Chamber Strings

Our spring Chamber Strings performance will be on the Dessert Concert on June 9th. On this concert, we plan to play:

Be Boppin' Bourree

O Mio Babbino Caro

Dance of Iscariot

Today, we worked mostly on Be Boppin' Bourree. When playing in the jazz genre, it is fun to break some of the "rules" of classical music. Some of these rules include:

• Not adding glissando (slippy-slides) between notes that call for use of the same finger.
• Playing 8th notes as straight du-de's that can be futher divided into du-ta-de-ta's.
  

However, in order to break the rules, we must know how to follow them properly. As an ensemble, we had great difficulty playing our parts to a metronome set at quarter=80bpm. As Be Boppin Bourree consists only of eighth notes and quarter notes, playing with a slow metronome tempo should be an easy task. Remember: tempo is in YOUR hands. I can conduct, I can tap, I can count out loud, but what it comes down to is that you must be able to know where you are, where you're going, and how long it takes to get there. Practice with metronomes! I want to be able to break some rules really soon!

In contrast to the hurried tempos in and careless articulations in Be Boppin', O Mio Babbino Caro was really beautiful this week. Cellists are now getting a good sense of what I have been asking for in those measures with 3 notes slurred (and marked with tenutos). We discussed and tried a lot of dynamics in rehearsal. The piece doesn't have many dynamics marked, so we should ask ourselves:

• Do few dynamic markings mean little change in dynamics?
• Are phrases marked with dynamics or do we have to add them in?
• How do I know what is a phrase? (Hint: watch the youtube video of Renee Flemming singing this!)
• How do I get from one dynamic marking to the next? (crescendo vs. subito)
• How does my dynamic compare to the markings in other sections?
• How can my bow help me achieve a good sound at this given dynamic?
• Is there anything I should write in to remind me of dynamics?
  

Speaking of bowing, we can also pay attention to when bow changes occur. Are you changing at the exact same time as your stand partner? As your section leader? As your friend in another section?

In attendance were:

Joe Sipzner

Katie Gonick

Alicia Chen

Erin Templeton

Gretchen Long

William Wang

Bill Dong

Marko Crnkovic

Rachel Swyer

Karthik Ramesh

Catie Rafferty

Andrea Long

Naila Brown

Cody Ingraham

We're sorry we missed:
Arianna Barnum

Gianluca Russo

Emma Pearson

Katie Yang

Chamber Strings

Thank you so much to all the Chamber Strings musicians who participated in the Presidential Awards ceremony on Wednesday by playing the National Anthem! I received many compliments on your performance, and the faculty, staff, and ROTC members who were involved in the ceremony were happy to add live music to their event. I am grateful for your participation, preparation, and the maturity you showed during the performance, and I am impressed with the speed and ease at which you added this new piece to your repertoire.

Monday's rehearsal began with a quick rehearsal of the Star Spangled Banner, moving to O Mio Babbino Caro, and ending with a bit of Be Boppin Bourree. First violinists should start to look at some of the fingerings that are marked in O Mio Babbino Caro as they shift into 3rd position. We use 3rd position in some of our lesson music and in the new Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 ("Second Movement").

Why do we shift? There are a couple reasons why shifting is a necessary skill for string players:

• To reach higher notes. As we shift "up" (closer to our bridge and further from our scroll), the notes get higher in pitch.
• To make fingerings more comfortable. In certain keys, notes are more easily achieved somewhere other than 1st position. Think about the biggest stretches you have to make in 1st position. When you move "up" on the fingerboard, the intervals (whole and half steps) get closer together, so we don't have to stretch as much.
• To achieve a desired tone. As a violinist, I love my E string. It is a bright, vibrant, loud, and exciting string. However, as an orchestral player, the E string just doesn't fit in. It can be too icy, too piercing, and just too different from the strings on the viola, cello, and bass. As orchestral players, our job is to blend: we should strive to create a similar sound, tone, timbre, and quality as the other members of our section and our orchestra. Shifting to achieve a desired tone is what we do when we stay on a particular string for a passage instead of changing to a brighter/darker, thinner/thicker string.
• To minimize string crossings (or eliminate them completely). When dealing with complicated or confusing bowings, sometimes it is easier for us to shift positions so as to keep our arm level and bowhair contact on the string the same. Shifting to avoid string crossings becomes a special concern when using ricochet or other advanced bowings.

