Tuesday, September 11, 2012
After a couple of weeks in the program I have found out that there is a great amount of effort required to succeed. Yesterday I spent one hour in the library translating the text from Italian and German art songs into literal, word-for-word English. But there was one song that the collection of translations did not have. Treue Liebe, by Johannes Brahms. I went to my teacher, Dr. Dewey, who then took the time one on one to personally translate, (from her own mind) the piece. The text was rather stirring, and that is why we as singers need to have a literal translation. Because you need to know which words to stress. It may not seem that important, but it is needed if you wish to become serious about your singing.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Follow the Leader
While I understand that being a section leader gives you absolutely no power on the choir totem poll, it is still a decent amount of responsibility.
That is what I thought when I was assigned to be a quintet leader for our 40 voice piece. What a wonderful idea! Make the freshman the leader!
Yeah I was choir president when I was in high school, but what did I do? Absolutely nothing. It is a good thing that the other members in Chamber are also very talented musicians, because I do not think that I could manage many Taylors...
The mentality of rehearsal in Chamber is much higher than that of the former Chamber group I was a member in during high school. There is not pointless banter, and it really adds to a positive rehearsal atmosphere. The ability the members of the choir have to be able to switch genres at the drop of a hat is amazing. I witnessed this as during rehearsal we went from singing Negro Spirituals to the Bee Gees.
The atmosphere of the Vocal Performance program also seems a lot less competitive than I imagined before coming to the University. I have made some friends, from Jacob to "Tim the Bass." While reconnecting with another vocalist of whom I went to high school with. Everyone, at this point, seems to really care about the growth of each of their peers. I was told that these other vocalists would become my best friends throughout college, and right now I am fine with that. There are some great people between the professors to the students. I can't wait to really get started.
That is what I thought when I was assigned to be a quintet leader for our 40 voice piece. What a wonderful idea! Make the freshman the leader!
Yeah I was choir president when I was in high school, but what did I do? Absolutely nothing. It is a good thing that the other members in Chamber are also very talented musicians, because I do not think that I could manage many Taylors...
The mentality of rehearsal in Chamber is much higher than that of the former Chamber group I was a member in during high school. There is not pointless banter, and it really adds to a positive rehearsal atmosphere. The ability the members of the choir have to be able to switch genres at the drop of a hat is amazing. I witnessed this as during rehearsal we went from singing Negro Spirituals to the Bee Gees.
The atmosphere of the Vocal Performance program also seems a lot less competitive than I imagined before coming to the University. I have made some friends, from Jacob to "Tim the Bass." While reconnecting with another vocalist of whom I went to high school with. Everyone, at this point, seems to really care about the growth of each of their peers. I was told that these other vocalists would become my best friends throughout college, and right now I am fine with that. There are some great people between the professors to the students. I can't wait to really get started.
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