Hello Bytown Musicians,
The music is really sounding wonderful, and we can hear the results of your hard work to master the trickier sections, where the muscles, brain and breathing all must coordinate at a faster tempo (speed).
Remember all the basics each time you practice, and use this checklist:
- feet planted solidly and slightly apart (as if ready to stand, for those of us who sit to play)
- posture tall,(feel like you are suspended from the ceiling through the crown of your head, and loose – not stiff, chest high, shoulders down and back… not near the ears)
- hand position and fingers (review pages 2-3), arm muscles – relaxed
- set up of the embouchure (lips wet for winds, lips smiling for percussion – the audience can see you standing at the back, and likes to watch you play those cool instruments!)
- breathing (Can you imagine that you are breathing through the soles of your feet, through your vacuum tube legs, filling up your abdomen from the bottom up? Try getting the same full feeling on a quick, silent sniff)
- play one note with a quality, strong, steady sound for as long as you can
SmartMusic and Essential Elements Interactive are two ways to really maximise progress on learning to read music. https://www.essentialelementsinteractive.com/
We are still working on getting set up for the free SmartMusic that comes with your book. For $40, you can go ahead and sign up for a year subscription of SmartMusic and get your own started, but if you want to try the free version that goes up to line 100, we hope to get it working this week! I have sent in all the information, and am waiting for a code. Watch this space and we will post it as soon as we get it.
Barry and the Blasters is recommended by our social committee, and you will recognize some Bytown Beginner sax players (Dylan and Jose) and maybe others in the audience:If you are an educator/retired educator, you may recognize Barry, who is a retired principal– having the time of his life on stage with his Blasters! This is worth checking out!
Rainbow Bistro
Fri. Oct. 20 at 8:30
$15 – proceeds go to United Way
Order tickets online and pick them up at the door, or tickets are available at the door.
This week we worked on:
– eyes on the conductor to show you are ready to play
– raising and lowering our instruments in unison with the conductor (remain frozen until the conductor lowers the baton)
– feet solidly planted on the floor, for a strong, steady sound
We read: EE 22, 24, 25
Next week: EE 24 with the repeat (percussion be ready!), 25 (lightly), 27, 29 for a challenge!
Ogopogo: We did not play it this week, but will play the whole piece next week!
Autumn: This week, we focused on achieving a light, detached articulation from measures 22-33. Really enjoy the half notes, playing them for their full value!
Big Raven: We focused on measures 44 – 60. The low brass instruments are featured at 44, so play as if you are an opera singer, and show off your sound!
All upper wind instruments should edit out the second eighth note for now, but practice just the two eighth notes (back and forth) a couple of times a day for a minute or so (commercials on TV) until they are in your physical memory, and easy:
slur marks (curved lined over or under notes) indicate that you only tongue the first note, and blow through the others while changing notes cleanly with your fingers
staccatos . are light and detached,
tenuto – play for the full value of the note with extra air and intensity throughout the sound. The greater than sign
Twist and Shout The first 12 measures sound good already! Look carefully at the rhythm patterns and practice slowly to make sure the eighth notes are even and steady. (No jazzy improvising…we will play as written!)
- Autumn Antonio Vivaldi (arr Douglas Wagner – the version that we will play a fast and lively allegro)
https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10279765
- Big Raven Vince Gassi (Toronto composer – inspired by the paintings of Emily Carr, the sounds of the forest, and legends surrounding the Raven)
http://www.alfred-music.com/player/AlfredConcertBand2009/31690/player.html
- Ogopogo(Legendary Lake Creature of Okanagan Valley, BC) Robert Buckley (Canadian)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKNOkBLUR8I
- Twist and Shout
http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/twist-and-shout/168521/
OR
watch this young band perform at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=042is5jmMn8
