Slap that Bass!

I played bass for the first time ever today, in Freshman Orchestra.  Bass isn't that bad, it actually is a cool instrument.   Although, my legs do hurt from standing up.  That's another thing today was my first time standing up in orchestra today.  Usually I sit down and when I do stand with my instrument it's rare that I have to use my strength to stand a 100 pound instrument.   Also,  the strings are in the reverse order of violin, which is what makes it difficult.  I had some help from my friend, Sophia.  The bass section is great in Freshman Orchestra.  There are SEVEN bassists.  I think that's the most my school has ever had in just ONE orchestra.  It really is great!  It never gets boring in the bass section.  Who would have ever thought that bassists get to have fun?  Most of the time the bass section gets the accompanist part, but there are so many of them.  It gives a great opportunity for me to teach them about some music tactics.   Additionally, they are the jokesters of the orchestra so it makes learning the bass more interesting.  It is difficult to hear whether or not I am in tune, because it's below my range I am used to hearing.  But, this is another great way to train my ear.  Well that's all I got for today.  It was a great way to start the first day back from break.

How I Spent my Last Day of February Break

Back to school tomorrow! Boo!  On a happier note back to working on the Senior Experience.  Time to learn bass. I actually can't wait.  I just made a slant rhyme.  Yes, I'm going to get a 5 on the AP Literature and Composition test.  Anyway I am ecstatic that Toy Story 3 won best animated film.  It deserves to win.  I saw it last month.  Just like any teenager I was crying from the part where the toys are in the fire pit and onward.  I remember seeing Toy Story 1 and 2, when I was in elementary school.  It really is incredible to see a sequel to a movie 10 years later.  Seeing a movie you haven't seen in 10 years too is great.  Today I saw The Sound of Music.  The last time I saw it I was the same age as Marta, the second to youngest child.  Now I saw it and I am a year older than Liesl, the oldest child.  The Sound of Music has influenced me to love children.  After all there is 7 of them in the movie.   Children and music are probably my two favorites, which is why I am majoring in Music Education.  Also, The Sound of Music is a great movie to show young children who are interested in music.  Because, it shows how Maria brought music into the Von Trapp home and it brought the family together.  A perfect example of how music can bring people together. After all it is based on a true story.

Compositions

Yes! I have included all the disney tunes I wanted in my composition.  But, I'm not really creative when it comes to figuring out embellishments and other composition techniques when it comes to composing.  If anyone has any ideas please list them below.  One of my biggest fears when it comes to composing is too much dissonance.  I can't stand hearing some modern music today that is so mind bobbling and so dissonant.  But, there were compositions in the past that brought so much riot and are now part of the staple repeitiore in professional orchestras.  Take Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for example.  When it was premired in 1913 the audience broke out into a riot.  Saint Saens stormed out when he heard the opening bassoon solo, saying "That is not how to use the bassoon".  Here is the spot where the audience went ballistic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phIRRINOF-M&feature=related.   It's one of my favorite parts of the piece.  My point is now today Rite of Spring is one of the most famous pieces.  It is also one of my favorite pieces.  I heard the Philadelphia Orchestra play it this summer in Saratoga at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center on opening night.  It was incredible.  All those dissonances really are not so terrible to the hear they can actually make the listner excited.  Leonard Bernstein commented "it's also got the best dissonances anyone ever thought up, and the best asymmetries and polytonalities and polyrhythms and whatever else you care to name."  So all that music we hear today wondering and saying to ourselves "that's music" may become famous a couple decades later. 

Plans After the Final Audition

I am finished with college auditions.  It's a fantasitc feeling.  I can't wait to continue with the senior project and work on some new pieces.  Not to mention learning double bass for my senior project. You know thats the enormous instrument where people have to stand and play with this stick, and that sounds like an elephant.  Currently, I am also working on Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances for Viola and Piano.  It's such a interesting piece.  It has a different color and tonality from what I usually play.  Additionally, I am composing/arranging a Disney Suite for String Quartet.  I am using my ear, "creative ability", and musicality.  Also, the CDs Heigh Ho Mozart and Bibbidi Bobbidi Bach are great sources.  In case you don't know what kind of music those CDs have, they contain Disney tunes in the style of classical composers.  They are great CDs.  I highly recommend it to anybody who loves classical music, disney, or both.  I have a nostalgic feeling every time I listen to the CDs.  Anyway, back to the subject of my composition.  So far I have included 2 tunes.  This is the first string quartet I have arranged without any guidelines.  But, one of my own guidelines as a violist composing/arranging is to give EVERYBODY the melody.  Believe me I know how terrible it is when only the first violin gets the melody and none of the other parts ever do.  Right now I am going to work on more of my suite.  I hope the suite works out well and that all of you are enjoying your vacation!

Best Wishes,
Emily

Disney's Fantasia

Fantasia 1940 and 2000 feature 2 of my favorite things. 

1) Disney Animation
2) Classical Music

That's what makes it great.  The composers did have different story lines in their compositions from the Disney animators.  But, Disney still interpreted their animations that made senese with the music.  In the 1940 edition Leopold Stokowski conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra and in the 2000 edition it's James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Here are my top 3 favorites from each year.   Note it is descending order, like a countdown.

