sing through a score... in alto clef... with piano experts watching, and maybe Grainger's ghost too
Evaluation class is always enjoyable. Mainly on exactly how to evaluate music performance in tests, judging rubrics, etc. - it’s a lot of information, not a high stress class, and time to talk about what exactly we’re going to do when we get in the classroom. I need to get my “arsenal of ideas” in one place. One recent decision is that I definitely want to set up mock judging events a couple of weeks before any full-band or solo/ensemble contests, to give students the feel of the real thing (especially those who have not experienced it before) and to get some feedback on what they need to work on, while it’s still early enough to do some good in that particular situation.
In high school methods, we’ve been discussing programming, or the order of pieces in a concert. A lot of it is self-evident after going to enough concerts - alternating character of pieces, etc. - and also some interesting considerations like not wanting to serve your dessert first (put the most exciting piece in the first half). More challenging, I think, is score sing-through. I’m a person who sees trees instead of woods, so it’s a little difficult to look at a score as a whole and not be tempted to settle on one part (especially a melody instrument or one in the key of C). It feels that singing through a score on pitch would be very difficult because you have to keep switching parts and they are all going to be written in different keys… surely conductors can’t mentally transpose that quickly, wish I could but I’m not yet at the point where I don’t have to think about it for a bit… The best way, IMO, is to obtain a recording or “youtube it”, which is a lot easier these days and applies to most of the literature you would perform. Nothing like hearing it yourself.
We are supposed to do a warm-up for band with our small group tomorrow… “bring your instrument”… interesting order for a percussionist. We have a different position from everyone else in the band. So many times I’ve wished I just had a horn in a case and could feel more a part of things, that all the instructions and emphasis given to most of the band applied to me. I think I’ll bring a snare pad and sticks in case my classmates have percussion in their warm-ups, and in case they don’t, I’ll bring my trumpet as well. That is scary since I am just barely learning to play it, but hey, they should understand that. :)
Interesting reading on the Internet, when I look up these composers and pieces for my own study. Start with Mr. Percy Grainger. I didn’t know he was Aussie… probably supposed to know things like that… wow. Read some, ummm, interesting things about his personal life. It would need a more verified source. More than I wanted to know and would lead to unintended sarcastic comments in my mind every time we play his music. Again, though, what if it’s rumors? Might investigate more but would rather not… just wow…
Large gatherings of pianists intimidate me. Go figure. Psychological effects. I’d rather play for the whole school, in a lot of ways, because at least those who major in other instruments might have a chance to be impressed with what I can do rather than focusing on what wasn’t technically as good as it could have been. :)
Working on a song for a demo choir thing we’re doing at the regional choir conference, which I’m excited about. I get to be in there with the “vocalists”. One piece has the alto part written in the alto clef… what the heck? No, altos don’t usually use alto clef. Just violists. (and yes, I have a viola in my hands this semester but it’s just for beginner purposes with only a few notes) Of course we have been taught how to read it in theory classes, but it’s not exactly second nature to pick it up, look at it, and sing it right. Especially because the pattern of “what’s in the lines and what’s in the spaces” is different from treble and bass clefs. Solution: write in solfege.