Graduate School!!!

Wire placement measurements as promised in my Reed Tutorial 1

Some very exciting stuff has been happening and it's time for an update!

The fabled recording of "When Life Gives you Lemons" may ACTUALLY be completed in the upcoming year of 2017. Who knew making a recording like this would be so difficult, it's been an uphill battle for sure. Our first audio engineer dropped the project due to sudden lack of interest, and the second audio guy dropped off the face of the planet evidently... If you want anything done right you've got to do it yourself I guess. lol *dies a little inside*
Now that I have a computer again, I will be able to complete the recording myself and give credit to the brilliant work that has already been put in by the talented performers involved. *fingers crossed!*

In other news I am going back to graduate school for bassoon. Not sure where just yet, but I'm very excited by all the excellent options presenting themselves.

Currently I am working on a project to make learning how to make reeds less daunting for intermediate bassoon students. Some of my current students are starting to ask basic reed related questions so I'm optimistically hoping to make a series of short videos that answer questions pertinent to the daunting tasking of making your own reeds. The first tutorial is just past the first draft phase, I will post that video to this post when we finally decide to make it public. After that video is finished I'm hoping to make even shorter videos that shine light on specific issues that come up regarding the "how to" and where to find the correct materials to use, so your feedback is critically important! Ask me your questions via email and I will do my best to answer them in a video. :)

bassooneo.ire@gmail.com



Until next time, thanks for reading :D

Reeds

It's been two years folks. It's good to be back.

Recently I've noticed a lack of 'how to' information on Reed making. I theorize that it's partially because reed making styles are sometimes closely gaurded by those who adhere to cultish exactitude on Reed making strategies. It's also the case that though some kids learn how to start making reeds in highschool many are often clueless until college, when they are *forced* to start making their own. I'm hoping there's still room for me to put out my two cents on Reed making. I personally believe that whatever strategy works for you is what works for you. You don't have to make reeds any one particular way, you become your own craftsman. Heck, I've met at least ONE seasoned professional who makes it a point to make ANY reed sound incredible. Then he gets payed big bucks to play on it. I once heard him say "and my student found this one under a couch.." as he starts to play on something resembling a reed, but mostly cat hair... Ok that's an exaggeration but there was hair on it and it did look pretty sad. BUT it sounded fine.
So the opinions are fairly polarized.

ANYWAYS I intend to put out a series of videos that shed a little light on the complicated process of making reeds. I will of course be happy to answer specific questions via email or video chat. (You'll have to email me to set up vid chat)
Bassooneo.ire@gmail.com

BUT FIRST YOU WILL NEED THESE ITEMS:

You will also need a plaque. (Not featured)

My mandrel is double sided but yours does not need to be! You can get two separate tools, just as long as you have a 'shaping mandrel' and a 'forming mandrel'

Tools to avoid: throat reamers.
Yes they're cheap.. And for good reason. Steer clear. Popkin makes the best regular reamer, opt for titanium.

There are a HUGE variety of knives you can buy, a really simple one that you can sharpen yourself is featured. Technically it's an oboe knife.

When you go to order your mandrel tips and drying rack (not featured) you can find them at Forrests the Double Reed Specialists

The tip clipper is made by Rieger. Still going strong, you can probably get that from Forrests too..

Make sure your pliers have 3 sections, one for rounding, one for clipping wires and one for grabbing wires.

ROM Double Reeds made my steel 'knife sharpening rod.' It is the simplest sharpening tool I have ever found and works well when you already have a good sharpening job on your blade of choice. It's a one tool wonder and doesn't require oils and clean up requires only your shirt tip. How's that for low maintenance?! Disclaimer: this is a good tool to have but not imperative for beginners.  

Alrighty then! Go forth and get thee some Reed tools! Don't forget to email if you have questions! Until I post my follow up vids, cya.

Long Distance

Let me tell you, life as as starving artist is pretty crazy, especially in one of the fastest gowing cities in the nation. I love Austin but the rent is skyrocketing and driving away the artists, who like myself, were just scraping by. I'm in a somewhat more stable place now out in Nebraska, it's never where I saw myself living and I don't wish to stay for long. However I have family out here so it's been really good for my mental and emotional health. Thanks family :) *hugs*

Since I've been out here I've encountered some amazing opportunities! I got to play with the Omaha Symphony (first time with a pro symphony!! woohoo!!) and I'm currently working as a stage manager with the Lincoln Symphony. Those things have been great fun. Jeff McCray, the professor at UNL was kind enough to give me a lesson since I've been here. (thank you!) I also got to meet an amazing accordion player named Julia who plays locally in small venues. She too studied classical music and we had a lot of fun busting out some tango pieces. Bassoon and Accordion actually sound pretty cool, it's kind of like the guitar and bassoon duo I had, but much louder and somewhat more brash. Playing with accordion doesn't require the same amount of dynamic sensitivity that classical guitar does (ie playing at 50% volume) but that's good because I've been working with the same reed for a month now and really need to make another... hahahaha.

Lemon Bar was scheduled to put out our first tracked recording this past fall, however there were a few hitches in the road and the production date got pushed back.. indefinitely. I am very excited to say that this is about to change because I have *awesome* friends/colleagues who made it a point to help me finish this project. (thanks guys!!) So we're doing it, long distance style!

The percussionist, Daniel Fears, who incidentally filled in on bass guitar for my recital when we premiered "None More Black" back in 2013, will be recording himself from his studio in New Haven. He is currently finishing up a masters of music at Yale in bass trombone performance, and yes he is an amazingly multitalented, driven, and wonderful individual. Check out his work here.
Josh Edwards, our new recording guy, will be helping our gifted pianist Hanna Lee record herself in Austin and then he will mix the track. Josh is currently completing his bachelors at UT Austin with a concentration on electronic and computer music. He is a classical guitarist and has studied with respected instructors such as; Adam Holzman, Chad Ibison and Isaac Bustos.

