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Yayyyyyy. It is finally all done! The concert season I mean.
Had a concert last Sunday. One of my groups had its last concert of the season on friday, another one had its last of the season today. And my main one had its last a couple sundays ago. So I am now all done and freeeee to go visit my family. Here is a list of orchestras I am in and my plans for them.
My Churches Orchestra: I helped my mother teach all the people in this one. They are now all fully capable players, but they still lack confidence. Every time I go on vacation this orchestra stops having rehearsals for as long as I am gone. I have no idea what they are going to do if I ever move.
Other Church Orchestra: During winter of 2009 I had a recital. The music director of one of the churches that one of the other students went to, came to see the students recital. That church has two cantatas every year and needed violinists. When he saw me play he wrote my name down on a piece of paper so that he would remember to ask me to play for the upcoming Christmas cantata. When he asked, I agreed to do it and have been the lead violinist for all their cantatas since then.
Community College Orchestra: I joined this one just for the fun of it. I really love playing my instruments. I was not going to play in it in the last semester because I wanted more time for my studies. But the conductor begged me to play in it in the last semester because the pieces they were doing had rather heavy viola parts and the orchestra needed violists. I decided to go ahead, since I really do love to play and they really did need me. During next concert season I may join the symphony in my local town instead of attending this orchestra, by recommendation of my teacher and one of the symphonies violists.
Local Youth Orchestra:I originally joined this orchestra in the 2008-2009 season because it needed violists......like really bad. Some students of my Mom's were in this orchestra at the time and they told her it really needed violists. It turns out, it only had one violist. My mother and I decided it was a great chance for me to pick up viola and gain some experience on it.
I started practicing viola, and a week later I told my teacher that I had heard her orchestra needed violists (she was/is the conductor). I then told her I had started practicing viola, and asked if she would like to hear me play. She gave me a concerned look like how could I possibly be any good on the viola after one week? But she said she would here me play at my next lesson.
So the next week I brought a viola to my violin lesson and Suzuki book #4 for viola. I played a piece that I had been practicing from the book for my teacher. She had a rather surprised look. She then asked me to sight read a different song in the book, just to make sure I really could read viola music. When I went ahead and did it no problem. She quickly called the Organization Director of the orchestra and got the okay to take on a violist without audition and after the start of the season.
The first rehearsal I had there was nerve wracking for me. It turned out the other violist and his family observed Jewish holidays and the first rehearsal was during one. So it was just me for the viola section. To make things worse, the piece we were doing had a major viola part, and the viola section had a solo at the beginning that brought in the rest of the orchestra. And I had just started viola two and a half to three weeks earlier. And I was sight reading.
I went ahead and started playing, and after about 20 measures my teacher stopped the orchestra and every one just started cheering.....As it turns out. During the previous season they had only 1 violist the entire season, and she sucked.
At first I was not very impressed with this group. Frankly it just plain did not compare with the youth symphony that I was part of. But I came to love being part of it.
This last season was a great one for this group. We had four violas including myself, and it was the best youth viola section my teacher had ever seen. The Organization Director did a bunch of stuff to make the organization more attractive. She made stricter attendance policies, organized after concert pizza parties and planned a major field trip for the group, all of which went extremely well.
I was going to be to old to return to this group for the next season (it doesn't accept people after graduation) but the conductor (my teacher) and the Organization Director (my stand partners mother) got together and decided to allow me to stay if I were willing, I gladly said I am willing, I was talking to the director today after the concert and pizza party. She told me my teacher nearly did backflips when she heard I would return. And my stand partner who was not sure if they would return or not, decided to return after hearing I was going too.
It also turns out that several of the students and teachers from both my group and the younger orchestras are hoping I will play for summer camp this year (I was concert master for it last year do to the main violinist not attending). So I plan on doing that this summer.
During the field trip, a conductor for some of the younger groups who already liked me (sweet ol' lady she be), apparently got a good impression of me on this trip. My teacher says she and the other conductor are discussing having me be a rehearsal assistant for the other conductor during the next season.
I am still in shock from finding out how many people in this organization seem to like me.
