June 2004

June 13, 2004 19:13

Wow, I'm tired. My family and I got back from Virginia about 2 hours ago. I played on From The Top there, a lot of fun. Got to meet the "voices" on the show (Chris, Joanne) and the producers and writers (Kim, Tim, Brendan, Tom, and Jerry.) All very nice people.
So we got to the hotel on Friday night, and much to my disappointment couldn't go in the pool. They had accidentally put us in the smoking section, and I found an empty cigarette box under my bed (yuck). The smell was torturous all night, but the next day we moved into non-smoking rooms. The rehearsal/pizza party went great. The other people on the show besides me were Grace Field, a soprano from Texas, Andrew, a guitarist from Virginia, a clarinetist from Venezuala, and a clarinet quintet from Washington, D.C. During the rehearsal it was great to hear the other people play, and to finally play with Chris O'Riley! Yay! He's a really sensitive accompanist, but also a great solo player. The next day, we ran through the whole show (including the scripts) and sound checked stuff. Sooo, that was all a whole bunch of fun but I'm sad it's over. My quartet is going to apply, but first we need a name!
Well I'd better get to bed...tomorrow I need to learn two movements from a Dvorak sextet, and two from a Tchaikovsky sextet for Apple Hill.
--alicelizard

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June 10, 2004 11:37

I'm really excited!! Just got back from a lesson, and my teacher said that I could (finally) be moved up to a full size!!! Yay! I've been on a 3/4 for some time, and it's really a big disadvantage in competitions and stuff. (It's not even a full 3/4, but a petite 3/4.) So we're going to start looking for violins ASAP. I tried my teacher's violin today, which is a "full size" meaning the spacings on the fingerboard are full-sized, but interestingly, it's a very long and thin violin, small in the shoulder area. I started out playing on a 16th size, I think. Can you imagine what that would sound like? I have a picture in my case of my at 4, dressed in my concert attire (complete with a red bow in my hair), holding my 16th size violin and glowering at the camera. I did not want to perform that day. So anyway that's really great.
In other news, I played the Zig(eunerweisen) at my lesson today, and it's coming along pretty well. One of the hardest things is the glissando, but I got some exercises today which will help that.
I'm kind of getting nervous about the From the Top pieces. They're both really short, and easy, so I feel like I don't need to worry, but still I always have that feeling, Are you sure you practiced these enough?. I'm trying not to worry about it. I know I practiced them enough.
Apple Hill is coming up, then KINHAVEN! I can't wait. I love Kinhaven, it's going to be great.
OK, so, I am suddenly reminded of those brownies hidden innocently in the china cabinet behind the wine glasses.
--alicelizard

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June 8, 2004 11:25

I finally went to the bank and deposited my $809.41 in my brand-new savings account. I'm probably going to use the money eventually to buy either a new bow or violin. I really want to do some more busking soon--maybe today or tomorrow. My neighborhood's great for busking; nobody knows a thing about music, heheh, and on sunny days like this one, people are everywhere.
Lesson tomorrow. Have to prepare for From The Top (going with my family to Shenandoah on June 12 to record) and Zigeunerweisen's coming off-hold, now that my other performances are done.
--alicelizard

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June 6, 2004 19:04

Well, I just got back from Haverford. I soloed with the orchestra today, which went wonderfully. Was pretty nervous beforehand, especially because in the morning I got confirmed (I am now an adult member of the Lutheran community, complete with a set of tithing envelopes (adult status comes with adult responsibilities, you know)) and I only got an hour in before we headed off to Settlement. (I'm really happy too, because it's a kind of unwritten rule in my church that once you get confirmed you don't have to attend morning services anymore). But the rehearsal went well. So afterwards, before the concert, the orchestra did their usual socializing upstairs. I was talking with them, keeping an eye on the time as I wanted to go through my passages in the third movement. However the only person with a watch thought the concert began half an hour later than it really did, so they kept saying, "Oh yeah, we have like 45 minutes still." But it was still early enough for me to practice. I was nervous but it was a lot of fun playing; very beautiful, musical, and somber in the 2nd movement, brisk, fun, and bouncy in the 3rd. That makes a total of 3 different orchestras I've soloed with, and 4 different times. I listened to the tape of the concert when we got home and was upset by out-of-tune notes that I hadn't remembered being so off-pitch in the concert. But after an explanation of the "wow and flutter" of the video camera (some mechanical term of the messing up of sound waves) and a long talk with my teacher on the subject (he advised me, next time, to wait a few days before watching the tape), I was feeling better.
So after the concert, I went with Calla and my mom to the end-of-the-year concert at one of the violinists' house. Very fun, we went swimming in her pool and gave the conductor his end-of-year present. Now I'm home and feeling very tired, but waiting in anticipation of tomorrow, the first day of no school. (I was very shocked to realize how much free time I would have when I didn't have school--I guess when you're homeschooled it seems like less of a dramatic change.)
OK, well I should probably get ready for bed.
--alicelizard

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June 5, 2004 15:22

Well I'm feeling a bit down because of my lesson last Thursday. My teacher said that we really needed to fix my bow arm/hand because I wasn't using enough "bowfingers" and my elbow was sagging at the frog. It's been a problem for a while, and I guess that's the position I started with 8 years ago, with my Suzuki teacher. Old habits die hard. Since I've been so busy recently with concerts and such, we haven't really focused on correcting the problem. But as soon as I finish taping for From The Top (June 13) I'm going to get to work on it.

So they finished filming the movie. I'm kind of sad about it being over, but excited to see the final product. On the last day, they filmed the digeridoo player (Harold Smith), the jazz cellist (Monica McIntyre) and me playing a jazz piece that Chris Brubeck wrote for us. It sounded great, and it was a lot of fun for me, it being one of the first times I've played jazz on the violin. Also we reshot Syncopation (a neat little piece by Fritz Kreisler) because last time they shot it, I had long hair and now it's much shorter and hence I am no longer recognized as the same person.

Tomorrow I'm soloing with my chamber orchestra--Settlement Chamber Orchestra. I'm going to play the 2nd and 3rd mvts. of the Bach E Major Violin Concerto. I can't wait, I've always wanted to solo with a peer orchestra, not just a proffessional one (which I've done 3 times). I was influenced a bit much by the jazz experience and have began adding slides to my previously conservative Bach, almost sub-consciously. If I don't stop practicing it like that I'm going to do it accidentally in the performance. My teacher will be shocked. :-)
All for now.

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More entries: July 2004 • May 2004

June 2004

June 13, 2004 19:13

June 10, 2004 11:37

June 8, 2004 11:25

June 6, 2004 19:04

June 5, 2004 15:22

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