Another Gig

Hi guys, it has been one gigtastic semester, that's for sure. I have a gig playing in a pit chamber orchestra for a production of Antigone at my school. I haven't done pit orchestra before, and I'm really excited because I love the play Antigone! The music was actually written by the music theory professor, and he was nice enough to ask me to play it. I'm really happy to have the chance to finally play flute in an ensemble. The Overture is pretty difficult, but apparently the rest of it is pretty easy. I wouldn't know because he actually hasn't written the rest of it yet. I'm very excited, first rehearsal is tomorrow, and two weeks from now we have rehearsal with the actors. I'm looking forward to it.
In other news I have a cold and it's very sad. I can't practice oboe, but I should probably try at some point during the day. I think I can play flute just fine though, haven't tried because I've been sitting around being lazy all day. Dang.

Phew!

My gig is over and I'm sad because me and my friend are the back ups for the actual flutists in the band who couldn't play this set of concerts, but at least we are on call if they ever can't make it, haha!
But um, yeah, it was great. I'd kind of like to get the video up on youtube or something and show y'all. I had a great time. Playing outdoor concerts isn't my favorite, because wind, you know, but I had a great time because the people in the audience were relaxed, happy, and eating the overpriced but delicious food.
The stars and stripes solo went really well, though they gave us a microphone and that was weird, haha! Two piccolos don't really scream "GIVE US A MIC!"
We sounded really good though, I'm happy with how we did. ^_^
On the other hand, I suck at piano and the teacher is really mad at me. I have to miss class on Wednesday because I have an exam, so I'm not feeling super great about that. :(
Anyway, have a good start to your week.

A Day in the Life: Taking it Slow

I have so much I have to learn haha. So much I have to do and it's really stressful, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. You might be thinking to yourself, if I have so much to do then why an I wasting my time blogging and obviously not practicing?
Well, first off, it's Saturday and I deserve a little break even if I do have a gig tomorrow, and secondly, if you spend all your time practicing with no place to relax, then how on earth are you going to keep your sanity? Grinding yourself only works for some people. Some people can practice every day for six hours on end. Me? I know I need to practice more, I know that I probably shouldn't have played Kingdom Hearts 2 today, but you know what? I spend hours practicing during the days of the week. If I can't have a Saturday playing video games with my brother and sister and spending time with my boyfriend then what kind of emotions can I even put into my music? Frustrated ones? Self-righteous feelings because I can practice all day every day and that makes me better than everyone else?
Naw. I'd rather have some fun today and get back to my practicing re-energized and ready to tackle this week's frustrations. Because there will be some, haha. But I want to be ready.
So that's that! If you're a musician and you spend your Saturdays doing nothing, don't sweat it! You have the whole week to practice you owe it to yourself to have some fun!

There. Done validating my choices for the day, haha!
Have a great weekend guys!

Count Your Lucky Stars!

It's happened, haha. I've been hired to do a gig at a Navy Language Institute in my area and we're playing all sorts of marches and traditional band music. This is my very first time playing in a band setting, I've only ever done orchestra, so this will be really exciting and new. I'm looking forward to it. Especially the Stars and Stripes Forever march! Piccolo players are pretty divided on this one... a lot of players are annoyed that people only know that particular piccolo solo and not other ones, like Ma Mere L'Oye or Lieutenant Kije. Others love it to death just because it's fun. I'm in the middle, I really like that march because it's so fun and cheesy, but I wouldn't mind if people said "Oooh, Piccolo! Just like in Stars and Stripes Forever Turkish Fragments!"
But you know, since that's a little obscure for most people I'm happy to be the Stars and Strips Forever person haha.
So yeah, I'm happy to get my picc out again and have some fun with it. It's been a long time since I've done anything on piccolo, I think it was back in February during the Scheherazade semester... good times, I really enjoyed that it was so amazing.
Anyway, this performance is really exciting! There are two of us on flute so we're going to play the solo together! I'm excited because neither of us have ever done the whole 'tune two piccolos to each other' epicness so it'll be a great experience, provided we are able to do it (nervous laugh).
I'm pretty confident that it can be done though, so I'm happy. I can't wait, we're even going to stand up my goodness. Just to make it super scary, haha. It's a little scary for me because she'll have been playing piccolo the who concert so she'll be warmed up and I'll be playing flute the whole thing except for the end. ^_^"