1940
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1z12_Ps-gk&playnext=1&list=PL6ACA187296120295 (Bach-Toccata and Fugue)
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ4ru5YYb3w (Tchaikovsky-Waltz of the Flowers)
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqyVZK5yN1E&feature=fvsr (Dukas- Sorcerer's Apprentice This one I remember the most when I first saw it at 4)

2000
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krMvlYxWe2c&feature=related (Shostakovich Piano Concerto #2-The Stedfast Tin Soldier
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9azR5V8efUc&feature=related (Gershwin-Rhapsody in Blue)
1) Ugh it's tough between http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGZeT07rqlU (Respighi-Pines of Rome) and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FWq17CT6Cs (Stravinsky-Firebird Suite)

Enjoy,
Emily

Devotion to Julie Andrews

Todays blog is not about my adventures.  I decided to commend Julie Andrews today, because she is one of my musical heros that's not an instrumentalist, but a vocalist.  Julie Andrews' voice has a 4 octave range.  Something instrumentalist have trouble accomplishing.  Her voice is fabulous.  Here are some of my favorite videos of her. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrWWnKq2CZI (My Fair Lady-Wouldn't be Lovely, she did this at the age of 20)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2-YGGn0y4&feature=related (Je Suis Titania-WHEN SHE WAS 12)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b-Z0SSyUcw&feature=related (Mary Poppins-Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious only time I've every spelled that word)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6ckpkMihCs (From the Julie Andrews Hour Show when she did herself, Eliza Doolittle, and Mary Poppins all in one show)

Enjoy!

~Emily

Way Overdue

Happy Vacation!
I have so much to say.  I haven't wrote a blog in almost 3 weeks.  I know it's really bad.  The senior project is going pretty well. I have already played viola, cello, and 2nd violin.  I have met new friends in each section of both String and Freshman Orchestra.  But, I need to learn bass.  When I return to school I am going to learn bass.  Because, my last audition is this Thursday and I won't have to worry about ruining my hand position.  Halleujah!  Right now I am listening to youtube videos.  Despite how much bad music there is out there.  There are a lot of good youtube videos.  I can't say that there aren't a lot of great soloists that don't influence me to practice.  Like these, check out my favorite videos.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCLxso5XDN4&NR=1 (Sarah Chang at 15 playing Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic) 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ1Iet0vgjk (Yo-Yo Ma playing Piazzolla's Le Grand Tango)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-bok3otfMs (Mark O'Connor, Yo Yo Ma, and Edgar Meyer playing Emily's Reel it was named after me just kidding)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lypAWtnFB8 (Mark O'Connor, Yo Yo Ma, and Edgar Meyer playing College Hornpipe and Chief Sitting in the rain check out their amazing technique)

I'll keep you all updated with any new videos and any other musical events.  Hope you enjoy your vacation!

Emily

A Clean Slate

What I like about the start of a new quarter is that I get another chance for personal "academic" development.  Believe it or not, I am the last person in my grade that will probably catch senioritis.  I do homework during lunch even though it won't be due till the next day.  I don't only strive for development in school, but in music too.  I make a list of aims, I need to improve.  After all even professionals are always striving to do better for future performances.   Even if a soloist has played a concerto upteen times they can not just dwindle on the job.  They need to work on their weaknesses to enhance their upcoming performance.  That's part of my criteria of a great musician. 

Why do I mention this? Well, today I played in Freshman Orchestra.   It's been three years since I've played in Freshman Orchestra.  But today I realized that even though I may know a lot about music I still have a lot to learn.  When my 9th grade orchestra teacher introduced me to the orchestra she told them I would be switching off between violin, viola, cello, and bass.  When she said this I panicked.  Cello and Bass woah.  I taught myself cello when I was 11 years old.  But, viola took over as I became better at it.  Today, when I am given a chance to play cello I can pluck in tune, but when it comes to using a bow I am dreadful.  Additionally, I have never played bass in my life.  I have plucked the strings, but have never attempted to take a bow, and play a simple tune.  But, now's my chance.  Plus there's 7 bassists in Freshman Orchestra.  I think that's a record for the most amount of bassists in 1 school orchestra.  I am bound to eventually learn a thing or 2 about bass.  I am looking forward to it.

SECOND SEMESTER SENIOR

I am finally a second semester senior. It's so exciting. I'll be graduating 142 DAYS from now. But who's counting? As a second semester senior I'm doing a senior project. Today marks the first day of it. This was one of the MAJOR reasons I started my blog. What am I doing? Well, since I will be majoring in music education in college I am helping out String Orchestra, Freshman Orchestra, and 6th Grade Orchestra. Today I started in String Orchestra. I played Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Guitairs arranged for String Orchestra. I got to admitt the viola part is not too bad. Which is rare. Considering Vivaldi did not really give violists such interesting parts. He wrote about 400 concertos and around 300 of them are for violin, because he was a violinist himself. Biased? Anyway, in String Orchestra I received an enormous hello/welcome from all my friends and met new friends. That's all for tonight. Stay tuned. No pun intended. Emily