On Thursday, November 12, our class watched a very interesting video. It was about musical minds. There were three amazing stories of somehow handicapped people and how they use music. One man from New York has ticks, but when he plays a percussion instrument (sometimes the rails on his house) those ticks go away. Another man who has been blind since he was a baby and who has the brain capacity of a five year old plays the piano like a professional. He can listen to a piece of music once and then play it back while improvising the melody. These stories are truly miraculous. I was amazed when I saw the blind man play the piano so skillfully. I cannot even imagine being able to play that well. It was really inspirational.
On Thursday, December 3rd, 2009, I had the splendid pleasure of viewing the World Percussion Night at Kobacker Hall in the College of Musical Arts. I especially enjoyed the Hayabusa Taiko Ensemble under the direction of Tammyan Metz Starr. What appealed to me the most about the Hayabusa ensemble is their complete submission into the drumming, style, and mood of the group. You can see them feel the energy from the drums when the students whack them with all of their might. You can see each of them putting their whole soul into the drum by their body movements and the fierceness with which they strike the drum. Some even feel compelled to yell out while drumming. While on that stage, playing those drums, the students do not recognize themselves individually, they are part of something bigger, and they are portraying something bigger than themselves. Because of this performance, it is one of my goals to join Hayabusa before I leave Bowling Green. I want to be able to just lose myself in the rhythm and the deepness of the drum. I want to feel the drum resonate in my soul just like the performers on Thursday.
On October 13, 2009, I had the immense pleasure of attending the recital titled “Presenting Praecepta!” It was a great concert for me to attend because all of the recitals I had been going to were related to the classical genre and written by a generation that I never really understood. This one was different because it was music written and performed by students at the Bowling Green State University College of Music. The music ranged from instrumental pieces, to vocal compilations, to duets, and even electronic compositions. My favorite piece in the entire performance was the electronics piece written by Dan Tramte and performed by alto saxophonist, Carl Wiggins. It was amazing because it showed the versatility of music of my generation. The combination of alto saxophone and electronics was intriguing to listen to and introduced me to a different style of music than I was use to. On top of that, it was pretty cool that it was written by my Aural Skills I teaching assistant! Overall, the show was an amazing performance put on by many outstanding musicians, vocalists, and composers.
On December 5th, 2009 I attended the Senior Recital of Arielle Warshay. She was a vocal music education major. She was a very good singer, and a delightful performer. I enjoyed her performance because most of the songs she sang I knew or have studied. My favorite part of the recital was when she sang “ O mio babbino caro” as the second selection. She had great control of her high notes and did a good job keeping it legato. Another cute part the recital was when her and her boyfriend sang a duet together. She also was wearing a really beautiful dress, which helped to set the mood for her recital. The best song that she sang was “Ridente la Clama” because her voice was clear, forward and free on her high notes. I could also tell that she was most confident with that song because she used a lot of gestures and had great facial expressions.
On Thursday November 19th, I went to go see the pianist Alan Feinberg in Bryan Hall. It was an interesting performance, but not what I was not expecting. The performance over all was very good. He was a talented performer and the songs were impressive. But to me, It was a very long show. The pieces were good but not captivating. They seemed too similar to me and I got bored very quickly. Though the difficulty of the piece was very impressive, it didn’t make up for the pieces themselves. The piece I liked was the Etude for the left hand. It was very interesting to watch him play an entire piece with just his left hand and have it seem like he’s playing with two hands. I was very captivated by this piece. Though I didn’t like most of the pieces, it was a very good learning experience. There are not always going to be songs that I like or enjoy. But I know I have to remember everyone has their own taste and there are not always going to agree. In the end, I’m glad I went to this performance.