One of my favorite songs

Or pieces, whatever you want to call it. Anyway, there are a few pieces of music that I am just head over heels for. Afternoon of a Faun by Debussy, Romeo and Juliet by Tchaikovsky, Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov, Liebermann's Flute and Piccolo Concertos, the list goes on and on. I just love music so much! It's impossible for me to pick a single piece that I love the most.
But there is this one piece of music that I always feel like I'm in the mood to listen to. If I'm happy, sad, anxious, whatever, it's always something that I can listen to and fully enjoy.
Drumroll, please.
Romeo and Juliet Before Parting by Sergei Prokofiev.
Seems so random, huh? Haha, well, yeah. This little bit from Prokofiev's ballet score is one of the most magical moments of music I've ever heard. Prokofiev is often remembered for his more goofy sounds, his quirky instrumentation and mastery of rhythm and dissonance. However, those skills he used to create comedically grotesque musical scenes were also used to create some of the most tender music ever written. His instrumentation here is chamber like, with just a few instruments or groups playing at a time, until the soaring 'adagio' section towards the middle of the piece, where the whole orchestra flies under a noble brass melody. But before it gets so loud, it actually starts so incredibly intimate.
The strings play a very soft 'pitter-patter' that reminds me of how rain sounds when you hear it hitting a closed window. Then the flute starts playing a winding, rather uncertain melody that is nevertheless filled with sweetness. To me it sounds like waking up in bed just before the sun comes up, and you are waking up to a rainfall.
Later in the piece, a new theme is introduced. If you've heard or seen the whole ballet you'll recognize it as having first appeared in the balcony scene. This new theme is more 'cinematic' and romantic sounding, first being handled delicately by a viola solo, then to clarinets and other woodwinds, then to a glowing and winsome tenor sax, and finally to the strings who give the most dramatic rendition yet. Then comes the sweeping and breathless 'adagio' I mentioned before. Despite being marked adagio this part actually feels very fast, because of what the other members of the orchestra besides brass are doing. It sounds like a massive wave of sound, it's incredible.
I'm not sure why I decided to write this blog post now of all times, but I'm kinda down and I wanted to share one of my favorite pieces in case you guys are feeling down and need a sec to catch your breath with some lovely music. What's a piece that helps you out when you get really sad or anxious?
Stay frosty, friends.




Here's my favorite recording with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philarmonic. <3

I'm going to have a recital!

Yay! The choir accompanist who I've previously mentioned (the one who saved the day, remember way back in April?) and I are putting on a recital in December. ^_^
I'm going to play Mozart's G major concerto as well as the Fantaisie by Gaubert, the 2nd Movement of Lowell Liebermann's Flute Concerto, and possibly the Chaminade Concertino. I'm not very good at that one and if I don't have it sounding as good as we want it we might cut it to make more time for practicing the pieces that are sounding great. My sister and boyfriend are also going to play, it's going to be lovely. I think I should even bake something so at the end people can have a snack, and if you put "Food Afterwards" on the flyer then more people will come. It's a scientific fact. It's called The Cookie Principle.
I'm excited, but I'm also nervous because I want to put on a good performance and I've never done anything like this before. Hopefully it goes well. :)

I can play the oboe now

So as of today my instruments I can play are...
Flute (Proficiency Level: Yayyyy!!)
Piccolo (Proficiency Level: Hasn't been taken out in a while but I can probably still play it just fine, though I used to be the piccolo queen)
Piano (Proficiency Level: Not great but I can do my music theory keyboard homework and that's what matters)
Alto Saxophone (Proficiency Level: What? I have to play lead now? I guess I'd better learn me some vibrato skills)
Oboe (Proficiency Level: REEDS ARE EVERYTHING. IF YOU THINK YOU SUCK AT OBOE SERIOUSLY GET A GOOD REED.)

Ahem. So yeah, I'm not adding any more instruments to this list, haha. I think that five instruments is more than enough for any music major, and I only really practice two of them consistently. Need to change that, haha. But yeah. Now I need to try out clarinet again because I wanna be woodwind queen. And then bassoon. AND THEN THE WORLD. Just kidding, I though I said no more instruments. XD

Princess Tutu (2002) Review Time! (Part 1)

So my sister and I just finished the first half of the anime unfortunately titled Princess Tutu, and it's just great. This is a show that uses classical music as the soundtrack and draws a lot of the plot and thematic material from ballet. The premise is as follows...
There's a writer called Drosselmeyer (lulz) who died in the middle of a novel. His characters got bored waiting around, so they broke out of the story. Those characters are a prince and an evil raven. To stop the raven from destroying the town, the prince 'shatters his heart', which seals away the raven because fairy tale reasons. But because he did that, he's pretty much just a mannequin who can talk and move around, so the story has ground to a halt. The author is still alive as a ghost, living in a bizarre clockwork realm, and he still wants to continue the story, so after many years he finally finds a way. A little duckling who has a crush on the prince wishes she could become a girl and hold hands with him and other cute things. So the author gives he a magic pendant that not only turns her into a girl, it also turns her into a character from the story, the only one who can return pieces of the prince's heart.
Phew. Premises should not take that long to explain, but there you go. The show is a little confusing at first, but it's fairly easy to get into. The first two episodes are pretty weak, and they look even weaker when you consider how strong the episodes at the end of the season are.
The cast is strong and dynamic, which is one of my favorite things about the series. Especially in regards to once character, their arcs go in very unexpected directions. The main character, literally named Duck is a very sweet character once she gets out of the first two episodes, where she is a little manic and over energized. Once the show as a whole settles down she does too, and we get to know her personality more. Duck is hyper and cheery, but she is equally insecure and constantly questioning herself and her motives. The other two interesting characters I can't really say much of anything without spoilers, but suffice to say that they are really interesting to watch. The only weak link in the cast is the prince himself, who has his moments but is mostly bland. Unfortunately he is the one that Duck is in love with, but we can't really find anything about him that's worth it.
However. The interesting thing is that the show itself mentions this. There's a scene where Duck questions why she loves the prince (called Mythos, apparently pronounced Myu-toe), and the dialogue goes in a really interesting direction before they are interrupted by killer crows. There's a lot of those in this series.
Anyways, let's get to the music! Each episode has a piece of classical music that sums up the thematic material of the episode, or just fits really well with the action. Or acts as sneaky bits of foreshadowing. The episode music includes these pieces, as well as many more that are just used as incidental music, or character themes.
Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, The Blue Danube, Pictures at an Exhibition, Scheherazade (!!!), Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet (the ones by both Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev!), and Danse Macabre! So far all the music has been really well used, and the Scheherazade episode was probably the best of the season.
We're looking forward to the second season. The show is very sweet, even if it has random weird things that kill the mood sometimes. Like the fact that the ballet teacher is a human sized anthropomorphic cat. Ahem. But anyways, school starts tomorrow and I wanted to do a fun post before I start complaining about school. Which might happen. Anyhoo, see you guys later. :)