Then there's the bassoonist, who doesn't have a studio but instead tried to record this past weekend from her auntie's bedroom because that's where the acoustics were best. lol

So there you have it! New Haven, Nebraska and Austin! Fingers crossed y'all!!

and remember, when life gives you lemons, make Lemon Bars! ;)

Lemon Bar!!!

Click here to go to the Facebook Fan Page!

I don't talk about it much on my blog, but I've started a band and it's called Lemon Bar. I've been writing for the band since last August (right before I graduated). Check out our recordings on SoundCloud!!

The first piece is called Integration

The second is Superhero

People have been really responsive to our music which is SUPER EXCITING. So far the band has 3 gigs lined up;
June 7 in Smithville for Olde World Bakery
Guns and Giggles, a comedy venue on June 14 and
Red Eyed Fly, July 25th

I'm really exited. :)

The recordings aren't even that great and are completely live, recorded in a classroom with my handy cam zoom. No mixing etc. We'll get better ones at some point, this is all we could do with the resources and rehearsal time available. This is good because it means that when we have the time to tighten up our performance, we'll sound even better.

Both pieces have their own history.

Integration got its name because it is dedicated to my late grandfather Robert Clark, who passed away in January 2014. He was an accidental hero because he unwittingly integrated the Topeka YMCA back when segregation was on its last limbs on a national level, but still a seemingly insurmountable issue in Topeka. The piece pays homage to the idea of integration by taking a classical motif and a jazz motif and... (dun dun dunnnn) INTEGRATES THEM. lol

Superhero got its name simply because our drummer at the time thought that the raw idea behind the piece sounded like a superhero theme. He was trying to tease me, but fortunately our keyboard player was able to smooth over some of the hard lines... needless to say I was not trying to write movie music.. haha

The Making of Bach 'n' Roll

Like all good ideas, this one started out as a seed and had just the right kind of nourishment from the sun, wind and rain to blossom into something people can enjoy.
I was running in the park on a beautiful late winter day and I thought to myself, "gosh I wish I could just come out here and make music in all of this beauty!" Then I saw other musicians in the park, who apparently had the same inclinations. :)
I realized that a bassoon isn't something you see everyday just playing in the park, and that if I did this, it would attract attention. Then I thought, "hey wouldn't it be cool to film people's reactions and post it online?"
I made mention of this to my amazingly multi-talented roommate, Kamryn Armstrong, who had already made "music videos" of her own. However, her videos were not just recorded from an iphone.. she had a tripod and fancy camera, not to mention expertise. Click here to check out her work. She VERY kindly said she would help me make this video and was true to her word. With her input the idea just took off. She suggested multiple Austin iconic locations, outfits, even times of day. She was absolutely pivotal to this video, helping me do everything, even down to the types of cosmetics I chose to use. I got really lucky that she was there!!
Learning the Prelude from the 1st Bach Cello Suite was a challenge unlike any other piece I had memorized, because it was not intended for the bassoon. This posed a challenge because there are only two real places to breathe during this piece.. one is at the very end (lol) and the other is smack dab in the middle of the piece. Because bassoonists don't play this piece it did two things for me; it presented a challenge of creativity (finding places to breathe), a challenge of endurance (try not to pass out), and made me feel more at liberty to play without fear. After all, I have never heard another bassoonist play this, so that radically decreased pressure. During MQVC, I had been working on the Prelude from Bach's first Cello Suite as something I let myself do in order to keep sane during competition preparation... almost as an antidote towards playing music that 9 other people were going to play and be judged/compared on based on an unknown set of standards. Playing this piece meant freedom from comparison. After practicing for this competition, (which felt like forever)  it had gotten to a point where I had played the Prelude soooo much, that I started quizzing myself, seeing if I could do the whole thing from memory. It took about a week at that point, but I memorized it and solidified it.
When it came to shooting the film we did it in 4 locations and and 3 separate trips. One by a building that shall remain nameless so that I don't get sued... The other 3 were out on Congress near 7th, the Lamar Bridge, and The Wall of Hope. The latter two took place on the last day of SXSW. We made several full takes but there were other takes where I was just supposed to play a section of the piece and Kamryn would do a special close up of my fingers.. or shoot from a slightly different angle. I probably only had to play the piece from beginning to end 12 times while filming.
Once we had our clips, it was time to edit. I spent the entirety of ONE day editing and creating a patchwork of clips that followed the general meter of the piece. It was a little rugged sounding to the ear, switching locations where background noise always changed depending on the clip used, but you could tell it was the Prelude and it had overall flow. Because we shot film from 12 different live performances, there were multiple tempos. This meant that the background noise wasn't the only variable in sound when playing back these clips and posed a challenge sometime while trying to find suitable pieces to put together. I have to say again, I got very lucky that I was able to get all these live performances to line up well enough for the video-patchwork-skeleton.
Recording the track that we laid over the video-patchwork-skeleton was much easier and faster than filming. We got our take on the 3rd run through. Parker Johnson was a beast and used some very expensive equipment that he set up in his UT dorm room to get the sound we were looking for. That's right, no studio required, just the dorm room of a college kid. We used only two microphones.. which was interesting. I have never used less than 3 to get a good recording. Here is Parker's email if you need to contact him about his awesome bassoon recording set up: aparkerjohnson@gmail.com
Lining up the track with the video was just plain fun. The idea was to watch myself (on patchwork skeleton video) played on a small device (in this case, Parker's phone), and listen to that recording through headphones (attached to phone) while playing the Prelude in such a way that it fit with what I was watching and hearing. Parker would hit record and cue me and I would hit play on the video and play along with what I saw and heard in the headphones as best as possible. This was tricky because there are a lot of close ups on my fingers. Close ups mean I had to try extra hard to replicate (be) my exact self from a previous clip.. but since there were so many clips and different me(s), it meant guestimating as best as possible how and when I should play it. Then there was the actual music to take into account. I needed to make the musical performance that would be entertaining and clean... and make sense with the footage. I am proud to say that we did not edit the music at all. It is a full complete take from a live "studio" performance... annnnd it lines up pretty well. Did I mention we got it on the 3rd take? :)

Shot taken by Jacob James Garcia

YESSSSSS!!!