On Sunday, November 15th, I was able to see the Falcon Marching Band perform on different turf instead of the usual pre-game and halftime shows in the Falcon Stadium. Instead, friends and family of the marching band were privileged enough to listen to what the CMA likes to call the “Sounds of the Stadium.” During this 45 min to hour concert, we were able to listen to all of the shows that the Falcon marching band usually performs on the field complete with the colorguard and their flags. My personal favourite show was the Metal Show, which featured pieces like “Enter Sandman” and “Through the Fire and Flames,” which are two of my main favourites from that particular show. The fact that we were able to hear all of the shows at one time was really nice, because I was able to catch up, and listen to some of the shows of the football games that I had missed. One of the funny parts of this concert was when we were able to see a clip of the marching band filming a “training video,” so to speak of the internationally known song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.
On Wednesday, December 3rd, I had the great opportunity to hear a legendary work that is performed by choirs across the globe. The work, Handel’s Messiah. Upon entering Kobacker Hall, I was taken back by the lit up garlands streaming the banister and a beautiful wreath above the stage. Even more of a treat was the well known Toledo Symphony playing along with the talented Bowling Green University Choral Society. The voices were a combination of college students and community members. The Messiah is a long work with different parts giving a sense of narration to the story of the coming Messiah. The rather large choir was a elegant part of the whole evening but could not top the four soloists. Two Bowling Green faculty members and two guest singers. The Soprano and Mezzo-Soprano where guests to the show where as our own Dr. Scholl was the Tenor soloist, and Dr. Cooper, my opera theater professor, as the featured bass. All together the evening was delightful and left the crowd moved and proud of the Bowling Green arts community.
On December first 2009 at eight P.M. I went to see Newds Narcism. It was a very interesting experience. The concert was made up of a collaboration of contemporary pieces. It was very different from what I am use to hearing. Even though it was a different it was still very enjoyable and I really liked it. I liked how the music was made up of a bunch of different sounds but in the end it was still music. I also liked when they put pictures to the music because it really made it that much more effective. Another part of the concert that I enjoyed was the man who played two reed instruments at the same time. It looked very difficult but he made it sound very delightful. I left the concert in awe, I was pleased to hear this other type of music. If given the chance I would definitely attend another concert like this one.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
On Thursday, November 12, our class watched a very interesting video. It was about musical minds. There were three amazing stories of somehow handicapped people and how they use music. One man from New York has ticks, but when he plays a percussion instrument (sometimes the rails on his house) those ticks go away. Another man who has been blind since he was a baby and who has the brain capacity of a five year old plays the piano like a professional. He can listen to a piece of music once and then play it back while improvising the melody. These stories are truly miraculous. I was amazed when I saw the blind man play the piano so skillfully. I cannot even imagine being able to play that well. It was really inspirational.
December 6th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
On Thursday, December 3rd, 2009, I had the splendid pleasure of viewing the World Percussion Night at Kobacker Hall in the College of Musical Arts. I especially enjoyed the Hayabusa Taiko Ensemble under the direction of Tammyan Metz Starr. What appealed to me the most about the Hayabusa ensemble is their complete submission into the drumming, style, and mood of the group. You can see them feel the energy from the drums when the students whack them with all of their might. You can see each of them putting their whole soul into the drum by their body movements and the fierceness with which they strike the drum. Some even feel compelled to yell out while drumming. While on that stage, playing those drums, the students do not recognize themselves individually, they are part of something bigger, and they are portraying something bigger than themselves. Because of this performance, it is one of my goals to join Hayabusa before I leave Bowling Green. I want to be able to just lose myself in the rhythm and the deepness of the drum. I want to feel the drum resonate in my soul just like the performers on Thursday.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:14 am