Clara's Theme by Murray Gold (from Doctor Who)

Hey-o! Want to hear us play? Here's a video of my sister, boyfriend, and I playing a cover of Clara's theme from Doctor Who. It was composed by Murray Gold, who is so seriously awesome.
I think we sound really good together, enjoy!
We call our trio TriTone, because hey! Tri=Three!

My Pieces...

I'm assigned so much that I feel like I'm not getting done, haha. But I'm doing okay with my massive pile of audition prep. So here is a list of the pieces that I'm working on and will be using to audition with!

Mozart Concerto in G Major
We've all got to do Mozart, over here in Flute World. Seriously. Mozart is great though, and his flute concertos are really cute. They aren't my favorite, but they're not too hard and they feel rewarding to play, so I'm happy to learn them. I know most of D major already, but my teacher tells me that G major is a little better for an audition, especially since it was written for the flute. D major was actually first written for the Oboe (Oboe Concerto in C major) but it was transposed into D and some things were changed to make it technically different.
Out of the two, I always thought that G major sounded more 'royal', while D major sounds more 'rustic'. Those adjectives really help me to put some life into my playing when I perform or practice these pieces!



Bach Sonata in E Minor
It's actually kind of a toss up between this and the Mozart. I'm learning mvts 2 and 3, which are fast and slow respectively. We want to see which set of 'fast and slow' showcase the good things about my playing. Displaying a knowledge of Baroque flute playing might impress the flute instructor at my top pick, so it could be this one, who knows, we're deciding next lesson. I don't know much about Baroque flute, but I know that you're not supposed to use much vibrato at all. The quality of phrase leading is what gives Baroque playing life. The sonata itself is one of Bach's best pieces for flute, and it's really fun to play. It's pretty hard, but not like Ibert level hard, so it's actually fun. I'm not a fan of harpsichord though, I like it a little better with piano or guitar.



Fantaisie by Philippe Gaubert
So we swapped out Chaminade in favor of this, saaaad. Well, not really. I love both these pieces! French flute showpieces are a genre by themselves in Flute World, and it's a genre I really like. I'm still maybe going to play the Chaminade at a recital later this year though. :)
Fantaisie is kind of like two pieces in one. It starts slow and well, fantastical, with lovely melodic lines. The second part is fast and full of energy, with bits of the original theme from the slow part coming back! It's a beautiful, well-rounded piece that will be very rewarding.

Poulenc Sonata
This piece is pretty nice. It's a three movement sonata from the 20th century that Jean Pierre Rampal first performed. It's whimsical and has many different moods. The first and second movement are fairly easy to manage, but the third one is absolutely insane! Thankfully, my teacher says they are more likely to be interested in the first movement, which is hard, but I've 98% got it down. Better safe than sorry though, I'm learning all three.

Here are the pieces that I may or may not be using, depending on what the schools want to hear.

Hungarian Fantasy by Doppler
Hard rhythms everywhere! It's very fun and fanciful though, and I get to use my low B foot!

Ibert Flute Concerto mvt. 3
Hard hard hard hard hard why. Cool piece though.

Prokofiev Sonata mvt. 1
I'm just so happy I can play this. ^_^ I hope somebody asks for it so I can show them how much I like it!

My favorite Doctor Who Episodes

The Doctor Who wildfire is currently sweeping through my house. At least with me, my mom, and my sister, haha. Thing is, we got out of it during season 7 because let's face it, season 7 was a bit lame. Recently though, we caught up and watched seasons 8 and 9, and the currently airing 10, and now we're kind of hooked. Help up. It got good again. Actually, it got more than good, 8 and 9 are amazing. So there are a few episodes that really stick out to me and just amazed me. Be it a clever twist, emotional depth, or just a really creative monster of the week, here are the episodes that rank as my absolute favorites. Listed in chronological order, all from the new series just because I'm most familiar with those. :)

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (Season 1, 9th Doctor)

Such creepy episodes! I remember seeing these episodes back in 2006 (i think) when I was either eight or nine years old. Old enough to not get scared by a tv show, right guys? Well... apparently not, because when we watched this I was scared stiff and made up an excuse to sit in the kitchen and watch the show from afar. The premise is that the Doctor and Rose are in 1940s London, and the Doctor encounters a young woman named Nancy, who is seemingly being followed by a creepy young child who is always wearing a gas mask and calling for his mummy. It's a really good story, and the ending is really good. Makes me so happy. Spoiler alert. ;)

