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.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Musical Practice and Meditation
The act of practising music is a very odd sort of thing. Musical practice is meditation-- it's a time when you can just sit, breathe, and listen. It's a dance, too. Your arms moving away from your centre, towards you again, forward, back... And then your own body swaying with your violin, hunched over your double bass, caressing against your guitar. You're enveloped in sound, but still, I find that when I practice, it is more about a quiet peace than constant reverberating sound waves that echo back and forth and back and forth.
Music practice is what gives me quiet in my day. I read once that one of the most important parts of a day-to-day routine should be to always find time for quiet. Quiet gives you space, it gives you time, it gives you thought, and it gives you energy. To find the time to practice, even just 1/2 and hour of just open strings on my cello, or a C-major scale on the piano, that is my time for quiet, for peace, for thought.
And the results --in both my mental well being and my technique on my musical instrument-- are tremendous.
Music practice is what gives me quiet in my day. I read once that one of the most important parts of a day-to-day routine should be to always find time for quiet. Quiet gives you space, it gives you time, it gives you thought, and it gives you energy. To find the time to practice, even just 1/2 and hour of just open strings on my cello, or a C-major scale on the piano, that is my time for quiet, for peace, for thought.
And the results --in both my mental well being and my technique on my musical instrument-- are tremendous.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
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
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
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Music and Philosophy
In one of my classes at my high school, we're reading Astra Taylor' "Examined Life," which is a transcript of the film version by the same name. In "Examined Life," Taylor attempts to bring philosophy closer to the people of the streets (or rather, the everyday people and their every day lives) by having walking (or driving, or boating, etc.) conversations with some of the world's leading philosophers including Peter Singer, Slavoj Zizek, Michael Hardt, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Judith Butler (with Sunaura Taylor), Martha Nussbaum, Avital Ronell, and Cornel West. So far, we have only studied in class Singer, Zizek, Hardt, Appiah, and, most recently, West.
The reason why I have decided to mention this aspect of my class is because of the interview with West, which has striking references to music. Cornel West is not only a philosopher, but a musician as well. I highly recommend that you read West's conversation with Taylor from "Examined Life." Who knows? Maybe you will also decide to read all the other fantastic conversations as well -- philosophy and music are both extremely interesting, after all.
The reason why I have decided to mention this aspect of my class is because of the interview with West, which has striking references to music. Cornel West is not only a philosopher, but a musician as well. I highly recommend that you read West's conversation with Taylor from "Examined Life." Who knows? Maybe you will also decide to read all the other fantastic conversations as well -- philosophy and music are both extremely interesting, after all.
Monday, February 7, 2011
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!
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!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
There'll be no Mozart tonight at Carnegie Hall! (You're so London)
To all you Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett fans out there:
You MUST watch this! It is hilarious and adorable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTBYlRR3H0&feature=related
Happy viewing!
You MUST watch this! It is hilarious and adorable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyTBYlRR3H0&feature=related
Happy viewing!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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.
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.
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