Greetings Capital Crescendos,
Theme of the Week: Taking it to the Next Level: With our pieces coming along nicely, we are now working on the refining and polishing. Focus on articulation, dynamics and tone. At this stage it is really important to watch the conductor for the more subtle changes in tempo and dynamics that elevate our performance.
Administration and Social:
Kathryn Elliott (French horn) has organized a “movie night” for us to watch West Side Story. It will take place on Thursday November 23 at 3:45PM following band rehearsal, at the Canadian Legion at 70 Hines Road in Kanata, about 20 minutes by car from Woodroffe. Please let Kathryn know if you plan to attend ( kathryn.elliott@rogers.com ). Driving instructions will be provided next week. Beer and pizza will be available. Kathryn has even managed to track down the words to the many wonderful songs in the movie.
Our end of session concert will take place on December 10th at 2:00PM at Brookfield High School. We will be performing either three or four of our pieces. Make sure to let your friends and family know so they can get it on their calendars.
As is our tradition, we will have a performance in the community in the week following our concert. This performance typically lasts about 45 minutes and includes the pieces we have been rehearsing this session as well as pieces from Broadway Favorites and possibly some seasonal pieces. It will likely be on Thursday December 14 in the afternoon. In the past our community concert has often been at a seniors’ residence but we are exploring other options such as a child care facility. If you have any suggestions regarding a venue please pass them along to Leslie Scott (l.scott@bell.net) . It would be particularly convenient if the facility were close to Woodroffe. We are looking for organizers and helpers for the community concert as well.
This Week’s Rehearsal
We started our rehearsal by playing through the concert F, E♭ and B♭ scales with Sheila varying the tempo and dynamics, which emphasized the importance of keeping our eyes on the conductor and listening to the others in the band. This was also a good reminder to review and practice these scales, as they are the main keys that our pieces are in. We then played Chop Builders A and B on page 42 of Traditions of Excellence. This book is a great learning tool to get your fingers used to certain patterns of notes, rhythms and time signatures as well as practising articulation and dynamics.
Next we played Edelweiss from Broadway Favorites. The pieces in this book are excellent to use to warm up. We then worked on Hail the Conquering Hero, focussing on the phrasing and dynamics. We returned to Traditions of Excellence, lines 124 and 125, to review 6/8 time signature. Try line 126 at home. We turned to French Canadian Suite, and worked on movements 1, 2 and 3, two of which are in 6/8 time. Next we focussed on Angel (remember to keep listening to the link below) and finally worked on Celebrating My Three Best Friends.
Next Week’s Rehearsal we will be working on West Side Story, Riu Riu Chiu, My Three Best Friends and You Must Know.
Important Dates
Thursday November 30, 2017: Last sectionals
Thursday November 23, 2017: Beer, pizza and West Side Story
Sunday December 10 at 2:00PM: ONHB seasonal concert at Brookfield High School
Listening LInks
Celebrating My Three Best Friends