Blink (Season 3, 10th Doctor)

Now here is an episode that is very clever. In this one, the monsters are 'statues' that can move when you don't look at them... like when you blink, for example. If they get you, it's enough for me to say that nothing good happens. This episode actually doesn't have a whole lot of the Doctor on it, it mostly focuses on two normal people who have to solve the problem with minimum help from the Doctor. Once again, it's a very spooky episode, and even though I was three years older at this point... I was still scared and hiding in the kitchen. Didn't stop us from playing Weeping Angel though, haha, that was a fun game. And you know that you've made a cool Doctor Who monster when kids want to make a game about it. :)

Vincent and the Doctor (Season 5, 11th Doctor) 

Tied for my favorite episode. This episode deals with themes of mental illness, but it is by no means depressing. Rather, this is an incredibly uplifting episode. Here, the Doctor and Amy go back to visit Vincent van Gogh, and he helps them to find a monster that is terrorizing the small village he lives and paints in. It sounds very cheesy, but I'm not good at explaining plots, in case you haven't noticed by now in the post ;) Everything about this episode is just lovely. The setting and characters, the visuals, the music, and the thematic material. I consider this the 11th Doctor's best episode.

Robot of Sherwood (Season 8, 12th Doctor)

The last episode I did was very heavy, but Doctor Who is also really funny sometimes. Really funny. Here, the Doctor and Clara go back in time to England in the middle ages, because Clara wanted to meet Robin Hood. The Doctor is determined to prove to her that Robin Hood isn't real, but... he is. Mayhem ensues, and it's really, really, funny. There is some really hilarious dialogue, I love how the Doctor interacts with Robin Hood!

Heaven Sent (Season 9, 12th Doctor)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything about this episode is so awesome. It's probably my favorite episode tied with Vincent and the Doctor. After the heartbreaking ending of Face the Raven, you don't really expect this kind of episode to follow. Almost the whole thing is mysterious and you don't really have any idea what's going on, where the Doctor is, or how he got here. Fortunately, the Doctor is just as lost as the viewers and we find out together what's going on, with an incredibly satisfying reveal/twist at the end.
So what's going on is that the Doctor, immediately after the events of Face the Raven (or is it?), finds himself suddenly and mysteriously transported to a maze-like castle, and he's not alone. With him in the castle is a veiled monster that follows him everywhere, and will always eventually catch up.
If that wasn't enough, the soundtrack is amazing. We're waiting for the Season 9 soundtrack!! This episode could have it's own disc, with lovely and melancholy music all throughout until the ending, where the soundtrack seems to 'gain confidence' and rises to a peak of excitement, as the mysteries of the episode are all revealed at once in a terrific montage.
And of course, there is some A+ acting from Peter Capaldi, who carries the episode almost entirely by himself, which is quite a feat. Good on!

Here's the cool Heaven Sent poster, by the by. :)

What I'm Working On... June 2017 Edition

I'm assigned a lot of stuff. I'm coping by blogging about it. But seriously, help me, haha. I'm supposed to start applying for schools in the fall and I don't feel anywhere near ready, but I guess I'll find a way to do it. If I have to do something, I'm usually able to muster up the energy to do it.

Ibert Flute Concerto, 3rd Movement
This piece is insane. I mean, I like it and stuff, but I'm not happy about all those accidentals, triplets, and wonky trill fingerings. This is going to be a very rewarding piece though, I can tell! I'm just not even off the first page, though I can stumble through most of the first page at a very moderate tempo. Urgh.

Doppler Hungarian Fantasy
This is a little more bearable than the Ibert. It's really demanding, of course, but it's easier to imagine myself playing it competently. I'm currently assigned the middle section to the end, starting with the coquettish bit in 4/8, and leading up to a spectacular ending that involves a cadenza that is secretly fun to play because it's probably the least testy part of the piece.

Poulenc Flute Sonanta
Yeeks! Not that hard, but still pretty capricious. The rhythms are tricky and there are some parts that are like torture to an embouchure, but hey, it's something I think I can learn in a few months. The second movement just has difficulty in the phrasing department. I haven't really touched the third movement... it looks hard but I think I can do it. :)

I'm back

Hi guys :) I'm back, I've been back for about a week, and the picture posts should be coming soon unless I get lazy. I had a really good time. I went to many cities, almost all the big ones. Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, Córdoba, Granada, and Barcelona. :)

Here's the Plaza de Espana, which was one of my dream locations to visit. ^_^ It was really beautiful there, even though I didn't get to explore as much as I wanted to... it was extremely hot, but I got some ice cream and enjoyed the scenery, it's a wonderful place.

Here's me and my salamander friend at Park Guell in Barcelona! Gaudi's architecture really gives Barcelona a lot of whimsical charm, and it's part of the reason I enjoyed the city so much. Definitely one of my favorite places! I'm going to bring my favorite people here someday. <3

Leaving for Spain tomorrow

Hi everyone :)
I think it's been a while, since May 10th, haha. But I had so many finals to get through... Our orchestra concert went well, I think it was one of the best I've played in. I can't wait for the recording, I'm going to share it here when I get a copy from the instructor. I want to hear how I did on my solos, haha. I hope I'm on my way towards being a good enough flutist to be in a professional orchestra.
So I don't think I'll be able to post from Spain, but you can expect a VERY long blog post about how it went, with pictures. :) My trip lasts about three weeks. See you then, guys. :)

A Day in the Life: I'm tired

... Just what the title says. I'm tired and I need a break, haha. Everyone feels like that this time of th semester, so I feel massively guilty complaining about it :P
Pain recital tomorrow... I'm playing pretty simple stuff, which I don't think the teacher is happy about, but she understands that piano isn't my main instrument, so as long as I am able to learn new repertoire and advance little by little I guess it's fine. I dunno.
Anyways, just checking in because I forget to post. But I'll post more later bye.

