Arranging....

Here's an update on what I've been working on since the new year in the arranging department:

• Finished the first draft of the jazzed-up version of Sheebeg and Sheemore I am calling Sheebeg Some More
• A recorder version of the Scottish tune Kelvingrove for SAT
• An SA version of In a Land Where We'll Never Grow Old for a new Women's Choir at church

Sheebeg Some More

So, here's how I'm coming along on my goal to do more arranging/composing.  As of this morning, I now have about 1 1/2 minutes of a jazzy rendition of O'Carolan's Sheebeg and Shemore.  My inspiration has been Dave Brubeck's Kathy's Waltz (which starts out in 4/4) as performed by the Quartet San Francisco.  The texture has to be much thinner in my version since it is only for violin and cello, though I may want to make a trio or quartet version of it, too, someday.

Tomorrow we play through what I have written down so far to see what works and what doesn't, and then....expand!

Tiny Desk Concerts

Oh, my.  I think I've found another time-sink.  While browsing my cousin's facebook page, I saw a link to a video that her son put there which included Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and Stewart Duncan. I wasn't very aware, I guess, of this NPR series of short concerts.  Here is a link to the archive of the 150 or so videos of these little concerts since 2008. Maybe I'll surface one of these days after immersing myself in these videos!

New Year's Planning

Sometimes I get so many different ideas in my head of what I want to compose and arrange that I don't do any of them.  I'm not sure where to start and what to leave on the back burner.  So I am making a list of things to do and am going to try to tackle them one at a time.

Here are some ideas swirling around in my head.

Revise my Yosemite string quartet and get a group to work on it with/for me.
Write a piece for elementary orchestra with a Hawai'ian feel (inspired by my recent week on the Big Island).
Arrange more Beatles music for string trio to play at weddings.
Arrange/Compose a jazz inspired Celtic piece for Cello/Violin Duo
Arrange/Compose pieces for Children's Recorders and Bell Choir
Compose a piece for Viola and Cello

Today I worked on an Elementary String Orchestra arrangement of Sakura.  I have the more challenging parts for my 2nd and 3rd year students with some easy accompaniment for my beginning strings.

Less tv-watching, more composing!

The Octave

Every year when I start teaching strings, the first notes we learn are the open strings.  Soon the students are ready to put down their left fingers, and when I say something like, "Let's play E", some of the violin students play the open E string.  Then I need to explain that there are 2 Es on their instruments.  (Yes there are more than 2, but I don't want to freak any of them out).

Yesterday I was working with one of my private students.  She is working on her intonation, so I thought we should work on 4-note scales.  A-B-C#-D on the A string, and then check the third finger D with the open string D to see if it is in tune.  I made some comment about them both being a D - basically the same note.  She looked at me and said, "how can they be the same note?"

Yes, I know there is an explanation that has a physics background, and it has to do with ratios and wavelengths, but I can't go into that (I don't completely understand it, and neither will my young students).  I like to show the piano keyboard and play various octaves of the same note to see if the students think they are the same note, and at first they don't.  Then I play a 7th and ask if those notes sound the same.  Of course they don't.  Then I play the octave again, and they seem to get that they are the same notes, one higher, one lower.

I don't remember ever wondering about it when I first started learning music.

Yoga

I have been taking yoga classes once a week for about 15 months now, and it has made a difference in my violin and viola playing.  One of the things we work on every week in yoga is opening up the chest, partially by pulling the shoulders down and back.  That opening helps to relax the instrument as well as bow holds, and that relaxation produces a better tone, not to mention taking away any pain and tiredness from playing for a long period of time.

Now, if I could only have my students attend yoga classes, too!  I try to help them with relaxation, but it would be even better if they could practice the techniques outside of music class, too.

Jr High and High School Concert

At the last minute, I found out that the El Roble and CHS Orchestras were having a concert last night, but I knew I had to go.  I really enjoy watching my former elementary students blossoming into greater musical skills.

The venue for this was Taylor Hall, next to CHS, and it was standing room only.  You can see part of the ER Orchestra, the CHS Orchestra as well as the CHS Band here.  Not pictured are the color guard who opened the concert.

Bravi musicians and teachers!