Public reaction to the bassoon was very exciting. Some people lined up to listen, others stopped to take photo and video. According to Kamryn (who is a saint/trooper and wearing the cream sweater to the right) people were taking video or photos from the side walk, or even their cars, with phones, cameras or ipads as they passed by on Congress. I got asked to do a podcast by one of the more stationary audience members who took an interest in project Extra Orchestral Uploads and we ended up meeting a LOT of really cool people. More on the podcast later.



As a cool side note, we released the video on Bach's birthday in homage. Happy birthday you philandering scoundrel. Soli Deo Gloria. ;)

Don't forget to Like, Share, & Subscribe to my channel so that I can feed mahsef! Click HERE to go to video!

Annnnnnd if you haven't already, hit me up for a lesson! Can't be here in person? Try my awesome LessonFace platform and have me over for a lesson in your living room.

Thanks for reading and supporting y'all :)

Extra Orchestral Uploads

The Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Symposium was fun and I got to meet a lot of very talented and dedicated bassoonists as well as see some dear and familiar faces. Congratulations to the first place winner Ivy Ringel, who is a great person! We got to carpool on the way to the airport with equally awesome person and second place winner Sandra Bailey, who played beautifully. Congratulations Sandra!! It was a fun ride and I had the honor of exposing these out-of-staters to the Texas phenomenon otherwise known as Whataburger. It was as glorious as to be expected... hahahaha

David and Julie Threatte of Barton Cane. Hook'em

Also, if you don't get your cane from Barton Cane, you're missing out. I've gone exclusive with their product because it is so consistent and high quality. Plus, they take the time to get to know you, where else do you get that? You can thank me later. 

Thanks to my amazing pianist Wenci Fan who put up with me!

I was really inspired by Sergio Azzolini's interpretation of the Vivaldi and Klaus Thunemann as well. Click here to hear Sergio's inspired performance! I feel that Azzolini's performance sounds very improvised which led me to make the daring decision to improvise the second movement of the Vivaldi live in concert. Playing in a style that sounds improvised is currently stylistic for baroque music.. however actually improvising on the spot, especially in a competition setting isn't done that often, but my gut said it would be a good move. I have my own theories of how baroque music was once performed... muahahaha. But in all seriousness, I don't think humans have actually changed that much in the past few hundred years and that what we once found amusing would still be amusing today... including a live improvised performance.
A lot of the music that I write for my pop band calls for improvisation, so it was a very natural thing to improvise Vivaldi. It was exciting, nay thrilling to improvise for an audience, as well as a freer experience for me as an artist to be able to make decisions that fit my current mood while playing.


Speaking of, my band is gearing up to make some recordings soon. We have six pieces so far and the idea is that once we have the recordings, we'll be able to interest venues with our music and get some gigs. FINGERS CROSSED Y'ALL!!!


In other news, I, with the amazing help of Kamryn Armstrong and Parker Johnson have recently released a music video on YouTube featuring the bassoon. Don't forget to 'like,' and subscribe to my channel!

There will be a blog on the making of this video coming soon! Peace out y'all!

Studio Recital 2014!!!

I am very proud to announce the first studio recital I have ever thrown, Studio Recital 2014!

It was a great opportunity for my students to play some music in an intimate setting for a live audience. Performing is a crucial part of learning and has an indispensable way of solidifying progress and building confidence! I must say I am VERY proud of their performances. With the exception of one student, all the pieces were tailored specifically to address challenges each student was facing in order to give them incentive to overcome those challenges. The crowd that showed up to support the students was also pretty impressive. We probably had around 20 people to see five students perform. It was a good day for all. It also provided an opportunity for my amazing collaborator Wenci Fan and I to air out some of our Meg Quigley repertoire, an opportunity I would not have otherwise had since I am no longer in school.

That leads to another interesting thought, competition preparation. I feel no one ever talks about this but it's quite the mind game. I have discovered from making the tape for the semi-final round it requires a lot of careful preparation. However preparing for the next round is even harder. You have to out-do your last performance.. which of course means practicing the same repertoire for an even longerrrrr span of time. No sweat right? Except when you play the same thing for MONTHS it starts to become very wearing. I must say that there are days when I have woken up, set up the bassoon and then stared at it... almost all day.
Now I know my situation is a little different from the other girls preparing for this competition, simply because I am the only one who is not currently in school. That means I am not getting any sort of regular check up from my teacher.. because I don't have one. I have to be my own teacher, and though I think I'm doing ok, another set of ears is indispensable. Especially a set that is older and wiser. I know I could probably be doing a lot better with more regular help, but I kinda dig my independence too. I really hope I get to go to graduate school for bassoon someday. I really love doing the bassoon thing and don't think I couldn't live without it.

Composing has also been an interesting challenge. To have inspiration you really have to do more than sit in front of a piano. So I'm trying to stay active with things I love, like spending time with people, dancing, and learning other repertoire. It's great.

Until later!

If you would like to take a lesson from me, please check out my online lesson platform and book your lesson today! The first 30 minute lesson is always free! You can be anywhere in the world to use this lesson platform! I highly recommend!

MQVC and why You should take a lesson with Me!