Lessons: May

Lesson Groups
**Please note that there are small changes in lesson group assignments**

M1: Vivian Dai, Carrie Rose Mulligan, Walter Nyangaga, Michelle Yu, Jo Ann Mulligan
M2: Arianna Barnum, Shaddai Henry, Sazeed Huq, Gerardo Salazar, Kevin Zeng, Josh Lamb, Katie Randorf
M3: Kristina Marinopoulos, Nihaal Pabba, Gianluca Russo, Rachel Swyer, Alana Zervos
M4: Markos Abebe, Madeline Farry, Christina Morawski, Pranav Kannan
M5: Elijah Clemente, Allyson McAuliffe, Natasha Permaul, Amir Rastegar

T1: Mary Jean Mulligan, Amy Toscano, Andrew Xu, Mathilde Warren, Erin Templeton
T2: Ali Gohlke-Schermer, Joe Sipzner, Naomi Tenenini, Alicia Chen
T3: Laura Chevalier, Karthik Ramesh, Michael Trichilo

W1: Heather Krofft, Rebekah Wolanki, Elise Burby
W2: Curtis Ericson, Rose Leicht, Emily Toffenetti, Jacob Rosenberg
W3: Naila Brown, Jennifer Hoffmann, Hannah Hernandez, Sophia Schermerhorn
Q: Michael Zhu, Bill Dong, Ahna Pearson, Katie Yang

Th1: So Yeon Kim, Sera Song
Th2: Delaney Guntert, Claire Hill, Eliana Rowe
Th3: Sydney Marotta, Joseph Petitti, (Katie Yang)
Th4: Cory Parker, Sophia Patka, Alfredo Salazar, Alex Selsley, Cynthia Leonard, Rebecca Tucker
Th5: Matthew Krieg, Catie Rafferty, Allison Reiner, Michelle Burmistrova

F1: Sarah Byerly, Julia Chong, Andrea Long
F2: Cody Ingraham, Abigail Kedik, Sydney Campbell

Lesson Schedule - May

Monday, May 3rd BD
8:50: Dai, Mulligan, Nyangaga, Yu, Mulligan (Absent: Walter -- made up 5/6)
9:30: Marinopoulos, Pabba, Ruso, Swyer, Zervos (Absent: Nihaal)
10:50: Abebe, Farry, Morawski, Kannan (Absent: Markos, Pranav)
11:30: Barnum, Henry, Huq, Salazar, Zeng, Lamb, Randorf (Absent: Arianna, Shaddai, Sazeed, Gerardo, Kevin, Josh, Katie)
1:20: Clemente, McAuliffe, Permaul, Rastegar (Absent: Elijah, Natasha)

Tuesday, May 4th AC
8:50: Gohlke-Schermer, Sipzner, Tenenini, Chen (Absent: Naomi -- came 10:50-11:10 on 5/7)
10:10: Mulligan, Toscano, Xu, Warren, Templeton (Absent: Mary Jean, Amy, Andrew)
2:00: Chevalier, Ramesh, Trichilo

Wednesday, May 5th BD – Math Testing
Mod 4: Ericson, Leicht, Toffenetti, Rosenberg (Absent: Curtis, Emily, Jacob; Curtis & Emily missed last week)
Mod 5: Brown, Hoffmann, Hernandez, Schermerhorn (Absent: Naila, Hannah, Sophia; Jennifer missed last week)
Mod 11: Krofft, Wolanski, Burby (Absent: Heather, Rebekah, Elise; all missed last week)
Mod 12: Zhu, Dong, Pearson, Yang (Absent: Ahna, Katie; Ahna is out of the country)