Youth Symphony: I first joined this group in 2006. Mom and I went to different parts of Washington that were within easy driving distance, in order to look for a good youth symphony for me to be part of. After listening to a few which were just plain not good enough (if they were bad enough to where I could have easily been concert master, then they were not good enough) we found one that we really liked. When the time to audition for the next season came along I went ahead and applied for this symphony.
The conductor of the orchestra I got in was actually the same one I may be rehearsal assistant for in the other organization next year. She had a good opinion of me back then, and because of that she never forgot me and has always waved hi to me since.
This last season was my sixth with this organization, and I had a wonderful time. It wasn't till my third year in it that we found out it was the best organization in Washington and perhaps one of the best in the country.
As much as I loved being part of this organization, I decided not to be in it next season. Since any friends that I may have had in it, will not be in it because they headed off to college. You wouldn't believe how smart the kids in this group were. Several of them got accepted to places like Yale, Harvard and Julliard.
End of the list
Any ways, this gives you an idea of what has kept my life busy since you guys met me. I am also part of the quartets attached to two of the orchestras.
P.S. I am not going to pretend. I am a good violinist. But I am only a decent good violinist and not an exceptional good violinist (I easily have the potential to become exceptional, but I hate practicing, I literally practice around 30 minutes each week). The reason why I got positions of responsibility in several of these groups is because I have a knack of joining groups that need help. Not because I am an extraordinary player.
Here is how I rate violinists.
Beginner= Learning basics.
Intermediate= Learned basics, is now starting to play more and more advanced songs. These are your average orchestral players.
Advanced= The people who have achieved this level are the ones that people in most
school orchestras/orchestras consider to be exceptionally good. This is also the level of many exceptional fiddlers.
Good= These are the people who have the skill and ability needed to play all those awesome orchestral pieces you hear on the radio and play them well. These make up most symphonies.
Exceptionally good= They either lead the good ones and make them look bad, or they join the top symphonies in the country, or become soloists who travel around and play for multiple symphonies. These ARE the ones you hear on the radio
Prodigy= These are the people who play the same stuff, and as well, as the exceptionally good people, just....when the are 10 years old. The great violinists that people write about after they are long dead, are generally of this class.
Had a concert last Sunday. One of my groups had its last concert of the season on friday, another one had its last of the season today. And my main one had its last a couple sundays ago. So I am now all done and freeeee to go visit my family. Here is a list of orchestras I am in and my plans for them.
My Churches Orchestra: I helped my mother teach all the people in this one. They are now all fully capable players, but they still lack confidence. Every time I go on vacation this orchestra stops having rehearsals for as long as I am gone. I have no idea what they are going to do if I ever move.
Other Church Orchestra: During winter of 2009 I had a recital. The music director of one of the churches that one of the other students went to, came to see the students recital. That church has two cantatas every year and needed violinists. When he saw me play he wrote my name down on a piece of paper so that he would remember to ask me to play for the upcoming Christmas cantata. When he asked, I agreed to do it and have been the lead violinist for all their cantatas since then.
Community College Orchestra: I joined this one just for the fun of it. I really love playing my instruments. I was not going to play in it in the last semester because I wanted more time for my studies. But the conductor begged me to play in it in the last semester because the pieces they were doing had rather heavy viola parts and the orchestra needed violists. I decided to go ahead, since I really do love to play and they really did need me. During next concert season I may join the symphony in my local town instead of attending this orchestra, by recommendation of my teacher and one of the symphonies violists.
Local Youth Orchestra:I originally joined this orchestra in the 2008-2009 season because it needed violists......like really bad. Some students of my Mom's were in this orchestra at the time and they told her it really needed violists. It turns out, it only had one violist. My mother and I decided it was a great chance for me to pick up viola and gain some experience on it.
I started practicing viola, and a week later I told my teacher that I had heard her orchestra needed violists (she was/is the conductor). I then told her I had started practicing viola, and asked if she would like to hear me play. She gave me a concerned look like how could I possibly be any good on the viola after one week? But she said she would here me play at my next lesson.
So the next week I brought a viola to my violin lesson and Suzuki book #4 for viola. I played a piece that I had been practicing from the book for my teacher. She had a rather surprised look. She then asked me to sight read a different song in the book, just to make sure I really could read viola music. When I went ahead and did it no problem. She quickly called the Organization Director of the orchestra and got the okay to take on a violist without audition and after the start of the season.
