Happy 90th birthday today to my grandfather!
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
My new friend Heidi
Something very exciting arrived in the mail today.
It was my new DRESSFORM!!! I am so excited!
It was my birthday present (THANK YOU MOM!!!) and it finally arrived, after a little delay in the mail.
I already have my first project planned - a dress - and I already have the fabric picked out. Tomorrow I start cutting!
(And I named "her" Heidi, in honor of Heidi Klum from Project Runway. She's currently "wearing" my MAKE IT WORK t-shirt.)
Friday, January 19, 2007
The audition is over.
Well, things are settling down here after the past few weeks. The office has been hectic, with class starting again, and new student orientation, but it is just starting to quiet down. People were also coming in to the office to give me their condolences! (About the Buckeyes) Chuck is back in classes and dealing with managing the Conductor's Orchestra again this semester. There has been more drama with that group than there should be, but he is managing it well.
My audition is over! I most of all am just relieved to have it behind me, and proud of myself to get my nerve up to actually take the audition. The two professors were there, and asked to hear almost all of the music I had prepared. My own personal assessment:
1) Ballade for Flute by Frank Martin - my strongest piece, written in the 20th century. They asked me what I wanted to begin with, so I chose this. It went very well, but right as I got to a point in the music where it changes drastically in mood and "color," they cut me off and asked for the next piece. I had practiced that change a lot, so I was disappointed I didn't get the chance to do it.
2) Mozart, Concerto in G - I played the traditional audition exposition of the first movement, and they also asked for some of the second movement. One of my comments during my mock audition last semester that my Mozart was too heavy, so I'd really been working hard to lighten my tonguing and tone. I think I achieved that, but I'm not sure enough musicality and phrasing came through. The same with the second movement - it was boring.
3) Sonatine by Pierre Sancan - A French piece (another flute audition staple). The piece is in three connected movements, with a cadenza stuck in after the second. The two most challenging elements of this piece for me were the cadenza, which made no musical sense to me, and the first movement, which was a very tricky mix of technical playing and mixed articulation, while trying to achieve a light and floating tone. The last (fast) movement I had DRILLED into my brain - I had worked for hours on it with my metronome. So when they asked for this, the professor I want to study with said that he had always thought the cadenza was really boring, and asked me to start at the end of it (essentially the beginning of the third movement). So I avoided both land mines! It was a solid performance, not stunning.
4) Orchestral excerpts. I had chosen Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (lyrical, also had good feedback on this from my mock audition), R. Strauss - excerpt from Salome, and Stravinsky - Firebird. So I learned the hard way to never select the Firebird excerpt to do voluntarily on an audition! I had rehearsed it the same way, slowly with the metronome, and had achieved a decent level of playing, but it was just a disaster in the audition. It was embarrasing! But they asked for Salome after that, and I achieved some effects that I had been struggling with in practice, which I was pleased about. They didn't ask for the Debussy.
And that was it!
I happen to know that the Admissions Committee meets next Tuesday (the conference room where they meet is in my office), so I hope to hear something relatively soon, in the next few weeks. I really feel like I have no idea whether or not I will get in. I keep convincing myself one way or the other, and re-hashing everything in my brain. Regardless, I'm lucky that I will still have the opportunity to attend the flute masterclasses and orchestral repertoire classes next year if I don't get in to the program.
We need some suggestions on some new tricks to teach Lenny! He has a hard time with anything that involves his back legs (sitting is even still difficult), but I think he's a little bored with the old tricks.
My audition is over! I most of all am just relieved to have it behind me, and proud of myself to get my nerve up to actually take the audition. The two professors were there, and asked to hear almost all of the music I had prepared. My own personal assessment:
1) Ballade for Flute by Frank Martin - my strongest piece, written in the 20th century. They asked me what I wanted to begin with, so I chose this. It went very well, but right as I got to a point in the music where it changes drastically in mood and "color," they cut me off and asked for the next piece. I had practiced that change a lot, so I was disappointed I didn't get the chance to do it.
2) Mozart, Concerto in G - I played the traditional audition exposition of the first movement, and they also asked for some of the second movement. One of my comments during my mock audition last semester that my Mozart was too heavy, so I'd really been working hard to lighten my tonguing and tone. I think I achieved that, but I'm not sure enough musicality and phrasing came through. The same with the second movement - it was boring.
3) Sonatine by Pierre Sancan - A French piece (another flute audition staple). The piece is in three connected movements, with a cadenza stuck in after the second. The two most challenging elements of this piece for me were the cadenza, which made no musical sense to me, and the first movement, which was a very tricky mix of technical playing and mixed articulation, while trying to achieve a light and floating tone. The last (fast) movement I had DRILLED into my brain - I had worked for hours on it with my metronome. So when they asked for this, the professor I want to study with said that he had always thought the cadenza was really boring, and asked me to start at the end of it (essentially the beginning of the third movement). So I avoided both land mines! It was a solid performance, not stunning.