Thursday, May 6th AC – Math Testing
Mod 3: Guntert, Hill, Rowe, Marotta, Petitti (Absent: Delaney -- came Mod 6), Sydney, Joe, Katie; Sydney, Delaney, and Joe were absent last week)
Mod 5: Song, Kim, Parker, Patka, Salazar, Selsley, Leonard, Tucker (Absent: So Yeon, Cory, Sophie, Alex, Cynthia; Sophie and Cory were absent last week)
Mod 12: Krieg, Rafferty, Reiner, Burmistrova (Absent this week and last: Michelle)

Friday, May 7th BD
8:50: Byerly, Chong, Long (Absent this week and last: Sarah, Andrea)
1:20: Ingraham, Kedik, Campbell (Absent: Abigail -- came at 9:30, Cody, Sydney; Absent last week: Cody, Sydney)

Monday, May 10th AC
8:50: Abebe, Farry, Morawski, Kannan (Absent: Markos, Pranav, Christina; Christina came @ 10:50)
9:30: Clemente, McAuliffe, Permaul, Rastegar (Absent: Elijah, Natasha)
10:10: Dai, Mulligan, Nyangaga, Yu, Mulligan
10:50: Marinopoulos, Pabba, Russo, Swyer, Zervos (Absent: Gianluca)
2:00: Barnum, Henry, Huq, Salazar, Zeng, Lamb, Randorf (Absent: Arianna, Shaddai, Sazeed, Gerardo, Kevin, Josh, Katie)

Tuesday, May 11th BD
8:50: Mulligan, Toscano, Xu, Warren, Templeton (Absent: Amy)
9:30: Chevalier, Ramesh, Trichilo (Absent: Michael)
11:30: Gohlke-Schermer, Sipzner, Tenenini, Chen (Absent: Alicia -- made up at 8:50am)

Wednesday, May 12th AC
8:50: Ericson, Leicht, Toffenetti, Rosenberg (Absent: Curtis, Emily)
10:10: Krofft, Wolanski, Burby (Absent: Elise)
11:30: Zhu, Dong, Pearson, Yang
2:00: Brown, Hoffmann, Hernandez, Schermerhorn (Absent: Sophia)

Thursday, May 13th BD
8:50: Guntert, Hill, Rowe (Absent: Delaney - came @ 9:30, Eliana - went to nurse)
9:30: Song, Kim
10:50: Marotta, Petitti (Absent: Sydney)
11:30: Krieg, Rafferty, Reiner, Burmistrova (Absent: Michelle - went to nurse)
2:00: Parker, Patka, Salazar, Selsley, Leonard, Tucker

Friday, May 14th AC
9:30: Ingraham, Kedik, Campbell (Absent: Cody, Abigail, Sydney)
2:00: Byerly, Chong, Long (Absent: Sarah, Andrea)

Monday, May 17th BD
8:50: Marinopoulos, Pabba, Ruso, Swyer, Zervos (Absent: Kristina, Nihaal)
9:30: Barnum, Henry, Huq, Salazar, Zeng, Lamb, Randorf (Absent: Shaddai, Sazeed, Gerardo, Kevin, Josh, Katie)
11:30: Clemente, McAuliffe, Permaul, Rastegar (Absent: Elijah, Allyson, Natasha)
1:20: Abebe, Farry, Morawski, Kannan (Absent: Maddy, Pranav -- both made up during AP on 5/18)
2:00: Dai, Mulligan, Nyangaga, Yu, Mulligan

Tuesday, May 18th AC
9:30: Gohlke-Schermer, Sipzner, Tenenini, Chen (Absent: Joe)
10:10: Chevalier, Ramesh, Trichilo (Absent: Karthik, Michael)
2:00: Mulligan, Toscano, Xu, Warren, Templeton (Absent: Mary Jean, Amy, Andrew)

