November 2005
November 30, 2005 08:35
I still e-mail Oprah every day. Applaude me.
The Ottawa Suzuki Strings' latest CD, "Sunflower Sojourn," is KPR's CD of the week. I have been obsessed with posting links lately, so here's another one:
Kansas Public Radio
Just click on classical music (on the right side) and you can register to win one of our CDs! You might be able to find a podcast, but I haven't been able to. Phooey.
CURSE YOU, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS!!! You know I don't mean that, Vaughanny. Just a wee bit frustrated at the moment.
I have to announce the people who made district orchestra at an all-school assembly tomorrow. Sydney Menees...public speaker. We'll see. I have never done anything like that before, but how bad could it be?
I have a good reason for not being at school now (I am going later). Sunday and Monday night combined, I had a total of 8 hours of sleep. Last night was the final rehearsal for the Christmas concert. It went until 10:15. We got home at 11:07. I started my essay at 11:15. I decided to go to bed at 12:30 because of lack of output.
Funny Story:
Monday night's loss of sleep wasn't really nessicary, but I wasn't going to bed. This was because my dad was working with photo shop on the computer because he was printing out aton of pictures from the last few months. He was working with the one of Joshua Bell and me and he was like "Hey! You don't have any pupils if we get rid of the red eye!" 2 options, draw in pupils, or leave it. My dad suggested a third option. Copy/paste Joshua Bell's pupils into my eyes. Hahahahahahaha!!! I was like "Um, no." So, now you know why I stayed up so late on Monday night.
My pupilless eyes. Did any of you notice?
12 replies | Archive link
November 28, 2005 16:30
I have been e-mailing Oprah every day. You should too! Sorry I'm being so annoying about this. Once I have a good idea, I stay adamant about it until I am satisfied. The people at oprah.com are probably like "WHO IS this girl with an insatiable desire to get Joshua Bell on our show?!" They will probably hire a hitman for me. BWAHAHAHAHAHA! My soulless being will remain merciless! Just kidding...I hope.
I got 3 hours of sleep last night. I read over 100 pages of Harry Potter, all of Things Fall Apart, and some Western Civilization. It didn't work. Then I listened to "Perlman's Greatest Hits," Bell's "Tchaikovsky," and Mutter's "Romance" and I was still not one bit tired. I finally gave up and pondered until 3:00 am when I believe at last I dozed off. I was so tired this morning that I couldn't remember how to turn off my alarm clock that I have had since third grade. In my tiredness, I forgot a heavy coat today, but I had a hoodie. Continued in paragraph 3.
Crazy Kansas weather is at it again. If you remember, yesterday it was thundering and hailing and slightly humid. 20 tornados touched down throughout Kansas as well. Today, however, it was below 32 degrees and snowing as I was leaving for school. I was worried about my violin (and I also forgot a coat), so I called my mom to come pick me up, but she was still working in Kansas City, so I had to either wait, or make a dash for it. Being on cross country, I decided to run. The snow stung my face and froze my poor hands, but other than that, I am here unscathed.
My first audio file post is today! It is of my uncle and me about 4 or 5 years ago. It was before I had my full-size, so that's how I remember. I think I was 10 or 11 (very relieved to say that I have improved since then ; )...anyway, I am a real advocate for the violin being in popular music. Not some kinds, but this is okay. I wish we could have these "jam sessions" more often, but he and his family live in California, so it's hard. I really applaud my uncle for doing this because he made this song up (and the instrumental parts) literally on the spot. He is on the guitar and voice and I am on the violin, of course. You can tell this is old because the little kid who gets the last word in is my brother...who is now 12. Enjoy!...grrrrr, if it'll work.
5 replies | Archive link
November 27, 2005 14:14
This is the BEST SITE EVER. Send these to whoever you want...they are just loads of fun! I have been sending tons of cards, along with dozens of other 5-year-olds. Send AWESOME custom cards
And still, e-mail Oprah to get JB on her show!
