The Adult Church Choir Rehearsal

The Sanctuary Choir has had an exciting year! First of all, look how we've grown from 12 members last summer to 21 members at Christmas time! We have a great group of enthusiastic singers who are very faithful to the music program and are eager to learn! What more could a director ask of a choir? Take a seat on one of the red velvet pews in the back of the Sanctuary and observe one of our Thursday night choir rehearsals...

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Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

7:00-7:10 p.m. - Warm-Ups

• Stretches, sighs, sirens, humming, chewing, facial massage

• Breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, breathe out for four counts

• Me-ahh (starting with a D Major triad going up: 15-4321)

• Vi-va (starting with a D Major triad going up: 1234-5656-54321)

• Vocal Siren

• Reminders: singing through the consonant to the vowel, sitting on top of the note instead of reaching up to it

Opening Prayer

7:10-7:15 p.m. - Sunday’s Anthem

• Prayer for Peace (Lightfoot)

• Reminders: tall mouth-shape, tempo changes, dynamics, cut-offs, more breath preparation before entrances

7:15-7:20 p.m. - Service Music (all a cappella)

• Introit: O Worship the King (Traditional Hymn)

• Prayer Response: Breathe on Me, Breath of God (Traditional Hymn)

• Benediction Response: Amen (Danyew)

• Reminders: breathing together, imagining first note before singing it, singing into the sound around you, enunciate!

7:20-7:50 p.m. - Anthems

• Come to the Water (Hasseler) - new

• Reminders: direction of phrases (most important word of phrase), breath preparation, phrase-shaping

• An Hour of Hallowed Peace (Danyew)

• Reminders: "hushed" text painting (singing the word in a way that depicts its meaning), breath support for soft singing, preparing to sing 5ths, direction of phrases (most important word of phrase), phrase-shaping

• Jesus, Savior, Friend (Glass)

• Reminders: consistent tempo, syncopated rhythm review, tall mouth shape/vowels, confidence, relationship of vocal parts to accompaniment

7:50-7:55 p.m. - Announcements

• Choir picture is up on the website!

• Joke Time

7:55-8:00 p.m. - Talk Break

8:00-8:30 p.m. - Anthems

• You Are the Song (Courtney)

• Reminders: syncopated rhythm review, parts review, relationship of vocal parts to accompaniment

• The Gift of Love (Traditional Hymn) - a cappella, rehearse in circle

• Reminders: look up!, blend with people around you, direction of phrases, phrase-shaping, dynamic contour

Prayer Circle

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What does your church choir rehearsal look like?

Sonntag

This strophic German song (Op. 47, No. 3) by Johannes Brahms is about Sunday love - a young man longing for the beautiful girl he only sees in church on Sunday. Steve transcribed it for saxophone and piano, as you can hear in the recording below (listen for laughter in the piano interlude and coda!) For an in-depth description of our rehearsal process for this piece, read this. Enjoy!

"So all the week I've not seen my dear love, on a Sunday I saw her standing at her door; my darling love, my darling sweet, would God, I were with her today!

So all the week I'll not cease to laugh, on a Sunday I saw her going to church: my darling love, my darling sweet, would God, I were with her today!"

-Ludwig Uhland (tr. George Bird and Richard Stokes)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pek65juDrdM&w=480&h=390]

Ave Maria

We did a few new recordings in December, so in case you haven't heard this already, here is a transcription of Schubert's Ave Maria, Op. 52, No. 4 for saxophone and piano: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFdjgzAs0c&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Making Opportunities Happen

I’ve often been advised to “make the most of opportunities” – I’m sure you’ve been there, too.  Sometimes an opportunity presents itself out of nowhere – maybe it’s an extra time commitment, maybe it’s out of your comfort zone and just when you’ve convinced yourself to pass it by, suddenly the opposing voice in your head says, “Wouldn’t this be a great experience?”  In my case, the opposing voice usually wins.

I recently had a conversation with my dad about this very thing.  In fact, he even quoted my opening statement.  As we continued our conversation, we talked about the importance of making opportunities happen.  It’s great when opportunities just pop up in front of you (Hi!  I’m Mr. Opportunity!) but let’s face it – sometimes the opportunities just aren’t there.  The economy struggles, organizations lose funding, no one is hiring.  Have you experienced this?  How do you respond?

It starts with a problem.  Problems are everywhere!  Pick one and figure out how you can solve it with your given skillset.

Problem: I moved to a town with no community music programs. Solution: open a piano studio (I have nine students after four months) and start two children’s choirs (I have fourteen enrolled this year).  I had to think beyond my comfort zone (i.e. teaching in an established organization where marketing and administration is taken care of by someone else) but as a result of thinking entrepreneurially, I now have the flexibility to set my own schedule and create my own teaching environment.