A Day in the Life: Cray-Cray Performances

Yay, Easter Break is finally here! [sobs] I needed you, baby.

Ahem. So we had a performance last night at school, and I was in a few pieces. We have a student and faculty recital every semester, and it features a lot of cool different kinds of music. I played the first movement of Mozart's Flute Concerto in D major, and it was pretty cool. I did an okay job, here's the video, hope you like it. :)

We also did a piano duet, me and my boyfriend. We enlisted the help of my sister with the page turns ;) Again, please enjoy! ^_^

A Day in the Life: Stuff Happens

Here is how I thought my day would go today.

Stuff happens. You let your 20 page essay sit un-worked on just a little too long, and then some seriously stupid stuff at school goes down. This is so stupid, I could have handled the situation better, but in all honesty, I think it only would have delayed the inevitable. In the world of music you will encounter a lot of different people. Some are great, some are self-centered and hard to work with the moment you have a slight disagreement with them. I've met mostly wonderful people, including my boyfriend, a terrific pianist. But the one person I've met who is the second type actually tried to get one of my teachers to think badly of me today. Said attempt kind of backfired, and now the choir accompanist is stepping in at the last minute to try and help me out after this guy decided he couldn't stand working with me.
I think I have to think carefully about my behavior. It's true that I have been very stressed out, and when I'm stressed out I am not a particularly fun person to be around. The thing is though, I do my very best to stay on my best behavior when I know I'm stressed out. I deal by just trying to be stoic, but that easily slides into just being moody. So I'm not blameless in this sticky situation, but I did my best to keep things civil... and this happens. So yeah. Doing better today. Kind of in shock that the accompanist for the choir is willing to try and learn this in barely a little over a week from a performance. Hat tip. Shout out. Praise and honor upon ye.
So anyways... whine post. I hardly ever do them, I think, so I won't let it happen again, haha. Gotta finish my essay and pile of music theory homework.

Is Classical Music Snooty?

What a big question for my tiny blog! But seriously, I'm tired of people telling me, a college age, mixed-race, female classical flutist that "Classical music is for old, white men." That statement can't be true. At least, it's no more true than "Only young goths with lots of tattoos enjoy heavy metal", because my Dad enjoys heavy metal, and he is neither goth, or young (sorry Dad). And I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any tattoos.

Saying that old white men are the only ones who can enjoy Tchaikovsky is as ridiculous as saying that only African-American women can enjoy the singing of Ella Fitzgerald (ah, j'adore!).
Of course, the stereotype of old white men being the main fans of classical music didn't come from nowhere. There are a few reasons why people think classical is snooty.0
The first being, most well known composers were, in fact, white men. Tchaikovsky? White. Ravel? White. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov? White. Wagner? White and controversial!

There's no getting around the fact that all the big names in music are white men. But why does that have to stop us from enjoying them and their music? The answer to the diversity problem in music is NOT to shun composers like Beehoven and Debussy, but to add to their numbers by exploring composers of different backgrounds! If it really bothers you that all the composers in your playlist are white men, than add some Cecile Chaminade! Go ahead and explore the works of Arturo Marquez! Share what you find with your friends, and make sure that more people find out about these wonderful composers.

I'm tired of hearing people say that classical music isn't inclusive when I learned so much about different cultures in- guess where?- the youth orchestra I spent high school in! The conductor of said youth orchestra is a native of Turkmenistan, a country which, at the risk of sounding hipster, you've probably never heard of. He is absolutely in love with the music of Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov. But guess what? We played music from many corners of the world, alongside the aforementioned Beethoven and others. We played a piece from Turkmenistan that had never been played in America before, and the following year, we had a guest artist from Vietnam who arranged some traditional Vietnamese-style music for us to play. Even when we weren't playing that kind of music, we were still learning so much about different cultures, just because our conductor was so passionate about spreading a love of music to every corner of the world.

There is a problem with classical music education only being available to rich people. I myself have been very lucky, being able to score enough scholarships to make my education possible. But a lot has to be done to make this accessible to everyone. It's something that actually bothers me about classical music society. People at fancy galas pat themselves on the back for being cultured, and talk about how kids need to be more into being cultured too. And then they turn around and charge $70 dollars per ticket for concerts. I think that a lot has to be done to make classical music education available to everyone. After all, isn't music an important part of our humanity?

To me, classical music is not snooty, or elitist. Music embodies all the experiences and emotions that human beings have had, and will ever have. You can find this grand tapestry of human emotions in Jazz, Soundtrack, even Rock. When I listen to classical music, I can always find something that suits me at any moment. Feeling sad? Tchaikovsky! Feeling nostalgic? Pavane for a Dead Princess by Ravel. Just feeling really cheerful? Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov! It's a world of experiences and thoughts that I've inherited from musicians before me, and guess what? You've inherited it, too. Because even if you don't play in instrument or know anything about music, music belongs to you. It belongs to everyone!

