Chamber Strings - 4th Rehearsal

In attendance were:

Joe Sipzner

Gloria Zhao

Katie Gonick

William Wang

Bill Dong

Marko Crnkovic

Emma Pearson

Catherine Rafferty

Karthik Ramesh

Andrea Long

Katie Yang

This afternoon in Chamber Strings we revisited the Allegretto from Beethoven's Op. 16. The 6/8 time signature is still relatively new to us, so we reviewed the way to approach triple time (looking at "big"/macro beats -- in this case, dotted quarter notes -- and speaking the microbeats -- "du da di"). Students are encouraged to practice whatever part (A or B in vln 1, vla, cello, and C or D in vln 2) they feel capable of playing with the understanding that they can switch to a different part at any time. I love how well we can listen when we know how to open our ears! We had great leaders using their rhythmic breath to cue the entire ensemble.

Continue to look at Winter this week, practicing those double down bows carefully, and add Allegretto to your daily routine.

Monday, November 9, 2009

As a reminder, the Evacuation Drill is scheduled to occur tomorrow afternoon during 13th mod. Sixth grade students who do not have lessons tomorrow should leave their instruments at home as we will not be playing them in class (6th graders with lessons are only those who have Ms. Norman as a teacher). We will have class during the "Hold in Place," so please arrive on time.

7th Grade

Rhythm testing began in the 7th grade today, and it will continue for the remainder of the week. Tests are administered during orchestra rehearsals, so there should be no concern about missing classes. Please keep in mind that these new types of tests are not in place of regular weekly lessons -- last week's testing was the exception.

Rhythm test procedure:

1. Check the list so that you know approximately who is before you. There should always be one person standing by the door ready to test.

2. Don't bring anything with you (unless you'd like to use your own copy of the rhythm sheet for help with syllables). Leave instruments, music, and writing utensils at your stand.

3. Sign out. You're only going across the hall, but since you're out of the classroom I need a record.

4. Once in Ms. Dame's room, sit in the chair. Do not move chairs, stands, or the tripod. The computer will be on, set to the metronome site.

5. Internalize the macrobeat. You may wish to tap macrobeats in your feet/heels to coordinate with the metronome's macrobeat.

6. Chant and clap your rhythm only once. Don't stop, don't repeat. Make sure to show rests when necessary, speak loudly and clearly, and clap when appropriate.

7. Return directly to the orchestra room -- no bathroom/drink breaks! Sign in and return to class.

I have current grades available for 7th and 8th grade students. The lesson that you attend this week is the last lesson of the marking period and will be an additional 15pts to your cumulative grade (out of 400pts). Practice logs were collected in the 7th grade, also worth 15pts. If you forgot your practice log (or have a log from last week that was not turned in), I will accept it up until Thursday morning.

For students studying privately, this is a reminder that your private lesson logs were due Friday. I will accept late work (including private lesson logs) until Thursday morning.

If you missed your lesson today, be sure to check with me (or someone in your lesson group) if you need a copy of the music we looked at. Next week starts a brand new marking period and a clean slate, so you'll want to be ready to put your best foot forward.

The 7th grade violins are divided in two large sections, each devoted to learning a different group of NYSSMA solos. The assignments were as follows:

Achievement March Groups: We played from the beginning to measure 9, and then from measure 25 to the end. We will work to memorize measures 25 to the end for the next lesson, remembering to still play the beginning to measure 9.

Etude Groups: We found places in Etude where there are clear G major scale patterns. There are a few different places: can you find/remember them? We will learn the first line for next week, making sure to start with a clear tone and correct posture. Don't let your first fingers become idle as you play the open strings!

6th Grade

Counting tests will begin for sixth graders on Thursday during orchestra. All students should have a copy of the test material as well as a "How to Prepare for Clapping and Counting Tests" sheet. At the start of today's rehearsal we used rhythm flashcards to remind us the proper way to clap and chant/count. These flashcards will later be used in Music Jeopardy, and students are encouraged to review clapping and counting procedures at home during practice time.

Practice logs will soon be due for 6th graders. This log is the last grade of the first marking period. I will be accepting late work until Thursday morning, so hand in any of those scale sheets, practice logs, etc that you might still have!

We have now played through all of Modest March and Kleine Kanon! It is a good idea to remind yourself of the "road map" for these pieces at home, remembering the difference between D.C. al Coda and D.S. al Coda.

Sixth grade: when you're practicing, are you sitting in a 3? A 2? Don't practice sitting in a 1!