Problem: there are no opportunities for amateur musicians to come together to play or listen to chamber music in town. Solution: start a summer chamber music workshop.  I give you the Westminster Chamber Music Workshop – a week-long series of coachings, rehearsals, and special events for amateur players and choral singers in the area to come together to network, learn, and make music.  Special events each night will feature guest artists in performance and lecture – free and open to the public!

It’s not always about making the most of opportunities… sometimes it’s just about making the opportunities happen.

Gebet

Enjoy our interpretation of "Gebet" [Prayer] by Hugo Wolf: "Lord! Send what Thou wilt, delight or pain; I am content that both flow from Thy hands.

May it be Thy will neither with joys nor with sorrows to overwhelm me! For midway between lies blessed moderation."

-Eduard Mörike

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlHMs6L9AE0&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Snow Day

"I want a snowfall kind of love
The kind of love that quiets the world
I want a snowfall kind of love
'Cause I'm a snowfall kind of girl."

-Ingrid Michaelson

It's the first snow day of the season and I am a happily-snowed-in girl at the moment. This is the perfect weather for writing and a good playlist. See what I'm listening to at the moment.

We have at least 18" on the ground now with more coming down each hour. Of course, snow bunny that I am, Steve and I were up and dressed by 8 a.m. We successfully dug the car out of the parking lot and made it up the mountain. Lifts were running when we pulled up at 8:20 a.m. or so and we eagerly changed into our boots, starting our first run by 8:35 a.m. Conditions were great and with the amount of snow still coming down, it was almost like cutting new tracks for the first few runs.

Today, I learned how to ski in heavy powder (the hard way). I confidently hopped off the lift on the third or fourth run and headed towards the black diamond straight from the top of the mountain. About halfway down, I hit a pile of powder and my skis just stopped. I, of course, tumbled at this point. Two more times on the same run, I found myself flat (think belly flop) with my skis bent over my head (case in point why I wear a helmet!) 

What is wrong with me today? I haven't fallen in over a year! 

My confidence was shattered and I began skiing with fear (i.e. not fully shifting weight, skis crossing, losing balance). We finally made it to the bottom.

On the lift again, I heard Steve say the words I was dreading, "I think we'll take that trail again." Obviously, I am not comfortable skiing in heavy powder yet, let alone on a black diamond - what are you doing to me! By the time we got to the top, I had given myself enough of a pep talk to at least start down the trail. What a striking similarity to performance:

I've performed this piece before and did everything right - no memory slips, complete control, focus, artistry. Suddenly, a new environment and the whole thing falls apart. Memory slip. Finger slip. Tempo beyond control. Fear.

Well, friends, I hate to admit it, but I fell on the second time down that trail, too. And the third. But with each frustrating misstep and moment of unbalance, I felt more focused and more determined to learn from my mistakes. With each uninspiring turn, what can I improve? How can I change my approach the next time? By the end of the morning, despite falls and fear, I felt a new sense of mastery. Today, I learned to hunker down and not let the heavy stuff hold me back.

Happy snow day, y'all!

Setting Studio Goals

This is the first week of the spring term at the Studio and I have all of my piano students setting goals. 

#1: Practice ___ times per week
#2: Practice ___ minutes per day

The idea came in part from a suggestion from a parent on an assessment that I sent out at the end of last semester. She was seeking a way to keep her 7-year-old daughter more accountable at home. 

To paraphrase her words:

“She loves playing and she looks forward to lessons, yet somehow she never forgets to do her homework but she always forgets to practice the piano.” 

In response, I created a one-page chart listing Monday-Sunday with a column for items and number of minutes practiced. The two goals are listed at the top.

It’s interesting to hear the goals these students set for themselves.

Most say they will aim to practice 4-5 times a week with practice sessions ranging from 15 minutes to 25 minutes. They also get a thrill adding up the number of minutes they will practice per week.

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I think goal-setting is very important. I could dictate that my students practice 5 days a week for 30 minutes each day but I feel that it’s important for the students to set these initial goals themselves. After a few weeks of hopefully successful practicing, I might suggest that we increase those goals. 

This way though, the student has the ownership. It’s not a mandate from me or from their parents, it’s a goal they themselves set out to achieve.

This is the first time I have presented practicing goals to my students so we’ll see how much they achieve in the weeks to come!

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Another goal-setting resource I created for my students includes space for them to jot down ideas about achievement goals, how they want to use their music for good, and creativity goals. Each worksheet is intended for a 12-week or 3-month period of time, giving students plenty of time to work through their action steps.