So do I think classical music is snooty? Heck no! A lot of the people who like it are snooty, but are we going to disown an entire ongoing chapter of human history just because some people who like it are jerks? No! Just like how we don't abandon our cars when we hear that some people who drive cars are jerks. I think that in the world of classical music there is something for everyone. And if you find nothing that is to your liking? That's okay! Listen to what you like, and what speaks to you. But don't call me a snob because I like classical music. I'm tired of hearing it, and I hope that I have managed to defend my position with this silly blog post. :)

A Day in the Life: Why am I in so many ensembles?

So we had our college music department fundraiser last night, and I had a good time and I think I did pretty well all things considered, but oh my gosh! It was so stressful! So for our fundraiser we have every ensemble play, in addition to several piano students in between the choir and chamber singers. I was in everything except the Guitar ensemble, and I'm so tired, haha! But I'm going to leave you with the names of the pieces that me and my boyfriend played in the interlude between choir and chambers. I would leave you with videos, but I had to download finale notepad and it's killing my computer and videos won't load anymore. Hmph. Anyway, itt was really nice of the piano teacher to let me play flute in addition to piano! Our teacher is very gruff and Russian, but she is one of the most honest people in the world, so when she tells you that you're doing a good job... you really know it. We appreciate her so much!

So first I played the excerpt from Ravel's piano concerto in G major, my family had never heard me perform it before, so it was really nice for me to play it for them

Next, my boyfriend and I played the first movement of the Mother Goose suite by Ravel, it's a duet, and I've written about it before, it's very cute!

After that I played something on solo flute, this is Tango Etude no. 5 by Astor Piazzolla. It's a really amazing piece, full of passion and fire.

My boyfriend likes to play music by Mexican composers, and it's so cool that he was able to bring recognition to these underrated guys last night. The first one is Gavota by Manuel Ponce, and the second one is Cuban Dance no. 7 by Mario Ruiz Armengol. The Gavota is very tender and lyrical, which contrasted nicely with the Cuban Dance, which was rhythmic and cheerful. Full of jazz chords too, it sounded so cool.

I DID IT!!

Allrighty, the Requiem Concert cycle is ov-ah! After a terrific opening night, a pretty much good Saturday, and a stunningly good Sunday afternoon, I'm just wiped out. I got so many nice comments on my playing, and i have gained so much experience! I was really nervous at first because the other musicians in the chamber ensemble were professionals, and the oboe and the cello were actually from the local symphony orchestra! So I was kinda under a lot of pressure, I tried to look really professional. I didn't tap my foot on stage or anything, and I managed to keep up with all the really good musicians.
And I got paid. Mwahahaha. I made good friends with the harpist, and we hope to play together sometime in the future. (She wants to do the flute and harp concerto.... If we could find an orchestra that would be too righteous).
So I had a great time, and I gained experience that will prove to be so valuable to me in the future.
Later, dudes.

Scheherazade and New Flute

*pant pant* So I don't know if I've mentioned this here, but the youth orchestra I was in all of high school is performing Scheherazade, and I'm returning as a ringer to play with them. The concert is tomorrow, or if you're reading this on Sunday the 26th of February, then the concert is today. This is something I've been dreaming about for ages, and I never thought the day would come. I begged the conductor for ages to play it, and I even played light and harmless practical jokes on him that brought the piece to his attention. I'm thrilled that I get to play it, and I think that tomorrow is going to be an amazing day. I'm playing piccolo in this concert, and Scheherazade has one of the absolute best piccolo parts.

Something else that's big is that I now am the proud owner of a college level flute. After many trials and considerations involving a good many flutes to try out, me and my teacher settled on a nice Yamaha, with a solid silver headjoint and a nifty extra trill key that makes some trills sound much better. It's a beautiful flute that will take me far, I'm excited to work with it! So shineeeeeeee.... haha.

Anyhoo, I'd better get some sleep before the concert. After I do some research for my Spain essay that is. ;)

A Day in the Life: REQUIEM!!!

I really adore the Rutter Requiem. It's really an amazing work, and I am so blessed that I get to play it- as one of my first paid gigs, too! This isn't my first paid gig, but it's the biggest opportunity I've ever had. I'm completely independent. My first time getting paid for a performance was with the youth orchestra woodwind ensemble, and we played at a fundraiser even for the Carmel Bach Festival. I think I was paid about $50? Not sure, I don't remember, haha. But we had the woodwind ensemble coach with us, watching, and I had a ton of rehearsals with the other members. This time, I have no coach, and I only have two rehearsals to get coordinated before three performances!

This is the first time I've ever had more performances of a piece than rehearsals! It's how it is in professional music, because most groups perform often enough that their rehearsal time is very limited. Now, the choir is rehearsing a lot, but they won't be ready for us until those last two rehearsals! I'm really excited because it's like my dreams are coming true, haha, that is very cheesy, I know, but you have to forgive me for it just this once. This is just the kind of thing I want to do. I know that I won't be able to make a living off gigs (not at first, anyway!), but to have these kinds of opportunities makes me happy. I feel like I'm kind of on the right track. I still have to do a LOT of learning, but I'm looking forward to learning more, so that I can keep doing this kind of thing.