4) Orchestral excerpts. I had chosen Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (lyrical, also had good feedback on this from my mock audition), R. Strauss - excerpt from Salome, and Stravinsky - Firebird. So I learned the hard way to never select the Firebird excerpt to do voluntarily on an audition! I had rehearsed it the same way, slowly with the metronome, and had achieved a decent level of playing, but it was just a disaster in the audition. It was embarrasing! But they asked for Salome after that, and I achieved some effects that I had been struggling with in practice, which I was pleased about. They didn't ask for the Debussy.
And that was it!
I happen to know that the Admissions Committee meets next Tuesday (the conference room where they meet is in my office), so I hope to hear something relatively soon, in the next few weeks. I really feel like I have no idea whether or not I will get in. I keep convincing myself one way or the other, and re-hashing everything in my brain. Regardless, I'm lucky that I will still have the opportunity to attend the flute masterclasses and orchestral repertoire classes next year if I don't get in to the program.
We need some suggestions on some new tricks to teach Lenny! He has a hard time with anything that involves his back legs (sitting is even still difficult), but I think he's a little bored with the old tricks.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Happy New Year!
We had a great time over Christmas break relaxing at the Latshaws' house in Toledo, Ohio. (I did a lot of practicing too - my audition is on SATURDAY!) We got to see all of Chuck's side of the family, including our 6 nieces and nephews.
Santa came to visit the day before Christmas Eve and brought all sorts of goodies for everyone!
As you can see in the picture, Chuck grew his traditional "Christmas Beard," but a few days after shaving it off, decided to also shave his entire head.
I gave Chuck a remote-controlled airplane for Christmas. He flew/crashed it several times before getting the hang of it. Due to its many repairs, it was named after me - "The Tape Queen!"
On Christmas Day, Chuck's parents left for New York City, so we had the house to ourselves. We just vegged, relaxed, crashed the airplane, and practiced. It was great. I felt really well-rested after it was over, which I needed! I was sick at the beginning of vacation but got over it after about three days. Lenny also had a great time relaxing, as you can see from his grin. I just found him lying on the couch like that, with that expression on his face. It was really funny!
We did miss spending time with the Russells, though. And look how much fun they had without us!! They are all getting ready for the big Buckeye national championship game tonight. Dad is wearing his new Jim Tressel sweater vest, and Walter his new Buckeye shirt. Even the Christmas bear has Buckeye spirit!
For Christmas, my parents gave us a couch! We were thrilled! While we were still in Toledo, we went to the IKEA in Canton, Michigan to see if we could pick one out. We found one we loved, for the right price, but then of course had no way to get it back to Bloomington.
So once we got back to Indiana, we checked every furniture store in town, to make sure the IKEA couch was definitely our favorite - it was. So we rented a mini-van and drove to TWO Chicago IKEA stores, and bought new furniture for our apartment! (Thank you to our respective grandparents, Bubs and Grumpy and Christel, for making the purchase of our entertainment center and coffee table possible!!!)
So our apartment looks completely different now - it looks great! I am going to make some blue pillow covers for the couch, to tie in the light blue on the walls. And of course Lenny has made himself right at home on the couch.
So the new year is off to a good start for us. Today is the first day of school - Chuck's last semester! I am also going to be taking TWO classes this semester - chamber music, playing in a flute duet with my friend Hyun Jung, and another orchestral repertoire class, taught by the other flute teacher at IU.
Santa came to visit the day before Christmas Eve and brought all sorts of goodies for everyone!
As you can see in the picture, Chuck grew his traditional "Christmas Beard," but a few days after shaving it off, decided to also shave his entire head.
I gave Chuck a remote-controlled airplane for Christmas. He flew/crashed it several times before getting the hang of it. Due to its many repairs, it was named after me - "The Tape Queen!"
On Christmas Day, Chuck's parents left for New York City, so we had the house to ourselves. We just vegged, relaxed, crashed the airplane, and practiced. It was great. I felt really well-rested after it was over, which I needed! I was sick at the beginning of vacation but got over it after about three days. Lenny also had a great time relaxing, as you can see from his grin. I just found him lying on the couch like that, with that expression on his face. It was really funny!
We did miss spending time with the Russells, though. And look how much fun they had without us!! They are all getting ready for the big Buckeye national championship game tonight. Dad is wearing his new Jim Tressel sweater vest, and Walter his new Buckeye shirt. Even the Christmas bear has Buckeye spirit!
For Christmas, my parents gave us a couch! We were thrilled! While we were still in Toledo, we went to the IKEA in Canton, Michigan to see if we could pick one out. We found one we loved, for the right price, but then of course had no way to get it back to Bloomington.
So once we got back to Indiana, we checked every furniture store in town, to make sure the IKEA couch was definitely our favorite - it was. So we rented a mini-van and drove to TWO Chicago IKEA stores, and bought new furniture for our apartment! (Thank you to our respective grandparents, Bubs and Grumpy and Christel, for making the purchase of our entertainment center and coffee table possible!!!)
So our apartment looks completely different now - it looks great! I am going to make some blue pillow covers for the couch, to tie in the light blue on the walls. And of course Lenny has made himself right at home on the couch.
So the new year is off to a good start for us. Today is the first day of school - Chuck's last semester! I am also going to be taking TWO classes this semester - chamber music, playing in a flute duet with my friend Hyun Jung, and another orchestral repertoire class, taught by the other flute teacher at IU.
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