Monthly Archives: July 2012
Sightreading Sundays
Something short and sweet for you and/or your students to sightread. Check back every Sunday. Feel free to pass these around. Download Sightreading Sundays music here!
Today in Music / J.S. Bach
On this day in 1750, Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig, Germany, at age 65. He enriched our world beyond words.
Sound Bites / Air Movement
Move the air at the proper velocity immediately to avoid “scooping” the notes. The band camp season has officially begun for me, so I’m finding myself saying little statements like this all the time.
What Others Say / Will Durant
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Will Durant, summarizing Aristotle, in The Story of Philosophy (1991) Good advice for all the high school musicians heading to band camp soon. And for anyone in the practice room.
Sound Bites / Telling a Story
As musicians we must always remember to be storytellers. No one will listen if you don’t tell a good story. What’s your story?
Today in Music / July 17
On a beautiful evening in 1717 (it just happened to be 7/17/1717!), King George I of England sailed down the River Thames on the royal barge with several close friends. They were serenaded by fifty musicians (on another barge), who premiered George Frideric Handel’s Water Music, a collection of orchestral movements. The king was said […]
Today in Music / July 16
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio, K. 384) was performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna on this day in 1782. Although the Emperor Joseph II may (or may not) have pronounced the music had “too many notes,” the opera was a huge success and continues to be frequently […]
What Music Looks Like / Sergio Carolino
Listening to this guy, Sergio Carolino, is a study in versatility. He manages to find himself in every realm of music. And he does it all great. Sergio really is a model for relevancy, innovation, and sustainability in our musical world today. You can keep up with Mr. SC here on FaceBook or here on Twitter.
What Music Looks Like / The Typwriter
Because sometimes we just need a little fun. The piece is called “The Typewriter,” and it’s by Leroy Anderson, who wrote pops orchestral pieces (“short, light concert pieces” according to Wikipedia). It’s performed by the Spanish ensemble Voces para la Paz[JC2] .
Sound Bites / Staccato
Seen on Twitter (@HitzTuba): “Staccato does not mean short.” Right. With my students, I refer to staccato as detached instead.
Long Tones: The Pursuit of a Life in Music 