Alright, it's time to reflect on my third week. In Band of Blue, we got back to work on "Soulsville" so it's ready for the Troy game (See "Saturday Night Lights"). Last Wednesday, the percussion studio, Fork's Drum Closet, and Zildjian Cymbals presented Keith Aleo, who works with Zildjian and is an educator and performer himself. He presented two cymbal masterclasses last Wednesday, one at day and one at night. I went to the night masterclass since I had class during the day. He went over technique and execution and presented many of Zildjian's Cymbals along with someone from Zildjian's advertising department. The Zildjian is a family owned business and has been around since the 1600's in Turkey when it was still the Ottoman Empire. Zildjian did move to the United States in the 1900's and is the oldest family owned business in America. It has a unique history.
Friday was one of my MTSU related highlights, it was the day that preceded Constitution Day. In the Keathley University Center Knoll (KUC Knoll), there was a reading of the United State Constitution. My history class had be in line to read it for attendance credit to that class. I liked the idea of reading the Constitution. A lot of people were walking by, and the President of MTSU stopped by to see the event. Reading the US Constitution wasn't hard, everyone read a sentence or two, and the Constitution had some short sentences and some really long sentences.
Later that Friday night, I had my first gig with the MTSU Salsa Band. That Friday was Mexican Independence Day, and a celebration was being held at the Discovery Center in Murfressboro. Professor Davila told me about this the day before. Professor Davila's Steel Drum band also performed at the Discovery Center. We met at the campus at around four o'clock. I went and had my keyboard ready. I also helped load, unload, and load with the instruments. This was a good opportunity to really get to know the rest of the Salsa Band. I knew most of the percussion from being in the studio with them, as well as high school. We had planned to play three peices of music, but during our sound check Professor Davila says, "Hey, let's play something we didn't rehearse.", and we were cool with that. It was a good warm up for both the crowd and the band. To get a taste of what we were in for later. We played a piece called "Pa Gozar" (as oppose to the video, our group has two trumpets, two saxes, a trombone, a drumset player, three/four percussionists, a bassist, a guitarist, Professor D is the singer, and then there is me, the keyboard player. We officially began later that evening. There was a nice sunset, not much wind was blowing, and there was a moderate temperature where it wasn't too hot or too cold. We settled under or around a tent in the corner of the outdoor courtyard. We opened with "Yumbambe", followed by Professor D's arrangement "Maria", and last was "Co Co May May". (There is some difference in how we play it and how the people in the video play it). It was a great experience playing in front of the crowd, while it wasn't my first time playing keyboard playing in front of a crowd I don't know, it was still a good thing to be with these other really good musicians. They really enjoyed the music, and some people even began dancing to the music. With this kind of music who can't dance to it? There were a lot of kids running around our set up. They wanted a close up of us. It was a good time. After us came the Steel Band, and they did their arrangements as well. We stayed after we performed for the rest of the program events and had some good food as well. Some people left early, others stayed. After the program that night we put up all of the equipment. The night was still young so most of us headed to Old Chicago in Murfreesboro. Old Chicago has some really good food, I was told. We had a good time that night, had conversation, talked about other stuff, and I can't remember exactly though since it was at night and I was tired through most of it. It was good to get to know some other people in the percussion studio.
The following Saturday, my high school hosted the annual Williamson County Exhibition of Bands. It is where the 8 Williamson county high school marching bands and the various middle school bands perform in the stadium. A lot of RHS alumni from MTSU, Belmont, and even Ole Miss and other people on the band's staff from MTSU were there. I left that Saturday morning with another student from here who works with the Ravenwood Band. Before the exhibition and while the band was practicing I managed to get some practicing done as well as spend time with my family. That night I helped people get to where they needed to go, and I saw some of the bands perform that night including Ravenwood, the band I'm from. The mass performances at the end featured all of the bands in williamson county. It was a good night for music.
