I suppose this would be a good time to make some new threads...
Oh, and pandagirl11, I sent you a message
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powayflute01
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Pandagirl -- I'll get to your stories Monday, and I apologize for not noting your follow up post until now.
I can't believe this, but our choir director gave me a flute piece to play this Sunday. This would be more than a simple matter for just about everyone else here, I am sure, but I haven't had a flute in hand for even an entire month yet. I only rented it on December 18! Additionally, there are notes in all three octaves, up to D3. I've got them all down, and even the third octave is passable, but I'll still be spending the next two days perfecting this as much as I can. I had already paid for the online lessons here, so I took major advantage of those, and even watched some of them several times. Between that and the various suggestions I've read here, I've really had a lot of help so far. She said I can fudge and play in the lowest two octaves if necessary, but she's such a fantastic person, and so good to everyone at church, that I'd like to play this for her exactly as written. Of course though, I'll do it the way I can make it sound best. Doing this at all is really optional. I could get out of it altogether. Being so new, I have an obvious excuse, but I can't bring myself to let our choir director down.
So, that's why I'm not going to get to your stories until Monday. I'm sure you understand. I went from practicing three hours per day to saying that I'd back it down to one, but now I'm practicing from morning until night! A couple of days ago, I forgot to eat until evening. Actually, that's probably not a bad thing.
I can't believe this, but our choir director gave me a flute piece to play this Sunday. This would be more than a simple matter for just about everyone else here, I am sure, but I haven't had a flute in hand for even an entire month yet. I only rented it on December 18! Additionally, there are notes in all three octaves, up to D3. I've got them all down, and even the third octave is passable, but I'll still be spending the next two days perfecting this as much as I can. I had already paid for the online lessons here, so I took major advantage of those, and even watched some of them several times. Between that and the various suggestions I've read here, I've really had a lot of help so far. She said I can fudge and play in the lowest two octaves if necessary, but she's such a fantastic person, and so good to everyone at church, that I'd like to play this for her exactly as written. Of course though, I'll do it the way I can make it sound best. Doing this at all is really optional. I could get out of it altogether. Being so new, I have an obvious excuse, but I can't bring myself to let our choir director down.
So, that's why I'm not going to get to your stories until Monday. I'm sure you understand. I went from practicing three hours per day to saying that I'd back it down to one, but now I'm practicing from morning until night! A couple of days ago, I forgot to eat until evening. Actually, that's probably not a bad thing.
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pandagirl11
- Posts: 78
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You will! You will master vibrato! I think my Mom's influence through the years may help me, but only time and practice will tell. She was always stressing the importance of singing from the diaphragm. I don't have the singing voice that she had, but those lessons seem to be paying off with the flute.pandagirl11 wrote:Haha...Burke, that's okay. =P I'm glad some people here are enjoying my stories and hey, if you have time, drop off a review or two. =D And now...I shall go exhaust my diaphragm...trying desperately to learn vibrato. =P
I'm currently working on making the second and third octaves sound like the first. Unlike those of you who come here and report about your experiences with new braces and so forth, I have "old lady" issues. I wear dentures and hearing aids, plus, I have a disability that affects my manual dexterity to some degree, particularly in my right hand. I will never be as good as some of you, but that's okay. There is no reason that I shouldn't give the flute my best effort. These little issues are not valid excuses for not working my tail off. They're just challenges.
I also want to say that I have a great deal of respect for those of you who hold chairs in your various school orchestras, as well as similar positions such as in the marching bands. Those places that you hold reflect a level of discipline that earns high regard.
Ah! This was supposed to be a reply about your stories, Pandagirl. I went off on a tangent. Yes, I will read your work on Monday morning, and I'll do my best to make thoughtful comments as you've asked.
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pandagirl11
- Posts: 78
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A composition for the flute should accompany Fireworks.
I'm glad that I followed through on my promise to read your stories, Pandagirl, tardy though I was. Monday morning through yesterday was an unexpectedly stressful time for me, and I should have read your work first. I loved each one, but your poem about the twins would have put my last few days in proper perspective.
On another note, I think my attempt to play the flute at church Sunday went very well. I'm so happy! I had trouble in the places I expected, but there was an actual flutist on hand to carry me through those passages. I was still elated. I had never played a note in the third register until last week, and my first three days (entire waking periods) of practice involved the closest thing possible to a mastery of those notes. "Close" in this case approximates the distance from the earth to the Sun, and possibly back.
I'm in love with my flute!
I'm glad that I followed through on my promise to read your stories, Pandagirl, tardy though I was. Monday morning through yesterday was an unexpectedly stressful time for me, and I should have read your work first. I loved each one, but your poem about the twins would have put my last few days in proper perspective.
On another note, I think my attempt to play the flute at church Sunday went very well. I'm so happy! I had trouble in the places I expected, but there was an actual flutist on hand to carry me through those passages. I was still elated. I had never played a note in the third register until last week, and my first three days (entire waking periods) of practice involved the closest thing possible to a mastery of those notes. "Close" in this case approximates the distance from the earth to the Sun, and possibly back.
