This semester, I am in a woodwind technique and pedagogy class.
Today, I had a playing test for flute and clarinet. I'm glad I play percussion.
I can't wait to see the Lincoln High School drumline.
Piano lessons are the jam... I really hope to become a virtuostic player.
SPEAKING of virutuosity, I am planning on competing at PASIC in november in the snare solo competition...I really have to attack that. I'm not doing anything but shooting for the top. Should be fun! But, I really don't have much time to get the solo ready. We'll see how this goes! Maybe I'll post a video or something.
Tartuffe at CSP: October 21-24
Monday, September 27, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hope!
You know,
Drummers aren't the only people who are responsible for tempo.
I want to be masterful, and unnoticed as a player. How awesome would that be? I'd support anyone in the group who wanted the limelight. I'd just want the groove to be perfect.
Or, if I'm playing marimba, I want to be liquid smooth. Those notes will ring more than when anyone else plays on that instrument.
Or, if I'm playing snare drum, meticulously drilled rhythms that anyone can read.
Or, if I'm teaching a group, I want those kids to understand and acheive what I've experienced, which is quite alot, but never complete.
Music changes, ideas change. The constant is that I want to keep attaining the highest level possible. I don't think that people around me understand that. I just wish that I could exist in a world where opportunity is simple. Even in the littlest things!! I know that I can grow! I'm not sure if I quite understand every team of players that I play with, but I know I can hear their music well, and adjust accordingly. But, if they're not going for it? It's hard to find a balance then.
Go for it!!! Please! Anyone! When you get the chance to see from someone else's perspective, potential is a shifting thing. It alters with the situation, definitely. Sometimes it's easy to just find "it" and other times you REALLY have to be pushing and striving for unity and control.
This semester I'm involved in:
-Christus Choir
-Concert Band
-Percussion Ensemble
-Guitar Class
-Woodwind/String Methods
-Private percussion, voice, and piano lessons.
I need to practice myself for all of these things separately. It's alot. Add in a theatre show with a big role. And a fantastic girlfriend, and you have quite the memories to create in the next few months. I want to go for it. There isn't much holding me back besides time.
And I'm gonna keep good time. Solid as a rock.
Drummers aren't the only people who are responsible for tempo.
I want to be masterful, and unnoticed as a player. How awesome would that be? I'd support anyone in the group who wanted the limelight. I'd just want the groove to be perfect.
Or, if I'm playing marimba, I want to be liquid smooth. Those notes will ring more than when anyone else plays on that instrument.
Or, if I'm playing snare drum, meticulously drilled rhythms that anyone can read.
Or, if I'm teaching a group, I want those kids to understand and acheive what I've experienced, which is quite alot, but never complete.
Music changes, ideas change. The constant is that I want to keep attaining the highest level possible. I don't think that people around me understand that. I just wish that I could exist in a world where opportunity is simple. Even in the littlest things!! I know that I can grow! I'm not sure if I quite understand every team of players that I play with, but I know I can hear their music well, and adjust accordingly. But, if they're not going for it? It's hard to find a balance then.
Go for it!!! Please! Anyone! When you get the chance to see from someone else's perspective, potential is a shifting thing. It alters with the situation, definitely. Sometimes it's easy to just find "it" and other times you REALLY have to be pushing and striving for unity and control.
This semester I'm involved in:
-Christus Choir
-Concert Band
-Percussion Ensemble
-Guitar Class
-Woodwind/String Methods
-Private percussion, voice, and piano lessons.
I need to practice myself for all of these things separately. It's alot. Add in a theatre show with a big role. And a fantastic girlfriend, and you have quite the memories to create in the next few months. I want to go for it. There isn't much holding me back besides time.
And I'm gonna keep good time. Solid as a rock.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Intensifying my deficiency...
