Here is a descriptive essay I wrote awhile ago for English class, and "rediscovered" while looking through my document files. Youth orchestra is one of my favorite things. I hope you enjoy it!
Performance Night
As I walk into the room, a wave of noise and excitement rushes out the door. It is twenty minutes before performance, and everyone is on edge. The first sound I hear is one that is familiar to every musician: tuning instruments. The strange, inexplicable noise that is almost dissonant, yet is rather melodic. It fills the room, rising into the rafters and floating out the door. Under it I can hear difficult passages being rehearsed, as everyone crams in a final moment of practice. Basses are rumbling, trumpets are blaring, flutes are twittering, drums are rolling, and violins are singing. I hear the slap of cases opening and being shoved against the wall, the scrape of a music stand across the floor. As I pass small knots of people, I overhear snatches of conversation: “Are you sure you won’t forget about the grace note,” “I have to go swab it out,” “Mike said he would do it,” “I really hope my string doesn’t break,” “Measure 36, measure 36” and so much more nervous chatter. Feet cross the floor; high heels tapping, dress shoes squeaking.
The first thing I see as I walk through the door is the shining silver and brass of the wind and brass sections. Trombones and piccolos gleam as their owners turn them in the light, anxiously inspecting for any speck of spit. Everything seems especially polished tonight, for the performance. Black and white concert dress surges around the room, gathering in knots and standing alone. Skirts swirl around ankles, and bow-ties swing crookedly below stiff collars. Instrument cases line every wall, violins next to basses, basses next to French horns, French horns next to harps. The chairs are a mess: pushed every which way in the haste of the evening.
The room suddenly quiets as performance time arrives. Lines form quickly, then march out into the theater. A small murmuring from the audience is silenced as we enter. Several small, red dots begin to blink in the dimness beyond the circle of light on the stage. Chairs skid across the stage as everyone is seated. I hear an occasional scrape when a music stand is adjusted, an accidental throb of strings. Feet shuffle nervously on the smooth floor, and there are a few stifled coughs over in the wind section. Then the black and white concert dress are in orderly rows, sitting still and expectant.
Presently the concertmaster walks out onto the stage, bows to polite applause, and proceeds to tune the orchestra. A moment of sound rises into the theater, then stills. The concertmaster sits down, and the entire orchestra waits expectantly. Then the conductor appears, strolling down the stage and beaming. The orchestra rises, standing stiff with pride, as a storm of applause greets the arrival. He bows, turns to the concertmaster and shakes hands, then steps onto his platform and opens the score. The orchestra sits hurriedly. A baton rises in the air; excitement rises until you can feel it. Bows quiver, horns glint, fingers are poised, breath is held. The baton falls, and sound surges into the air.
July 30, 2010
July 24, 2010
Summer
Crickets. Icy popsicles sliding down the back of one's throat. Heat. Running around in bare feet on the sweet, green grass after dark. Sunshine. Brightly-colored swimsuits hanging over the deck rail to dry. Juicy hot dogs in soft buns drizzled with ketchup and mustard (how burnt the dogs are depends on who's cooking, over here). All of these things say summer. Below are some fun things we enjoy during summer......
1) TP Dad's study
We did this one day while he and Mom were out grocery shopping. I hung loops from the ceiling, while the others strung it all over his radios and bookshelves. As a finishing touch Britt hung a sign that said "Beware" right in front of the door. It was marvelous, and turned out beautifully. :-)
2) Have water fights with hoses
Lately as a relief from the heat, we've taken to going outside after lunch and having water battles. Everyone puts on swimsuits, (and if we're really into it we'll put on goggles) and form sides. Usually it's Britt and John against Suzy, Chrissy, and I. Each team gets a hose that is attached to a spigot and two or three buckets. The larger team gets the handicap of the short hose with bad water pressure, while the smaller team gets the long hose with the super-strong spray nozzle. The hoses are on opposite sides of the driveway, with the trucks forming nice "cover". Then the battle is on!! Everyone has loads of fun squirting hoses and dumping water buckets over heads. The water from the hoses is nice, cold well-water, so you really cool down. Sometimes we'll be really sneaky and sabotage the other team's water supply.
3) Read
Every afternoon we have naptime, or siesta hour, or quiet time, or whatever you like to call it. Everyone picks out books of their choice, lies down on their beds, and reads for an hour or two. Sometimes they'll even fall asleep! Favorite reads this summer: The Happy Hollisters (Suzers), Tom Swift (John), Hank the Cowdog (Britt), Little Women (Chrissy), and MurderIntheClosetWithaKnife (me).
4) Form a broomstick band in the living room
If we're really wild, we'll put in our favorite CD and turn up the volume. Broomsticks and our small stools are used for stand microphones and guitars, while the side tables are pushed together for a drum set. Then we'll have our lead singer, chorus line, and the ever-popular silent, but dancing, drummer. Or we'll have competitions, to see who can rock it up the silliest. It usually lasts for about an hour, until all our energy is spent. Then we have to expend more energy to clean up!
