Well, it's snowing again (flurries, really) so I may as well update this little project I've been neglecting. As a follow-up, my bank account is still intact. I have yet to actually order anything (even cane, which I really need to do) so I'm not yet feeling the cold, empty feeling that comes from spending half of my savings. I was never a saver until relatively recently, and I rather regret that. My mother says it's from her and my dad. Whatever the cause, I have less money than I'd like.
About an hour ago, I had a children's concert with the conservatory I attend. It's technically supposed to be a "meet the woodwind family" concert, but as far as I know they've never gotten new students from it. I'm not sure what the point is. If they have, great; most of the kids are more or less just watching and on occasion crying. It's a young audience. I'm not sure I like it.
This time, as opposed to earlier years, it was with the woodwind quintet I'm in, so we had a built-in setup for the program. Previously, they would gather up a good flute, clarinet, saxophone, me on oboe, and that would be it. Once I think they blended the brass and woodwinds so it didn't look quite as pathetically small, but my memory tends to mush things together so I can't be sure. I distinctly remember, though, three years ago the clarinetist being unavailable and the teacher literally cut out a vaguely clarinet-shaped piece of paper, scribbled black sharpie all over it, and said it was a clarinet. I sincerely wish I was joking. At least she didn't try to play the thing; she brought a CD player with a clarinet concerto recording to demonstrate the sound.
This year, we had a whole representation of the woodwind section, excluding a sax, a piccolo, and a bass clarinet. (The clarinetist plays both saxophone and bass clarinet, but he was asked to play neither; the flutist was not asked to bring her piccolo; meanwhile, I was told to bring my English horn. Oh, well.) One horn (whom I'm dating, for future reference), clarinet, bassoon, flute, and me doubling on English and oboe were all the performers. We each went around, talked a little about the instrument(s), had to demonstrate a fun thing you can do with the instrument(s) (I'm completely convinced that, in the respect of interesting and weird things you can do with instruments, oboe is possibly the most boring one out there. You can't flutter tongue (or at least I can't); you can't really produce noticeable dips in the pitch like a saxophone or clarinet unless your reed is truly horrendous; you can't do mouth percussion like you can on a flute; it's not a versatile, jazz/classical/rock/whatever-genre-you-want instrument like a clarinet. I'm not sure many would consider this a drawback. Hey, we still do get all the soli.), demonstrate your range, play a solo, and then we performed a quintet piece we'd been working on to show how they sound together. I was passed over in the range demonstration. I'm fairly sure the MC forgot; he seems too nice to have subtly laughed to himself that the oboe "has no range" and thereby didn't need a demonstration. (Yeah, right. Tell that to Milhaud.)
All in all, everything went well. I botched up the etude that I think was originally written for violin that I played, only a little though, but I constrained my usual "well, that sucked" expression and eye roll that I do during rehearsals and practice sessions, so nobody knew. I think. I hope. I got applause; why should I complain?
We didn't have the usual tempo wars during the Haydn, the piece we played as an ensemble. It's apparently originally a piano trio, in case you're interested in looking it up, but was transcribed for woodwind quintet. We're also playing a Beethoven and a Malcolm Arnold piece. The former I love (but the horn hates, as he has to transpose) and the latter I find just basically bizarre. My teacher likes it, but to each his own. I keep having to smother my laughter at the ridiculous half-step harmonies I'm playing with the clarinet as I wonder what on earth this is supposed to sound like.
Tomorrow, as opposed to another rehearsal, my regular orchestra is instead hosting a senior concerto and sonata concert, with a couple ditties that the orchestra as a whole will play. (Likely, my guess, to ensure an audience other than the seniors' parents.) I don't know who's playing, aside from my friend a tuba player who goes to Juilliard. I know he's good, so I'm excited to hear him play. I've honestly only heard him once play something that wasn't just quarter notes, so him having the melody ought to be interesting. (If you're reading this, Conor, good luck!)
Reeds are still holding up. Everything's good. Hope you all are having a good weekend, despite this bizarre weather.
About an hour ago, I had a children's concert with the conservatory I attend. It's technically supposed to be a "meet the woodwind family" concert, but as far as I know they've never gotten new students from it. I'm not sure what the point is. If they have, great; most of the kids are more or less just watching and on occasion crying. It's a young audience. I'm not sure I like it.
This time, as opposed to earlier years, it was with the woodwind quintet I'm in, so we had a built-in setup for the program. Previously, they would gather up a good flute, clarinet, saxophone, me on oboe, and that would be it. Once I think they blended the brass and woodwinds so it didn't look quite as pathetically small, but my memory tends to mush things together so I can't be sure. I distinctly remember, though, three years ago the clarinetist being unavailable and the teacher literally cut out a vaguely clarinet-shaped piece of paper, scribbled black sharpie all over it, and said it was a clarinet. I sincerely wish I was joking. At least she didn't try to play the thing; she brought a CD player with a clarinet concerto recording to demonstrate the sound.
This year, we had a whole representation of the woodwind section, excluding a sax, a piccolo, and a bass clarinet. (The clarinetist plays both saxophone and bass clarinet, but he was asked to play neither; the flutist was not asked to bring her piccolo; meanwhile, I was told to bring my English horn. Oh, well.) One horn (whom I'm dating, for future reference), clarinet, bassoon, flute, and me doubling on English and oboe were all the performers. We each went around, talked a little about the instrument(s), had to demonstrate a fun thing you can do with the instrument(s) (I'm completely convinced that, in the respect of interesting and weird things you can do with instruments, oboe is possibly the most boring one out there. You can't flutter tongue (or at least I can't); you can't really produce noticeable dips in the pitch like a saxophone or clarinet unless your reed is truly horrendous; you can't do mouth percussion like you can on a flute; it's not a versatile, jazz/classical/rock/whatever-genre-you-want instrument like a clarinet. I'm not sure many would consider this a drawback. Hey, we still do get all the soli.), demonstrate your range, play a solo, and then we performed a quintet piece we'd been working on to show how they sound together. I was passed over in the range demonstration. I'm fairly sure the MC forgot; he seems too nice to have subtly laughed to himself that the oboe "has no range" and thereby didn't need a demonstration. (Yeah, right. Tell that to Milhaud.)
All in all, everything went well. I botched up the etude that I think was originally written for violin that I played, only a little though, but I constrained my usual "well, that sucked" expression and eye roll that I do during rehearsals and practice sessions, so nobody knew. I think. I hope. I got applause; why should I complain?
We didn't have the usual tempo wars during the Haydn, the piece we played as an ensemble. It's apparently originally a piano trio, in case you're interested in looking it up, but was transcribed for woodwind quintet. We're also playing a Beethoven and a Malcolm Arnold piece. The former I love (but the horn hates, as he has to transpose) and the latter I find just basically bizarre. My teacher likes it, but to each his own. I keep having to smother my laughter at the ridiculous half-step harmonies I'm playing with the clarinet as I wonder what on earth this is supposed to sound like.
Tomorrow, as opposed to another rehearsal, my regular orchestra is instead hosting a senior concerto and sonata concert, with a couple ditties that the orchestra as a whole will play. (Likely, my guess, to ensure an audience other than the seniors' parents.) I don't know who's playing, aside from my friend a tuba player who goes to Juilliard. I know he's good, so I'm excited to hear him play. I've honestly only heard him once play something that wasn't just quarter notes, so him having the melody ought to be interesting. (If you're reading this, Conor, good luck!)
Reeds are still holding up. Everything's good. Hope you all are having a good weekend, despite this bizarre weather.
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