Life in Austin has been quite an adventure so far. I started a band a while ago, for which I have been writing music. I don't know much about composing, but I'm having fun and the very talented musicians in my band know how to rock out! It's been awesome. We've only had a few rehearsals so far and are building up our rep list so that we can take some gigs downtown. When I get a recording I'll be sure to upload to YouTube and share. And yes, I am playing bassoon in this band. :)
My bassoon students have been doing really well and it has been exceedingly gratifying to see them improve and grow to love the bassoon in new ways. One of the parents wrote to me one day a very kind letter of encouragement which I asked if I could post, provided that the names were changed. She agreed. Here is her letter:

"Katie,

I wanted to thank you for your kind encouragement today.  I am, of course, the proud mother, but I see Natasha as a wonderful mixture of courageous and, sometimes, timid teenager.  It took courage to show you “her” music and you couldn’t have been any nicer!! Thank you for your perfect blend of encouragement and constructive corrections.  I think Natasha is responding beautifully to your instruction. I look forward to her lessons and her subsequent practices. They are sounding SO much better!! 

With great appreciation,

Lily"

And in other news, I made semifinals (click to see my bio!) at an international bassoon competition called the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Symposium. It's open to anyone to attend and happening January 18-24th at Round Top, which is in Texas. It's a really big bassoon event, and it is incidentally the venue through which I first met my teacher Ms. Jensen back in 2010. I'm really excited to have the chance of performing for so many people. The event lasts for several days during which the semi and final rounds occur for the competition, but also many master classes from distinguished bassoon professors and other performances from acclaimed bassoon professionals. It's all bassoon all the time! There of course will also be people there trying to sell bassoon stuff, because we all know that when bassoonists geek out, they geek out hard. Which of course is great for people trying to sell stuff to them. hahaha

And finally in other-other news, I got to play in a rap song that will be coming out at part of an album called Bealerious, which should be coming out in late January. Click here for the Soundcloud link! Chris Beale is the mastermind behind the album (hence Bealerious) and when I told him his music would be all the better featuring a bassoon, (winky-face) he gave me the opportunity to feature in a song called "Right on Time." It is a rap song featuring Megz Kelli, a talented rap artist with the band "Magna Carda." So excited for RAP BASSOON!!

Recording in Sewell Studios for "Right on Time" in Bealerious

If you would like to take a lesson from me, please check out my online lesson platform and book your lesson today! The first 30 minute lesson is always free! You can be anywhere in the world to use this lesson platform! I highly recommend!

From Escondido to International

People have asked me why I named my blog "Escondido Bassoon Teacher" and there are two reasons. As a 16 year old when I first started writing my blog I had two motives. The first was to make sure that when you google-searched "bassoon teacher" my blog would show up. This took a few years to actually happen, but I'm glad I did because now (years later) my blog is pretty good about popping up when you search the term "bassoon teacher. " Escondido is simply the town in which I spent the majority of my childhood.. and at age 16 I though it was important that people to know exactly where I was in case they wanted a lesson... haha 

Now that I no longer live in Escondido, I have kept the word Escondido because of something my teacher Valentin Martchev told me before I left for college. He said in a thick Bulgarian accent ; "Katie Clark, no matter where you go or how well you impress people, never forget where you came from, it will keep you stable and give you perspective."

This was coming from a man whom I respected above all else, and who practiced what he preached. So even though Escondido is a retirement center with a downtown that makes a hollow ringing sound when you step foot in it, or where you can hear peacocks and parrots every evening, or find a random buffalo next door, it will remain a part of who I am for as long as I am.

That being said, because of cutting edge technology, I am now available for lessons world wide. If you live anywhere with an Internet connection (which you'd need to read this) YOU can now take lessons from me. 

Introducing LessonFace, the most innovative technology in music lessons. Click here to see my profile!

Please message me if you would like a lesson and we'll work out a time!

Skeptical? Click here to see a demo of the amazing sound quality I got from a very old MacBook. Honestly, I am truly surprised at both the sound quality, and instant relay. It's as if I'm inside your computer! 

The password for the video is: bassoon

Please excuse my appearance, the owner of the company, named Claire, took a live recording of me fooling around on my bassoon while I was in my grungy exercise clothes right after I got back from a run, just so that I could check the sound quality of lessons before getting involved with the company. I was impressed and I think you will be too. It's much better than other video relays.

Here are some step by step instructions for getting started. Click here!

I hope to meet you soon!

How Then Shall We Practice?

As Charlie is aware,

the biggest thing upon which I like to focus in lessons is how to practice. 

Most of the time learning how to practice is the entire point of lessons. You are your best teacher, but first you need to know what is important and how to teach yourself.

I found this article interesting and helpful. It focuses on the larger game-plan aspect of practicing. 

Too often it can be overly daunting to start practicing when you know there is a lot of work to be done and it must be complete, even though you have no idea how to get it all done. 

The answer to that is to break it up and break it down. Little bits are not nearly as scary as a huge menacing mess. Once you master the little bits, just practice connecting them until you can play the whole passage. No sweat right? lol 

Although conquering obstacles is rarely easy, this checklist of questions may expedite the process:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~In which key am I? Am I fluent in the corresponding scale/arpeggios/intervals?

~Am I in tune with myself? If not, is my pitch fixable with an adjustment to support, embouchure or my reed?

~In which meter am I? Does that affect my interpretation of the rhythms? Can I tap out my rhythms in the abstract? 

~If a passage is not clean, what interval can I isolate in my practice to fix it? If it doesn't improve with slow repetition, is there something wrong with my technique which I can see in the mirror? Is there an alternate fingering that will work better?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As with all practice be sure to be careful and stay aware of your body. Injuries to musicians are too common and can be prevented through caution and awareness. Even non-musical activity requires awareness as injuries can occur at any time. Try to avoid undue strain or poor posture, and remember to give yourself time! 

Once I got a fortune cookie with a very helpful thought. The paper within the cookie read; 

"Infinite patience produces immediate results."

Although this isn't entirely true, patience is key to progress. It is also a virtue in which I am often found lacking... but I will say that I get a lot more done when I give myself the opportunity to delve more deeply than impatiently demanding instant perfection as I consecutively build bad repetitions. Because of this, my patience with myself has increased enormously, largely due to the fact that a patient attitude yields faster results than imprecise floundering! Go figure. 