Well, I have a wonderful opportunity as a substitute for a community orchestra in the area. I jumped at the chance, of course, and have been excited about it. And the solitary rehearsal that I've been to has been decent, too. We are playing Hanson and Debussy, and I'm playing about 6 crescendo'ed rolls on one and a decent tambourine part in the other. It was fun to work with an unfamiliar conductor, play new and challenging pieces, and also meet some warm-hearted musicians. I have one more rehearsal and then the performance next weekend.
The day of the rehearsal though, me and my friend AJ drove down to St. Olaf to attend a free concert. The band just spent a week in Japan, and they had a hefty repertoire consisting of half American-influenced and half Japanese pieces. They were phenomenal--I haven't seen a live band in a long time, and I was very pleased. I knew a percussionist in the group, they had been working on the pieces for awhile, and had performed at 5 or so concerts half way around the world. Each half of the performance was about 50 minutes, but I was definitely engaged for the whole time. The first included John Williams and Maslanka, and I adored the latter. The second half was basically all Japanese composers that I haven't been exposed to, but they had a great mix of traditional and extremely modern Japanese musical ideas and themes. Of course, they ended with the university staple "Amazing Grace" and an audience-applauding "Stars and Stripes forever." It was a great night.
I miss playing in the back of a large ensemble like that. It's been well over half a year. Sure, I'll cherish the community orchestra! That's been great so far. But I want to have to nail a crash at the end of a rallentando. I want to play the pianissimo bass drum notes that you can only feel, not even hear.
The high school winter drumline that I'm instructing is really going well so far. They had their first competitive show that I've seen, at the home school, and they went out strong. This was tough, considering that they just put the end of one section with the drill this morning. I really enjoy the size of the ensemble, and the kids are expectant and enthusiastic. Pretty soon they're going to be freakishly consistent, too. It's going to be a really exciting second half of the season. I would have killed to have performed a show today, though. I have done many competitions at this same school, and it was pretty nostalgic to be back there for a competition.
I dunno, I guess I just have to be a little bit more patient! I definitely have a lot on my plate in other areas of my life.
The day of the rehearsal though, me and my friend AJ drove down to St. Olaf to attend a free concert. The band just spent a week in Japan, and they had a hefty repertoire consisting of half American-influenced and half Japanese pieces. They were phenomenal--I haven't seen a live band in a long time, and I was very pleased. I knew a percussionist in the group, they had been working on the pieces for awhile, and had performed at 5 or so concerts half way around the world. Each half of the performance was about 50 minutes, but I was definitely engaged for the whole time. The first included John Williams and Maslanka, and I adored the latter. The second half was basically all Japanese composers that I haven't been exposed to, but they had a great mix of traditional and extremely modern Japanese musical ideas and themes. Of course, they ended with the university staple "Amazing Grace" and an audience-applauding "Stars and Stripes forever." It was a great night.
I miss playing in the back of a large ensemble like that. It's been well over half a year. Sure, I'll cherish the community orchestra! That's been great so far. But I want to have to nail a crash at the end of a rallentando. I want to play the pianissimo bass drum notes that you can only feel, not even hear.
The high school winter drumline that I'm instructing is really going well so far. They had their first competitive show that I've seen, at the home school, and they went out strong. This was tough, considering that they just put the end of one section with the drill this morning. I really enjoy the size of the ensemble, and the kids are expectant and enthusiastic. Pretty soon they're going to be freakishly consistent, too. It's going to be a really exciting second half of the season. I would have killed to have performed a show today, though. I have done many competitions at this same school, and it was pretty nostalgic to be back there for a competition.
I dunno, I guess I just have to be a little bit more patient! I definitely have a lot on my plate in other areas of my life.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Back into it
OK, ok, it's definitely time to update.
I'm so very glad that the semester started. I had a wonderful break, but it wasn't filled with many musical opportunities. That's just fine.
However, a huge highlight of my break was getting back into drum corps land and going to the first music camp at Phantom Regiment. I couldn't attend the audition camp because of the Christmas Concerts here at Concordia, but that was dismissed because it was a school activity. Drum corps is an eerie thing because you live and breathe and make music together for such a long, rigorous time, and then you leave and go home after 3 months. Well, I usually don't get to see any of my friends until the camps...some I honestly won't ever see again. And I had to wait a whole month longer. That was a painful thing, it really was.
