I had to share this:
I truely realize how fortunate my small-town school district was to have show choir, marching band, and I don't know, a piano? But it's totally cool how Mr. Chung uses his limited resources (his own resources) to show his students that music is everywhere, and they can feel as good and confident about what they learned on a bucket as what kids in the suburbs learn on a Steinway.
I knew I wasn't meant to be a music teacher when I realized I was not this passionate. I love music, I love to share and talk about music, and I have crazy respect and admiration for music teachers, but I just don't love it enough to pour my own money into it and fight for my job the way they are almost required to. That's really why I respect them so much. They are strong enough to do something I decided I wasn't.
Also, putting construction workers back to work by fixing up schools? Brilliant! I'm not a super political person, I'm just a fan of good ideas, common sense, and generally helping people.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Christmas Music!
As of midnight last night, the ban on Christmas music that is in our marriage contract was temporarily lifted until January 1, 2012.
Corey hates Christmas music, and I love it. I would start playing it after Halloween if I wasn't afraid he'd leave me. We've agreed that I won't ever start the music or decorations until after Thanksgiving.
This was our first Thanksgiving away from home. It wasn't so bad, especially since we had family visiting last weekend. I'm not the best cook, so instead of attempting a traditional Thanksgiving meal for two, I made a big brunch and we went out for dinner.
I'm actually putting Christmas decorations on hold until Sunday. Then I plan to start a speaker war with our obnoxious downstairs neighbors, whose bass we hear all day every day. I hope they like my Pandora Christmas station!
Corey hates Christmas music, and I love it. I would start playing it after Halloween if I wasn't afraid he'd leave me. We've agreed that I won't ever start the music or decorations until after Thanksgiving.
This was our first Thanksgiving away from home. It wasn't so bad, especially since we had family visiting last weekend. I'm not the best cook, so instead of attempting a traditional Thanksgiving meal for two, I made a big brunch and we went out for dinner.
I'm actually putting Christmas decorations on hold until Sunday. Then I plan to start a speaker war with our obnoxious downstairs neighbors, whose bass we hear all day every day. I hope they like my Pandora Christmas station!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Nebraska and New Music
This was indeed an interesting weekend for our musical and matrimonial relationship.
Corey's parents visited us for the first time since we moved to Ann Arbor. They are wonderful, but the idea of entertaining anyone's parents stresses me out. My mother raised me to present a spotless home, so any spare time I had this past week was spent cleaning, not writing.
The Cunninghams went to the University of Nebraska, so naturally we went to the Michigan/Nebraska game. In addition to our regularly scheduled plans, Corey found out at the last minutes that he would be required to attend two concerts, one on Friday, one on Saturday, both at 8pm. (It kind of cut in to our dinner plans.) I was upset at first, but we worked it out and had a great time. The four of us all went to to concert together on Saturday. (Corey's parts are super supportive of his career. They really make an effort to enjoy the music he enjoys.)
Both concerts were put on by Brave New Works, an ensemble made up of most U of M faculty who perform only works written within the last 20 years. The theme was Michigan Composers, and on Saturday we heard pieces by Erik Santos, Kristin Kuster, Paul Schoenfield and Corey's teacher Micheal Daugherty, all current Michigan composition faculty.
Two songs by Kristin Kuster were performed by soprano Jennifer Goltz. She was my kind of Soprano. Her range was awesome and she had such great command of it. She was never over-the-top with any dynamic or vibrato. The texts were poems by Sappho about love and painful longing, which were set beautifully to a rhythm and harmony that created the same angst that the words did.
Crystal by Daugherty was my favorite piece of the night. It is a duet for flute and alto flute originally written for chamber ensemble, but was done as an arrangement for both flutes and piano. According to the program notes "Crystal visits the dark world of gypsies who attempt to tell fortunes by gazing into crystal balls. A haunting duet...Crystal features extended flute techniques such as fluttering and bending notes." (Fun Fact: the piece premiered on my 19th birthday.) I don't know if there is a recording yet, but I'm looking!
Corey's parents visited us for the first time since we moved to Ann Arbor. They are wonderful, but the idea of entertaining anyone's parents stresses me out. My mother raised me to present a spotless home, so any spare time I had this past week was spent cleaning, not writing.
