April 2012

NYC and Verdi Fever

April 29, 2012 21:07

Tomorrow is the big day! I am traveling with my orchestra to perform the Verdi Requiem at Lincoln Center! It is going to be so much fun...especially since I have never been to New York City before! For the last few days, our campus had been filled with "Verdi Fever" in anticipation for our big trip. I can not wait to share this amazing music in a new city for TONS of people!!!

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Post Concert Reflection

April 28, 2012 20:27

Just finished our performance of the Verdi! It was literally the most amazing concert I have ever been a part of. All week, we have been working with a wonderful guest conductor as well as 4 amazing soloists. With each rehearsal, we got to see the piece being "built" befor our eyes (First rehearsal was just orch, then orch and choir, then orch and soloists, then everyone!) The performance ended with a crazy long round of applause (longer than I have ever seen in my life). Next week, we will be performing the Verdi again in New York City! It is experiences like this that really have an impact on you as a musician. All I can say is, I am so glad I came to music school!

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Feel the Burn!

April 28, 2012 10:33

After several late night rehearsals this week, I have come to the conclusion that the 50 min long Dies Irae (from the Verdi Requiem) is equivilent to a work out at the gym. This is especially true in the last 25-ish minutes where we literally have no rests. I am a second violin, so we mostly play on the G and D strings, and having your arm at that angle for that long can be quite painful. All those people who said violin wasn't a sport were SO wrong!

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Making History

April 27, 2012 14:28

Today I got to sign the final beam of the new performing arts building at my college! It's pretty crazy to think that in 100 years from now my name will still be a part of that building. It's pretty amazing to be a part of history like this!

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It's All in the Details

April 26, 2012 19:14

I never realized how the slightest movements can completely change the delivery of a piece, until we started working on the Verdi with our guest conductor. She is very much into the details of what is happening on stage. During a typical rehearsal one will hear her say things like "Please don't scratch your nose there", "Fix your hair before this part so you aren't messing with it later" and other things of that nature. She expects the orchestra to stay perectly still after a big cadence and not move until the next part starts. This is different to me, but I can see that it really makes the delivery of the piece much more effective. I am definately adding that to my "Things to Remember as a Teacher" list!

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GO Time!

April 26, 2012 09:59

Some of my friends are saying that they are getting to the point in the semester where they really hate their instruments (or singing). I have a really hard time understanding this because, even through all the stress that the next few weeks will bring, playing violin is my passion and I can never think of a time when I actually hated it. I consider these coming weeks to be "Go Time"- a time of intense super-motivation where we just do what we've gotta do. Many of us have a big playing test coming up that is super stressful (only 13 days to go ahhhhh) but for me, despite the stress, it's a really exciting time. Sure, I am freaking out as much as the next person, but I am so excited to see all my hard work from this semester pay off. Even though I am nervous about the futer, I can not wait to see what will happen!!!

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Verdi's Requiem = <3

April 24, 2012 17:33

The symphony I am in is working on the Verdi Requiem right now and WOW what a beautiful piece of music. It is so amazing to be part of such an awesome work. It really makes me realize exactly why I love music. The fact that a group of musicians can get together and make something so beautiful is absolutely amazing. I have truly enjoyed every moment of this experience.

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Why Do We Do It?

April 23, 2012 16:22

I was recently talking to a group of friends about how stressful college is getting (finals, concerts etc.) and about how many people are starting to drop out or change their major. We all found it interesting that many students, who once seemed so enthusiastic about music ed, would suddenly decide to stop with their degrees. This brought us all to the question of WHY? Why are we staying in music school when it is so stressful? Why are we staying education majors when we could switch to a much less stressful major (such as music business)? Most importantly, Why are we all getting so stressed if we are supposed to like music so much? After much thought, here it the answer I came up with.

We all enter the music education program with some sort or appreciation of music. Over our first few semesters we are exposed to many different musical experiences that test us as musicians and future educators. Granted, not all of these experiences are enjoyable but we have to get through them in order to become better musicians. The problem is, many people begin to realize that their appreciation of music if just that; an appreciation. Just because you like music doesn't mean you want to spend the rest of your life around it. SO here is my big discovery: To get through music school you need to LOVE music. Now, I'm not saying you need to love every moment of it. But if you can get through a long day of harmonic analysis, cello tests and sight singing and can still honestly say to yourself "I love music" then you are in the right profession. I am so thankful that my love of music surpasses the stresses of college.

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When Everything Just Clicks

April 20, 2012 11:57

I'm sure this has happened to everyone...you practice something over and over for months and see little improvement until one day it magically works. I have no idea why this happens exactly (probably some crazy psychology term) but it is literally the most amazing feeling in the world. Just when you are starting to lose hope that you will ever be able to play (insert difficult thing here), it just happens! Practice does pay off!

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My First Blog...How Exciting!!!!

April 19, 2012 15:19

Hi there! I am a new member of this site and and super excited to be! I have enjoyed reading the discussions and blogs on here for many years. I have recently experienced tech issues with another violin discussion site I was a member of so I decided to make the switch. I am a music ed student and am currently finishing up my freshman year. I think this site will definitely be an excellent resource for me as I continue through school. Anyway, just wanted to say howdy and that I look forward to learning a bunch!

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