Solo And Ensemble Critique

When I was an eighth grader in middle school, I joined IUSD Middle School Honor Orchestra. I played the viola in this orchestra and I was eighth chair violist out of sixteen violists. Many of my friends joined this orchestra and we had a lot of fun. I played different pieces of music with everyone in the orchestra and I learned many new things. Playing music pieces with different people that play different instruments have taught me a lot, and I learned that it is always important to work as a team. Joining this orchestra has given me the better understanding of music and teamwork. After the concert of this orchestra, we had a field trip to California Adventure and I performed there with the group of the first time.This is one of the best experience

The Solo&Ensemble event was new for me this year but I was glad to participate. The first step was to choose a song. I chose ‘‘He’s Gone Away‘‘ (American Folk song) arranged by Ruth Elaine Schram because it sounds so nice and it seemed to me that it perfectly works with my type of voice and my abillities. And my partner Amy can sing basically anything so we were all set very quickly.

I have played trumpet since I was in the fourth grade -- that makes a grand total of 8 years. I had always taken private lesson and taken a keen interest in perfecting the instrument. At the beginning of high school, I decided to switch teachers and start working towards the district band audition. Just like with everything else I do, I was going to put all my effort into making district band. To be honest, I did not think I was going to make district band freshman year of high school simply because it was my first time auditioning. But when it was all said and done, I received a spot in the district band ensemble. It was the best musical experience I have ever had. I have never heard so many great musicians together before, and to be a part of it was absolutely incredible. I knew that I had to do anything I could to be a part of this group year

Being in the UNCG Honors Band was the best experience I've had with an outside band. The band itself was made out the most talented high school musicians in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tenseness. I felt extremely proud that I had made this band and I felt that I had moved up from being just a high school musician to a serious musician just being around all these other students who were proficient or higher on their instrument. UNCG Honors Band was important to me because not only did I get my first real experience with a college band, but I got a first glimpse of what is to come for me as a tuba player.

Of course like the band nerd I am, I was really excited to try out and hopefully be a part of something that is much bigger than yourself. So a couple weeks after trying out, I figure out that I have made the marching band as a freshman! I also figured out that some of the Washington clarinets made it too. So after I passed eighth grade, summer finally came and I had to learn all of this challenging music that was above my knowledge and had to turn them into to a website to prove that I was practicing. Near end of July came and I had to go the dreaded band

Due to my failure to make All State, I recognized that I did not need the recognition, the big performance and the medal that is given out. What truly mattered was the improvement that I achieved as a musician. In those short summer months, I had polished my scales and sharpened my sight reading skills. I was ready for my next audition which propelled me to the second highest band in my high school band program, the Symphonic Band. Competition for this band is usually very high and I was quite proud to have achieved such an

They had warned me it would be lots of after school rehearsals, clinics I would have to attend, and concerts I would have to attend as well. I told myself I could definitely do it. So I accepted the invitation and joined the top group. From being in the symphonic band my 7th and 8th grade year, I knew I had matured as a player tenfold. Then, high school came around. I told myself all the time that I would be the best one there as a freshman. Oh boy, was I wrong. When I went for freshman band camp in 2010, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into. Learning to march in time with the band and having to memorize the music all at once, I told myself I was fool coming here. But the passion I had for music kept me going. So I suffered through band camp for 4 weeks in a row. Memorizing the music, marching and playing at the same time definitely made me mature as a

For the talent part of the event, I planned on playing Pirates of the Caribbean by Jarrod Radnich. My instructor tried to change my mind into playing a more classical piece for the judges. She said the judges would take points off of my score if I played this piece. I ended up in the same boat as to when I was 12 years old picking a piece for my festival. Again, I set out to achieve what I wanted to do. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to learn that piece because it was difficult. I also had to have courage to play what I thought would suit me best. I was up against other contestants who were playing classical piano pieces. It did make me doubt myself at some points, but I kept my goal. I played Pirates of the Caribbean and won the 1st runner up scholarship. I definitely proved my instructor

I went to every lesson and breezed through my lesson book. I was first chair both years and even sat across from Stephenie as we were both first chair for our respective instruments. I took every available opportunity I had to be able to play it including solo contest. Fifth grade band wasn’t anything super remarkable, however band in sixth grade changed the course of my musical career. It started with the arrival of Mrs.Bell, our new sixth grade band teacher. She was very sweet and always encouraged me to keep playing. Mrs.Bell was the reason I took a solo for Jazz band. I would help out in her office and hang out after school. I had even missed classes to help Mrs.Bell set up for honor band even though I didn’t make it in. I always looked forward to going to lessons. I even began taking extra lessons so I could perform in the middle school talent show. I had decided to play the theme from Rocky on my clarinet. All of my practicing had paid off and I delivered an excellent solo and I was very proud of

Being a part of that group gave me the opportunity to challenge myself with more difficult music, and the greater the vocal obstacle, the more I thrived. My choir teacher, Ms. Tippett, took notice of my passion for music and urged me to pursue it further. She pushed me to audition for choral festivals, urged me to try out for the school musical, gave me new responsibilities within the choir, and always knew I could accomplish whatever task she handed me. She nurtured my unending love of all things music and made me see that I really could do this, I could really follow music for the rest of my life. Music shaped me into the confident young woman I am today, and I can’t even begin to imagine how miserable my life would be if I pushed it to the sidelines.

Entering 6th grade, I decided to join beginning band at Torch Middle School in La Puente and chose the clarinet as my instrument. Out of the eight clarinet players that were in band, I was the worst. I became determined to become a better clarinet player and dedicated my time to practicing my instrument at home. By the end of 8th grade, I was impressed with my improvement and became third best out of six clarinets. However, freshmen year came along and I felt newcomer again. I was bent on becoming one of the best clarinet players.

Did the activity go as planned? Why or why not? Overall the lesson didn’t go as planned, but I think overall it was still an effective lesson. The time I thought I would have to teach the lesson was a lot different the time I actually got to teach the lesson. I had to just scrap certain part of the lesson to make it fit in the time I was given. I didn’t get to work with all the students because the concurrent center my cooperating teacher was doing. The

I didn’t make it but that didn’t stop me. I marched at the homecoming parade and played at football games. In the winter, I did a winter concrete and played a couple of difficult pieces of music. We had to practice twice a week to perfect it. During the spring, I was learning a drum song. We had to meet up every saturday to practice it. Unfortunately, we couldn't

It was tenth grade and marching season had just ended, marking the beginning of concert band. I was looking forward to putting down my tiny piccolo and picking up its big sister- the flute. But as I was getting ready to take the school flute home for Christmas break, I overheard our only two trombone players inform our director that one of them will not be playing in the concert band, and the other one will be switching to berry saxophone. Which means we will not have a trombone section. So I took the initiative and told him that I will learn the instrument and play it since we will have a flute section. Mr.Bradford said okay, and I went home.

This semester I have experience many live musical performances. Some of these performances have let me down but for the most part, these performances have been everything I ever expected. My two favorite performances this semester were Festival Vallenato and Ultra Music Festival. Although these two types of music are different in every way possible, the people and the performers are exactly where I feel I am in the right place.