high notes

I just need to do a little bit of venting. One thing that annoys me is when editors put stuff up 8va. I'm practicing a piece of music that has 8vas all over the place. It's driving me up the wall! It's on a computer...it's very simple to transpose things up an octave rather than write 8va. I see the point of it if it were hand written, ledger lines are annoying to hand write. Music done on a computer, however, has no excuse. Flute players love to read ledger lines, and if composers are assuming that flute players can play high Cs, then they ought to assume that flute players can read high Cs. It's especially annoying irksome when the musical line is climbing upward, only to have the physical shape of the phrase chopped in half because it jumps down the octave with an 8va. Well, at least I don't have any horn friends who read this. :) In other news, I have just discovered iGoogle, and am having a blast!

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Auditions

Esa-Pekka Salonen, Music Director announces auditions for:

Principal Bassoon

Dates: April 20-25, 2008
Résumé deadline: February 29, 2008

Principal Flute

Dates: May 17-20, 2008
Résumé deadline: March 14, 2008

Whoops, guess I missed out on that one.

universtiy maneuvers

How hard is it for university websites to post audition information in an easy to find spot? Apparently they like to narrow the search for prospective students already by seeing how desperate they are to find audition requirements.

learning from the past

So today i read the book "Joseph" by Terri Fivash. (I recommend it!) I have learned a very important lesson: Joseph stayed true to his God in a land of heathens. He didn't need to understand. He just needed to obey.

happy 19th birthday, kitty!

Today The Kitty turned 19 in human years!

Blackstir always gets priority at the food dish.

a major change

well...in case you've noticed how all smiles seem to have been nonexistent from my face lately...it's because I've had somewhat of a direction in life crisis. I had pretty much decided the fact that I was graduating very soon and doing something that I didn't want to do was filling me with an incredible feeling of dread (dread--great agitation and anxiety caused by the expectation or the realization of danger). After a sequence of events, much prayer, an email to Mrs. Minner, some chats with Dr. Ball, and a wonderful talk with my esteemed, wonderful, and amazing flute teacher...I have changed my major to nursing. No more awful classes in Summerour! ha, just kidding...about the nursing part that is. Yes, I have joined the ranks of those who have ditched music ed. I am becoming a flute performance major. Now instead of tiring my embouchure out by practicing my saxophone, hurrying to get hours of observing in which I have terribly procrastinated on, attending classes in Summerour, abhorring band because that's what I was going to have to face someday... I can practice Karg-Elert etudes, the circle of doom, finger drills, seamless and spinning vibrato between notes, wicked good driving air, perfect little tapers --my wonderful and dear flute, with which I have recently fallen in love. I can hear it now! what are you going to do? Go to grad school, of course! AHH how much fun! To live, breathe, and experience music. Am I scared about going back to public school? About leaving our little Adventist utopia? Yes. But I try and remember...

"Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go,
Anywhere He leads me in this world below;
Anywhere without Him dearest joys would fade;
Anywhere with Jesus I am not afraid."

grateful

Thanks...to you who...

Took care of me on orchestra tour. Who asked me how I was doing--even if I just grunted or scowled. Who were compassionate. Who hugged me and didn't care that I was sick. Who bent over to listen to what I had to say because it hurt to talk. Who rubbed my back. Who sang me lullabies at night. Who walked around with me in Brussels (even though I wasn't very much fun), dropped me off at the library, and then came back for me when it closed. Who gave me food. Who walked all around Sneek looking for soup. Who sat with me when I didn't talk. Who piled coats on top of me on the bus when I had a fever. Who laid down on the floor to talk to me when I had said fever. Who played my orchestra part when I dropped out. Who lent me Euros. Who told me stories of violin and cello teachers on the bus. Who called me yesterday and said "don't even think about coming to work tonight!" Who missed two classes to take me to the doctor.

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Thank you! I am so appreciative.


And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matthew 25:40