Congratulations on Your November Concert! 11/29/2009
I thank each of you for your excellent progress and work towards the performance last week! I can hardly believe it has been a week since the last concert. I have received many fantastic comments from people in the audience about how well you played with the soloists, how you opened with the energy of the Star Wars suite, and how well the Mozart and Holst sounded. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Now, I’m already working hard preparing for the next concert. I’ve received a couple questions from students and coaches about what we will be doing in the next few weeks. The Plan for the Next Few Weeks November 30 – December 14, we will do some sight-reading and also read through the Composition Competition submissions. I’m impressed by the quality of the pieces we will try. All who are available should be at these rehearsals. Also, we’re working (through the music selections committee) on selecting the materials and pieces that will complement the potential Composition Competition winner and a piece called “Orkney Wedding with Sunrise,” a piece by Peter Maxwell Davies, a contemporary British composer that depicts a scene after a wedding held on the islands of Northern Scotland. Oh, and it will feature that quintessential orchestral instrument, the bagpipe. I thank each of you for your excellent progress and work towards the performance last week! I can hardly believe it has been a week since the last concert. I have received many fantastic comments from people in the audience about how well you played with the soloists, how you opened with the energy of the Star Wars suite, and how well the Mozart and Holst sounded. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Now, I’m already working hard preparing for the next concert. I’ve received a couple questions from students and coaches about what we will be doing in the next few weeks. The Plan for the Next Few Weeks November 30 – December 14, we will do some sight-reading and also read through the Composition Competition submissions. I’m impressed by the quality of the pieces we will try. All who are available should be at these rehearsals. Also, we’re working (through the music selections committee) on selecting the materials and pieces that will complement the potential Composition Competition winner and a piece called “Orkney Wedding with Sunrise,” a piece by Peter Maxwell Davies, a contemporary British composer that depicts a scene after a wedding held on the islands of Northern Scotland. Oh, and it will feature that quintessential orchestral instrument, the bagpipe. Bloomington Area Arts Council Fund Raiser The Bloomington Area Arts Council, which rents office space for our operations, will host a fundraiser dinner and split the proceeds between the BAAC and MAYO. We will provide entertainment for the evening. For more information, check out http://www.bloomingtonarts.info/Public/Calendar/performance.asp?PerfID=30055 The BAAC has changed the original time, setting it for 6:30pm, rather than 3p which is on our calendar. Those invited to perform include: Brian Allen, Misha Sanderson, Yaba Tuffour, Jake Woollen, Matt McConahy, Josh Clampitt, Jennifer Brohphy, Moonju Lee, Adam Nichols, Maya Fraser. Winter Break We will have a break for winter beginning with December 21 and ending January 10 Spring Semester Rehearsals We will resume rehearsals on January 11. On January 11, we will prepare the compositions for the following week. Community members are also invited to attend that rehearsal to listen to and vote for their favorite Composition Competition piece, the winner of which will be performed at our concert which is tentatively planned for April 10, 2010. You will also get to vote for your favorite, too. Spring Concert The Spring Concert is on our web calendar tentatively planned for April 10, 2010. We have won a grant to perform at the historic Buskirk-Chumley Theater in downtown Bloomington. We will hope to have a firm date as soon as we sign a contract with the theater. We really wish to thank the board for their efforts on our behalf in securing this grant. It is truly a blessing for us when we are competing for space with all the high school theater Spring productions. Push Ourselves for Our Personal Best! 11/18/2009
I loved your work. I feel you are making huge improvements this season and you should be proud. I see and hear how hard you've worked for this concert and I'm so happy with the results. Here's what's going to happen on Sunday: Noon: Set-up the stage. (I will need some help with this task. Please e-mail me at jose@mayomusic.org if you are able to help early.) 1:00 Warm-up and excellent tuning. 1:15 Elgar 1:40 Zigeunerweisen 2:00 Touching on spots in Holst. 2:30 Go back to BHSN Band rehearsal room to finalize tuning The concert starts at 3. Dress: Women: Black tops, Black bottoms, black shoes Men: Black/Dark suits, white shirts, long black tie, black socks, slack shoes. Please come to rehearsal already dressed. I'm looking forward to Sunday's concert with you! One more big push! 11/11/2009