Wednesday, May 19th BD
8:50: Krofft, Wolanski, Burby (Absent: Heather, Rebekah, Elise)
10:50: Zhu, Dong, Pearson, Yang
11:30: Ericson, Leicht, Toffenetti, Rosenberg (Absent: Curtis, Emily, Jacob)
1:20: Brown, Hoffmann, Hernandez, Schermerhorn (Absent: Sophia)

Thursday, May 20th AC
8:50: Parker, Patka, Salazar, Selsley, Leonard, Tucker (Absent: Sophie, Rebecca -- came @ 10:10)
9:30: Marotta, Petitti (Absent: Sydney)
10:10: Krieg, Rafferty, Reiner, Burmistrova (Absent: Catie -- came @ 8:50)
11:30: Song
2:00: Guntert, Hill, Rowe (Absent: Claire, Eliana)

Friday, May 21st BD
10:50: Ingraham, Kedik, Campbell (Absent: Cody, Abigail, Sydney)
11:30: Byerly, Chong, Long (Absent: Sarah, Julia, Andrea)

Monday, May 24th AC
8:50: Barnum, Henry, Huq, Salazar, Zeng, Lamb, Randorf
10:10: Marinopoulos, Pabba, Ruso, Swyer, Zervos
10:50: Clemente, McAuliffe, Permaul, Rastegar
11:30: Abebe, Farry, Morawski, Kannan
2:00: Dai, Mulligan, Nyangaga, Yu, Mulligan

Tuesday, May 25th BD
9:30: Mulligan, Toscano, Xu, Warren, Templeton
11:30: Chevalier, Ramesh, Trichilo
2:00: Gohlke-Schermer, Sipzner, Tenenini, Chen

Wednesday, May 26th AC
8:50: Zhu, Dong, Pearson, Yang
10:10: Ericson, Leicht, Toffenetti, Rosenberg
10:50: Brown, Hoffmann, Hernandez, Schermerhorn
2:00: Krofft, Wolanski, Burby

Thursday, May 27th BD
8:50: Krieg, Rafferty, Reiner, Burmistrova
9:30: Guntert, Hill, Rowe
10:50: Parker, Patka, Salazar, Selsley, Leonard, Tucker
1:20: Marotta, Petitti
2:00 Song, Kim

Final Exam Information

Final Exam Information

Information regarding the final exam was distributed in classes this week. The following post just reiterates what was announced in class.

When: beginning in June (in place of lessons)

How: recorded submission (to be done in school at assigned time)

What: Scales, Excerpts, Solo Piece

Worth: 35% of your 4th quarter grade (Combines performance, preparation, and lessons)

Scales: I will ask you to play scales from the following list: C, G, D, A, E, B, Ab, Eb, Bb, F (7th grade: C, G, D, A, E, Eb, Bb, F; 6th Grade: C, G, D, A). You may not use any materials to help you play these scales. I will choose what scales I'd like to hear. Know your key signatures!

Just like at NYSSMA, scales should be played at a comfortable, steady tempo with the best tone possible.

Scales will be graded as follows:

Correct Key Signature Yes No 10pts

Accuracy of Pitch 5 4 3 2 1 (x2 = 10pts)

Correct fingerings 5 4 3 2 1 (x2 = 10pts)

30pts total

Excerpts: An excerpt is a small section of music. I will choose 1-2 excerpts from our 4th quarter music for you to play. Your excerpt will be played with a metronome within a designated range. You must bring your own music to use. The excerpts that I will choose from will be announced in advance so that you can prepare them to the best of your ability.

Excerpts will be graded as follows:

Rhythm 5 4 3 2 1

Pitch/Notes 5 4 3 2 1

Dynamics 5 4 3 2 1

Articulation 5 4 3 2 1

Phrasing 5 4 3 2 1

Preparation* 5 4 3 2 1

*Came with all music, played from memory, ease of playing/familiarity with music, etc

Solo: You may choose any of the pieces we have worked on in lessons this year. Solos do not have to be memorized, but students have to provide their own music. If you went to NYSSMA this year, you can play that solo, and if you study privately and would like to play something that you worked on with that teacher that is fine!