The Cunninghams went to the University of Nebraska, so naturally we went to the Michigan/Nebraska game. In addition to our regularly scheduled plans, Corey found out at the last minutes that he would be required to attend two concerts, one on Friday, one on Saturday, both at 8pm. (It kind of cut in to our dinner plans.) I was upset at first, but we worked it out and had a great time. The four of us all went to to concert together on Saturday. (Corey's parts are super supportive of his career. They really make an effort to enjoy the music he enjoys.)
Both concerts were put on by Brave New Works, an ensemble made up of most U of M faculty who perform only works written within the last 20 years. The theme was Michigan Composers, and on Saturday we heard pieces by Erik Santos, Kristin Kuster, Paul Schoenfield and Corey's teacher Micheal Daugherty, all current Michigan composition faculty.
Two songs by Kristin Kuster were performed by soprano Jennifer Goltz. She was my kind of Soprano. Her range was awesome and she had such great command of it. She was never over-the-top with any dynamic or vibrato. The texts were poems by Sappho about love and painful longing, which were set beautifully to a rhythm and harmony that created the same angst that the words did.
Crystal by Daugherty was my favorite piece of the night. It is a duet for flute and alto flute originally written for chamber ensemble, but was done as an arrangement for both flutes and piano. According to the program notes "Crystal visits the dark world of gypsies who attempt to tell fortunes by gazing into crystal balls. A haunting duet...Crystal features extended flute techniques such as fluttering and bending notes." (Fun Fact: the piece premiered on my 19th birthday.) I don't know if there is a recording yet, but I'm looking!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Opera Date
This project isn't just about me writing about music, it's about my relationship with music as a part of my daily life, and my relationship with my husband
So, Corey is a grad student at the University of Michigan studying composition. His main instrument in undergrad was saxophone and I was a choir kid. He likes mostly new, instrumental music, and I prefer classical/romantic vocal music when I go to concerts, so it's a personal victory when I can get him to take me to the opera. Pair that with dinner out, a bottle of wine, and pumpkin ice cream on a crisp autumn evening, and my life is suddenly a romantic comedy of Meg Ryan proportions.
On Sunday, we went to the final showing of the U of M opera department's production of Verdi's Falstaff. At our alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire we had seen Britton's Albert Herring, and The Magic Flute by Mozart, making up Corey's entire opera experience thus far. I was excited that Corey both went to the show without complaint and left with only good things to say. (However the gem quote of the day was during the first intermission in a slightly pained tone: "Yeah, on a scale of one to opera, this is definitely opera.")
Falstaff is a good show to see for a new music fanatic. It's late in Verdi's career in the realism or verismo period. The "flow" of the music is not the Mozartian structure of recitative-aria-recit-duet-recit-trio or quartet-recit-aria-recit-ensemble AND end Act I. The solos, duets, and ensemble pieces flow together in a constant stream and layer quite seamlessly. It's the beginning of the structure used by modern opera. (And ask Corey who went to see John Adams' Nixon in China at Met at the Movies without me!)
So, Corey is a grad student at the University of Michigan studying composition. His main instrument in undergrad was saxophone and I was a choir kid. He likes mostly new, instrumental music, and I prefer classical/romantic vocal music when I go to concerts, so it's a personal victory when I can get him to take me to the opera. Pair that with dinner out, a bottle of wine, and pumpkin ice cream on a crisp autumn evening, and my life is suddenly a romantic comedy of Meg Ryan proportions.
On Sunday, we went to the final showing of the U of M opera department's production of Verdi's Falstaff. At our alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire we had seen Britton's Albert Herring, and The Magic Flute by Mozart, making up Corey's entire opera experience thus far. I was excited that Corey both went to the show without complaint and left with only good things to say. (However the gem quote of the day was during the first intermission in a slightly pained tone: "Yeah, on a scale of one to opera, this is definitely opera.")
Falstaff is a good show to see for a new music fanatic. It's late in Verdi's career in the realism or verismo period. The "flow" of the music is not the Mozartian structure of recitative-aria-recit-duet-recit-trio or quartet-recit-aria-recit-ensemble AND end Act I. The solos, duets, and ensemble pieces flow together in a constant stream and layer quite seamlessly. It's the beginning of the structure used by modern opera. (And ask Corey who went to see John Adams' Nixon in China at Met at the Movies without me!)
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