Regardless of the social aspect, I really needed to PLAY. There is a deficiency of sorts for me at school--I was able to play in symphonic band everyday in high school, along with honor bands, drumline year-round, teaching lessons, etc. and I haven't had the schedule-clogging events that I'm used to. So, a weekend full of snare drumming is definitely good for me.
Ok, I need to interrupt myself. The reason why I'm talking about the first camp is because I'm going to the second one tomorrow... I'm just ready.
And what shot me into being so excited was an extraordinary night of drumming with a praise and worship band last night. I've been stressed out with the new-fangled theatre world (I'm double cast! eek! that's for later, though), new classes, and other things in my life. I wasn't having a very enthusiastic day. But, I sat on the stool and just went for it. I drummed how I wanted to drum, and it was such a relaxing burn within me. Oh, I'm not the most efficient drum set drummer, but I allowed myself to just play. I hadn't ever done that with a band before. In my own practicing, sure, but WOW. That's the reason why people get hooked into things. I was musically patient or aggressive when I needed to be, I waited for the right moments and directly drove time and energy. It just felt good.
The great thing is, I feel like I'm getting to the point where I can unlock that experience in snare drumming whenever I want to. I'm going to try that out this weekend. I don't have to worry about classes or anything. I'm just going to drum. Those couple milliseconds of contact are going to be filled to the brim with clarity. A clean snareline doesn't just have more volume, it also has an incredible substantial impact. It's never to early to reach for that. That'll make the summer that much easier. And harder, of course, especially when you want to shrink those milliseconds.
Man, I'm so glad I can just talk about drumming, and music. There is so much to dissect and perfect.
Ah!
This weekend will be wonderful.
I'm so very glad that the semester started. I had a wonderful break, but it wasn't filled with many musical opportunities. That's just fine.
However, a huge highlight of my break was getting back into drum corps land and going to the first music camp at Phantom Regiment. I couldn't attend the audition camp because of the Christmas Concerts here at Concordia, but that was dismissed because it was a school activity. Drum corps is an eerie thing because you live and breathe and make music together for such a long, rigorous time, and then you leave and go home after 3 months. Well, I usually don't get to see any of my friends until the camps...some I honestly won't ever see again. And I had to wait a whole month longer. That was a painful thing, it really was.
Regardless of the social aspect, I really needed to PLAY. There is a deficiency of sorts for me at school--I was able to play in symphonic band everyday in high school, along with honor bands, drumline year-round, teaching lessons, etc. and I haven't had the schedule-clogging events that I'm used to. So, a weekend full of snare drumming is definitely good for me.
Ok, I need to interrupt myself. The reason why I'm talking about the first camp is because I'm going to the second one tomorrow... I'm just ready.
And what shot me into being so excited was an extraordinary night of drumming with a praise and worship band last night. I've been stressed out with the new-fangled theatre world (I'm double cast! eek! that's for later, though), new classes, and other things in my life. I wasn't having a very enthusiastic day. But, I sat on the stool and just went for it. I drummed how I wanted to drum, and it was such a relaxing burn within me. Oh, I'm not the most efficient drum set drummer, but I allowed myself to just play. I hadn't ever done that with a band before. In my own practicing, sure, but WOW. That's the reason why people get hooked into things. I was musically patient or aggressive when I needed to be, I waited for the right moments and directly drove time and energy. It just felt good.
The great thing is, I feel like I'm getting to the point where I can unlock that experience in snare drumming whenever I want to. I'm going to try that out this weekend. I don't have to worry about classes or anything. I'm just going to drum. Those couple milliseconds of contact are going to be filled to the brim with clarity. A clean snareline doesn't just have more volume, it also has an incredible substantial impact. It's never to early to reach for that. That'll make the summer that much easier. And harder, of course, especially when you want to shrink those milliseconds.
Man, I'm so glad I can just talk about drumming, and music. There is so much to dissect and perfect.
