April 2016 Wrapup

A Few Facts: 

- The Digital Age has changed the way the recording industry chooses music to publish.  The industry now is able to rely on data collected on what people want to hear, so they no longer publish based on the gut instincts of music experts.  This means we're getting more of what we want.  This is great for business, but is it so great for music?

-Conducting class gave me a reverential respect for large ensemble conductors.  They truly have the most challenging performance job, in my humble opinion.



Awesome thing from this month:  
- I've had the pleasure of perusing my former piano teacher's new book, Piano Student's Tool Kit, and discovering his new website: http://www.pianoinstructionandtuning.com


To-do's and Goals for this Month: 
- Finish the examples in the aforementioned Piano Student's Tool Kit, including Advanced Blues Licks

-Reach performing proficiency with my by ear piece, A Perfect Day, from (don't laugh) the Peter Rabbit Sountrack. Truly one of the most melodically calming and mysteriously searching pieces I've ever heard.

-Review one Baroque piece to performance proficiency

Music and the Brain

The Room (Inside An Instrument)

Fantasy world. This reminds me of I Spy books, with their enchanting rooms of shadows and beams of light.

Macro Shots Taken Inside Instruments

Exiles Know Freedom

Posted by a friend, Alan Eason:

I love this emotional rendition of "The Stars and Stripes Forever," conducted by then-National-Symphony conductor Mstislav Rostropovich on his return to his homeland of Russia in 1990. He had been stripped of his citizenship under the Soviets for sheltering and defending Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who also took refuge in the United States. Rostropovich loved his homeland of Russia, and his return concert, held in the Bolshoi Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, drew half of the intelligentsia of Moscow and was televised on Russian TV nationwide. After a mournful rendition of (his mentor as a youth) Shostakovich's #5 symphony, which depicted Stalinism and its terrors, he brought the audience to its feet with "The Stars and Stripes Forever" as a finale.

Heard an Interview with George Gershwin

Go check out this article and hear "a rare, brief interview that George Gershwin had done on Rudy Vallee’s hyper-popular radio show in 1933."

Wow.

Musical Boomwhackers

Bach sounds amazing even with boomwhackers. Fascinating to watch, especially if you're a musician thinking how they thought this out.

Should You Be Practicing Right Now?

Composition Helpers

I enjoyed the tips from this site: http://learn2writesongs.hubpages.com/hub/Learn-How-To-Write-Songs

Here are the charts they posted.  Also see their instruction video on how to use the progression chart: 

Read Mozart (Not Just His Notes)

A biography to be reckoned with by a historian who rivals the best. I have enjoyed Johnson's work before, so this book will be on my reading list!

Quick review by Doug Wilson, one of my favorite cultural commentators:

"This was a quick and enjoyable read. Mozart was a phenomenal genius, and this short book -- short just like Mozart's life -- gives a marvelous sense of that genius. For those who don't know much about Mozart's life, and don't know whether or not he was a founding member of the Dave Clark Five, this is the book for you. If you know enough about Mozart to think that joke wasn't funny, this is also a book for you."

Canned Laughter

Of course Weird Al Yankovich is the king of musical comedians.  Tim Hawkins is a great second.

And what was his name?  Oh yes, found him:Victor Borge.  I knew it started with a B.

He did musical stand up comedy to make uprights fall over.
I tried.

Oh, and I must insert my favorite piano joke:

Which kind of piano does God love best? 

God favors the upright.

*canned laughter*



Not as much a shining group, but maybe worth perusing: 10 Essential Musical Comedians - About.com Comedians

I just searched online: "humor piano"

 Oh. the. joy. Where have I been? I posted that question to facebook. And tagged all the musician friends I could think of in 20 seconds. And there was much rejoicing.

And I'll just post one find - you can go indulge on the rest.

Paperman - Pixar Short

I must learn this piece - probably by ear, but I'll check out if there's sheet music available.  This is part of my youtube playlist "Uplifting and Serene."



Track from Paperman Short Movie before Wreck It Ralph

A Pinterest Board

I love finding neat resources from other musicians and especially music teachers.  Recently, I put this pinterest board on my "save now, read later" list, and today finally looked at it.  Lynnette has a lot of other great music boards, so I'll have lots of fun when I get to my "read later" list!

There are some great free sheet music links here:

http://www.pinterest.com/lynnetteemme/sheet-music/

Greek Music Reconstruction

Some of the few earliest notated music pieces mankind has preserved are Greek.  Fascinating archeological and musicological project, as we try to cipher what those squiggles and jots mean.  Read article here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24611454

 The Classical Greeks wrote the earliest expositions on the science of sound,  which I never miss an opportunity to expound on to my students or chance passers by. :)  As best as I can, despite my sparse knowledge of this science, I explain why some notes sound great together while others are difficult on the ears, like an out of tune instrument (voice!).  The reality of consonance (stable) and dissonance (unstable) in sounds comes out of the way our world is, how it was designed, I believe.  It is elemental to understanding music composition and forms the basis of our theories about music and the emotions it conveys. 

Flash Mob Motherload

I think I also have an obsession with flashmobs! See this post:   My Obsession (Flashmobs)   Many are musical, so enjoy, my friends!

P.S. Don't miss the ones posted in the comments section! 

P.P.S. Here's one of my favorites (because I think I already posted Handel's Messiah somewhere else!) :

Great Resource of Thoughtful Articles

http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/category/culture

These articles explore musical culture with great whim and expertise.  I will feature my favorites at different times on this blog.  

Slightly Insulting Wagner

http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/

Modesty and Pride: Paradoxical Mix

http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/

Bernstein: Composition In Not Enough Time

/http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/

Chicago's Magical Piano

Pure pianistic merriment- that's what I'm talking about! Also, see how simple and fun duets are.