This week was pretty good, Friday and Saturday were definite highlights of the week. I wonder what this next week will bring when we go to Troy this weekend for football with the band, as well as my high school's homecoming. This next week will be interesting. Regardless, I liked how this past week turned out to be, it was a fun week.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Saturday Night Lights
Now that my internet works the way it should, this can get posted/published without any problems. The experiences this second week of school were significant to the university as well as myself since it was the 100th anniversary for Middle Tennessee State University and my first home football game with the Band of Blue Marching Band. We rehearse on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 1:00 to 2:45. We started working on the 100 year celebration halftime show last week along with the pregame show and the music we play in the stands. We also have our actual half-time show that we will perform next game. That Saturday was one to remember, knowing that there will be more similar like that is worth looking forward to. Walking through the part of campus around my dorm, I see a lot of cars and blue and white tents. There was a lot of tailgating to say the least, many alumni, students, parents and their kids gathered around their grills and games having drinks and food. It was a sight to see. After I got my breakfast, I was walking through all of this as I was heading towards the Band of Blue Practice. We rehearsed the Celebratory Half-Time show as well as the pregame and the Tennessee Waltz. It was a very quick and productive practice, we managed to get it ready for the show quickly, and with 380+ members, it was very efficient. The temperature was good, not very cloudy, and crews were getting set for the game as the band was leaving the practice. We, the drumline, were putting the gear we needed for the stands in the stands before we left the field so we could be ready when time came. After practice, we got ready for "RaiderWalk". The drumline was in front so we were the first seen. I saw the crowd getting lined up around us as we played the cadence towards Peck Hall. We kept playing until the all of the band was there. The drum majors had signs so that the band can know what to play. We played most of our stands tunes like "Stuntin' like my Daddy", "William Tell", "Flashlight", "2001", and many more (look them up on youtube). We then played the fight song as well as segments from the halftime show. After that was done, the drumline played the cadence as the band was leaving. The band had an hour break, in that hour we were provided dinner and were handed out our uniforms. The uniform has a lightning bolt in the front of it separating blue and black, with the logo on both the front and the back of the jacket, and we wear ball-cap hats with the logo on the front and "Band of Blue" written on the back strap. Underneath, we wear our show shirt for this year, and it is called "Soulsville": we play music like "Soulfinger" and "Soulman" as well as "R.E.S.P.E.C.T" and the theme from "SHAFT" in part one. We had to bring our own marching shoes. After the break, the Drumline began the warm ups earlier than the rest of the band, something they always do. When we got ready, we lined up and played the cadence for the band, and continued to play it inside the concourse to the tunnel. There were a lot of people there before the game started. Some from Georgia or are Georgia Tech Fans, and the rest from the area. During the Pregame performance, I saw the screen in front of us as we were facing the end zone. Then was when I realized how big this group really was from up top. Seeing the different sections that the students and fans were at, and Lightning with a flyswatter, was a sight to see. That night at halftime when we began the halftime show, reminded me of the night MCDC (Music City Drum and Bugle Corps, aka the group I toured the country with this past summer) performed here at MTSU in July. I had that same mentality from July here in September. It was a really cool night, after the game, the band played the Fight Song one more time followed by the Tennessee Waltz, which preceded segments from the show. After that, the drum-line lined up on the field and we played the cadence all the way back to the Wright Music Building/Saunders Fine Arts Building, which was across the street.
Other things I want to mention were the private lessons. Being a Music Major period meant I had to have private instruction. I like the opportunity it brings. Professor Davila is my Snare and Timpani instructor, this was my first lesson with him where we mentioned the expectations as well as performance. He also mentioned very good information to me while I was practicing throughout the week. Practicing and preparing for lessons is very important for us music majors like getting homework done and assignments are for other classes since they are credited like others are. Professor Davila also heads the MTSU salsa band, the group I play piano for.