Ah!
This weekend will be wonderful.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Performance outside of Percussion
Since my last post, I've done alot of vocal performance, and also preparing for my first night of acting (which is actually TONIGHT!!). So, I've been digging into the transitions that accompany
"switching gears" from life outside of the performance to the show itself.
It's odd.
During the summers, this doesn't necessarily work. Being in the Phantom Regiment envelops your entire life, so preparation for the show is smooth and almost care-free because ALL day is rehearsal of the finished product. Of course, the performance is special and unique, but it's not a difficult change of pace or mindset when you only have to put on a uniform.
However, I've been continuing the process of becoming a character (actually, 2 different characters for 2 different short, one-act student directed shows), and its been vastly different. Before a scheduled rehearsal, I've been at classes, taking a nap, doing homework, or whatever, and then switching gears led me to learn a few things that are consistent and over-arching in any performance. I think that the most important and effective aspect is to just DO it! I really have had troubles aggressively jumping into whatever character. The thing is, NO ONE, the director, or fellow actors care about what I've just been doing until this point. They all showed up, just like me, to make something happen right away. There shouldn't have to be a warm-up. Mentally, yes, preparation is necessary. But, they want to tweak and alter the show, not individuals. This comes together with a paradoxical idea that, the show isn't about a single person, but that there is a perfect groove for each character that influences everything else about the performance, especially the plot and character development. So, energy, awareness, and passion all synergize together for something to happen outside of one person, and it then is cast out onto everyone else. Another eye-opening epiphany is that the audience is paying attention. I never realized just how loud laughter is, and what I had been doing when I go to see a show. On the other side of the fence, then, it's very important to use it, and more often then not, manipulate it into something else.
Whatever. Tonight, I don't have to think about any of this. The only things that I have to think about are Guy and Axel Magee, and that's only at their respective times. Easy! I'm excited to see where this leads me in the future. Seriously, this whole process has been awesome!
Here goes nothin'! And everything, really.
"switching gears" from life outside of the performance to the show itself.
It's odd.
During the summers, this doesn't necessarily work. Being in the Phantom Regiment envelops your entire life, so preparation for the show is smooth and almost care-free because ALL day is rehearsal of the finished product. Of course, the performance is special and unique, but it's not a difficult change of pace or mindset when you only have to put on a uniform.
However, I've been continuing the process of becoming a character (actually, 2 different characters for 2 different short, one-act student directed shows), and its been vastly different. Before a scheduled rehearsal, I've been at classes, taking a nap, doing homework, or whatever, and then switching gears led me to learn a few things that are consistent and over-arching in any performance. I think that the most important and effective aspect is to just DO it! I really have had troubles aggressively jumping into whatever character. The thing is, NO ONE, the director, or fellow actors care about what I've just been doing until this point. They all showed up, just like me, to make something happen right away. There shouldn't have to be a warm-up. Mentally, yes, preparation is necessary. But, they want to tweak and alter the show, not individuals. This comes together with a paradoxical idea that, the show isn't about a single person, but that there is a perfect groove for each character that influences everything else about the performance, especially the plot and character development. So, energy, awareness, and passion all synergize together for something to happen outside of one person, and it then is cast out onto everyone else. Another eye-opening epiphany is that the audience is paying attention. I never realized just how loud laughter is, and what I had been doing when I go to see a show. On the other side of the fence, then, it's very important to use it, and more often then not, manipulate it into something else.
Whatever. Tonight, I don't have to think about any of this. The only things that I have to think about are Guy and Axel Magee, and that's only at their respective times. Easy! I'm excited to see where this leads me in the future. Seriously, this whole process has been awesome!
