So this is just a catch-up post to let you know what I/we have been up to. Pretty much the whole family has been sick, so we haven't been out and about much this past week, but fortunately most of us have seen the worst of it and are now on the way to recovery. This virus has been particularly nasty, primarily because it means I haven't been able to sing OR play the flute!! In fact, I have lost a whole octave of my vocal range since getting sick!! It was worse for Caitlyn, though - she couldn't even speak until yesterday, after having lost her voice for several days. Like I said, though, we're mostly on the way to recovery now, which is something we can really be thankful for.
About the composition workshop last week, though: it was actually not how I expected it to be at first. At all. It was completely different to the description, but still really good! The most notable difference was that it was all about "orchestration" and not so much about composition. In fact, we only did a little bit of composing in the last 20 minutes of the 3-hour workshop, and that amounted to each group (there were 3 groups) writing 1 bar each, all based on a different chord. The ensemble (which at the time consisted of flute, violin, & cello since the pianist was directing the composition) then played these bars together in a certain chord pattern to create the "tune" which the students had just composed. Given that most of them had never written music before, it actually didn't sound too bad. But the thing I liked most about the whole day was the concert at the end. About two-thirds of the concert were pieces composed by the man who was directing the workshop - it was amazing to hear some original compositions after spending a day learning about them. Other works were a piano trio by Debussy and a piccolo suite by Schocker, a contemporary American flautist and composer. The piccolo/flute player was amazing!!! I got to speak to her, which was excellent, because she told me all about what it's like studying music at ANU, what the flute classes are like, all about the teachers, and all the interesting sort of things I really wanted to know! The musicians were incredibly friendly and helpful, and the whole thing would have been worth it if only to get to know them. The pianist had the funniest sense of humor, and had everyone in stitches the whole time!! In a word, the day was inspirational.
Today I got to revisit all the rabbits I sold a couple of weeks ago because they were due for their vaccinations. It's so nice to be able to see them again, check up on how they're doing, and see how much they've changed. Not to mention I've always loved giving rabbits vaccinations (except for that first time when Peter's skin was really tough and I couldn't jab the needle into him...).
Other interesting things that have happened to me this week are listed below in no particular order:
- I finally found out what this "MLIA" thing is that everyone is talking about. It is THE easiest way to waste a whole lot of time without getting anything done at all. Take my advince, and don't ever get started on MLIA.
- I found my latest favourite song! I LOVE this song so much. That's why I put it on this blog post - so that the rest of the world can benefit from hearing it too. It's called "You know better than I" from the movie Joseph the Dreamer, which is the Biblical story of Joseph in Egypt.
- This afternoon I discovered that I had the ability to bring laughing fits upon myself at will. I had lots of fun until the others made me stop.
- I got my very own DVD of The Phantom of the Opera!!! Best present EVER!
- I was walking outside today and suddenly found something stuck in my throat. I think it was a fly, because I could feel it moving. I couldn't cough it back out, so I swallowed it. The cool thing was (other than the fact that I can now say I've swallowed a fly) I discovered I could actually sing for the first time all week! And reasonably well at that!! That fly made my day. Must keep it in mind for next time I lose my voice...
- I brought the Clavinova back into my room! It didn't end up going to Newcastle after all... instead it just sat in the garage, and I was here wishing we could rearrange our room to make it fit again. We didn't, but I brought it in anyway. At the moment it's just dumped in front of my bed which is slightly inconvenient, but a huge improvement on not being there at all.
Can't think of anything else to say now, so I shall sign off. Have a great week!
Ah Ha, knew it, you couldn't act all smart and sophisticated, you slipped up, you acted silly in this Post.
ReplyDeleteSo in other words if you goof in a blog, you are not so mature after all.
I WIN.
This is the first time I have heard of MLIA, I'm gonna have to look it up now, since you didn't bother to tell every one what it was. =P
Later
K.C.
P.S. Dat's your fav song {tries not to laugh} And I thought Phantom of the Opera was boring. You have a funny taste in music.
P.S.S. I am in a really annoying mood today.
DON'T look up MLIA!! You'll probably get stuck there for the rest of the week. Or your life. And wonder why you do it, but not be able to break away. It's not worth it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I noticed about your mood today...
I'm now going into a corner to cry because you don't like (or even pretend to like) my favourite song. Thanks for being a good friend. :'(
Matthew.
P.S. Did you even listen to the song? More than once? You have to hear it several times to fully appreciate its awesomeness.
Okay that’s it, I got to look it up right now, you made me even more curious, brb.... Umm... I only found a site called "My Life is Average" is that what you where on about?? It looks boring, but interesting, if that’s possible. I guess cos some of the stuff is boring, but I am interested to see what the next thing says. "WEIRD"
ReplyDeleteSorry, hmmmm... I should go listen to it a bit more then, brb again……..Hmmmm.... well I think he needs to sing the "You know better then I" Just a little bit faster, it's just a little bit to slow for me.
