I had an ear training test and a music history quiz on
Wednesday this week, so I have been busy studying. I mentioned previously an online program
called http://www.teoria.com/. This program really helps me prepare for my
ear training tests. I can listen to
random intervals over and over again and learn to recognize them. I am finally getting more comfortable with
almost all the intervals. It is so nice
to be able to learn this information in small steps, which, in the end all add
up to larger leaps!
For the music history quiz, we had a list of music to listen
to and then the teacher played a small excerpt from several of them and we had
to identify the title and composer of the pieces. This is a first for me and I am learning how
to listen to the music differently, so that I can identify the differences. Learning the history of music helps me put
the music I hear in the context of the times in which it is written.
The program for the April 1 Chamber Jazz Ensemble is coming
together. Dr. Karel Lidral, the
director, assigned solos for specific compositions we will play. I need to get to work preparing for that. Practice, practice, practice.
Saturday night I attended Cadenzato, a faculty concert. I will highlight a few of the
performances. Dr. Noreen Silver expertly
played J. S. Bach’s (1685-1750) fifth Cello Suite in C minor. She and her husband, Dr. Phillip Silver,
played two pieces for cello and piano, Die
Zelle in Nonnenwerth by Franz Liszt,
(1813-1886) and Serenade by Robert
Dauber (1922-1945). These were very
different from the Bach, and also very beautiful. The concert closed with a Trio for Trumpet,
Cello and Piano written by Carson Cooman (1982-) performed by Jack Burt, Marisa
Solomon, and Laura Artesani. This
contemporary music is lyrical and reminiscent of an evening at the beach.
For my piano lessons, I am learning to play Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart’s (1756-1791) Sonata in C major, K545.
This piece contains many scales and arpeggios, and I am working to get
the tone even, especially in the scale passages. I decided that I can listen better to the
tone I am producing on the piano if I memorize the music, so I started
memorizing this piece. This is
challenging and also has helped me learn the piece more thoroughly. I am also studying a left hand exercise by
Czerny (1791-1857). This week my piano
teacher, Dr. Phillip Silver, assigned me Fantasia in D minor by Georg Philipp
Telemann (1681-1767).
Preparing for my classes is like project management. I can use the discipline and skills that I
learned running large projects to plan my assignments and to schedule my
regular organ and piano practice time.
I am noticing my increased tolerance for risk. School is a safe environment to take risk in
exploring the many different facets of music.
A year ago, I would not have imagined myself improvising in a jazz
ensemble or writing accompaniments to jazz standards. This is still way outside my “comfort
zone.” Yet, at school in my classes, it
is safe for me to try these new experiences.
Time to get back to practicing!