Here goes nothin'! And everything, really.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Some thought(s)
I like the whole acting thing. My only prior experience included auditioning for The Sound of Music during my sophomore year of high school and...not getting a part at all. But now, I'm trying something new, and loving it. Here at CSP, I auditioned for the student-directed one act plays, and I'm cast in two of them. Tonight, I was able to see a full production of one of the plays, Some Girl(s). It's quite the learning tool to be in the audience's perspective, especially because I have only been thinking about what I was doing as a character. Also, relaxing and watching the whole thing take place was great--it put the individual scene that I'm working on into quite the perspective, especially because I could understand the timeline and context of the play. I saw things that I liked and didn't like, things that I thought were especially impactful or maybe even overdone. I also enjoyed having background knowledge about what I was about to go see. Learning encompasses a whole range of the experience--before, during, and after--and it all is combined into a memory that can be used for something outside of that single experience.
It didn't help that it was "pay what you can night" at the theatre, either! Pretty sweet evening, if you ask me.
It didn't help that it was "pay what you can night" at the theatre, either! Pretty sweet evening, if you ask me.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Music-ordering mayhem
Over Thanksgiving break, next Wednesday, I'm supposed to be videoed playing 25 snare solos that my lesson teacher from back home assigns to every lesson student. I've played them all before, but somehow I have lost the book. So, I venture out to a music store in the area to buy it, because they don't have it in stock. Not a big deal!
Well, I placed the order 2 weeks ago...I was concerned that the order wasn't placed because I hadn't received a confirmation call, so I went on Thursday to the store. They said that they JUST put the order in yesterday, and the company that they get music from doesn't subscribe to the publisher of the book I need. I was a little flustered by this, so I asked them to cancel my order and I would just order the book off of the Internet.
So, back at campus I load up my computer and I navigate to a premier percussion provider, and I order the book. Easy! Simple! Why didn't I do that in the first place, I ask myself.
Everything was fine and dandy, and I believed the matter to be done with. I'm comfortable with the music anyway, but I just need to make sure I can play everything well enough for people to be educated from. Well, I learn from the shipping company via email notification that the book won't arrive to my mailing address at school until...wednesday. Just my luck! I'm going to be home by then, hopefully recording said solos! I called my lesson teacher and he said that I would be fine. I'm going to be home by Tuesday night, so I'll just have to stay up a little later preparing.
I guess it's not that big of a deal, but I just want to make sure that the solos go well. The recording is being made for other players to understand what they're playing, so the notes have to be basically perfect. I like that sort of pressure in performance or anything. It's not about me as a snare drummer, but through me others can learn that a) the solos are acheivable an b) that they are enjoyable to play. That's why I'm frustrated with not having the book right now. But, when that camera begins recording next week, I'm going to be ready to play! That's all that matters.
Only 2 days of classes this week, and then a well-deserved break. It's going to rock!
Well, I placed the order 2 weeks ago...I was concerned that the order wasn't placed because I hadn't received a confirmation call, so I went on Thursday to the store. They said that they JUST put the order in yesterday, and the company that they get music from doesn't subscribe to the publisher of the book I need. I was a little flustered by this, so I asked them to cancel my order and I would just order the book off of the Internet.
So, back at campus I load up my computer and I navigate to a premier percussion provider, and I order the book. Easy! Simple! Why didn't I do that in the first place, I ask myself.
Everything was fine and dandy, and I believed the matter to be done with. I'm comfortable with the music anyway, but I just need to make sure I can play everything well enough for people to be educated from. Well, I learn from the shipping company via email notification that the book won't arrive to my mailing address at school until...wednesday. Just my luck! I'm going to be home by then, hopefully recording said solos! I called my lesson teacher and he said that I would be fine. I'm going to be home by Tuesday night, so I'll just have to stay up a little later preparing.
I guess it's not that big of a deal, but I just want to make sure that the solos go well. The recording is being made for other players to understand what they're playing, so the notes have to be basically perfect. I like that sort of pressure in performance or anything. It's not about me as a snare drummer, but through me others can learn that a) the solos are acheivable an b) that they are enjoyable to play. That's why I'm frustrated with not having the book right now. But, when that camera begins recording next week, I'm going to be ready to play! That's all that matters.
Only 2 days of classes this week, and then a well-deserved break. It's going to rock!
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