Like the Falling of Small Rocks that Precedes an Avalanche..

I got an email today from someone in Europe who wants to play None More Black with his band!!

HOW EXCITING IS THIS?????

There is next to nothing in the popular genre, especially of serious popular pieces, for the bassoon. In that sense, NMB is a jewel of a rare nature.

I am currently working with a composer to create more "popular" pieces that can be played by bassoon and a variety of other instruments. These types of works are, especially serious ones, so uncommon that almost anything we come up with will be a well needed expansion of bassoon repertoire.

Traditionally bassoon pieces that aren't classical in nature (and some that are) tend to focus on the comedic aspect of the bassoon or rely on amusing gimmicks. We have well enough of these comedic works, where are the pieces I can go downtown to play and make a few bucks playing it?

The answer used to be, "you picked the wrong instrument," but as of very recently "popular" works including the bassoon are in progress. 

 I don't know why it is, but people can't seem to take the bassoon seriously as a viable source or genuine entertainment. I will point out that if you read the poll of words-that-people-associate-with-the-bassoon, the two most unfailingly popular choices are Exotic and Expressive. If this is the case, why is the bassoon sequestered to the back of the orchestra?? It doesn't need to be..
An instrument with such qualities needs to get out there and just do it!!

There are tons of solo string players, but I could name on one hand the list of solo bassoonists I know. However I digress, the music we're working on  is not purely soloistic in nature, but rather features the bassoon with nontraditional ensembles. The fact that previous "pop" pieces for bassoon are intended to be either comedic or a novelty I think is too bad, and it's time for change.

Bassoon is hard enough to play, but when the only real performing jobs are limited to classical repertoire, you can understand why it would be stifling to play the same sorts of things over and over. I never want to play a Bb 3 ever again. You bassoonists know what I'm talking about..

It's high time we started improvising, but the sad truth is, bassoonists typically don't.

_____________

Here is the email I found in my inbox this morning;

"I really liked the piece by Ben Stonaker, I am wanting to bye it for my band so that I can actually play the bassoon in the band. That would be really cool! 

There are som things I am wondering about though, prize and parts. 

I am basically wondering about what the prize is, and if the guitar solo and so on is written or if improvised. 

I live in Norway, so do you ship over here? 

Thanks, and please excuse me for my terrible English.

Sincerl, Didrik"

(thanks Didrik for giving me permission to post!)

I have great hopes that this is only the beginning, and that once serious pop bassoon music starts to become available, a whole new genre of pop bassoon repertoire choices will not only be accessible to future generations of bassoonists, but to a certain degree expected. Obviously only time will tell if this experiment will work or not, but nothing ever got done by not being tried. :)

Fingers crossed!!

Rock Bassoon

My latest bassoon adventure has gone to the dark side, in fact there's None More Black... hahahaha (to unsubscribe from lame jokes click here)

None More Black was a project for my senior recital and completely voluntary on the parts of everyone involved. The idea was to write a rock song for bassoon and play it! I really wanted to play something people could relate to better. I love classical music, but how often do you go downtown and hear classical music blasting from a bar? Or bassoon in a downtown setting?
Though I think hearing classical music in a bar may be a long shot, I'm really hoping the fate of the bassoon will not be so grim. One step at a time.

I digress. The wonderful people who made this song come to life did everything for free and are totally amazing. You guys rock. Literally.
We world premiered NMB May 3rd, 2013 but due to some funny business with the microphones, we rerecorded with fancier mics (though tragically with slightly less sophisticated recording equipment) in early June. C'est la vie d'une etoile de rock. hahaha (please don't kill me)

iphone pic of  hastily scribbled theme 

Ben Stonaker is the composer. He hails from Louisiana and is currently working on his doctorate at UT Austin. He was a rock musician for the longest time, but turned rogue and now writes music of the new variety. He was the perfect guy to write this piece, which wittily features quotes from Paint it Black and Freebird (6 minutes in). NMB is also centered around a melody sent via text message.. from my phone! Gotta love technology! Incidentally, I look back at this picture and I cannot for the life of me understand what possessed me to write B double flat.. or C flat.. *sigh*

It was great collaborating with him. Funny note, he ended up sight reading the piano part at my senior recital.. sight reading a concert is badass.. no matter how you slice it! Ben Stonaker, you are a beast.

Other news from my senior recital, click here for my fav recording from the recital that is not rock related. This is Eugene Bozza's Recit, Sicillienne and Rondo for bassoon and piano. Suyeon Kim (possibly the best pianist I know) was kickin' it with me for this one and recently got a job as a full time professor in Colorado. Congratulations Dr. Kim!!
Special thanks to Dadio who came out with Mom and recorded and uploaded it all from his phone.

Right now I'm just trying to finish school. I supposedly graduated, but in reality I have 2 online science classes to finish, one of which I finished last Tuesday and the other I'm hoping to knock out early in the next 1-2 weeks. Cannot wait to finish.

I also have been teaching at the Long Horn Band Camp again this summer. It was fun! I really love the kids and we always have a great time. I never get tired of their excited young faces or cracking jokes when I'm supposed to be teaching. I'm so ADHD myself that I really try to make lesson times as relevant and engaging for the student on as many levels as possible. I understand how difficult it can be to focus on what teachers say, I was there not that long ago!

One amusing excerpt from a lesson went as follows:

Me: Try singing this note before you play it again, and really tune it..
Student: *grins* I can't.
Me: Nonsense, now sing.
Student: *still grinning* I can't.
Me: *sings horribly but in tune* look, if I can do it, so can you! 
Student: *worried smile* I can't...
Me: We haven't got time for this, now just try.
Student: *sings well and in tune*
Me: AHA!! YOU CAN!! Now don't tell me you can't anymore because you clearly can! Now let's do that again and really listen to tune it with the piano. *plays interval of a 5th*
Student: I can't..
Me: You just did... 
Student: *sings pitch eventually tuning well*
Me: Great, now do that on the bassoon!
Student: *tunes bassoon and sounds amazing*
Me: Never tell yourself that you can't, because you only set limits for yourself. You just proved that you can, even though you thought you couldn't before!