Violinwise I have a concert coming up on Friday and then District orchestra on Sat. I haven't practiced the music for that at all yet. I'm feeling some guilt, but it's just districts, right?
In other news, Kansas has been having it's usual spastic weather. Right now, we are in the middle of a thunderstorm. Wow. Okay, we are supposed to have snow flurries tomorrow. Weird. If you like consistancy, don't move to Kansas.
4:56 - It is now hailing really hard and I am fearing for my life.
5 replies | Archive link
November 26, 2005 14:39
Here's an interesting story:
Last night, my mom, dad, brother, and I started playing scrabble at 10:00 pm which is NOT a good idea because we all take forever on our turns trying to find the "perfect" word because anything below 20 points is just terrible. We were all kind of fried because we were on a long hike yesterday and so finally on another person's turn, I went on the computer. I had ADD or something. I turned the "speech" feature on so that whenever the mouse was hovering over a folder, it would say the folder's name. So, I started creating all these folders, one of them with the name of "Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks" (a TV show my sis watches). Of course the computer said it in a dull boring voice and my whole family started laughing and talking about "Jakers". My brother hates the show because the theme song says "Jakers!" in an Irish accent about 10 times. So then we turned on the TV and (because we have DVR) put "Jakers" on. We watched the theme song like 5 times just cracking up. After that my mom said "Man, if anyone was spying on us, they would think we were crazy!" Think about it, my middle-aged parents, a 15-year-old, and a 12-year-old watching "Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks" at 11:15 at night.
I'm giving y'all another chance. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then I'll tell you. Many members of violinist.com, including myself, have e-mailed Oprah asking her to have Joshua Bell on her show. You can see reasons in previous entries/comments on entries of mine. If you haven't emailed her, e-mail her by clicking on the link seen below and if you have e-mailed her, there's no harm in doing it again! Thanks!
E-mail Oprah
6 replies | Archive link
November 25, 2005 10:31
You know, I really expected more out of you. I didn't think that you people would be in the crowd that thinks Oprah is only for middle-aged women. I'll admit, her studio audience can be annoying. Ignor them. Oprah is a wonderful woman who brings excellent issues that are hidden to the front lines. Everying from people marrying off their daughters at the age of 8 to the people in America who can't afford running water.
I would really like to know: What do you hold so strongly against Oprah?
I think it's time for (some of) you to grow up and leave your stupid stereotypes behind.
29 replies | Archive link
November 24, 2005 10:47
Hey, do you remember that odd dream I had a few weeks ago? The one when JB was in a ham sandwich costume on Oprah? What do you say that we try to make that weird dream a reality? I say we all e-mail Oprah to try to get Joshua Bell on the Oprah show. (minus the ham sandwich part)
Reasons:
- Not enough know about violinist community. JB would be a gread advocate for that.
- It would show people what the violin is like and how cool it is.
- Why not?
Here's the address. Violinists are more persuasive in numbers. I already have.
E-mail Oprah
7 replies | Archive link
November 23, 2005 16:03
"The Red Violin"
I thought that it was an excellent film. My favorite part, however, was the soundtrack. Without it, the movie would have been almost worthless. It was kind of like the violin playing was a character. And why didn't any of you tell me that Joshua Bell was in the movie? I was watching it and did a double take when I saw him in the scene with Fredrick Pope. A snatched the remote mumbling "It can't be!" He had crazy sideburns and I thought that was funny.
Advice
Here's what everyone needs to do at one point or another:
Go find a field (use your judgement and find the right one) when it is sunny and dry and not too cold or hot. Lay down and watch clouds and let the wind tousel your hair.
I did that today. The brilliant November sun and calm breeze lulled me into relaxation. I daydreamed and watched clouds and relaxed. After being that refreshed and at ease, I will have a great practice. Then tomorrow I will eat. And eat some more. I can run it off it doesn't matter. Nothing matters.
