May 2006

May 31, 2006 17:43

So, after my long practice time yesterday of half an hour, I decided I really need to kick things into gear this summer if I want to get anything done. So, I practiced a lot today... and didn't get much done, lol. Ugh, I need to get focused. During the school year, I got about 2 to 3 hours in a day, but now, in the summer, I am having trouble getting organized.

Anyways, I'm listening to the Montreal Competition right now. At the moment, JinJoo Cho is in the middle of the prayer movement of Shostakovich.

I like the piece. I've heard it once played by Oistrakh, another time last night when Ms. Kamio played it, and now a third time with Ms. Cho.

I had to get a shower at 7:30, so when I started listening, Elizaveta Shnayder from Russia was in the third movement of Sibelius. From what I heard, she had a few technical issues. I don't know how strong her first and second movements of Sibelius were, though.

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May 30, 2006 09:53

Man... summer is boring.

I just finished listening to the quartets opus 127 and 131 by Beethoven (two of my favorite string quartets from Beethoven).

Yesterday, I listened to Mr. Grumiaux play the first Bruch violin concerto about five times, and Joshua Bell play it once. Once was enough... lol.

I think I might go insane. It's too bad I can't go to Kennesaw State University's camp or the University of Georgia at Athens' camp. Franklin Pond cleaned out my parents funds. Plus, my parents are still paying for my violin.

Oh, I need a job. Too bad I can't capture a few violinists and attempt to teach them for money. Is there a stereotype that females are better music teachers for younger children than males?

Maybe it is the fact that females are more compationate and less analytical? That, in itself, is stereotypical.

I'm afraid that I might have to find myself a job as a bagboy at a local grocery store, or something else that earns the minimum wage. However, if I did that, then I wouldn't have too much time to practice.

If life is like this when I am 17, how will it be when I get out of college? What if I can't find a job as a musician?

ugh

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May 26, 2006 17:11

So, school is over. I'm not certain of my grades. I could have failed all of my classes, but I do know that I ended my AP Statistics class with an 83. Unfortunate, I know, but my partner for my final project didn't come through with the work he was supposed to do, and let's just say that it is easier to blame others than ourselves.

I have my ASYO audition in September, so I have plenty of time before that happens. I won't have a lesson this week because my teacher will be teaching (as violin coach) at the Kennewsaw State University Summer Orchestra camp. I'm not going to that camp, or the UGA one either, but that is because my parents can't afford them after spending $1,100 on Franklin Pond. Oh well. I'll have a heck of a time in Jekyll Island.

I'll probably go to the UGA Fall Orchestra festival, though, since it is free, and a lot of fun. And I'll definitely play in the masterclass this time.

Bruch is coming along nicely, I suppose, or at least the first page is. I need to work on the second page. Not the lyrical stuff, but rather the second line from the bottom (on the second page) in the Peters edition. Then, there is the last page (cadenza-y stuff) that I should work on.

Oh, I have some exciting news. A friend of mine is performing Hindemith's "Trauermusik" at the KSU camp. I'm going to go see him play next Saturday.

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May 23, 2006 16:58

I am lucky to have such a good teacher. He helped me develope the first movement of Bruch from that "first major concerto" sound that I had with my old teacher into a more "mature" (I suppose that might not be the right word) sound.

Unfortunately, my teacher will be gone for about a month this summer. He is going to Italy. Luckily, that is the month that I will have Fraklin Pond Chamber Music. That's bad that I don't get to ask my teache rquestions about the music, but I will have other teachers at FPCM.

Today, my teacher went over the way I stand and the way I hold my instrument up. It helped to relieve so much stress and tension. It even got rid of my jaw tension (which has bothered me for on and off for the past few months).

I am listening to the Lalo Cello Concerto in d right now. It is a pleasant piece. I really like it.

How many of you just play one instrument?

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May 14, 2006 09:30

I really like the first Bruch concerto. I like it so much that I listened to the second and third Bruch concertos. I liked the second concerto. The only thing i didn't really like about the first movement of the third concerto was that it seemed to drag.

I have a friend from All-State that is starting up her college audition material this summer. She's auditioning for two schools in Georgia: Mercer and UGA. I want to audition for UGA and study with Dr. Ambartsumian. Dr. Ambartsumian used to teach violin at the Moscow Conservatory. The funny thing is that my friend doesn't like Dr. Ambartsumian and wants to study with Dr. Heald.

So, I know Dr. Eanes plans for me are like this: Learn and memorize the entire Bruch concerto, then work on the first movement of Lalo, and then work on college material.

"What is my college audiiton material?" I asked my teacher one day. Thankfully, he gave me an answer. It depends on how much time I have left. If I don't have much time, then I'll continue with Lalo and learn the third and fourth movements.

If I do have some time left, then I'll learn Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens 3, or even Vieuxtemps 4, it just depends on my technique and time left once I finish memorizing the first movement of Lalo.