Chamber Strings - 3rd Rehearsal

We began again with Winter, this time hooking 8th notes (4 to a bow) so that they sound more like the first flakes of snow that fall in a winter storm. Still underspeed, we worked toward a continuity of sound and a conformity of bowstroke in passages with faster notation. Violins will play double down bows for the first two notes in the 32nd-note passages, and these double down bows must be taken at the frog to achieve the right style. Think winter storms!

After a brief look back at the Allegretto from Beethoven Op. 16, we moved on to some sight reading. Die Forelle is a famous piece written for many different ensembles, but it's playful rhythm can often be tricky. As an introduction to the piece, we played the melody in unison (all in our own clefs and octaves) and took turns using our breath and body language to start the piece. Breathing is essential to an ensemble who hopes to play together, and it becomes more difficult when "pickup" notes are involved. All of our breathing leaders did a great job!

Also discussed in this rehearsal was tuning etiquette for a string orchestra. This is the procedure we decided on:

1. Principal cellist would check his/her intonation with a tuner.
2. Concertmaster, when entering onto stage or beginning rehearsal, would request the principal cellist to play an A.
3. Once the principal cellist plays his A, the concermaster checks his own instrument before "giving" the A to the rest of the orchestra.
4. Using broad bowstrokes in the mp to mf range, the orchestra would check the tuning of their strings.

We practiced this, and will continue to tune this way in the future.



Be sure to check the folder outside of the orchestra room (labeled "Chamber Strings") for practice parts to the Allegretto and Die Forelle.

In attendance:
Joe Sipzner
Gloria Zhao
Ali Gohlke-Schermer
Katie Gonick
Arianna Barnum
Bill Dong
William Wang
Erin Templeton
Marko Crnkovic
Rachel Swyer
Emma Pearson
Catherine Rafferty
Karthik Ramesh
Andrea Long
Naila Brown
Cody Ingraham

We're sorry we missed:
Michelle Burmistrova
Katie Yang
Sydney Marotta

6th Grade Fall Repertoire - Carmen, Carmela

For weeks now, I have been promising the 6th grade a post on Spanish and Mexican music to reward them for all their hard work on Carmen, Carmela.

"Carmen, Carmela" (sometimes simply called "Carmen") is an early folk tune that is popular throughout Mexico. The rhythm originated from the Cuban habanera dance and became popular in Spain during the nineteenth century, inspiring numerous European composers to employ this syncopation in their works. The most well-known use of the habanera is heard in Bizet's opera "Carmen."

Many composers have used this habanera rhythm in their works, and many composers have used Bizet's opera as the basis for other works. One of my favorite adaptations is the Carmen Fantasy, arranged by Pablo de Sarasate. Here it is played in two parts by Gil Shaham:

Part 1
Part 2

The Carmen Fantasy is a very difficult piece and must be taken very seriously when learning. Some adaptations of Bizet's opera "Carmen" aren't always so serious...like this one. If you watch the Muppets or any old Looney Tunes, you probably know more opera than you think you do. Perhaps I'll do a post on opera later in the year.

Just like our Carmen, Carmela, some very famous pieces had simple beginnings as folk tunes. In this video, Itzhak Perlman plays a transcription for violin and piano. Kreisler, a wonderfully creative violinist from a previous generation of string playing, often took simple pieces and transformed them into "salon" or recital pieces. This song is called Danse Espagnole from "La Vida Breve" (translated: Spanish Dance from "The Short Life") by Manuel de Falla.

Here's a historic recording of Kreisler playing his own transcription of La Gitana. As much as I like listening to Kreisler, I also like watching a musician playing...so here's a more modern recording.

I personally have never been bullfighting, but I imagine it might be a scary experience. Joaquin Turina wrote a piece called Oracion Torero (translated: The Bullfighter's Prayer). What do you think this bullfighter is thining about?

A longtime favorite piece of mine is Estrellita (translated: Little Star), played here by Joshua Bell. Jascha Heifetz transcribed this piece by Manuel Ponce, and his transcription is deceivingly difficult. Jascha Heifetz was an amazing violinst -- and he knew it. Do you remember the order of sharps in a key signature? F# - C# - G# - D# - A# - E# - B#. Heifetz arranged Estrellita in the key of F# Major (6 sharps!) so that you can't use any open strings even if you wanted to!

When you think about it, France and Spain are not too far away from each other, but while the French have their own distinctive style of music, some French composers were attracted to Spanish melodies and rhythms. Here's the Havanaise by Camille Saint-Saens (you might recognize him as the composer of works such as Danse Macabre and Carnival of the Animals from Fantasia). This Havanaise is based on the same habanera rhythm that inspired Carmen, Carmela.

