Since We've Been Doing Improv..

Yo, since we've been doing a ton of improvising and this rotation is almost over, here is a list of things to remember in case you forget!
http://blog.discmakers.com/2012/02/11-improvisation-tips-to-help-you-make-music-in-the-moment/

Beyond Practicing

Thanks to this blog, I've signed up to receive emails from Bulletproof Musician, a great website that provides articles about everything music. Since subscribing, I've gotten a couple interesting emails, but this one stood out the most to me. In the email was a link to an article about "Beyond Practicing".

Beyond Practicing is a home-study course that helps musicians figure out the best way to bring their musical capabilities to a performance. It acknowledges the disconnect many musicians face between the low-stress practice room and the anxiety-ridden, shaking fingers reality of being on stage with an audience. The course itself seems really helpful, although it also costs money to take. If you're interested, I'll leave the link for anyone to check out the course. If nothing else, check out the article describing the course, because I found it very interesting.

One thing that stood out to me in the article was that the creator of the program, Dr. Noa Kageyama, is a sport and performance psychologist. He started as a musician, attending Julliard for performance, but now he focuses on the psychology of performance in musical and athletic situations. I think it's really interesting that he draws a line of connection between music and sports. Often we discredit the similarities because many musicians don't consider themselves athletic. In reality, the two are similar pursuits of passion and performance.

Sorry this post kind of went in two directions! Feel free to comment on either portion, Beyond Practicing or the connection between sports and music.
http://my.bulletproofmusician.com/beyond-practicing-2/

Why (classical) Music?

Another reiteration of the conversation of the context of classical music in the context of society. 
PLEASE WATCH THIS TED TALK IF YOU HAVE THE TIME, IT'S SO WORTH IT.

Classical music is for everyone because it is usually simple and universal, the subjects of classical music are usually something everybody can relate to - a belief in god, longing for a lost relative or friend and etc. But just because classical music is relatable does not mean that classical music is not complicated. It is extremely complicated and the basis upon which modern music has been created. Everything is relatable. In fact, we relate meaning to practically everything in order to feel connected to the Universe and not to feel so small and insignificant.

This Ted Talk nearly brought me to tears. While we often focus on the intrinsic and admirable relatability of music (important for the sake of not isolating future audiences), it is easy to forget the intimate, yet powerful quality classical music does have.

Anthony Hopkins Did What?

One day as I was perusing the internet I found this incredible video. André Rieu & His Johann Strauss Orchestra performed "And The Waltz Goes On" in Maastricht. A Waltz composed by Sir Anthony Hopkins. Taken from "André Rieu - Under the Stars. Live in Maastricht 5." For those who do not know Anthony Hopkins is a famous movie actor and has stared in multiple world renowned films.

For example,
Silence of the Lambs
Hannibal
Elephant Man
Meet Joe Black.... etc

As the video shows the orchestra brings to life the idea that Sir Anthony Hopkins composed when he was in his early twenties. He did not know that the orchestra was going to play it!  He had always loved music but never felt like he could pursue it. This piece shows how the average person can have such a beautiful musical impact. I truly believe that every person has certain musical gifts and should always feel that they can use them.

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

Kids,TV and Music

I have made one of my "Aunt" duties to make sure my niece and nephew grow up with a lot of music knowledge. My 4 year old nephew used to use a pencil and a shoe to practice violin when I practiced. I also spent quite a bit of time with him on my hip while playing the violin because he liked to help (yes, I understand this probably was not the safest but how could I resist my little nephew!). Even if I didn't try to do my part to expose Micah and Eden to music, kids these days seem to have plenty of easy ways to get exposure.

I'm just going to touch on one example- TV. I have to say, I don't mind baby sitting when my sister lets the kids watch TV because the music on shows these days is fantastic! My favorite that Eden and Micah watch is The Backyardigans because they sing in four part harmony!

Then you have Sesame Street. The children who watch Sesame Street and absorb what they see are the type of future musicians I would want in a music school, especially a 21CM program. From Usher to Rihanna, Lang Lang and Itzhak Perlman to Pentatonix, children are being exposed to the diverse styles of music that we encourage in our 21CM program at DePauw.
So much of what I have been learning in Psychology this semester is about observational learning and that is why I find certain children's television to be very positive. Just something as simple as watching some TV can actually be making great future musicians.

I know this is a random, funny post but I thought I'd share a little Pentatonix (the kids version!) Because of this Micah can beatbox. I didn't even know what beatboxing was at four. Sesame Street is amazing I tell you.

I have this song memorized because its the only thing that calmed my niece down during Winter Term.

                                         

How to "Crowdfund"

I know a lot of us are interested in doing summer music programs throughout our college careers, but they're so dang expensive, so it's hard for many of us to find the means to do these programs. "Crowdfunding" (like GoFundMe for example) is a way that some people raise the money they need for these programs. This link has useful information on how to successfully crowdfund, which is extremely helpful.

I also have one question for everyone:

I have never set up a GoFundMe account or anything like that to pay for summer programs because I personally feel guilty just asking people for money - over the internet or at all. What are your opinions on the process of raising money by crowdfunding?

http://majoringinmusic.com/crowdfunding-summer-music/

SURPRISE!!

I'm so disappointed that not once in my life have I run into a random place and been surprised by one of those flash mobs of classic pieces like Beethoven 9 or Carmina Burana. This article talks about the mainstream phenomenon that flash mobs in public places. I'm curious, have any of you guys experienced one of these before? Or even participated?

Also, check out this amazing O Fortuna flash mob, makes me so happy!

Getting Yourself Out There

I often find myself thinking about how I will get my name out there and how I will gets job offers and audiences. This article talks about some ways to get yourself out there. It could address CD's, concerts, art work, and all of those kind of things and how you get people to come see you/get to know you/buy your art work/buy you CDs. Just a few pointers that I thought were important.

