Cello Exam

I passed my cello exam with an 80%. I had walked out of the exam room fairly certain that I had failed (and fairly certain that on the odd chance that I didn't fail, I would have passed with, at the very most, a 72%), but with a smile on my face because I really could not have cared less. I had such a blast during my exam playing my repertoire (even though I sucked big time on my technique, my etude, my sight reading, and my orchestral excerpts) selections with J, the awesome, awesome pianist who accompanied me!

I'm so ridiculously happy about my result. Not because I really cared about the percentage (if I had cared, I'd have been upset when I walked out of that exam room, rather than feeling like I had just had the most fun I had had in a while!), but because it meant that I could tell my cello teacher that I did well -- even though he said to me right after my exam, right before he left to go to the airport where he was leaving for his holiday, that he was proud of me, regardless of the number.

I think I am hoping that he might say it again, but even if he doesn't, I think I'm just hoping to make him feel it, because I'm so proud to be his student.

My cello exam is tomorrow

and I don't feel ready. At all. I can't yet play all my technical requirements up to speed. Ahhh!

In other news, I made myself a tumblr. I think I might keep that account separate from this one. I think I'll make that one more about my visually artistic endeavors, and this one can be more about my personal life. Maybe it'll turn into an online diary for me to vent my frustrations or something. If you will.

The Cello Song

Some good vibes by The Books ft Jose Gonzalez from Dark Was The Night.

Lyrics are below.

Strange face, with your eyes
So pale and sincere.
Underneath you know well
You have nothing to fear.
For the dreams that came to you when so young
Told of a life
Where spring is sprung.

You would seem so frail
In the cold of the night
When the armies of emotion
Go out to fight.
But while the earth sinks to its grave
You sail to the sky
On the crest of a wave.

So forget this cruel world
Where I belong
I'll just sit and wait
And sing my song.
And if one day you should see me in the crowd
Lend a hand and lift me
To your place in the cloud.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FwU230utKY

Improvisations

It may be March Break for the kids at my school, but my friend M and I decided that we'd go to school anyways for a little jam session on the piano and cello. As someone who is primarily Classically-trained and who hasn't had much experience with improvisation, it was very exciting to do some improvisation with M. Considering that I've studied piano for so much longer than I've studied cello, I was surprised to find it much easier to improvise on cello (or as a 4-hands piano improv with me on the upper ranges of piano with M on the lower ranges). Perhaps the fact that I've had less training on cello makes me less rigid or less stiff.

Time really does fly when you're having fun. M and I were only able to stay for about 1.5 hours, but those 1.5 hours sped by quickly; it was 1:30pm before we knew it! I left our school (and headed over to Chinatown and Kensington Market for a nice long walk and a bit of getting lost with my mum) feeling so much more refreshed than I've felt in a long time.

My favourite part of today's improvisations was the absence of metre (and tonality) in most of our music. Everything just flowed from one part to the next; there was no ticking metronome inside our heads. I suppose it can be considered the equivalent of a free-writing stream of consciousness with commas and dashes but no periods.

What a beautiful day.

A Spider-y Day

I don't mind spiders, but it's not exactly my cup of tea to wake up on a Sunday morning to find spiders laying in bed with me, or crawling on my legs. Not surprisingly so, I became more than a little jittery for the rest of the day so far. In fact, seeing two jumping spiders chilling on the wall beside my desk wouldn't usually startle me so much... but today I freaked out a little more than I should have.

Maybe I should take my own advice and do some meditative practice on my piano or cello.

Except the piece that I'm working on for my Grade 10 Cello Exam is called "Tarantella" by Popper, and it's about doing a dance to dance out the poison of a spider bite. How pleasant.

Piano it is.

Cello Choir at Music Night!

Last week, the Cello Choir performed for students, parents, faculty and staff at our school's Music Night. We played "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica (arranged for four cellos by Apocalyptica). "Nothing Else Matters" is a beautifully powerful piece, and I hope that you all enjoy listening to it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbTozgoj9OQ

We hope to perform it again in the upcoming weeks, along with Fauré's "Dans Les Ruines d'Une Abbaye" and traditional tune "Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)" arranged for three cellos.

Here is "Dans Les Ruines d'Une Abbaye." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOgyCbxwSuo

Cello Choir Repertoire for Today's Performance

Our school's cello choir played in the school assembly today. It was loads of fun! We performed Couperin's Air, Romberg's Sonata no. 1 in E minor (arr. for four cellos), and the second movement of Vivaldi's Concerto in G minor for two cellos.

They are all beautiful pieces, especially the Vivaldi concerto. The Romberg sonata was also well received at our school -- it's a very lush arrangement. Go check it out and have a listen! Enjoy!

Just some thoughts on careers

Course selection for the next school year is coming up, and to be honest, I have no idea what I am doing. Like so many others in my school and around the world, I don't have a long-term plan. I don't know what program I want to go into. I don't know what University I want to go to. I don't know what country I want to live in. I don't know what job I want to have. I can't say to myself, "This is where I will be in five years" because I don't know where I'll be and what I will be doing. I hardly no who I am now, let alone who I might become.

Still though, I can't help but remember all those times in grades 1, 2, and 3 when people would ask all us little kiddies, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And of course, the boys would reply with police man, fire fighter, doctor, etc. and the girls would happily say ballerina, teacher, nurse, princess (WHAT?), etc. We have all these stereotypes about who we should be and who we should become, but I leave the concepts and implications of gender stereotypes to be talked about on another day.

I do remember though, that I wanted to become a pianist. And everyone laughed. It could have been because I had said pianist a little strangely (and it probably sounded something like penis at the time... speaking of which, I only just realized this a couple seconds ago, haha), but I had internalized it as laughter against my hope to become a musician. I still don't know whether I want to be a musician or not, but I do now know that it shouldn't matter what other people think. If I want to become a pianist or a cellist or a music teacher or an ethnomusicologist or a musical therapist or a physist or music-related engineer then by all means, I should not let their laughter get in the way! Because music is my life, and if I love it and make it my profession, I will be simply living and laughing and loving each and every day. Work no longer becomes tedious work. Work instead becomes play.

And that's the beauty of doing what you love. So remember, whether it's music or anything else for you, do what makes you live laugh love, and good luck with your good life.

Medley!

My friend and I are making a medley for our Music Exam! We're going to be using piano and cello, but we don't know what songs to use -- any requests?

So far, we're starting off with "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, and then transitioning into "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey. We're thinking of including "Viva la Vida" and maybe some songs by Train. What do you think?

Looking forward to this! :)

Bach Cello Suites

Johann Bach's cello suites are quite possibly some of the most beautiful pieces ever written for the cello.

They have gorgeous chord progressions, wonderful fluidity, and a beautiful (usually quite calming) atmosphere.

So, give them a listen and enjoy!
Here's the Prelude to the first suite, as interpreted by Mischa Maisky...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6yuR8efotI