Some vocabulary related to Carmen, Carmela:

habanera - A Cuban dance and song, named after the capital, Havana. The music is in a moderate to slow duple metre. The habanera (not habañera) became popular in the early 19th century and was much used by French and Spanish composers; an outstanding example appears in Bizet's Carmen

syncopation - A shift of accent in a passage or composition that occurs when a normally weak beat is stressed

tango - a ballroom dance of Latin-American origin in ²⁄₄ time with a basic pattern of step-step-step-step-close and characterized by long pauses and stylized body positions

Monday, November 2, 2009

7th Grade

New practice logs: due 11/9!

A list was passed around today during orchestra for students to record the email addresses of their parents. Although I would like to continue to communicate via this blog, I am finding it necessary to email parents directly to inform them about changes in lesson schedules and upcoming events. If you did not record your parents' email address, please give it to me sometime in the near future so that I can help you be more successful in orchestra.

We ran through Saturday at the Symphony today and got all the way through to the end. The Finlandia section (see the post on 7th Grade Fall Repertoire if you can't remember Finlandia) is still very rough, but we're slowly understanding the rhythm and learning how to sustain our bows through those long whole notes. Remember that although the notes in this section differ from instrument to instrument, the rhythm remains the same.

At the beginning of Saturday at the Symphony is a section from a famous Rondeau, often felt in a 2-beat pattern instead of the 4-beat pattern that is written in this arrangement. It is my goal to conduct this section in that 2-beat pattern (creating more emphasis on beats 1 and 3), but to do so means that violins need to practice this section with their metronomes, in increments of speed. It should have a playful, dancelike feel.

Rhythm testing will commence next week once the first round of performance tests is completed. To prepare for these rhythm tests, every student in grades 6-8 will receive a mini-tutorial on how to clap and count. For many of you this is nothing new, but for some it is. Use the front of the sheet to check your use of syllables and for practicing suggestions. On the back, each grade has a short rhythm assignment. This line is what you will be tested on next week, and I encourage you to make any necessary notes on the page. When I grade the Rhythm tests, I will be looking for the following:

1. Coordination with the metronome. Could you set the metronome? Do you clap and count to its macrobeat?
2. Counting/Chanting. I want to hear those syllables!
3. Clapping. Clap when you have notes, show rests when you have rests. Coordinate your clapping with your chanting and your metronome.

Lastly, we began learning a fiddle tune called Stinky's Blues. We learned the skeleton (or "bones") of the tune, and we will add more complicated parts in both lessons and orchestra. I love playing fiddle music, and part of the fun is that you can take fiddle tunes with you - no sheet music required! It is up to each student how much of this tune they want to learn. If you can show me that you've memorized the bones, I'll help you add to it. It is my hope that we can add a bass line and create opportunities for improvisation.

Youtube is a wonderful thing, and I was able to find a recording of the exact version of Stinky's Blues that I want to teach you. Unlike most of the other recordings I post of famous and notable performers, these youtube videos are mostly of kids like you. Enjoy!

Stinky's Jam Session 1 Session 2
10-year-old playing Stinky's Blues

6th Grade

Carmen, Carmela has provided us with many opportunities to learn new techniques, terms, and concepts, but the hard part is almost over. In the weeks to come, we will focus on putting all of the pieces of this song together so that we can play it all the way through. Today, we played from the viola soli* section all the way to the end of the pieces. Although the last note looks terrifying with all its notes and squiggely lines, we are picking one note at a time and focusing on plucking that one note together as an ensemble.

At home, use your metronome (ignoring those pesky fermatas) to help you play through the entire piece without stopping. Can you play the entire piece as if you were learning it as a solo for NYSSMA? Perform it for your family!

Sixth graders also received a clapping & counting/chanting sheet to help prepare for their own round of rhythm tests. Feel free to ask me or Ms. Dame for help in preparing.

Certainly my favorite part of rehearsal today was "Cabbage." Using our knowledge of the D Major Scale, we began learning a famous - yet simple - fiddle tune called Bile 'em Cabbage Down. To practice at home, first play a D Major Scale (remember: 2 sharps - F# and C#). Sing "do-mi" and play it on your instrument (D-F#). Bile 'em Cabbage Down begins on mi (F#):

mi mi mi mi fa fa
mi mi mi mi re re
mi mi mi mi fa fa fa fa
mi mi re re do do

Having trouble? Sing it first! Like most fiddle songs, Bile 'em Cabbage Down began as a piece with lyrics. They're silly...

Bile 'em cabbage down, down,

Bake 'em biskets brown, brown.