Being a Music Education Major, the introduction into Music Ed Class went to observe John Pittard Elementary School's 1st grade music class. There, we took notes on what the teachers were doing and how the kids were learning. What methods of Music education were being taught to the kids as well as what and how the kids behaved and responded to their lesson. This experience was also in one way or another rewarding. Music Ed majors do these observations as well as teaching to get ready for the occupation that is teaching music.
This second week of school was highlighted by Saturday Night Lights, the football game. It was an encouraging experience to perform and have a good time with the Drumline and the Band of
Blue. Getting an understanding of how the rest of this semester is going to go is really exciting. I really look forward to the rest of this semester along with the school year
Other things I want to mention were the private lessons. Being a Music Major period meant I had to have private instruction. I like the opportunity it brings. Professor Davila is my Snare and Timpani instructor, this was my first lesson with him where we mentioned the expectations as well as performance. He also mentioned very good information to me while I was practicing throughout the week. Practicing and preparing for lessons is very important for us music majors like getting homework done and assignments are for other classes since they are credited like others are. Professor Davila also heads the MTSU salsa band, the group I play piano for.
Being a Music Education Major, the introduction into Music Ed Class went to observe John Pittard Elementary School's 1st grade music class. There, we took notes on what the teachers were doing and how the kids were learning. What methods of Music education were being taught to the kids as well as what and how the kids behaved and responded to their lesson. This experience was also in one way or another rewarding. Music Ed majors do these observations as well as teaching to get ready for the occupation that is teaching music.
This second week of school was highlighted by Saturday Night Lights, the football game. It was an encouraging experience to perform and have a good time with the Drumline and the Band of
Blue. Getting an understanding of how the rest of this semester is going to go is really exciting. I really look forward to the rest of this semester along with the school year
Friday, September 2, 2011
A Blast From the Past: The first interactions at MTSU
I've had many interactions this first official week at MTSU: I've seen all my professors, met some other music majors and other majors (mostly through the Band of Blue). The interaction(s) I want to use for this weeks assignment/blog are ones I've had with people I knew from my High school years and from the Drum Corps International Tour this past summer with Music City Drum & Bugle Corps (It's MCDC for short, that will be a real important thing to know).
I'll start off with the first week I was here, the Band of Blue Band Camp, the week prior to the first week of school. It's Sunday afternoon and there was a lot of rain about to go down, it was around 9 a.m. and the sky was dark grey, it wasn't raining just yet. Now for the funny part: I'm literally entering the sidewalk and, one of the guys I know from MCDC is already walking next to me, didn't even see him coming. The situation was interesting to say the least.
We talked, "Hey" I said to him surprised to see him all of a sudden out of nowhere.
"Oh, Hey", he said back
"It's kinda weird, I end up walking next to you in less than a second after I get out of the car... anyway, long time no see." I said.
"I think its been a week, and yes it is," he said. MCDC got back from Indianapolis in the previous week, after 6 weeks on the road around the US, that's a different story.
I do admit it was an awkward meeting, but it was the first I made on campus with another student since CUSTOMS. .
So back to this first scenario, Me and Chris, that's his name, walk into the Wright Music Building. There, we see that we aren't the only ones there. I see some guys from my high school Drum line as well as people from last years Band of Blue, and some new people. Before every Band camp, the percussion meets a day earlier to have their auditions for Battery positions ( a more popular term would be, The Drum-line), and the Front Ensemble (The keyboard and aux percussion). I was auditioning for Tenors and so was Chris. I ended up meeting the other Tenor players from last year's band of blue that were coming back for this year.
"Nice to meet you," and "Hey how's it going" were said there, from whom I do not recall exactly.
We also met the Drum majors for the Band of Blue, and one of them was the head drum major for MCDC. We were handed information sheets, and some other audition sheets and that was about it for that morning.
I'll fast forward a bit, and yes I am on the Tenor line, there's six of us. (only five at the first home game, one will be out of town).
