Greetings Capital Crescendos,
Fabulous rehearsal on Thursday – the pieces are really start to gel! Theme for the Week: Using your metronome – love it or leave it. A metronome can be a terrific help when practising. Use it by setting a slower tempo than called for in a piece. Spend lots of time on slow and precise practicing, so to as to solidify notes and develop muscle memory, then gradually increase the tempo. This will help with accuracy, particularly with eighth and sixteenth notes. If you begin to feel any frustration working with the metronome, slow down the tempo even more – or – put it away. There are plenty of other ways to practice without a metronome.
This week’s rehearsal
This week we started our rehearsal with O Canada, first in unison followed by version 2. This is a good piece to use as a warm up, as it is one that is familiar. Next we played the B♭ scale, and then played it again while rhythmically improvising on each note. We tuned to the oboes, and turned to Land of the Midnight Sun, a piece which benefits from slow practising to program your fingers. Remember to watch Sheila at bars 15, 43 and 81 for the change in tempo. Next we played Air for Band followed by Hava Nagila. We then turned to Birdland where we will be adding an 8 bar introduction with bass and percussion. Finally we ran through 76 Trombones, which we’ll be playing at our community concert.
Next Week
Keep focused on the following pieces: Land of the Midnight Sun, Air for Band, Hava Nagila and Birdland. Next week we will also be looking at Celtic Air and Dance, Chorale in c-, and Trad of Excellence #153, British Grenadiers.
Spring Concert and Community Concert
The ONHB spring concert is scheduled to take place on Sunday April 9 at 3:00 at Dominion Chalmers. Repertoire: you have already been sent a separate email asking you to rank the four pieces we could play (Land of the Midnight Sun, Air for Band, Hava Nagila and Birdland). Please respond ASAP.
Our community concert will take place on April 13 at the Duke of Devonshire residence located on Carling at Holland. Please note that the concert will start at 3:00. Next week Sheila will have the draft program for this concert. You will receive an email asking you to confirm if you will be able to participate.
Concert Reminder: 10 HARPS on Sunday March 26 at 3:00. This is a joint fundraiser: proceeds go to support Orkidstra’s new harp program (led by Lucile Brais Hildesheim) as well as to Dominion-Chalmers music and social outreach programs. A rare opportunity to hear 10 harps together on one stage. Guest artists include Orkisdstra’s clarinettist Peter Perez, as well as ONHB clinicians and director; Heather Flinn and Sheila White. Tickets are available for sale at Dominion-Chalmers and at the door.
Administration
Next Tuesday there will be a presentation on the upcoming ONHB trip to Ireland in June 2018. The presentation will be given at 5:15 and again at 6:30 in room 7 and will feature a representative of the travel agency organizing the trip on behalf of the band. There will be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
During Sheila’s recent trip to Ireland she dropped in to visit the Dublin New Horizon’s Band called Sounds Ensemble ( https://www.soundsensemble.ie/) – a very welcoming and fun group who enjoy playing music at about the same level as we do.
Plans are underway for a spring extension band to be held on Tuesdays at Dominion-Chalmers. Anyone interested in helping to manage the spring band please contact Cathy Wilcox.
Audio links
1, Land of the Midnight Sun by Vince Gassi http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10050559
2. Air for ConcertBand By Frank Erickson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrCsUo1ribI
3. Birdland by Joe Zawinul, arr. L Norred https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWJ0it4TfkE&list=PLd_hfxSSaY8AvhLFyy4MxyRgmJfWjs0e3&index=2
4. Birdland – original, as performed by composer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqashW66D7o&list=RDpqashW66D7o&index=1
5. Birdland – Manhattan Transfer version, with their added lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1nj6Yla_Vg (great choreography and outfits!)
6. Hava Nagila http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10312051
7. Celtic Air and Dance, arr. M Sweeney http://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&type=audio&productID=10033567
8. Celtic Air and Dance – the second piece (A Fairy’s Love song) as sung in Gaelic by the Rankin Family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nnVxTj_Ujw(go to 1:35 )
9. 76 Trombones, arr. M Sweeney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VTB4sCv9HA NOTE: we will be playing at a slower, even tempo.
Social
Following next week’s rehearsal, join us at Connor’s on Bank St. for an informal get-together.
Important Dates
Thursday April 6: Dress rehearsal – Final band rehearsal of the session
Sunday April 9 at 3:00: ONH end of Session Spring Concert at Dominion-Chalmers
Thursday, April 13th at 3:00: Community Concert at Duke of Devonshire
Saturday May 6, 2017: Tentative date for ONHB workshop with Potsdam and Montreal New Horizons bands