Yes! This is the final rehearsal leading up to the concert! Here's what the week should look like for us. Let me see, aside from practicing your parts every day, we'll be doing the following: One down, Two to go! 11/03/2009
It’s Crunch Time! We’re down to the final two rehearsals. Prepare for these to both last from 6:30 – 9:30. We will have a warm-up on Sunday, November 22 at 1:00 p.m., just for a little while before the concert. Please come early to start your warm-up and tuning. Blog Readership Down Hmmm. It looks like only six people read the blog. Is that real? I sure hope more than that read it. We rely on this as a communication tool. Well, for last week, I owe a chocolate bar to Jung Min Lee. Congratulations! And, Adam Nichols will have to collect his chocolate from the previous week, too. It may be most convenient for you may be to simply leave a comment at the top of this page. Please Work on this Practice StrategyPlease take time to listen to the Zigeunerweisen and the Elgar Cello Concerto in e minor, 4th movement with your music in front of you. Follow the music as you listen so you can get a feeling for how your part fits with the music you will hear the soloist play. There is a T-Shirt PollPlease go to the Polls menu (on the left) and vote for your preference regarding a potential trip in the Spring 2010 to the West Coast, a potential tour in lieu of i-MAYO 2011, a summer session working with a musical theater group, and your favorite T-shirt design! Rehearsal Order: 6:30 Mozart 7:05 Elgar 7:45 Zigeunerweisen 8:05 Break 8:15 Holst – Venus 8:30 Holst – Mars 8:50 Holst – Jupiter 9:10 Williams – Star Wars You each most likely know the places you most need to work. Conquer your individual parts and we’ll do great together. The Blog on Wednesday I am finally able to sit down to do this next blog. What did you think of the last rehearsal? I know there was a lot of sight-reading going on with the music that arrived for our solo accopaniment. Now that we have worked through it once, please take time right away to go through the spots that you remember were difficult from rehearsal. Blog Readership Steady (really?) It seems we have had the same number read last week's blog. I was remiss in announcing Adam Nichols had won the prize for being the first to read the blog. I owe him some chocolate! Who will be the next one? And, please, let me know you've read the blog. Add your comments here, send an e-mail to jose@orkestraprojekt.com, or find me on Facebook at Jose Valencia. While you're at it, all you Facebook users should join the MAYO Facebook group, MAYO members from 2007. A Real Practice Strategy Please take time to listen to the Zigeunerweisen and the Elgar Cello Concerto in e minor, 4th movement with you rmusic in front of you. Follow the music as you listen so you can get a feeling for how your part fits with the music you will hear the soloist play. There is a T-Shirt Poll Please go to the Polls menu (on the left) and vote for your preference regarding a potential trip in the Spring 2010 to the West Coast, a potential tour in lieu of iMAYO 2011, a summer session working with a musical theater group, and your favorite T-sirt design! Rehearsal Order: Sectionals, Sectionals, Sectionals....more info later. And, after listening during our last rehearsal, and upon the recommendations of several of the coaches, we will reduce the number of wind instruments performing during the solo. We will share the spots, though so, check back for more info this week. I will share with you that our highest priorities are going to be Mozart (measures 158 through the end), Elgar (tutti passages where you all play), and Sarasate. Make them your highest priorities, too. Keep it up. We're going to do a great job together. After all, that's what playing in an orchestra is all about. Post Title. 10/20/2009
Gearing up for a great concert We have only four rehearsals left. Please prepare for these rehearsals so that we can perform to the best of our abilities. Big picture plan for the next four rehearsals includes: 1. Working with the soloists on their pieces. The music should be arriving soon. Please listen to the Sarasate Zigeunerweisen and the Elgar Cello Concerto this week. --Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyzk6Ty-Ms&feature=related --Elgar: Cello Concerto, 4th mvmt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjudv2woxQ 2. Mozart 3. Planets 4. Star Wars Blog readership up this week. Good news. There were 14 e-mails/facebook posts/blog comments this past week, up from the twelve people who read the blog last week and responded that they had done so. Matthew Munroe won the chocolate bar. We really want to know if you've read the blog so, if you've read it and if you'd like to be included for the consideration of the chocolate bar, please send an email to me at jose@mayomusic.org or a message to me on