Not that long ago I was the one saying "I can't." in lessons.. I was so sure I knew my own limits! So I totally understand how much saying "I can't" is a complete waste of time. It is completely counterproductive to put limits on your own infinite creative potential. Thank you Ms. Jensen for knocking some sense into me. 

On that note, it's time for sleep. Until next time!

Senior Recital, AHS, Blanton, the future....

The future is wild and unknown. lol

I've decided to defer on Northwestern's offer of admission for a year in the hopes of hanging around in Austin for a little bit longer to freelance and teach. I'm hoping to expand the types of acceptable venues in which the bassoon can be played, and one of the ways I'm doing this is with my senior degree recital.

The recital will try to dispel preconceived notions about the limits of the bassoon by doing a couple of things that people have said could not be done, either explicitly or implicitly. The opening piece will feature classical guitar and bassoon, which if you've been reading my blog you know Thales and I have been doing for a few months now. BUT even at the last master class at which Thales and I performed, there were incredulous professional musicians sitting in the audience literally saying "it can't be done..."
right up until we did it.

So that's going to be the overall theme of this recital. It CAN be done and it SHALL. lol

The last piece on the program is composer Ben Stonaker's None More Black.

Ben was inspired by the Rolling Stones' song Paint it Black, and as its name implies there is a quote from the Stones which necessitated the similar name. Click here to see Paint it Black if you aren't already familiar with that song.
On a side note, rehearsals for None More Black start Wednesday and yes this is a rock'n'roll piece. ;) *yay!*

Besides all of that, the recital will be given with the advertised function of being a benefit concert for the Austin Humane Society. Readers of this blog are familiar with my infatuation with our furry friends, and it struck me that I could actually do something to help them with my music! I am VERY excited to be raising money for the AHS, so please come to my recital and donate for all the puppies and kitties that are saved and need homes! There will be food afterwards and I would love to meet you!

As to my future in Austin, I am very excited to be moving out of the dorms and into a real apartment! I will be playing with Thales a bit, branching out into other venues of performance in smaller settings, some possible orchestral involvement, and doing a lot of teaching.

Above is a picture my student's mom took of the lesson we had outside in the beautiful spring weather! Such a joy to be outside right now!

Also, Thales' dad came to one of our performances at the Blanton and took some video and photos! What a dad!! See some of those below.

peeking at the music

Click HERE for the video! In the video we do a lot of talking in an effort to better reach our audience. The people were very receptive and enthusiastic. Many of them came to thank us afterwards and a few of them asked if they could hire us to play at house parties and other events, to which we answered YES OF COURSE PLEASE HIRE US. :D One guy even tipped us $20 at the end, so Thales and I went to enjoy some well needed lunch afterwards! Woot!!

Thales and I LOVE playing for people in intimate settings! Special thanks to Thales' dad and the wonderful Evan Leslie who coordinated this event and gave us the opportunity to perform!!

Mystery Music

So there is a lot going on and I haven't been diligent about blogging it.. dun dun dun...

So fast and wild recap. GO!

I'm on YouTube again click HERE!

This was a small free performance at the Fine Arts Library at UT which was part of Russell Podgorseck's Excessive Noise Series. My chamber buddy in the video, Thales Smith, was particularly inspired by one of the pieces performed by a soprano and guitar at this concert... so Russell rewrote it for guitar and BASSOON.
I am very excited to say that we are playing it! Will post on YouTube when we perform it!

My senior recital is coming up and I am planning on making this recital a little bigger than the standard affair, ie. less boring. I'm also hoping to use my recital as a benefit concert to raise money for the Humane Society. I will be playing a lot of traditional repertoire, but also something a little less standard.. it's a piece currently being written for my recital by one of the composers at UT, Ben Stonaker. Nope, it's not even in the New Music genre, though there will be one of those obligatory pieces on the program... you knew it had to happen. lol (actually 21st century genre is required to graduate..)

Can you guess the genre of this mystery piece Ben is writing??? ;)
click here for hint
Or leave a comment if you care to guess!

Applying to grad school has been crazy, I've a applied to five already but only taken the auditions at 3 so far. I may not even be done yet, Ms. Jensen keeps suggesting new places for me to apply, but I really want to stay at UT for obvious reasons. So we'll see what happens. I've heard back from only one of the schools at which I auditioned so far (and was accepted yay!) but still waiting to hear back from the other two. I'm not sure where I'm going to come up with the money for grad school, but I'll find a way.

And lastly, I'm finally FINALLY graduating!!! (at the end of the summer.. shhhh...) So EXCITED at the prospect of actually having a degree in my hands!!! The amount of credits I have is insane, I've already earned a degree and a half but I won't get the degree until I finish jumping though all the hoops and climbing over the red tape that is my particular set of degree requirements.

Currently I'm on spring break and SXSW is in town, so naturally I have been doing some serious spring cleaning. Absolutely necessary.  Feels so good. Annnd I'm going to a free show tonight that I am very excited about!!

Previously in this blog I have mentioned my brief encounter with eurhythmics, for which I am so thankful, it has truly been a gift that keeps on giving. Ms. Jensen asked me to help one of my younger studio mates with rhythm comprehension (which I have struggled notoriously with myself) so I gave a mini master class to our freshmen and took the cutest video of them while we had fun exploring rhythm in physical motion! With minimal goofiness.
XD

k, gotta catch a show (and practice). Until next time! :)

Five Sacred Trees!!!

I don't think I've ever posted video of my performances before, but last Thursday I played for a piano masterclass and my wonderful teacher Ms. Jensen sneakily recorded the whole thing from her ipad. hahahaha
As my grandma Connie says; "nothing is safe anymore!"
hahahaha it's TRUE!!