8 replies | Archive link
November 20, 2005 20:16
If you have been keeping up with my blog, you would know that the performance in which I was the first violin of a soloing quartet was today. I was soloing with the Baker and Ottawa University orchestras. The performers arrived an hour early for a small rehearsal. Mr. Lammers (the conductor) gave all of the members of the quartet corsages (as you will see from the photos) to wear. Everything fit together well, however, my hand was over-vibratoing causing a shaky sound. The performance was much better. I was kind of nervous, but the introduction to the solos wore it away. It was quite clear and had a rich sound, no shakiness. Someone told me afterwards that they had been crying (no, not because it was bad) it was so beautiful. Other reviews were "phenomenal", "really great" and "awesome." My teacher was proud of me and my parents and grandparents too. I have yet to hear it because my father brought the video camera with only 5 minutes of taping time left. I am really happy and hope to have another great performance in a couple of weeks. YES!
This is the orchestra and me. My teacher is sitting right behind me.
This is Lynne (viola), Philip (second violin), and me. It’s kind of a weird picture, but never mind that.
Mrs. Cation (cello), me, Mr. Lammers (conductor), Mrs. Lewis (teacher and concert master), Philip, and Lynne.
9 replies | Archive link
November 19, 2005 15:18
Today it happened:
Today my brother had 3 basketball games and 1 futsal game and my grandparents were coming. My mom took my brother to one of his games and my dad and sis went to get my grandparents. I was supposed to stay at home and do homework. When I came downstairs everyone was gone, so I decided to brush my dog outside on the deck so he would look good when my g.parents arrived. We have a post that sits in the sliding glass door to keep it locked. I foolishly leaned it up against the door and shut the door. The post fell *perfectly* into place and locked the door! So, I was locked outside my house with my dog in a T-shirt in mid-40 degree weather. I went over to my neighbor's house to use their phone. Thankfully they were home, so I called my mom, but she said she may not be able to do anything about it. My neighbors let me borrow a coat of theirs and I sat outside on the deck and brushed my dog until my mom got home half an hour later.
If you remember from my last entry, I almost got locked out, but not in the same way. I am really lucky that I have nice neighbors.
Do any of you have ways to remain calm before performing? DON'T say 'eat a banana.' Bananas make me gag and throw up. I've eaten Escargot and frog's legs, but unfortunately I can't keep down a banana. Any other advice would be greatly appriciated.
9 replies | Archive link
November 17, 2005 15:46
This week, winter returned with a vengeance that I have never experienced. It descended from the north and annihilated autumn without a backwards glance. As a result, the past few days have been around a balmy 34 degrees with scattered snowfall. Last night, I wanted to officially "break in" winter, so I made a cup of warm chamomile tea and read Jackson J. Spielvogel's Western Civilization. It really gave me an incentive to study and I think I aced the test today.
This Sunday is the big day! I'm soloing "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" by Vaughan Williams with the Baker and Ottawa University orchestras. I'm not nervous...yet. We'll see what happens on Sunday.
My mom wants my brother and I to see "The Red Violin" this weekend, so I want your opinions. Is it a good movie? Anything I should look/listen for?
Well, besides seeing a high speed freeway chase involving an armed robbery and almost getting locked out of my house today when is was 32 degrees, nothing has really happened. Oh yeah, and I still need relaxed bow arm advice.
13 replies | Archive link
November 12, 2005 20:44
Hey, guess what? I was looking for a recording of "Introduction and Tarantella" (I heard it at Joshua Bell's concert and fell in love with it) and I found a soundfile on NPR's website of Joshua Bell actually playing it! He is also playing Tchaikovsky's "Melodie" (another one of the pieces he played at the concert I was at). I think I really hit the jackpot. You should check it out!
Here's the site:
Joshua Bell interview/performace
Let me know what you think!
9 replies | Archive link
November 12, 2005 14:54
Today was the audition for district orchestra. If you don't know what that is, it is the orchestra that precedes state. So, if you make this, you can try out for state orchestra. The time the bus left school was 6:00 am. When we got there, we had to register and all that, but I won't get into it. I was 23rd to audition and I thought that was the middle of the pack, but there were actually about 130 violins auditioning! The excerpts we had to play were reduced to the E melodic minor, the first line of Die Fledermaus, and almost all of the original excerpt from the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy.