I also have to perform Musica Dei Donum tomorrow for the choir's spring retreat thing, and I'm very afraid. I should probably be practicing right now, haha!
But um, it's pouring rain right now. We had 66 mph winds starting at 5 am, and it's been crazy ever since. My sister is in a really sour mood because the concert (Sibelius Violin Concerto!) we were going to go to with my boyfriend got canceled due to extreme weather conditions. We're really sad over here, lol.

Yay I'm Semi-Pro Now

Emphasis on 'semi'.
So one of the teachers at my school conducts a very high quality choir called the Camerata Singers, and they are performing two pieces by the English Composer John Rutter- his Requiem and a short piece called Musica Dei Donum. Apparently I impressed enough at the faculty and student recital in October that he asked me to play in the chamber orchestra that accompanies the choir in the Requiem! I was (and still am) very excited about the opportunity to perform with such a high quality group. It's a paid gig, too, which I wasn't expecting and only found out a few days ago when I received my part. That was a nice surprise, it'll help to pay for my college-level flute that God willing I'll be able to help my parents buy in a month or so.
Part of what makes the gig feel so professional is the part. I know that it's kind of silly, but I've been given a rental part, which means that it's actually on loan from the music library at Oxford Press! So I have to be real careful with it, it feels like such a responsibility and it feels like I'm a 'for real' musician now. :)

So the repertoire! I said what we're playing before, but I haven't gotten very in-depth. The Requiem is a very long work. In my part, there are many long periods of inactivity that have small interjections, and then there are times when I'm playing for a long time. I think that I'm going to have to be very attentive. I can't let my mind wander when I am on a rest, and there are some very tricky bits that will require a lot of work! *cough*Sanctus*cough*.
Rutter's Requiem is a very beautiful work. I haven't listened to it from start to finish, but I've heard most of it, and I am so in love, haha. I'm really happy that works like this are composed in modern times (Rutter composed this in 1984!). I'm particularly fond of the bright Sanctus, which is a hymn of praise to God. I also really like the Angus Dei, which immediately follows. The contrast between the two is great. The Santus is joyful and full of admiration, while the Agnus Dei is a solemn supplication. the Angus Dei has a lovely, lyrical flute solo at the end, which I find tricky because of the rhythms, which often include ties into other measures (that are often in different time signatures). The ties wouldn't be so bad, but nobody gives me a downbeat so I have to count, haha.

Now let's talk about the short piece that we're doing. Musica Dei Donum is, well, I've never heard a piece like it. It was written for a chorus and *gasp* solo flute! The text is in Latin (NOT a dead language after all, mwahahaha!), and it talks about how music is a gift from God. I think it's a beautiful way for me to thank Him for my music. This piece is very haunting and ethereal. The flute part (which gets a very tricky, just because of playing quietly in the high register, and some rhythmic stuff) sounds improvised and is absolutely enchanting. It phases in and out of the choir lines gracefully, and it is a real treat to hear.

I'll talk more later, I'm very tired, haha. I've been practicing pretty hard on my repertoire for this gig (mostly the Musica Dei Donum, since it's so exposed... oh my goodness), so wish me luck!

A Day in the Life: Monday, Monday, Monday

So. This is what Mondays are going to be like, huh? Ow.
I had soccer this evening, and uh, ouch, my legs, haha. I was the most useless person on the team, but at least I was running around and having some fun. The coach was, well, a coach. He yelled directions at us and made us do relay races and that kind of thing. It was fun, but also kind of a pain because it's a three hour class and the first hour is basically a crazy workout routine. I didn't know how to do some of the fancy stuff he wanted us to do on the relay races, so I ended up spinning across the room at one point, haha.

What else happened... uh, we went through music in choir... one of the other altos let me borrow a Rick Steves dvd about Spain, so I guess I can't quit because I have to return those at some point, haha.

Me and a friend played a Ravel duet, and it was fun. I really like hearing the parts lock together, because practicing a duet by yourself sounds so, well, incomplete, so it was really nice to finally play with a partner!
I'm teaching said friend Flute, also. I'm such a bad teacher he basically figured the embouchure out himself, because I wasn't really being helpful. He kinda knows the fingerings already, so I'm bringing some music next time and it'll be way more fun than playing whole notes while I shout orders.
"DEEPER BREATH"
"SUSTAIN IT!"
"ROLL IN!"
"DON'T DO THAT-, oh wait doing that actually improved the sound, ok ignore me because I clearly don't know what I'm doing haha."
I can't wait until he can play some stuff, it will be so fun! (*cough*playthisawesomeduetfortwofluteswithme*cough*)

So anyway, goodbye, lol. I'm wiped out from soccer.

A Day in the Life: The First Day After Vacation

So my school started back up today... I've got a bit on my plate, the current challenges being posed by the semester being...

-Do I really have to learn Clarinet for orchestra? This means that I'm not going to be playing flute in any kind of ensemble. Saaaad.
-How am I going to do a 20 page essay on the guitar for my Spain class? When are they even going to create the course, because this is getting a little crazy.
-I haven't started choir yet (it begins tomorrow), and I already want to quit because singing stresses me out.
-Yay music theory is still fun though.
-How am I going to survive me pre-algebra class?

