times. I really miss making music with my dear friends in PBO and I miss seeing your smiling faces! Bye for now!