A majority of the interactions with people I knew during Band Camp went something like this:
Walking down the hall to the practice zone, "Hey Colton," me: "Hey". We did a lot a band camp so short interactions like that were understandable.
Another notable of interaction happened during the first week of school. Here's a little background info on this scenario: I went to Ravenwood, which is in Brentwood, TN, just a little north-west of MTSU. In the Marching Band and Winter Drumline, all of the instructors go to MTSU, and many are music majors and, like me, are in the percussion studio. Some of them have been around all four years I was in high school, some were for parts and others, but basically I've seen them before as my Mentors/Teacher/Instructional Staff. Two of them were actually on staff with MCDC.
Now for this sequence: It's Wednesday and Salsa Band is coming to a close, I'm playing piano tentatively for them, and three of my former Instructional Staff/Mentor people were in the room as part of the ensemble. We played some awesome music that night, and this happened after Professor Davila, he runs the Salsa Band, dismissed us.
"So Colton, Isn't it weird being in a class with three of your former instructors?" said one of them.
"Yeah, I do think its weird you guys aren't teaching me like before," I replied.
"Yeah man, I had to get used to seeing him in the halls regularly, it is weird," said a different one, whose name was also Chris, but this was a different Chris. He was right, seeing past instructors as fellow students in a much larger organization did feel weird. That interaction, as well as others but this one in particular, gave the realization of the fact that I was in college more of a foundation to build on, which means "Dude, your're in college... COLLEGE!", and that recent interaction added the "COLLEGE!" to it. Anyway, These interactions with people are probably the first of many to come in my college career. Professor Davila, the Percussion Director here at MTSU, told me in a one-on-one conversation that, "The first week of college is always the hardest,". I agreed with him on that one, but now that this week is over, I can really begin start a routine, plan out what I do, and be a college student, a MTSU music ed major, a percussionist who is as a good a piano player as percussionist, a composer, "that kid with perfect pitch" and have more "Close Interactions of the Blue Raider Kind"- that's one way of putting it. Interactions are what got me here, and interactions will be the key to my success here at MTSU. With that statement, I end this first official post to the first blog.
I'll start off with the first week I was here, the Band of Blue Band Camp, the week prior to the first week of school. It's Sunday afternoon and there was a lot of rain about to go down, it was around 9 a.m. and the sky was dark grey, it wasn't raining just yet. Now for the funny part: I'm literally entering the sidewalk and, one of the guys I know from MCDC is already walking next to me, didn't even see him coming. The situation was interesting to say the least.
We talked, "Hey" I said to him surprised to see him all of a sudden out of nowhere.
"Oh, Hey", he said back
"It's kinda weird, I end up walking next to you in less than a second after I get out of the car... anyway, long time no see." I said.
"I think its been a week, and yes it is," he said. MCDC got back from Indianapolis in the previous week, after 6 weeks on the road around the US, that's a different story.
I do admit it was an awkward meeting, but it was the first I made on campus with another student since CUSTOMS. .
So back to this first scenario, Me and Chris, that's his name, walk into the Wright Music Building. There, we see that we aren't the only ones there. I see some guys from my high school Drum line as well as people from last years Band of Blue, and some new people. Before every Band camp, the percussion meets a day earlier to have their auditions for Battery positions ( a more popular term would be, The Drum-line), and the Front Ensemble (The keyboard and aux percussion). I was auditioning for Tenors and so was Chris. I ended up meeting the other Tenor players from last year's band of blue that were coming back for this year.
"Nice to meet you," and "Hey how's it going" were said there, from whom I do not recall exactly.
We also met the Drum majors for the Band of Blue, and one of them was the head drum major for MCDC. We were handed information sheets, and some other audition sheets and that was about it for that morning.
I'll fast forward a bit, and yes I am on the Tenor line, there's six of us. (only five at the first home game, one will be out of town).
A majority of the interactions with people I knew during Band Camp went something like this:
Walking down the hall to the practice zone, "Hey Colton," me: "Hey". We did a lot a band camp so short interactions like that were understandable.