I was so nervous this morning that I honestly thought I might puke. Derp. I don't know why I was so nervous. I guess it's just what I do.

So uh, short and whiny post. I just wanted to write my worries down so that in a week I can look at them and see how silly I am. It's good for you to do stuff like that, right?
Anyways, I hope you're all doing well with your school/work, or anything. :)

A Day in the Life: Metronomes... Who needs 'em?

So today I learned the importance of metronomes. Oh, all my music life people have been telling me the importance of metronomes, and I always ignored them. Why? Why would somebody as bad at counting as me reject something as helpful as a metronome? A few reasons. First, I was just lazy. I usually played through my orchestra repertoire once a day, without going over any problem spots, and then I would go straight to playing Kingdom Hearts songs on my flute for an hour. That was practice, haha. Also, the constant ticking of the metronome set off anxiety and made me nervous, and unable to play right.
But today... I was practicing Sergei Prokofiev's flute sonata, and I've been having a terrible time with that piece, allright? It is super difficult, full of awkward fingerings and insane high register gymnastics. I've been listening to the Marina Piccinini version, admiring her control and tone. She plays it with beautiful energy, and her interpretation of the piece makes it soar. However, her interpretation is also taking it way above tempo. Prokofiev's metronome marking on the music is Quarter note =80. Today I decided to actually take my teacher's advice, and I played problem spots of the sonata with the metronome. The first thing I noticed that I was actually getting way ahead of it. It was then that the sun came out and I realized that I didn't have to play it as fast as Marina Piccinini for it to sound good. In fact, this is the tempo that Prokofiev actually wanted. Most people play it faster than that, but who says that I have to take it that fast right now? When I'm older and more experienced I can tackle it at a faster tempo. For now, 80 works for me!
Working with the metronome made it easier for me to coordinate one of the most nightmarish passages in all of flute literature- the dreaded high d triplets! With a metronome, you can make it sound a little less slushy and messy, because you know when the downbeat is coming, and you can better pace your notes!

So, what is the point of this post? Using a metronome can really make your day. Give it a chance, even if you hate them, because you might be pleasantly surprised at how you play with one!

And no, the council of metronomes did not pay me off for this post.

A Day in the Life: Stuff I'm Working on in Flute

So more stuff has been thrown into my face by the world of music majoring.
Turns out, most of the schools I've been looking at require this sonata for flute and piano by this Monsieur Poulenc fellow, and it's a nice piece, I like it, but what madman makes you slur rapidly to and fro on E and C in the third octave? WHO?!??!?!
So I've got that to work on, though I'm not seriously grinding on it until I meet with my teacher and again and get an opinion from her.

Next up is something my teacher asked me to start in January, and since it's January I just printed out the first movement of... the Jaques Ibert flute concerto. Because nothing says ENTERING conservatory like playing a piece that you need to have GRADUATED to have the skills to even attempt! Ahem.

I think that I'm actually a little worn out, because I just busted my wrists fine-tuning on the Chaminade Concertino. I'm really far along on that piece, been seeing some real improvement and all that, but um... fine tuning is one of the hardest parts of learning a piece. I'm trying to get these bumps and missed notes and weird fingerings all sorted out and it's just very hard. I'm going to whine in my emo corner now.

[whines in emo corner]

Okay, I'm back. So what's on the menu for my fluting life this semester? Because, yikes the semester starts in eleven days. So what am I doing this semester?

1. Scheherazade (Playin' the piccolo part! It's so fun!)
2. Chaminade Concertino (Why are these fingerings like this?)
3. Prokofiev Sonata, Mvt. 1 (This one is kicking my butt, I am very sad)
4. Ibert Concerto (Are that many flats even ethical??)
5. Poulenc Sonata (Who slurs like that?)
6. Trying not to suffocate and die while playing the Midsummer Night's Dream excerpt

On the bright side, I can definitely see myself playing the Chaminade very soon in the future. I think I'll have it down soon enough. I also am very excited because in college we're going to play the ENTIRE 8th Symphony by Dvorak. I just hope I still get to be 1st chair! I've been spoiled this semester, haha. I'm also kind of excited because I was asked to play along with a choir in a performance of John Rutter's Requiem! I hope that works out! My schedule is crazy this semester, but I really want to have time for the things that music is really all about- namely, performing.

Hope you are all doing well! Enjoy this recording of the Requiem I hopefully get to play with the choir, haha!

I found a Russian piece...

...Well, in all fairness, my teacher suggested this to me ages ago, but didn't specify what movement I should play. So I spent a really long time moping around before I finally picked one.
So anyways, I decided to play 'April' from Tchaikovsky's The Seasons.
I kind of wonder why it's called The Seasons though, I mean, there's one for every month, doesn't that make it "The Months" instead? ANYWAYS!
So this piece is very pretty, and I think I might be able to learn it... maybe. Hopefully it'll boost my skills.
Tchaikovsky's The Seasons is really a lovely piano suite, and it's too bad that nobody really knows about it. The movement I chose, April, has the subtitle 'Snowdrop', which is a kind of flower. It's a lovely mental image to keep in mind as you play the piece!