Pick a solo that highlights your abilities. A harder solo played poorly will not showcase your musicianship skills as well as a slightly easier one that is performed with comfort and proper technique.

Solos will be graded as follows:

Rhythm 5 4 3 2 1

Pitch/Notes 5 4 3 2 1

Dynamics 5 4 3 2 1

Articulation 5 4 3 2 1

Phrasing 5 4 3 2 1

Preparation 5 4 3 2 1

The final exam is worth 100pts: 30 for scales, 30 for excerpts, 30 for solo. The last 10 points are to be earned through correct and appropriate posture.

Orchestra Update

As of today, all 6th graders have received practice music for the remainder of the year. In their packets are: Edelweiss, Fiddles Out West, Sea Song Suite, and Black and White. Students should focus their practicing this week on Fiddles Out West and the first parts of Sea Song Suite.

In 8th grade, information about the final exam was distributed along with new music. The concert review/NYSSMA reflections are due back to me on Thursday. Be specific with your responses! I am very interested in the depth of your reflections and your understanding of our spring repertoire. This assignment will be graded for quality of answers.

In rehearsal, we looked at very very small sections of two of our new pieces: Star of County Down and Brandenburg No. 3 ("Second" movement). Attention should be paid to m49-57 in Star of County Down and the first 9 measures of Brandenburg. Take everything very slowly so as to catch all those notes and accidentals, then work up to a comfortable tempo.

Final Exam Information

This week, 6th, 7th and 8th graders are receiving information about their final exam. The final will be worth 100 points and has 3 main parts:

1. Scales

2. Excerpts

3. Solos

All information, including requirements, procedures, and grading rubrics can be found on the handout they received. That information will be posted online later this week. Students should take some time this week to review the requirements and evaluate what elements of the final exam have already been mastered.

Chamber Strings

Today we worked on two songs: Dance of Iscariot and The Star Spangled Banner. Our national anthem is a new piece that they received today because we have been invited to play at the President's Achievement Awards ceremony on May 5th at 3:30pm. Chamber Strings will play right in the beginning, and they can leave right after our performance. Unfortunately, because it is a Wednesday, there are no late buses. Students should arrange to have their parents pick them up on this day.

In Dance of Iscariot, we touched upon a number of items:

1. Dotted/Accented eighth notes as seen in the 2nd violin and viola parts: Play these as low in the bow as you can get! Right next to the frog, with a slight bounce. To play in this location for any length of time in a consistent tempo is tiring. Only diligent practice with a mirror and a metronome will develop the muscles needed to maintain this character.

2. Accidentals between m56 and 76 in 2nd violin and viola parts and how to achieve them: We wrote in 2 sets of fingerings in these sections. The first stays in what we call "half" position because we set our fingers behind the tapes that they usually fall on. When we play this passage in half position, we can hit all the notes, but it makes for awkward string crossings. Instead, I highly recommend that the 3rd position fingerings be used (shifting to 2nd finger on the A# in m63 and staying in 3rd position until beat 4 of measure 65).

3. Accelerando in m84 for violins: We only have 1 measure to get to our Presto tempo at m85. As much as I'd like to be consistent, accelerandos have potential to be different every time. Practice pushing the tempo faster at varying degrees so that you will be comfortable no matter what happens.

4. Presto section: mark in your part how many repeated measures you have. Violin 1 plays the B-A-B-A-B-A-B-A figure for 8 measures (or 7 measures with the 8th measure accented). Violin 2 plays G-F#-G-F#-G-F#-G-F# for 4 measures before switching to the double-stopped section. Viola also has 4 measures before you change.

In attendance were:

Joe Sipzner

Gretchen Long

Alicia Chen

Katie Gonick

Erin Templeton

Arianna Barnum

William Wang

Bill Dong

Marko Crnkovic

Gianluca Russo

Karthik Ramesh

Catie Rafferty

Andrea Long

Cody Ingraham

We missed:
Rachel Swyer

Emma Pearson

Naila Brown

Katie Yang