The first rehearsal I had there was nerve wracking for me. It turned out the other violist and his family observed Jewish holidays and the first rehearsal was during one. So it was just me for the viola section. To make things worse, the piece we were doing had a major viola part, and the viola section had a solo at the beginning that brought in the rest of the orchestra. And I had just started viola two and a half to three weeks earlier. And I was sight reading.
I went ahead and started playing, and after about 20 measures my teacher stopped the orchestra and every one just started cheering.....As it turns out. During the previous season they had only 1 violist the entire season, and she sucked.
At first I was not very impressed with this group. Frankly it just plain did not compare with the youth symphony that I was part of. But I came to love being part of it.
This last season was a great one for this group. We had four violas including myself, and it was the best youth viola section my teacher had ever seen. The Organization Director did a bunch of stuff to make the organization more attractive. She made stricter attendance policies, organized after concert pizza parties and planned a major field trip for the group, all of which went extremely well.
I was going to be to old to return to this group for the next season (it doesn't accept people after graduation) but the conductor (my teacher) and the Organization Director (my stand partners mother) got together and decided to allow me to stay if I were willing, I gladly said I am willing, I was talking to the director today after the concert and pizza party. She told me my teacher nearly did backflips when she heard I would return. And my stand partner who was not sure if they would return or not, decided to return after hearing I was going too.
It also turns out that several of the students and teachers from both my group and the younger orchestras are hoping I will play for summer camp this year (I was concert master for it last year do to the main violinist not attending). So I plan on doing that this summer.
During the field trip, a conductor for some of the younger groups who already liked me (sweet ol' lady she be), apparently got a good impression of me on this trip. My teacher says she and the other conductor are discussing having me be a rehearsal assistant for the other conductor during the next season.
I am still in shock from finding out how many people in this organization seem to like me.
Youth Symphony: I first joined this group in 2006. Mom and I went to different parts of Washington that were within easy driving distance, in order to look for a good youth symphony for me to be part of. After listening to a few which were just plain not good enough (if they were bad enough to where I could have easily been concert master, then they were not good enough) we found one that we really liked. When the time to audition for the next season came along I went ahead and applied for this symphony.
The conductor of the orchestra I got in was actually the same one I may be rehearsal assistant for in the other organization next year. She had a good opinion of me back then, and because of that she never forgot me and has always waved hi to me since.
This last season was my sixth with this organization, and I had a wonderful time. It wasn't till my third year in it that we found out it was the best organization in Washington and perhaps one of the best in the country.
As much as I loved being part of this organization, I decided not to be in it next season. Since any friends that I may have had in it, will not be in it because they headed off to college. You wouldn't believe how smart the kids in this group were. Several of them got accepted to places like Yale, Harvard and Julliard.
End of the list
Any ways, this gives you an idea of what has kept my life busy since you guys met me. I am also part of the quartets attached to two of the orchestras.
P.S. I am not going to pretend. I am a good violinist. But I am only a decent good violinist and not an exceptional good violinist (I easily have the potential to become exceptional, but I hate practicing, I literally practice around 30 minutes each week). The reason why I got positions of responsibility in several of these groups is because I have a knack of joining groups that need help. Not because I am an extraordinary player.
Here is how I rate violinists.
Beginner= Learning basics.
Intermediate= Learned basics, is now starting to play more and more advanced songs. These are your average orchestral players.
Advanced= The people who have achieved this level are the ones that people in most
school orchestras/orchestras consider to be exceptionally good. This is also the level of many exceptional fiddlers.
Good= These are the people who have the skill and ability needed to play all those awesome orchestral pieces you hear on the radio and play them well. These make up most symphonies.
Exceptionally good= They either lead the good ones and make them look bad, or they join the top symphonies in the country, or become soloists who travel around and play for multiple symphonies. These ARE the ones you hear on the radio
Prodigy= These are the people who play the same stuff, and as well, as the exceptionally good people, just....when the are 10 years old. The great violinists that people write about after they are long dead, are generally of this class.
