Kirkwood Band Concert
Last night I played clarinet in the Kirkwood Concert Band at the Coe Festival of Bands. I'm 3rd chair, or last place, 3rd clarinet--because that's where I seated myself. I am nowhere near good enough to play first chair, and that's okay! First chair is where "people who are actually band directors" sit.
Piper accompanied me to the concert; I left work a little early, took her to her piano lesson, bought her Subway (the "sandwich artist" was a little judgy about her American cheese 'n' green peppers sandwich, no meat, choice), and then we drove to Cedar Rapids in a weird rainstorm/bright sunny sky.
We first listened to the Coe College Jazz Band, who sounded great on their four songs, but also, I feel like "everyone gets a solo" maybe went a little too far--out of four songs, on half of them nearly the entire band got to play a solo?
Then the Kirkwood Concert Band took the stage, after the Coe students re-set for us. (While I waited backstage, the students wheeled a grand piano backstage, then had to wheel it out of the way again to get out the vibraphones for us.) I had told Piper my thoughts about our five pieces before the concert; afterward, on our drive home, she gave me her considered opinions.
"Fanfare for Our Time," We had discussed the staccato notes that I opened with before the show, and she asked me how I played that long without breathing--although it's actually not that long without a breath in that particular song. She enjoyed the way a motif rotated through various sections of the band. She also liked the tambourine.
"Waltz No 2" by Shostakovich--This one, I had told her ahead of time, a guest conductor, Dr. Bill Carson, had informed our band could be interpreted as having some anger in it. Maybe Dmitri Shostakovich didn't particularly care for the Soviet Union; in fact, we know he didn't, so the waltz might have undertones. "I noticed that," Piper said, "you all made the same gesture at the same time." Dr. Carson also guest conducted us at last night's concert, which was a surprise to all of us. "I thought so," Piper said. "You all seemed surprised."
"O Magnum Mysterium"--a song that I had told her was kind of boring (lots of long tones); she said it was beautiful to listen to, and she liked the dynamics. Although upon reflection, she didn't think the ending--a pianissimo dynamic--was "earned" from the beginning.
"Espana Cani"--a paso doble song--she enjoyed my trills as the beginning (she had spied my sheet music), and could tell that we all emphasized the and of 2 during some of the measures.
"Did you like our short dotted eighths? Our band director is all about that," I said. "They all are," Piper told me.
Final song, "Country Club Stomp," which was a New Orleans 2nd line style song. "That was fun, I liked the tambourine--you can't go wrong with a tambourine. But didn't parts of it sound like 'Elmo's World'?" (I guess it kind of did).
Our official Kirkwood concert is on May 4, the same day as prom, so she won't go to that one, but I might see if she can come to the dress rehearsal that week. It's nice to have a musician give her review.
Piper accompanied me to the concert; I left work a little early, took her to her piano lesson, bought her Subway (the "sandwich artist" was a little judgy about her American cheese 'n' green peppers sandwich, no meat, choice), and then we drove to Cedar Rapids in a weird rainstorm/bright sunny sky.
We first listened to the Coe College Jazz Band, who sounded great on their four songs, but also, I feel like "everyone gets a solo" maybe went a little too far--out of four songs, on half of them nearly the entire band got to play a solo?
Then the Kirkwood Concert Band took the stage, after the Coe students re-set for us. (While I waited backstage, the students wheeled a grand piano backstage, then had to wheel it out of the way again to get out the vibraphones for us.) I had told Piper my thoughts about our five pieces before the concert; afterward, on our drive home, she gave me her considered opinions.
"Fanfare for Our Time," We had discussed the staccato notes that I opened with before the show, and she asked me how I played that long without breathing--although it's actually not that long without a breath in that particular song. She enjoyed the way a motif rotated through various sections of the band. She also liked the tambourine.
"Waltz No 2" by Shostakovich--This one, I had told her ahead of time, a guest conductor, Dr. Bill Carson, had informed our band could be interpreted as having some anger in it. Maybe Dmitri Shostakovich didn't particularly care for the Soviet Union; in fact, we know he didn't, so the waltz might have undertones. "I noticed that," Piper said, "you all made the same gesture at the same time." Dr. Carson also guest conducted us at last night's concert, which was a surprise to all of us. "I thought so," Piper said. "You all seemed surprised."
"O Magnum Mysterium"--a song that I had told her was kind of boring (lots of long tones); she said it was beautiful to listen to, and she liked the dynamics. Although upon reflection, she didn't think the ending--a pianissimo dynamic--was "earned" from the beginning.
"Espana Cani"--a paso doble song--she enjoyed my trills as the beginning (she had spied my sheet music), and could tell that we all emphasized the and of 2 during some of the measures.
"Did you like our short dotted eighths? Our band director is all about that," I said. "They all are," Piper told me.
Final song, "Country Club Stomp," which was a New Orleans 2nd line style song. "That was fun, I liked the tambourine--you can't go wrong with a tambourine. But didn't parts of it sound like 'Elmo's World'?" (I guess it kind of did).
Our official Kirkwood concert is on May 4, the same day as prom, so she won't go to that one, but I might see if she can come to the dress rehearsal that week. It's nice to have a musician give her review.