On October 13, 2009, I had the immense pleasure of attending the recital titled “Presenting Praecepta!” It was a great concert for me to attend because all of the recitals I had been going to were related to the classical genre and written by a generation that I never really understood. This one was different because it was music written and performed by students at the Bowling Green State University College of Music. The music ranged from instrumental pieces, to vocal compilations, to duets, and even electronic compositions. My favorite piece in the entire performance was the electronics piece written by Dan Tramte and performed by alto saxophonist, Carl Wiggins. It was amazing because it showed the versatility of music of my generation. The combination of alto saxophone and electronics was intriguing to listen to and introduced me to a different style of music than I was use to. On top of that, it was pretty cool that it was written by my Aural Skills I teaching assistant! Overall, the show was an amazing performance put on by many outstanding musicians, vocalists, and composers.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
On December 5th, 2009 I attended the Senior Recital of Arielle Warshay. She was a vocal music education major. She was a very good singer, and a delightful performer. I enjoyed her performance because most of the songs she sang I knew or have studied. My favorite part of the recital was when she sang “ O mio babbino caro” as the second selection. She had great control of her high notes and did a good job keeping it legato. Another cute part the recital was when her and her boyfriend sang a duet together. She also was wearing a really beautiful dress, which helped to set the mood for her recital. The best song that she sang was “Ridente la Clama” because her voice was clear, forward and free on her high notes. I could also tell that she was most confident with that song because she used a lot of gestures and had great facial expressions.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
On Thursday November 19th, I went to go see the pianist Alan Feinberg in Bryan Hall. It was an interesting performance, but not what I was not expecting. The performance over all was very good. He was a talented performer and the songs were impressive. But to me, It was a very long show. The pieces were good but not captivating. They seemed too similar to me and I got bored very quickly. Though the difficulty of the piece was very impressive, it didn’t make up for the pieces themselves. The piece I liked was the Etude for the left hand. It was very interesting to watch him play an entire piece with just his left hand and have it seem like he’s playing with two hands. I was very captivated by this piece. Though I didn’t like most of the pieces, it was a very good learning experience. There are not always going to be songs that I like or enjoy. But I know I have to remember everyone has their own taste and there are not always going to agree. In the end, I’m glad I went to this performance.
December 8th, 2009 at 1:13 am
On Sunday, November 15th, I was able to see the Falcon Marching Band perform on different turf instead of the usual pre-game and halftime shows in the Falcon Stadium. Instead, friends and family of the marching band were privileged enough to listen to what the CMA likes to call the “Sounds of the Stadium.” During this 45 min to hour concert, we were able to listen to all of the shows that the Falcon marching band usually performs on the field complete with the colorguard and their flags. My personal favourite show was the Metal Show, which featured pieces like “Enter Sandman” and “Through the Fire and Flames,” which are two of my main favourites from that particular show. The fact that we were able to hear all of the shows at one time was really nice, because I was able to catch up, and listen to some of the shows of the football games that I had missed. One of the funny parts of this concert was when we were able to see a clip of the marching band filming a “training video,” so to speak of the internationally known song “Thriller” by Michael Jackson.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:09 am
On Wednesday, December 3rd, I had the great opportunity to hear a legendary work that is performed by choirs across the globe. The work, Handel’s Messiah. Upon entering Kobacker Hall, I was taken back by the lit up garlands streaming the banister and a beautiful wreath above the stage. Even more of a treat was the well known Toledo Symphony playing along with the talented Bowling Green University Choral Society. The voices were a combination of college students and community members. The Messiah is a long work with different parts giving a sense of narration to the story of the coming Messiah. The rather large choir was a elegant part of the whole evening but could not top the four soloists. Two Bowling Green faculty members and two guest singers. The Soprano and Mezzo-Soprano where guests to the show where as our own Dr. Scholl was the Tenor soloist, and Dr. Cooper, my opera theater professor, as the featured bass. All together the evening was delightful and left the crowd moved and proud of the Bowling Green arts community.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
On December first 2009 at eight P.M. I went to see Newds Narcism. It was a very interesting experience. The concert was made up of a collaboration of contemporary pieces. It was very different from what I am use to hearing. Even though it was a different it was still very enjoyable and I really liked it. I liked how the music was made up of a bunch of different sounds but in the end it was still music. I also liked when they put pictures to the music because it really made it that much more effective. Another part of the concert that I enjoyed was the man who played two reed instruments at the same time. It looked very difficult but he made it sound very delightful. I left the concert in awe, I was pleased to hear this other type of music. If given the chance I would definitely attend another concert like this one.