Facebook when you've read it so we can count you in and understand the usefulness of this feature. Take the poll! We would really like to know what you would like to do with the orchestra this year and next. The webmaster, also known as Executive Director Kristen Bellisario, has informed me that the poll will be valid for a short time. Please look at this with your family: MAYO Online Poll. Sections for personal practice: Please look at these following sections for the coming week. Mozart: measures 272 through the end of the movement. Holst: Mars and Jupiter Holst: Venus: violins practice from Andante before rehearsal 2 to rehearsal 3 Holst: Jupiter: rehearsal 17 to the end. Star Wars And, finally, our rehearsal schedule for Monday, October 19th: 6:30 Announcements 6:35 Sectionals (winds on Venus, brass on Star Wars and Holst, Strings on Mozart, Venus) 7:15 Mozart (measures 272 through end) 7:40 Holst: Venus 8:00 Break 8:12 Star Wars 8:40 Holst: Mars 8:50 Holst: Jupiter Keep checking in! I'm eager that we do our best tog Countdown: Four Rehearsals Left 10/20/2009
Gearing up for a great concert We have only four rehearsals left. Please prepare for these rehearsals so that we can perform to the best of our abilities. Big picture plan for the next four rehearsals includes: 1. Working with the soloists on their pieces. The music should be arriving soon. Please listen to the Sarasate Zigeunerweisen and the Elgar Cello Concerto this week. --Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyzk6Ty-Ms&feature=related --Elgar: Cello Concerto, 4th mvmt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjudv2woxQ 2. Mozart 3. Planets 4. Star Wars Blog readership up this week. Good news. There were 14 e-mails/facebook posts/blog comments this past week, up from the twelce people who read the blog last week and responded that they had done so. Matthew Munroe won the chocolate bar that I bought just before rehearsal. We really want to know if you've read the blog so, if you've read it and if you'd like to be included for the consideration of the chocolate bar, please send an email to me at jose@mayomusic.org or a message to me on Facebook when you've read it so we can count you in and understand the usefulness of this feature. Take the poll! We would really like to know what you would like to do with the orchestra this year and next. The webmaster, also known as Executive Director Kristen Bellisario, has informed me that the poll will be valid for a short time. Please look at this with your family: MAYO Online Poll. Sections for personal practice: Please look at these following sections for the coming week. Mozart: measures 272 through the end of the movement. Holst: Mars and Jupiter Holst: Venus: violins practice from Andante before rehearsal 2 to rehearsal 3 Holst: Jupiter: rehearsal 17 to the end. Star Wars And, finally, our rehearsal schedule for Monday, October 19th: 6:30 Announcements 6:35 Sectionals (winds on Venus, brass on Star Wars and Holst, Strings on Mozart, Venus) 7:15 Mozart (measures 272 through end) 7:40 Holst: Venus 8:00 Break 8:12 Star Wars 8:40 Holst: Mars 8:50 Holst: Jupiter (stringendo and the end) Keep checking in! I'm eager that we do our best tog Intonation Improving Thanks for your patience and focus on the intonation. i know it's not easy and not fun but, we'll enjoy the fruits of your labor. I think your audiences will enjoy it, too. Big picture plan for the next four rehearsals includes: 1. Focus on Venus 2. Work on Mozart 3. Working with the soloists on their pieces. The music should be arriving soon. Please listen to the Sarasate Zigeunerweisen and the Elgar Cello Concerto this week. --Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyzk6Ty-Ms&feature=related --Elgar: Cello Concerto, 4th mvmt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjudv2woxQ Blog readership down this week. Hmmm. There were 12 e-mails/facebook posts/blog comments this past week, down from seventeen people who read the blog last week and responded that they had done so. Katherine McDaniel won the chocolate bar that I bought just before rehearsal. If you'd like to be included, please send an email to me at jose@mayomusic.org or a message to me on Facebook when you've read it so we can count you in and understand the usefulness of this feature. Take the poll! We would really like to know what you would like to do with the orchestra this year and next. The webmaster, also known as Executive Director Kristen Bellisario, has informed me that the poll will be valid for a short time. Please look at this with your family: MAYO Online Poll. Sections for personal practice: Please look at these following sections for the coming week. Mozart: measures 158 through the end of the movement. I promise we will do more Mozart this week. Holst: Mars: General Intonation. find your function in the triad and tune against a drone (I know some of you know what this means. It is the type of exercise we were doing at number 10, slow, and making it more beautiful). Holst: Venus: violins practice from Andante before rehearsal 2 to rehearsal 3 Holst: Jupiter: rehearsal 17 to the end. And, finally, our rehearsal schedule for Monday, October 19th: 6:30 Announcements 6:35 Sectionals (winds on Venus, brass on Star Wars and Holst, Strings on Mozart, Venus) 7:15 Mozart (measures 158 through end) 7:50 Break 8:05 Holst: Venus 8:17 Star Wars 8:35 Holst: Mars (more triad tuning and the coda) 8:50 Holst: Jupiter (stringendo and the end) Keep up the hard work. We have a ways to go, though, and a concert coming up very soon! What Do You Need to Know? 09/29/2009