Well now I'm on YouTube and thus famous... lol or not.

I almost didn't do this, all the way onto the stage I was kicking myself because I had awoken sick that morning with some cold virus/sinus infection thing and was feeling quite poorly. Why I did it still confuses me, but I'm sure glad it worked out. :)

Five Sacred Trees by John Williams, movements 1-2

Click here for movements 3-5

It totals 24 minutes in length and I'll have to play it this Tuesday in Studio Class, the whole thing from memory, to qualify to compete in the concerto competition. Prayers much appreciated!!!

I have to say, that what with this piece being as hard as it is and me being as sick as I was (am), I must give credit where it is due and that would be to Jesus Christ, who sustains me. Without Him I could do nothing.

Also to my pianist Suyeon Kim, who is beyond amazing, incredibly talented, dedicated, ever supportive (even when she has to teach me my part) and just plain nice to boot. I really lucked out.

Also to Ms. Jensen, who has been incredibly patient with me for the past 2 years. I would have gone crazy trying to teach me by now. lol

You guys rock!

Smell ya later!

Got Lessons?

Parents!

Not sure if investing in music lessons is a good idea for your kid?

Turns out you may get even more than you bargained for:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-music-big-brain-benefits-leisure.html

Eastman Graduation

As I sit on a couch that is not mine in Rochester, NY, I contemplate the depth and richness of friendships I am surrounded by in this city. I’ve been in the Eastman area for the past week catching up with my would-be graduating class of ‘12. I’ll see them walk tomorrow. It’s definitely a time of closure for me. Transferring and leaving such wonderful people was probably the hardest choice I’ve made to date.

Tabs, Alex and Emma from left to right

The people of my MOPC Bible Study just pulled together to make one of the best dinners ever!! Alex and Daniel were the hosts and it’s their couch I’m crashing on tonight, out of the many options I had. You know you’re at home when there are wonderful people everywhere who want to take you in. This past week has been a whirlwind of awesomeness, I’m kind of surprised that it’s already coming to an end!! It seems just like yesterday I was trying to make up my mind if I would buy a plane ticket out here. So glad I did. The depth and length of the relationships I’ve formed out here is truly remarkable. At times it feel like I never left, esp. since not much has changed. Though, I’ve definitely changed, for the better I hope!

Eleanor, me, Mrs. Judd, and Heidi

The Pastor’s kids are growing up to be lovely young people. I enjoy being a heroine in the eyes of the older Judd girls and am amused to watch them copy me, which is truly the highest form of praise.. even though it’s probably the case that if they knew better they wouldn’t. ;)

Yes that is delicious appleness spilling over

Chris at the carving and Conrad
at the bottle popping!!

But food for tonight’s dinner was deep fried turkey, thank you Chris, Cranberry Chutney, Mrs. Rev. Judd’s sweet potato casserole recipe, stuffing and sauteed veggies, thank you Alex, and I got the desserts which were apple pie and cream puffs. oh yeah baby, Clarks don’t fool around with desserts. lol

cream puffs and beer.. so much food sexiness!!

But it’s all ending as of noon tomorrow when my would-be Senior class is walking and I’ll be witnessing it all from a balcony in Eastman Theater.

One of the special things about Rochester is the Tango. My first dance partner Daniel and my teacher Alex (who got married to each other.. yes I take full credit) still live in Rochester and we hit the dance floor last Thursday. So much fun!!! Daniel has improved much since I started with him, and we had a lovely dance. I must say that he has far outstripped me as far as dancing is concerned, but that’s ok.. as long as he makes me look good. ;)

Gramert, Erin, Grandbert and Mrs. Robertson

I wish I could document all the wonderfulness of this visit, but it would be impossible. So instead 

 I’ll list those responsible for these awesome times.

Seth, Conrad, and Daniel

Tabitha, Erin, Jamie, Kenny, Seth, Alex, Daniel, Conrad, Ben, Mr. and Mrs. Judd, Eleanor, Heidi, allll the Judd kids, Mrs. Griffiths, Sue Marriot (who passed away last Sunday the 13th), Roy Marriot, Emma, Chris, Patrick, Yuen, Lauren, Natalie, Jubin, Grandmert and Grandbert, Mrs. Robertson, Mr. Terpstra, and Darcy.

Random other people from Eastman who firstly recognized me, secondly acknowledged my presence and thirdly did so in a friendly manner. lol

And of course my home girl Amanda Hays, keeping me properly insane and thus equipped for life as we know it.


I am a lucky lucky girl, not only to have so many wonderful friends but to love and be loved by them. The awesomeness doesn't even end there as I’ll be road tripping back to TX with dearest Tabs. It will be awesome. :D Also saves me tons of $$

It’s also the case that I am reassured of having made the right decision to transfer though it meant I had to leave such wonderful people. I really love Ms. Jensen and am gratified to know that UT is a much better fit for me as far as weather and bassoon is concerned.

Anywho, it’s almost 2am out here, church and gradumacation tomorrow so must stop. Later.

Will You be my Valentine?

 Will you be my Valentine??

The past few weeks have been intense. I got pretty sick within the first week of school but am doing much better now. Looking forward to my Junior Recital on March 30th!! Whoohoo!! It's going to be a good program. Tango Sonatine by Max Dubios, 5 Sacred Trees and my trio named Ménage à Trois will be playing.. and somehow we're going to make this all happen in the span of 30 minutes... lol

This Valentine's day I hopped on a bus to Houston (thank you Claire and Chris for the rides to and from the bus station!) and eventually made it to Rice University where I got to see an old friend from Eastman named Seth Russell. 

It was not because it was Valentine's day that I went to see him, he just happened to be having his audition that day.. and that was the only time I could go out there to see him. It was fun!! 