Only tune I ever did learn was

Bile 'em cabbage down.

Verse:

June bug he has wings of gold,

The firefly wings of flame.

The bedbug's got no wings at all,

But gets there just the same.

Love it is a killing fit,

When beauty hits a blossom,

And if you want your finger bit,

Just poke it at a possum.

Raccoon and the possum

Rackin' cross the prairie,

Raccoon asks the possum,

Did she want to marry?

Possum is a cunnin' thing,

He travels in the dark,

And never thinks to curl his tail,

Till he hears old Rover bark.



*Soli = a soloistic portion of the music where the entire section gets to play together

Chamber Strings - 2nd Rehearsal

Attendance is getting better as summer/fall sports are wrapping up! The following students helped to make Monday's rehearsal a productive and musical experience:

Gloria Zhao
Katie Gonick
Arianna Barnum
William Wang
Rachel Swyer
Marko Crnkovic
Emma Pearson
Karthik Ramesh
Naila Brown
Cody Ingraham
Sydney Marotta
Katie Yang

We continued work on Winter, and we used a worksheet to practice hearing the chord changes that occur in this piece. I encourage all of you to listen to (and watch) performances of this piece to help you get an idea of the type of bowstroke and intensity you should strive for. Here is a youtube video of Gil Shaham with a creative take on the filming. This video of Nigel Kennedy has an interesting mix of modern staging (and string techniques -- note the ponticello used to create that icy sound) with older instruments. Vivaldi's Four Seasons are traditionally performed without a conductor, as in this video. This is another good video, a little more traditional.

We sight-read a new piece this week as well, and I am really pleased with how well the ensemble did with it! The piece is an arrangement of the Allegretto theme from Beethoven's String Quartet Op 16. Next week, we will read another arrangement, this time by Schubert.

Practice Logs & Upcoming Tests

Is everyone filling out their practice charts? All students have a specific weekly practice chart -- which I will collect next week -- that they should be filling out and getting signed. Although most practice charts "require" 30 minutes per day, I understand that this is not always possible. Instead, I am using this assignment as a diagnostic tool to see when students practice, what they focus on, and how their time is spent. If you were absent and did not receive a chart, record your daily minutes of practice (and what it was that you practiced) so that you can fill out your chart when you return to class.

Practice charts will count as a significant part of the orchestra grade as practicing is the most important thing a music student can do outside of rehearsal. As I said in class, I'd rather see you spend 10 minutes working on an assigned excerpt than have you try to split 10 minutes among 3 assignments. Please don't hesitate to ask questions!

This should go without saying, but instruments left in the storage room overnight can't be practiced on at home. One student has told me that she uses her sister's instrument at home so that she can leave hers in school. Unless you come and tell me something like this, I can only assume that you are not practicing on the days that you have violins and violas left in school. I have begun taking note of the instruments that are left behind. Take them home! Use them!



The first round of performance tests will begin at the end of this week and end next week. Because the schedule may be confusing, I'll post it at the end of this entry. Please note that the time listed is the time you will begin playing for me. Your lesson card will say a different time so that you can get to the orchestra room, warm up, tune, and not feel stressed out. For example, Kevin Zeng will play for me on Thursday the 29th at 11:00am, but his lesson card will say 10:50am. Please be on time for your test! If you miss your test, prepare to stay after school THAT DAY to make it up.

Remember that your performance tests make up 25% of your final grade, so it is important that you come and come prepared.

Performance Test Grading - 25 possible points

Up to 5 points in each of the following categories
Rhythm
Pitch/Notes
Dynamics
Articulation
Phrasing/Musicality*

*Note that many students have tests scheduled along with other students. In these situations, one of the 3 excerpts will be played together so that I can check for understanding of your own part as well as for awareness and understanding of other parts in the ensemble.


Students will have 3 opportunities to play, and I will take the average of these performances in each category:

1. Scale. I am looking for correct pitches, knowledge of key signature, good tone, correct posture.
2. Excerpt #1. To be played alone, from the assigned weekly excerpt. Metronome coordination a must!
3. Excerpt #2. To be played in ensemble, being conscious of the other musician.

Please ask me any questions and come to me with any concerns before your test! There will be no time to ask questions once the test has begun (as we have to hear 2 scales, 2 solo excerpts, and 1 combined excerpt in 10 minutes). Only in extreme circumstances will a second playing be granted, so I recommend that you prepare your excerpts well and give yourself enough time to warm up.