This week, 6 people responded regarding the blog. Thanks! I'm shooting for all of you to check in. I just want to know what would compel you to read it. I know that I want to communicate with you the next rehearsal schedule and special sections to prepare for that rehearsal. Send an e-mail to jose@mayomusic.org or a message to me on Facebook to let me know what you want in the blog in addition to the rehearsal schedule. Also, check out the polls and please respond to the three questions there. The poll can be found at http://www.mayomusic.org/polls.html This will be the first of two updates this week so, email me your suggestions, and then check back again for more information. Thanks! Rehearsal Schedule: 6:30 Announcements 6:40 Separate into Sectional rehearsals 7:20 Convene for Mozart 7:50 Break 8:05 Holst Mars 8:30 Holst Jupiter You're On Fire! 09/23/2009
Another Fire! Congratulations on pulling through yet another fire. Yes, we had a fire alarm near the end of my first MAYO concert. For some reason, we were allowed to re-enter the building while the lights were flashing and we restarted the final piece and finished with the strobe. Alas, that wasnt' the case for our rehearsal. The Really Important Things Welcome to all the new players First, I want to welcome all the new players this year. I'm truly excited about this season. Welcome to all the violinists that I have met. The heavy-duty brass section is going to sound great. Now, for just two more French Horn players and we'll have the six we need for the Holst. We also need a tuba player and more bassists and cellists. Tuning and Intonation Intonation is critical to our sounding our best. I need for us to have the tuning be excellent and done as quickly as possible. Wind players, listen to your principal and play into their sound. Everyone needs to take personal responsibility to learn the notes, conquer the technical difficulties, and be ready to make the music what we want it to be. Maybe we want to make the music dance, come alive, or go away. Maybe we want to excite the audience or put them at peace. To that end, I hope I am helping by publishing this blog with specific sections I plan on working in the coming week. Second violinists: don't worry. We will have coaching for you the next few weeks to help you conquer the hurdles in your music. Why Read This? Each week, please: - remember to check out our rehearsal schedule at the end of this blog - use the rehearsal schedule to find the parts that are challenging for you - listen to the music links provided here or listen to your own favorite recordings from the library or iTunes Here are some links. Please share other links that you feel are your favorites. I promise to add them to this list. Holst: Mars http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBbHcpF3nqo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NeQ1h6lzLI&feature=related Holst: Venus http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzQ45P6KjTg Holst: Jupiter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6NopU9K_8M&feature=related Mozart: Symphony 41, 4th mvmt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l2HQdZuV3U&feature=related Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhyzk6Ty-Ms&feature=related Elgar: Cello Concerto, 4th mvmt http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rjudv2woxQ Rehearsal Plan Please be in your seats at 6:30 with your instrument warmed-up, ready to tune, and ready to pay attention to any announcements. 6:30 Announcements and Tuning 6:40 Sectionals (Winds with Dr. Marchese in Jazz Room, Brass with Evan in Percussion Room, Cellists and Bassists in the Band Room, violists in practice room, 1st and 2nds will find space in halls, Jose will coach seconds) 7:15 Mozart (clarinets and lower brass continue sectionals) 7:50 break 8:05 Holst, movement 4, Jupiter (especially beginning to number 13) 8:30 Holst, movement 1, Mars (especially 5 to 6 for all those notes and 7 to 8 for exact rhythm and pitches) Oh, and the first person to send an e-mail to me at jose@mayomusic.org or a message to me on Facebook indicating they read this will receive special recognition at the next rehearsal. Even if you don't think you are the first to read the blog, send an e-mail. Really, I want to know who is reading this. | MAYO Staff and Maestro Valencia
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