So, I realize that college auditions will be coming up in such a short time.

Since I will have as much time as I want to practice during the summer, I can learn and memorize Bruch before June is up, work on Lalo all of July, and then a new concerto for the 4-6 months I have before college auditions.

So, I have plenty of time?

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May 12, 2006 15:57

I've never used Shar before to order music. I gave them a try, and I am getting impatient, even though I still have a few more days to wait. I usually use Hutchins and Rea because they are so quick, and they are from Atlanta. However, Hutchins and Rea didnt have any copies of Bruch the other day.

So, the photocopy I own of Bruch No. 1 (given to me by a former teacher) has served as my main means of learning the concerto. My etudes are done, and I don't have any Bach to work on, and my Concerto is all I have left to "work" on. I'd rather wait until Dr. Eanes gives me his fingerings and bowings before I do any actual learning.

I suppose I could record Bach. I wish I did not buy a casette player. The quality is so poor. What makes me laugh is that you can barely hear a difference between my fortes and pianos.

Today was nice. I stayed after school to play some quartets with a few friends. We ended up looking at Brahms. We went through a few movements from each of his three quartets that my violist friend had brought. It was a lot of fun. Second violin was okay. I'm not used to playing second violin, so it was some nice practice, plus I didn't have to worry about hitting any high notes.

I need to get together with my regular quartet and work on Haydn and Mozart. We haven't met in a few weeks... almost a month.

Oh well, I need to go.

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May 10, 2006 14:13

Sweet. I made Franklin Pond Chamber Music. I don't know my seating or the quartet that I will learn yet, but the fact that I made it is good. Only 8 violin slots, and I was competing against a lot of good musicians.

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May 9, 2006 17:00

I keep checking my e-mail about every hour to see if I have received anything from Mrs. Respess, the ASO violinist in charge of Franklin Pond.

I doubt I made it because of my audition and because of the level of the kids I was competing with, but there is still a glimmer of hope in me that they will pick me for one of the "easier" quartets (that plays Mozart or Haydn).

Even if I did get a rejection e-mail, it would be better than sitting around hoping for a response.

Anyways, I started work on the first movement of Bruch No.1 yesterday. I am re-learning it. I have trouble understanding how I thought I could play it a year ago, when in fact I couldn't. So, I basically have looked at little pieces... mostly all of the chord sections that I know I will have trouble with intonation. Then, I'll go through all of the "fast" stuff that I need to practice slowly and build my way up.

My Kreutzer and Schradieck etudes are almost ready to be played, and my lesson isn't until the 17th, so that will give me plenty of time to work on Bruch, and at a comfortable pace, I might add.

Bruch can actually be a nice concerto to play or audition with seeing as though a lot of kids can't play it well their first time through.

Speaking of auditions, my next major one isn't for a few months, so I'll have some chill time. This past month has been kind of hectic, preparing for AP exams and all... speaking of which I have one tomorrow and I have to be at school before 7:30am, and I live an hour away from my school.

>_<

I miss sleep.

off to practice, I go.

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May 7, 2006 09:32

So, my Franklin Pond audition didn't go as well as I hoped. I did hear some excellent violinists there, though. I noticed how they had good right hands. I don't think I did well enough to make it.

I started with the Minuets from Partita No. 3 and the judges only heard the Minuet I. It was great the first time around, but the second measure after the second repeat wasn't so great the second time around. The first movement of Haydn Concerto No. 1 in C was okay. They only heard the exposition, which had me a little down. I wanted them to at least let me skip to the cadenza. The Mozart excerpt was fine, but I nearly died on the Schumann excerpt, but then again, so did everyone else. The sight-reading was easy, but somehow I managed to mess up.

I did have a good time hearing other people play in the warm-up room. From the half hour I was in the warm up room, I heard the first movement of Mendelssohn (under-tempo), the first movement of Saint-Saens 3 (a little out of tune), Gavotte in Rondo form from Partita No. 3, the Chaccone, Lalo (which was butchered), and the Allemande from Partita No. 2, so there was a wide variety of playing skills present. No one I knew played from memory.

I wish I could learn some romantic stuff, especially some showpieces. As much fun as classical music is, it gets boring! lol, no offense, but I've learned two Mozart concertos (one well and the other not so well), and a Haydn concerto. Since my audition is over, my teacher is going to let me learn Bruch No. 1. I hope it goes well.

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May 5, 2006 14:19

Tomorrow, I will audition for a summer quartet program called Franklin Pond Camber Music. I've practiced well enough, I hope. There are only four string quartets in the program, so there are only 8 violin slots, and it is a very competitive program since it is put on by memebers of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The website can be found at "www.franklinpond.org"

The masterclass artists this year are: Robert Spano, music director of the ASO, Christopher Rex, principal cellist of the ASO, the Vega Quartet, Donna Lively Clark, and Robert McDuffie.

So, if I make it, I am going to have the time of my life.

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More entries: June 2006 • April 2006