Lessons & Tests with Miss Ellis
Thursday, October 29th - A/C
8:50
Andre Pinto Delaney Guntert Sophie Balzer Leo Miller Eliana Rowe Claire Hill Sydney Marotta Katie Yang Joseph Petitti

9:30
Rebecca Tucker Ahna Pearson Allison Reiner Catherine Rafferty Matthew Krieg Michelle Burmistrova Cory Parker Alfredo Salazar Alex Selsley Sophie Patka

10:10
Sera Song So Yeon Kim

11:00 Kevin Zeng
11:10 Michelle Yu, Markos Abebe
11:20 Gerardo Salazar
11:30
11:40 Allyson McAuliffe, Andy Cummings
2:10 Natasha Permaul, Gianluca Russo
2:20 Sazeed Huq
2:30


Lessons with Miss Ellis
Friday, October 30th - B/D

8:50
Asaph Ko
Andrea Long
Julia Chong
Michelle Xiong
Sydney Campbell
Jake Hill
Cody Ingraham
Abigail Kedik
Sarah Byerly
Michelle Kang
9:40 Elijah Clemente, Alana Zervos
9:50 Walter Nyangaga, Victoria Blackwood
10:00 Nihaal Pabba, Jo Ann Mulligan
1:20
1:30 Kristina Marinopoulos, Rachel Swyer
1:40 Alicia Chen, Emily Toffenetti
1:50 Maddy Farry, Jennifer Hoffmann
2:00
2:10 Curtis Ericson, Asha Anand
2:20 Sophia Schermerhorn, Rebecca Wolanski
2:30 Erin Templeton, Julia Sanford


Playing Tests
Monday, November 2nd – A/C

8:50 Rosemary Leicht, Heather Krofft
9:00 Jacob Rosenberg, Carrie Rose Mulligan
9:10 Hannah Hernandez, Thomas Fortune
9:20
9:30 Julia Manobianco
9:40 Elise Burby, Asaph Ko
9:50 Victor Rau-Sirois
10:00 Laura Chevalier, Michelle Xiong
10:10
10:20 Karthik Ramesh, Andrea Long
10:30 Emma Pearson, Julia Chong
10:40 Jake Hill, Andrew Xu
10:50
11:00 Cody Ingraham, Aaron Kester
11:10 Abigail Kedik, Mathilde Warren
11:20 Michelle Kang, Joe Sipzner
11:30
2:10 Amy Toscano, Courtney Van Oort
2:20 Miguel Garcia, Katie Randorf
2:30 Pranav Kannan, Josh Lamb

Playing Tests
Wednesday, November 4th – B/D

8:50 Ryan Adkison, Erin Callahan
9:00 Alex Beams, Gretchen Long
9:10 Sara Kogelmann, Madeline Cartwright
9:20
11:00 Winsor Jewell, Alex Magnan
11:10 Joseph Petitti, Gabrielle Sanza
11:20 Eliana Rowe, Marko Crnkovic
11:30
1:20 Delaney Guntert, Amanda Conklin
1:30 Andre Pinto, Gloria Zhao
1:40 Rebecca Tucker, Britany Nauman
1:50
2:00 Matthew Kreig, Elizabeth Reedy
2:10 Alfredo Salazar, Katie Yang
2:20 Sophie Balzer, Matthew Lurie
2:30

Playing Tests
Thursday, November 5th – A/C

8:50 Bridget Bellanger, Alex Magnan
9:00 Michelle Burmistrova, Sera Song

9:20 Allison Reiner, Michaela Mazzeo
9:30 So Yeon Kim, Nora Stevens

9:50 Mackenna Dombroski, Paul Caruso
10:00 Annie Lin, Ryan Dillon

10:30 Jacob Kelley, Lucas Laing
10:40 Aurora Trainor, Madeline Cartwright

11:00 Sarah Hanlon, Eva Mazzella

11:20 Cat Seita, Elaine Santos
11:30 Catherine Rafferty, Katie Gonick

2:10 Cory Parker, Michael Zhu
2:20 Matthew Darby, John Piechowiak
2:30 Leo Miller, Daniel Logiudice


Playing Tests
Friday, November 6th – B/D

8:50 Emily Gunther

9:10 Michael Trichilo, Sydney Campbell
9:20 Sarah Byerly, Mary Jean Mulligan

9:50 Ali Gohlke-Schermer, Naomi Tenenini
10:00 Rachel Cardiff, Megan Govin
11:00 Claire Hill, Alana Lake

11:40 Alex Selsley, Gabrielle Kernozek
1:20 Sydney Marotta, Ahna Pearson
1:30 Christina Morawski, Arianna Barnum

1:50 Vivian Dai, Naila Brown
2:00 Amir Rastegar
2:10 Shaddai Henry