We went to a French restaurant called La Madeline and I got a Croque Monsieur and Seth got Les Crepes Poulet and we both finished with this amazingly decadent chocolate cake with the word Sacher written on the top of each slice.. fudge, chocolate mousse, moist chocolate cake and lined with raspberry... otherwise known as Sacher Torte. Yum!! 

Seth Russell and Me

It was good to catch up, but I missed my bus! Ended up hanging out with my friend Alex Zdanis for two hours before the next greyhound bus took off. Thank you so much Alex!! Whew! I made it, but it was a rough day, and I had to turn in a paper that morning.. so while I wasn't getting lost or experiencing new adventures I was writing a paper. hahahaha

I am very excited about a new Tango that Russell Podgorseck is writing specifically for our Trio.. it's going to be awesome man!! 
(Hear the performance in the "video" below! We call ourselves "Menage a Trois" which I somtimes jokingly spell menage a trio... ;)
from left to right we have the lovely Claire (Mashburn) Grooms, Nicholas Councilor and me.
The piece itself is called "Volcadas" which are a particular type of tango move. This move is special because, like the piece, it totally takes you off your axis of balance. The volcada dance move effectively causes the follower to put all of her body weight on the leader, with whom she is dancing, in a trust-or-fall position, thus shifting her center of balance or axis.

I love tangos, in case it wasn't obvious. hahaha That being said it has been difficult to dance much tango this year, partly because I can't stand bad breath (which seems to be an overwhelming trend amongst tango men) and because there aren't very many good people to dance with. If I had a partner to work with I'd be THRILLED simply because I would have the guarantee of progress, which is all I really want.  But it's problematic when you only go to practicas sporadically and never get to choose with whom you get to dance, one of the silly tragedies of the male dominated system that governs tango. Followers aren't supposed to ask the leaders to dance.. a rule I break periodically. There are NEVER enough men to dance with so this makes for a lot of sitting around, and frankly, I haven't got time to just sit around and wait for some dude to deem me worthy of dancing with him. So I don't go unless I bring a friend or better yet a DATE.. hahaha in my dreams.

This morning after frantically editing a 7 page paper in 1 hour and 45 minutes, I submitted it and did something drastic. I dyed my hair a vibrant shade of RED!!! To be honest it was a little bit of an accident.. but every time I have to submit something significant for that class I do something drastic to my hair. The first time it was just a cut.. but now I have a new identity... Ms. Jensen suggested I get one of those Elizabethan cones that dogs wear so that I can't go crazy again. hahahaha




It's time for bed, good night!!

The Berlin Bläserquintett comes to town!!!

Today was one of those days that starts off horrifically, and then escalates to beyond your wildest dreams.
I couldn't go to bed until late due to the nap that I NEEDED to take yesterday. And then I guess was stressed about all the happenings of today and didn't sleep well on top of that.
So it started when I got up at 6:30am.. which is early for me, and biked to a hospital of which I was unfamiliar with the location. I found it after a few wrong turns. AT&T your 3G network could be faster...
At the clinic I had the privilege of undergoing the obligatory tests that women have when they turn 21.. if they haven't already. I can't tell you how much fun that is. Joy incarnate.
Then I showered and crashed for 30 minutes until my favorite class, piano. (ps. my least favorite class actually.....) But this is how the story gets better and better.

I found that my current grade in piano is passing, which really was joy incarnate. I don't know how I have such a good grade, it's magic.
Then straight to my "Islam and Sexuality" course. It's lame, most of the kids just sit there and nod as the prof. talks, no one actually does the reading... and the prof. is catching on. lol
I enjoy that class if only because it encourages discussion, though my eagerness for discussion I think is often off-putting to the prof. as I don't always agree and have strong points to make.
Then I ran to bassoon master class which was being lead by Marion Reinhard the new bassoonist for the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet, or as I remember from my German class "Bläserquintett." Jawoll!!
I got to play for her before the end of class, and though I felt like I didn't do that well I must have fooled everyone else. She never stopped me during the first movement and then asked for the second!! I was actually shocked, dead serious. But it was fun, she kicked my rear by playing stuff I could barely do 10X better when she sight read. It's crazy. CRAZY AMAZING!!! Anywho, it's all due to Leah's banana bread that kept my blood sugar at a normal level. Thank you Leah!! 
Then I ran to music history lab where we listened the mice on steroids and called it music. Thank you Milton Babbitt, you can go where the other goblins of the underworld unite. Maybe there your music (which is more than 12 years old) will find some appreciation and autonomy. Hey, no one's gonna touch it down there, and you can get it out of our universities thank you very much.
I was proud to turn in my jazz composition for that lab with piano accompaniment. Here's the lyrics;

"It's a Monday, Monday Monday moo

My man Mikey, asked me what to do

And I told him, it's just a Monday moo."

No one else may be able to appreciate it, but I laughed. The back story is, I had a lame jazz composition due the next day (Tuesday) and had been asked by my friend Michael to come watch a movie.. which of course I had to decline in order to write this composition.
So that is the backstory to my 12 bar blues lyrics. True blues. :p

Then I had a lesson immediately following lab where Ms. Jensen gave me the thumbs up on my performance in studio and then I had to attempt some "basic skills" that we get tested with for midterms and finals. I had been so caught up with recording for Meg Quigley that I hadn't been working on them. Ps. finally got my application and recordings submitted for that. WOOHOO!!! Oh to be DONE!!!

That evening I went to the performance that the Berlin Phil Quintet did. It was amazing.

I've never seen such liquid awesomeness on stage in front of my very eyes. Frau Reinhard has the craziest big German reeds I've ever seen!! She's got this sound that fills the room, you can almost touch it because of it's amazing presence!! Then something really cool, she let me get a picture with her, which was Laura's idea, and a good idea too! If and when I get that photo it will be directly below. SHABAZAM!!

from left to right: Me, Frau Reinhard, and Laura Miller

This day started with ick and ended with SICK!!!

I love UT Austin. End of story.