My audition went okay. I started practicing the music last Thursday and some people had been practicing it since June. My scale was good, my Fledermaus was mediocre, and the Romeo and Juliet was pretty good. I thought that I made it, but I didn't think that I would be that high up in the stands. Fast forward 5 hours...*anticipation mixed with annoyance*...results are posted -
I was ranked 9th out of 130 and I barely had the music a week! I was really happy because I was also the highest ranked violin from my orchestra! That was something, as some of you may have been following, that I had really wanted to do. I will be on the outside of the 3rd stand, first violin. So, now it's all over and I have new music to learn. *sigh*
6 replies | Archive link
November 9, 2005 08:28
Written in Comp Apps. (oops):
Today has been one of those days. One where I have wanted nothing more than to ‘be’. One of those days where I have wanted to lay down on the sidelines for a while instead of playing until the last second of every game. I want to watch my life instead of live it. Just for a little break.
It is only Wednesday and I have been down to Ottawa twice and had 5 major tests. 2 major rehearsals. What would it be like to have nothing at all…? I am having a hard time recalling the elementary school days when I would come home, have a snack, and play with friends. It seems as though it was so long ago, although, it wasn’t really.
I figured out what my “Joshua Bell in a Sandwich Costume Dream” meant. Something along the lines of “I’m under a lot of stress.” If you need to decode a dream, go to www.dreammoods.com. Thank you, Natasha.
The vicious cycle of life continues and I am still trying to find a moment to enjoy it. Perpetual motion…my middle name.
10 replies | Archive link
November 7, 2005 21:53
Tonight was the first rehearsal for the Tallis with the full orchestra. As we were driving down, I remembered something very, very important. My teacher is the first chair of the Ottawa Community Orchestra! I was thinking how we would be set up and she would be sitting right behind me, the soloist! The more I thought about it, the more awkward it was. Put yourself in my place and say it's not weird. When I got there, I found out that she wouldn't be there because she was caring for "Grandmother" who is actually her step-mother who was her aunt. Long story and I'm off topic. So, as I was saying, the rehearsal went well and I am SO glad that I will have another week to prepare before I have to play alongside my teacher.
I really need to practice and so I will not be back on here until at least Saturday after district auditions. I really hope I do well. I have no idea what to expect because they don't allow freshmen to audition. Sophomores and above only...I'm kind of anxious and the only way around that is to PREPARE! So, I have to do that and work on the Tallis. Really. So goodbye and fare thee well until at least Saturday.
PS - Really weird dream the other night. Maybe some of you can decipher:
Joshua Bell was on the Oprah Show getting interviewed in a ham sandwich costume with his girlfriend, also dressed up as a food item. They were dressed up to get attention.
2 replies | Archive link
November 5, 2005 16:11
I changed my profile picture, but it hasn't been changed on my computer yet. Has it changed on yours? If it has:
a. if you are a person who has seen me in person, does this one capture me better?
b. if you haven't seen me in person, is this picture better than the previous one?
Here's how you can tell if the picture is the updated one or not:
-In the new one, I have a red shirt on and the background is yellow.
-In the old one, I have a black dress on and the background is white.
Thank you. Hehe, 2 entries in one day! A new record, well, for me anyway. I'm trying to think of something else to say so as not to waste an entry. Hmmmm...
I was doing some more doodling on the Tchaikovsky concerto and I played the whole first movement at a little faster pace. I was proud of myself, but then I felt guilty because I have district orchestra auditions on Saturday and my first full orchestra rehearsal for the Tallis on Monday. I guess I'll be having a loooong practice tomorrow. I wonder what the playing test results from Thursday are... I wonder if I can disrupt an ancient ritual that his been going on for hundreds of thousands of years, or at least 1994.
14 replies | Archive link
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