5) Make a river
In past summmers we've dug rivers on the backyard hill. It consists of a small trough, about a foot wide that runs down the hill, ending in a large, shallow pool at the bottom. Then we place the hose at the top, and watch the water course down. Some rivers have been super elaborate, with tiny waterfalls, tunnels, turns, pebble pools, and obstructions. Then we race acorns down, or stage desperate survival attempts with same acorns. The ones that don't make it are thrown into the woods as being too puny. One year we were determined to dig a pool at the end deep enough to wade in, until Mom caught us digging by the propane tank and put a stop to it.
6) Cover as much of the house as possible with huge tents
We'll raid the linen closet for blankets and sheets, take all the available seating, and use all the available floor space to build tents. Our design has evolved through the years, starting with the unreliable use-heavy-blankets-to-make-it-as-dark-as-possible model held together with safety pins, to the present streamlined use-light-sheets-with-ceilings-high-enough-to-kneel-in model that involves strategic use of flat surfaces and weights. Every person has their own apartment and business building, completely furnished. The best ones have "electricity" which basically uses small lamps with long extension cords. They will stay up for as many as 3 days while we sleep in them, until Mom declares that she cannot live with her house like this any longer and will we please put it all away before she has a nervous breakdown.
Five children in a house with lots of odds and ends can usually come up with a lot to do. As long as we clean up afterwards, in the summertime we can pretty much do whatever. The school year, however, is a different story. :-)
1) TP Dad's study
We did this one day while he and Mom were out grocery shopping. I hung loops from the ceiling, while the others strung it all over his radios and bookshelves. As a finishing touch Britt hung a sign that said "Beware" right in front of the door. It was marvelous, and turned out beautifully. :-)
2) Have water fights with hoses
Lately as a relief from the heat, we've taken to going outside after lunch and having water battles. Everyone puts on swimsuits, (and if we're really into it we'll put on goggles) and form sides. Usually it's Britt and John against Suzy, Chrissy, and I. Each team gets a hose that is attached to a spigot and two or three buckets. The larger team gets the handicap of the short hose with bad water pressure, while the smaller team gets the long hose with the super-strong spray nozzle. The hoses are on opposite sides of the driveway, with the trucks forming nice "cover". Then the battle is on!! Everyone has loads of fun squirting hoses and dumping water buckets over heads. The water from the hoses is nice, cold well-water, so you really cool down. Sometimes we'll be really sneaky and sabotage the other team's water supply.
3) Read
Every afternoon we have naptime, or siesta hour, or quiet time, or whatever you like to call it. Everyone picks out books of their choice, lies down on their beds, and reads for an hour or two. Sometimes they'll even fall asleep! Favorite reads this summer: The Happy Hollisters (Suzers), Tom Swift (John), Hank the Cowdog (Britt), Little Women (Chrissy), and MurderIntheClosetWithaKnife (me).
4) Form a broomstick band in the living room
If we're really wild, we'll put in our favorite CD and turn up the volume. Broomsticks and our small stools are used for stand microphones and guitars, while the side tables are pushed together for a drum set. Then we'll have our lead singer, chorus line, and the ever-popular silent, but dancing, drummer. Or we'll have competitions, to see who can rock it up the silliest. It usually lasts for about an hour, until all our energy is spent. Then we have to expend more energy to clean up!
5) Make a river
In past summmers we've dug rivers on the backyard hill. It consists of a small trough, about a foot wide that runs down the hill, ending in a large, shallow pool at the bottom. Then we place the hose at the top, and watch the water course down. Some rivers have been super elaborate, with tiny waterfalls, tunnels, turns, pebble pools, and obstructions. Then we race acorns down, or stage desperate survival attempts with same acorns. The ones that don't make it are thrown into the woods as being too puny. One year we were determined to dig a pool at the end deep enough to wade in, until Mom caught us digging by the propane tank and put a stop to it.
6) Cover as much of the house as possible with huge tents
We'll raid the linen closet for blankets and sheets, take all the available seating, and use all the available floor space to build tents. Our design has evolved through the years, starting with the unreliable use-heavy-blankets-to-make-it-as-dark-as-possible model held together with safety pins, to the present streamlined use-light-sheets-with-ceilings-high-enough-to-kneel-in model that involves strategic use of flat surfaces and weights. Every person has their own apartment and business building, completely furnished. The best ones have "electricity" which basically uses small lamps with long extension cords. They will stay up for as many as 3 days while we sleep in them, until Mom declares that she cannot live with her house like this any longer and will we please put it all away before she has a nervous breakdown.
Five children in a house with lots of odds and ends can usually come up with a lot to do. As long as we clean up afterwards, in the summertime we can pretty much do whatever. The school year, however, is a different story. :-)
July 15, 2010
La Folia
Finally, the day has arrived! I have started learning to play La Folia!! As you can tell, I am super excited. :-) Below is a music video of La Folia that some fellow violin students made last summer. They had a lot of fun making it, and I have a lot of fun watching it.
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