I like the bit between 2:20, and 3:10, maybe cos its a bit more louder, and faster.
Hmmm....here is a little cookie to make you feel better ;) it's really not dat bad if you listen to the part between 2:20 and 3:10 :D
Apologies for being a bad friend =P
K.C.
Hey Matt!
ReplyDeleteYou won't believe what I am about to say, but, Your right, that song is addicting when you listen to it about 7 times. After listening to it a few more times it reminded me of Let my People Go, from "The Prince of Egypt" Where Moses and Ramsey are arguing. Also what is Phantom of the Opera, I know its some type of musical, but that's all, maybe you can do a Blog on it, or explain it to me.
Thanks.
K.C.
Hi Kacey,
ReplyDeleteI'm very relieved to hear you changed your mind about the song. If you really disliked it, then either something was terribly wrong with my hearing, or something was terribly wrong with yours.
The Phantom of the Opera is an operatic-style musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and I'm pretty sure it is THE most amazing musical ever written. I might do a blog post on it, actually... you'll hear more about it there.
Lol, don't worry about my being upset! I was just kidding. Everyone's allowed their own opinion, and there's nothing wrong with stating it in the proper way. I was just disappointed you didn't like it, because I was pretty sure it was so nice that everybody HAD to like it. I'm still 99% concinvced of that...
Matthew.
sorry to break in here, but wow! sounds like you've been busy, Matthew!!
ReplyDeleteWhich Phantom of the Opera movie do you like? There are so many different versions!
Have you ever played your flute at a concert? I was just wondering because my teacher has just invited me to one that she is holding at the end of the term. I haven't even performed in front of my family, so it could turn out to be quite interesting!
Great post, btw!
Wow, there's more than one movie version? The only one I've seen is the one with Emmy Rossum, Gerard Butler, Patrick Wilson and Minnie Driver.
ReplyDeleteI have actually played flute in quite a few concerts! Lost count of how many now... lol. They are so fun, and I'm sure you would enjoy it a lot. Concerts aren't all that nerve-racking if you know what to expect - and I assume your teacher will prepare you well. The 2 pieces of advice that I would give are 1. Know your piece well and 2. Talk to your teacher about what to do on-stage, and use the nervous feelings for good. It's funny, I actually play far better when I'm nervous in front of a large crowd than I do practicing at home.
Do you know what piece you're going to perform in the concert?
I just found out I'm going to start having flute lessons in Canberra with a professional flautist!! I'm SOOO excited! I start next Tuesday, if I can arrange a time...
Glad you enjoyed the post.
Matthew.
Yes, there are many, many different movies! It quite confuses me :P Most if them are very old and the one most recognised is with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman... which I loathe! hehe. My older sister, Jess, is a complete fanatic of the Gerad Butler one.... she's totally nuts about it :P I like it, but don't rave as much ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen you played at concerts did you ever have music stands or did you have to memorise them?? I have to play two pieces: the first one is an Australian piece called "A Melody". It is really short, so my teacher said to make it sound complete I'd have to play it twice through. The other piece she said will have to be Australian as well, but we haven't had time to search for one that will be suitable yet. She also said that I'd have to give an intro on myself, as to how old I am, how long I have been playing for etc, just so the spectators know what to expect from me, rather than assuming I'm a prodigy or something :P
How far away are you from Canberra? What is your new teacher's name? I bet you're really ecited!!
ps. sorry about the spelling mistakes! our keyboard is battery opperated and sometimes doesn't work ='(
ReplyDeleteActually, now that you mention it, I think I may have seen clips of the Sarah Brightman one. I didn't like it. If I'm thinking of the right movie, the people were a lot older, and not such good actors.
ReplyDeleteI started off playing from a music stand for performance, as that is what pretty much everyone does here in Cooma... but started memorizing my pieces (or playing them from memory, since I had automatically memorized most of them already) and found that playing by memory makes me feel much more comfortable. I try to memorize everything possible now, and I'm even going to play my List pieces by memory for my 6'th grade exam... if my teacher lets me, that is! The audience can really appreciate your performance if you play by memory, as well. Which are you doing?
Cooma is about 114 km from Canberra, so from our house to Canberra is about 124 km. It takes longer to get to your destination, unless it's right on the outskirts on the south. On a bus, it takes 2 hours to get from Cooma to where I go (ANU School of Music), so that means I spend 4 hours on the bus each Tuesday.
My teacher is Rebecca Timoney. I spoke to her yesterday, and she sounds really nice. I only hope we can work out a suitable time for lessons, since I can only afford to spend one day a week in Canberra.
Matthew.