For M 4/6 (comment required)

A quick summary of our start-of-class discussion on Friday:

Improvisation manifests itself in many ways in many musical cultures. In Western Euro-American culture, improvisation was a central element of what we now call "classical" music for centuries, diminishing in the second half of the nineteenth century and the twentieth century to the point that by the post-WW II era it was nearly forgotten by classical musicians, except for organists and those new-music specialists who played avant-garde music that was not fully notated. 

Improvisation was and is at the heart of jazz, and improvisation exists to varying degrees in rock, pop, and folk music. But look back, and you'll discover that especially in the music we now call "Baroque" (1600-1750), improvisation was at least equally valued as were compositions in performances.

Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt we remember today for their compositions, but in their time they were renowned for their improvisational abilities. In the Baroque era, much music was not fully notated. Keyboard parts in vocal and instrumental ensemble music were rarely written out; keyboard players would have only a bass line and chord symbols and were expected to be able to fill out the parts, just as musicians in jazz, pop, and rock are expected to be able to play from chord charts today. 

Today, people improvise music for a variety of purposes:

• As a performance art (i.e., playing or singing music that is completely or partly improvised for an audience, in a setting that makes a distinction between performers and audience members).
  
• As a way of self-expression, interpersonal connection, and personal and group growth and development. We have experienced this with our self-led drum circles that use improvised rhythms and are exploring this with pitched instruments and voices.
  
• As a way of exploring and learning: improvising to work on keeping a pulse, on being aware of others making music with you, or to experiment with a musical idea or structure (such as an interval, dynamics, a particular technique, etc.).

These purposes can and do coexist, of course. Quite obviously, we can express ourselves and connect with others when performing! And we are constantly learning. 

This weekend, let's reflect on and discuss in the comments below your experience with improvisation so far, whether in class or elsewhere, especially how you have (or haven't) used improvising in performance, as a way of expressing yourself and connecting with others, and as a way of learning. (Have you every done exercises in theory or musicianship classes that had an improvised element?)

Just as importantly, how do you want to grow as a person and musician as we have our last two sessions together (both of which will focus largely on improvisation activities, in addition to more discussion of the New Yorker article).  

The writing prompt:

1. Describe improvisation experiences you have had in class or elsewhere using the this idea that there are three main focuses: performing for an audience, self-expression/connection/growth, and learning through experimentation.
   
2. Discuss how you want to grow as we have our final sessions.  

I strongly encourage you to do some improvisation on your own or with others between now and Monday's class!

BLACK METAL: Don't show this one to the kids.

So...accidentally found this on you tube. I am not suggesting you listen to all of it, just maybe the first minute or so, The creepy dark people who created this music manage to activate some very worrisome emotions for me personally. 

Specifically, what sounds do you hear that provoke an image or situation? What makes the overall sound dark and suggestively "evil".

The water slushing behind the constant buzz really gets me...I think about the scene from The Never Ending Story when the boy is slugging through he mud with the horse who sadly doesn't make it out alive. 

The main reason I posted this is because the music in this album utilizes unlikely sounds heard in nature that most music today completely ignores. The sounds of nature play a huge role in how music existed before the evolution of man/creation (whatever you believe). 

Naps ARE important!

Being a music student is mentally and physically exhausting. However, I think there's two types of people when it comes to dealing with this exhausted.

You have...

• Those people who end up on DePauw Naps by falling asleep in a pod in bum alley

OR

• Those people who take 3+ espresso shots and also get a large coffee or caffeinated drink from Cafe Allegro throughout the day

So which one are you?

This article is just some food for thought if you're stuck trying to decided between the two. 

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/naps-vs-coffee-which-is-a-better-choice-for-the-sleep-deprived-musician/

What kinds of breaks do you take?

A week ago, this article popped up on Facebook:

http://www.bulletproofmusician.com/pre-performance-apathy-or-the-importance-of-mentally-disengaging-from-work-and-practice/

I really like the phrase "intentionally disengaging" from work, as opposed to impulsively disengaging or not disengaging at all and then burning out from exhaustion.

I've noticed over this year that there are several different kinds of practice breaks, some better and some worse than others. 

At the beginning of first semester, I took very frequent "I don't want to practice" breaks. I made myself get up early in the morning, and instead of practicing, I would much rather sleep (because I hadn't made provisions to get a good night's sleep the night before, only to wake up early). Or when I was awake, my breaks were more of the "I'd rather scroll through Facebook than practice" sort. Or "I'd rather talk to people" sort. The forced aspect of my practicing meant that I didn't have any ideas for what to practice or motivation to figure out hard parts-- I just wanted to log practice time, and I would take a break if I ran out of ideas or came to a trouble spot. 

Then there are unpreventable breaks: bathroom breaks, snack breaks, someone pops their head into your practice room to change a rehearsal time or just to say hi (hopefully not to chat for too long) causing you to pause... these are necessary but often distracting, so if I end up taking one of these sorts of breaks, I try to remember where I left off and continue from there. 

The best kinds of breaks are the ones where you "intentionally disengage." Maybe your arm/embouchure/entire body is a little weary or tight. Maybe you just can't figure out how to fix a problem. Maybe you don't know what to do next because you've run out of ideas. Or maybe you've just been practicing or will practice for a long time, in which case, you need to take a break to recharge and keep your mental and physical energy up to go for a longer stretch of time. I love these kinds of breaks because they give you a rest to regain energy and be capable of (and hopefully eager to) continue practicing. Lately I've been "intentionally disengaging" more, and I've found that I've been a lot more focused, relaxed, and productive while practicing.

What do you all think about taking breaks?