Rehearsal Notes
Essential Elements: We played lines 77, 86, 97, and 128. We need to remember contrast in our dynamics, so the audience can hear it. Practice playing sections marked p (piano) with quiet intensity, and don’t slow down.
We ran through all of our pieces to get an overall sense of the pieces. GREAT JOB! We were impressed with your accuracy in counting, and your ability to follow along through each piece right to the end… never mind any occasional notes that were missed!
We can really hear that it is coming together and there has been a lot of improvement! Keep up the good work. Remember to look at the conductor for dynamics, tempo changes, holds, and cut offs.
Plan for Next Week:
No sectionals! We will be together for 2 hrs of full band! Woodside (main level) or Fellowship (downstairs)… watch for an email Monday confirming our location.
EE: 86,54, 57, 77 (dynamics), 91 97 (Trombone Rag, up to tempo!) 123, 126, 131
Want an extra challenge? Try 90, and listen to Variations on Ah, vous dirai-je maman! (Mozart) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4KpBBdwKSs
As part of your practice routine, please listen to the links for enjoyment and to get the overall feel of each piece. Included this week are three sung versions of the third piece “N’khosi Si” in Songs of Africa, which will really help us to play the piece in a singing style to do this piece justice.
We will be looking at all 5 of our pieces, so please pick out the more challenging sections and focus on them. Start slowly (the secret is to practice with a metronome!) and then gradually work up the part (break it into bite-sized chunks and “woodshed it”). For the concert, we will soon have to decide which three or four we will perform, as we only have 15 minutes on stage. When we play for the senior’s residence, we can add more pieces from our EE method book and from first session repertoire, to round out a 50 minute program.
Happy Practicing! – Cathy and Felicia
Important Dates:
*Note : Please check your schedule to see if April 18 OR April 25 work better for the seniors residence concert.
Sunday, April 9, 2017 at 3pm Our concert at Dominion Chalmers (we will need to arrive early)
Tuesday, April 11 extra rehearsal (to play through all our repertoire for the senior residence concert
Saturday, May 6 1:20- 6:30 Intercity Band Clinic for New Horizons Bands from Ottawa (we are hosting!), Potsdam, NY, and Montreal, PQ
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nkosi_Sikelel’_iAfrika (interesting info on Song #3 from Songs of Africa, a song which features several languages! Read more, including translation!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFW7845XO3g (powerfully sung by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Paul Simon, Miriam Makeba and the audience)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTtINHRja4k (sung by Soweto Gospel Choir)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFasYKqLDYc (with pictures, a tribute to Nelson Mandela)
Songs of Africa (arr Johnnie Vinson) http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=2470645 (This is the band that we have. It includes three African songs, and the third one starts at 2 minutes 47 seconds, so you can choose to skip to it, but all three songs are great!)
Celtic air and Dance http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10033567
In the Wake of spring: http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=2472272
Songs of Africa: https://www.jwpepper.com/Songs-of-Africa/2470645.item#.WG_vxxsrK00
Visions of Aranjuez: http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=2478597
25 or 6 to 4:
Our version (level 2, incomplete recording) www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.action?itemid=8724762&lid=9&subsiteid=1&instrument=Concert%20Band&
Marching band level 2-3 arrangement, full piece for listening : https://s3.amazonaws.com/halleonard-audio/03744607.mp3
