I can't say enough good things about how you sound playing the Mozart and the Elgar. How do you feel about your sound? Also, you are making beautiful music in some of the middle parts of the new piece by Sokol. I want you to keep up that progress. Now, we have many parts of the Prokofiev that need some work. Please look at your parts to make sure you're ready to work together with your section during the coming sectionals. I have heard from several of the coaches that they are really willing and eager to work with you in sectional rehearsals this week. Please, come early to rehearsal so we can have your instruments aclimated to the room conditions so we can tune more quickly. Also, remember to sign in at the beginning of the session, entering the band room through the door closest to the outside entrance. Here are some YouTube links which might help you with your preparation for sectionals this week. Spend some time with your copies of your music and these YouTube recordings. Lastly, there is still chocolate for those who respond to this blog. This week, we will draw a name from those who make a comment on this blog. Let me know how these YouTube links help. What do you like about what we're doing? 02/16/2010
I really want to know how you think we're doing. Let me know via e-mail or post or facebook message. I'll also let you know how I feel we're doing. Together, we're working on making excellent music together. We're exploring better intonation and musical expression. I hope we're developing a sense of camaraderie in that we're doing this hard work together. I want all of us to be proud of what we're going to accomplish in our concert at the Buskirk-Chumley in May. I hope that you all had your instruments at home during the snow days you've had over the past few weeks. You should have had plenty of time to practice! You know I had to emphasize the practice aspect. It is through your personal practice that our group rehearsals become more productive. We all know that we will be filmed for a project at WFIU on monday, February 22. For that, I need you to do the following: 1. Dress nicely 2. Prepare your parts 3. Be prepared to be on your best behavior, which, I need to reiterate, should be your regular behavior. These are the things that I think we should focus on for the project. Mozart Elgar Sokol Our schedule will be: 6:30 Tune (quickly and efficiently) 6:40 Mozart 7:00 Elgar 7:20 Sokol, Twice the rising sun, (approach in the following three sections) - Beginning to Letter F - Letter G to Letter P - Letter P to the end 8:00 Break 8:15 Prokofiev Movements 1, 2, and 3 I'm looking forward to our next rehearsal! We're back together, again! 02/04/2010
I'm so pleased with our being back together in rehearsals. I want to hear from you about our new direction. This direction is to give us a piece or two where we can develop the sound of excellence and use that to springboard that sound of excellence to more challenging works, like the piece, Lt. Kije. It's ok to leave your comments about that here for all to see. As for your most recent rehearsal after the Composition Competition, I must say that you were sounding as if you had the potential to be fantastic in your next concert. And, speaking of the Composition Competition, I really can say I would have loved to perform any one of them. We made a choice based on input from you, the audience, and the composition professors. And, before I forget, I want to make sure all of you are planning on coming to rehearsal on February 22. A producer from WFIU would like to attend the rehearsal and videotape it for an article on our organization. That means that they want you to be there. We will want two volunteers, preferably a senior and another who in fairly new to the orchestra to volunteer to be interviewed for this video article. Please consider volunteering. We will choose from among the volunteers. Regarding our rehearsals, please arrive early enough to be seated with your instrument out and ready to tune by 6:30. There are too many late arrivals which delays our planned rehearsal schedule. Now, for our next rehearsal schedule: 6:30 Tuning 6:40 Mozart, Divertimento 7:00 Sokol, Twice the Rising Sun 7:40 Elgar, Nimrod from the Enigma Variations 8:00 Break 8:15 Prokofiev, Lt. Kije I look forward to seeing all of you there on Monday, before 6:30. Happy New Year -- Get Ready for Even More! 01/03/2010
I miss rehearsals and I see some others are saying that they miss them, too. I'm eager to get back in the swing of things. Our next rehearsal will be on January 11th at 6:30. We'll work on again to prepare the pieces that we'll play for the public on January 18th. Note the special time for our rehearsal on January 18th. We'll start at 4:00pm and finish at 6:30pm. I look forward to seeing which composition is selected. Then, we'll have new music for our next concert ready for our rehearsal on January 25th. I will announce more by next week. See you soon! Good Readings and Great Flexibility 12/01/2009
You did a fantastic job sight reading some great literature. Sight reading is a great skill to develop. Next week, we'll be sight reading the compositions submitted by the young graduate composers at IU Jacobs School of Music. A special plea: Is there anyone who has access to the review published in the Herald Times on November 24? We would love it if you would scan the review and send to us at jose@mayomusic.org. We would love to see it and share it! Just wait until you see and hear the music we'll be playing next week. The titles of the pieces are (in no particular order of preference): - Kaguya-Hime by Hiroyuki Sakurai - Legacies by Clint Needham - Jubilation Dance by Brian Ciach - Samba Hoochoo Hairy Koochoo by Eric Lindsay - Twice the Rising Sun by Jonathan Sokol Make sure you come to rehearsal to experience a privilege in music-making, that privelege of helping to realize a composer's intent and participate in the making of something that hasn't been heard before. See you soon! I consider it my privilege to work with you. 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. | MAYO Staff and Maestro Valencia
Posts by Orchestra Manager Elizabeth Carter, Executive Director Kristen Bellisario, or Music Director, Jose Valencia. ArchivesMarch 2010 Categories |
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