Another notable of interaction happened during the first week of school. Here's a little background info on this scenario: I went to Ravenwood, which is in Brentwood, TN, just a little north-west of MTSU. In the Marching Band and Winter Drumline, all of the instructors go to MTSU, and many are music majors and, like me, are in the percussion studio. Some of them have been around all four years I was in high school, some were for parts and others, but basically I've seen them before as my Mentors/Teacher/Instructional Staff. Two of them were actually on staff with MCDC.
Now for this sequence: It's Wednesday and Salsa Band is coming to a close, I'm playing piano tentatively for them, and three of my former Instructional Staff/Mentor people were in the room as part of the ensemble. We played some awesome music that night, and this happened after Professor Davila, he runs the Salsa Band, dismissed us.
"So Colton, Isn't it weird being in a class with three of your former instructors?" said one of them.
"Yeah, I do think its weird you guys aren't teaching me like before," I replied.
"Yeah man, I had to get used to seeing him in the halls regularly, it is weird," said a different one, whose name was also Chris, but this was a different Chris. He was right, seeing past instructors as fellow students in a much larger organization did feel weird. That interaction, as well as others but this one in particular, gave the realization of the fact that I was in college more of a foundation to build on, which means "Dude, your're in college... COLLEGE!", and that recent interaction added the "COLLEGE!" to it. Anyway, These interactions with people are probably the first of many to come in my college career. Professor Davila, the Percussion Director here at MTSU, told me in a one-on-one conversation that, "The first week of college is always the hardest,". I agreed with him on that one, but now that this week is over, I can really begin start a routine, plan out what I do, and be a college student, a MTSU music ed major, a percussionist who is as a good a piano player as percussionist, a composer, "that kid with perfect pitch" and have more "Close Interactions of the Blue Raider Kind"- that's one way of putting it. Interactions are what got me here, and interactions will be the key to my success here at MTSU. With that statement, I end this first official post to the first blog.
For those interested: What is a Drum and Bugle Corps?
In the previously submitted post, I mentioned Drum corps, to the right I have a link to DCI's home page, and Below I have some video examples. This is a literal "Blast from the past" from this summer, and summers past. The purpose of this is to get some background on the above post.
UPDATE #2: I found another recording of the Tennessee Waltz,
UPDATE: Here are videos of video clips of the 23 World Class Corps at the Drum Corps International World Championships.
Here is the Tennessee Waltz By Music City Drum and Bugle Corps, the group I toured with this past summer.
top 12 finalists:
and Non-finalists 13-23:
1st is the top 12 DCI corps from 2008 (p.s. don't have your speakers turned up all the way)
This will probably answer some questions.
A drum and Bugle Corps can have a maximum of 150 members, unlike marching bands who take like 300+
They are usually referred to as corps in the 3rd person, as oppose to band, corps is more formal.
Its all Brass (hence Bugle), Percussion, and Guard (flags, sabres)
Its all Brass (hence Bugle), Percussion, and Guard (flags, sabres)
Corps have more demanding shows and travel across the country to compete at different shows
There are 43 drum and bugle corps, Go to DCI's website for more factsUPDATE #2: I found another recording of the Tennessee Waltz,
UPDATE: Here are videos of video clips of the 23 World Class Corps at the Drum Corps International World Championships.
Here is the Tennessee Waltz By Music City Drum and Bugle Corps, the group I toured with this past summer.
top 12 finalists:
and Non-finalists 13-23:
1st is the top 12 DCI corps from 2008 (p.s. don't have your speakers turned up all the way)
This will probably answer some questions.
For those of you who aren't in my class... I know what you're thinking
For those who are interested in/want to know what is going on here. Here's a link to the previous blog to know what's going down. ------->>>>>Introductory Blog<<<<<-----------
All my opinions and everything should be in that particular blog.
All my opinions and everything should be in that particular blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)