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Out with the Old, In with the New

This popular New Year's slogan is probably over-used but I still like its implications. Since returning from a week of busy travel, suitcase living, multiple holiday celebrations and gift exchanges, and more than enough food, Steve and I have happily put life back into relative orderliness. The Carriage House is clean, Christmas decorations have been wrapped and stored, books have been shelved, homemade edibles have been consumed, clothes and linens are freshly-laundered, and work is relatively organized. 1. Google Reader. I finally subscribed to all those blogs I've kept in disarray on my browser toolbar for the past few months. Now, they are in one easy-to-read pane. Life simplified.

2. Grooveshark. Besides offering freedom from Pandora, I'm enjoying this new way to organize my music playlists without advertisements, time limits, or unrelated songs being included. Bonus: There's an extensive classical library so I can explore the music of American song composers and contemporaries such as Arvo Pärt in the coming year.

3. Making Things Happen. I just came across this blog yesterday but I have a feeling I will be revisiting its pages in the days and weeks to come (via Google Reader, that is!) Its motivation and inspiration tied together with a few recent topics that particularly grabbed me - "learning how to say 'no'" and "goal setting in 2011."

I haven't made resolutions in several years, mostly because I tend to fail at them a few weeks in. I mean to say that I set myself up for failure by "resolving" to begin/change an element of my lifestyle cold-turkey on January 1st. Change takes time as does the cultivation of new habits. Like going to bed earlier. That's not a resolution, it's a goal I am setting for myself. Other goals include:

• be more active (walking to work and to the post office doesn't count!)
• cook more/trying new recipes more often
• improve my time management (more challenging when you set your own schedule!)
• schedule time for practicing
• keep better track of my projects so that things don't sit on the back burner for too long
• sing more
• complete academic paper submissions (sent my first off today - scary thought!)
• write more often
• pray more often

It's not an overwhelming list, just things that I want to keep in the forefront of my mind as I plan my days this year. Cheers to 2011!

Prelude and Dance

Have you heard our latest recording on YouTube? Here I am with Steve Danyew playing his piece, Prelude & Dance for saxophone and piano... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e4cabd3ZqA]

Life on the other side of the fence

This week marks the end of my first semester of collegiate teaching.  I survived!  There were plenty of new experiences – leaving the room for course evaluations, grading tests, giving written feedback, and administering juries, just to name a few.  It’s life on the other side of the fence.  I am so thankful for the education I received at Eastman which prepared me for these situations. I saw the need for periodic “checkpoints” – making sure that the students are keeping up and able to master the new concepts during the course of the semester.  How can you grade piano performances by seven different students simultaneously and objectively?I developed a unique system using the technology resources in the lab.  Every few weeks, I chose four items for students to record via Garage Band.  They had 30 minutes to complete these items, which allowed them the opportunity to re-record, if needed.  I am more concerned about whether or not they can perform the selected items rather than how well they do on their first attempt.  At the conclusion of the test time, the students emailed me their files for grading.  This allowed me to use a rating scale to grade their performances on tonal and rhythmic accuracy and expression.  I generally listened to each item three times to focus individually on each of these criteria rather than having to take in everything the first time.  When the students get their tests back, they have a very clear measure of their tonal, rhythmic, and expressive performances across all four items.  It’s a great way to see areas of consistency (i.e., John is great with rhythm but could spend more time on his preparation of tonal patterns).

I graded my fourth and final quiz/exam on Tuesday (yes, I am the teacher that gives a final exam on the last day of class – two days prior to the final).  The final exam is a 15-minute jury.  Students were asked to prepare the following:

• Three 2-octave scales of choice
• Solo piece
• American Song
• Harmonization study
• Transposition study
• Improvisation study

My classes are held in the Music Technology Lab so many of my students are not used to playing on an acoustic piano.  There are four small practice rooms on the first floor of the Fine Arts building (all with Boston uprights) but I thought it might be nice to arrange the juries to be held in a space that had a nice instrument.  My students were enamored with the classroom Steinway – the touch, the sound, the pedals – I think it had a positive impact on their performances.

For the jury, I decided not to record the student performances, for time’s sake.  Rather, I developed a grading chart to be filled out while listening.  I included items such as fingering, characteristic tone, rhythmic consistency, tonal accuracy, hand position, posture, technique, pedaling, phrasing, and articulation, each worth no more than 5 points out of 100.  This proved to be a great tool.  I administered six juries on Wednesday (with grades: 94, 93, two 89s, 87 and 85) with six more to go on Monday.

Time to take what I have learned and prepare materials for my classes next semester!