I'm in love with my flute!
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powayflute01
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Haha, I thought you meant real fireworks at first (yeah that was my favorite of Pandagirl's stories ) I actually saw a symphony in concert with pyrotechnics on and around the stage last summer...it was SO so awesome. (It was an outdoor theater in Hollywood, to clarify). The orchestra played Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and the fireworks and stage lighting matched the themes in the music. In one movement, 'Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks', they had these little tiny egg-shaped fireworks on the front of the stage that would go off sequentially and they had them flying around the orchestra. They had tons of other fireworks in the other movements too--but it was a really fun concert
) I actually saw a symphony in concert with pyrotechnics on and around the stage last summer...it was SO so awesome. (It was an outdoor theater in Hollywood, to clarify). The orchestra played Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and the fireworks and stage lighting matched the themes in the music. In one movement, 'Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks', they had these little tiny egg-shaped fireworks on the front of the stage that would go off sequentially and they had them flying around the orchestra. They had tons of other fireworks in the other movements too--but it was a really fun concert Haha, this one is my favorite: :shock:
[size=75]I <3 LXA[/size]
[size=75]I <3 LXA[/size]
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pandagirl11
- Posts: 78
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Powayflute: I would love to have seen that performance of Pictures at an Exhibition! It was thrilling enough to read about, though. I'll take that in lieu of the real thing.
The Classical Notes review of Pictures at an Exhibition<http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics/ ... l>includes the implication that -- excepting the rare kind of Mussorgsky -- the hearts of life-long bureaucrats are complacent. I must take official umbrage. I'm a life-long bureaucrat, and my heart is far from complacent. I'm just really good with paperwork.
Pandagirl, you seem to have a following. Look! You have a readership here, and this isn't even the same forum. I'm sure your hundred reviews will come.
The Classical Notes review of Pictures at an Exhibition<http://www.classicalnotes.net/classics/ ... l>includes the implication that -- excepting the rare kind of Mussorgsky -- the hearts of life-long bureaucrats are complacent. I must take official umbrage. I'm a life-long bureaucrat, and my heart is far from complacent. I'm just really good with paperwork.
Pandagirl, you seem to have a following. Look! You have a readership here, and this isn't even the same forum. I'm sure your hundred reviews will come.
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pandagirl11
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2004 5:49 pm
Thanks to everyone for reading my stories. =) Any tips and stuff would be helpful...=P Well, at least, it would be more helpful than my sorry excuse for an English teacher. I mean, seriously. It's supposed to be English 11 Enriched. -.-" I feel more like I'm in English 11 Remedial, that's how stupid our class is. Oh well. =P Better teacher for English 12 Enriched.
As for flute...=D I got accepted in Band 12 Advanced at my school...even though I just started flute in October and most people can't get into Band 12 Advanced until they've finished at least 4 years of learning an instrument so I'm pretty happy. =)
As for flute...=D I got accepted in Band 12 Advanced at my school...even though I just started flute in October and most people can't get into Band 12 Advanced until they've finished at least 4 years of learning an instrument so I'm pretty happy. =)
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pandagirl11
- Posts: 78
- Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2004 5:49 pm
I believe the scheduling for the Strings and Band were done by the Strings and Band teachers because they don't quite like each other (which is putting it mildly) and are competing for the best students all the time. =P But that helps, I guess...'cause our Strings program used to be the best in British Columbia and the Band was chosen to represent all of Canada in Beijing last summer...=)
And as for English...let's just say that the teacher is racist...towards Asians...which really kind of sucks....'cause 100% of the class is Asian. =)
And as for English...let's just say that the teacher is racist...towards Asians...which really kind of sucks....'cause 100% of the class is Asian. =)
That news would tic me off at any time, but it does so even more right now. Our choir director at church is Asian, and she is very close to my heart. I would do anything for our music program she asked of me, or die in the attempt. Since I've been disabled, I've encountered plenty of discrimination myself too. I know a lot more about life than in "the before time." I'm sorry about your teacher, Pandagirl. I know it's painful. Try to not hate in return, if you can.pandagirl11 wrote:And as for English...let's just say that the teacher is racist...towards Asians...which really kind of sucks....'cause 100% of the class is Asian. =)
I'm compelled to suggest (if that's okay), that this experience is training ground for life in general. Deal with this teacher well, and you'll be able to manage situations like this more easily during the course of your lifetime. Sadly, this brand of human is found in the workplace and everywhere. I've spent most of my life in the cultural melting pot that is Washington, D.C., and I've seen racism and discrimination of every sort.
As long as I live, I will never understand hatred toward cultures and heritages other than one's own. I have spoken openly against this for years, and will not stop until I stop breathing.
I guess this forum is supposed to be all things flute, so I'll exploit this post to include the comment that I can't stand my student model any longer. I just got off the phone with the store I'm renting it from. Next Saturday, I'm going to trade it in for a serious upgrade to a Jupiter or Powell. They're going to let me play them both in the store before I decide. The flute has become everything in my life, and I'm playing practically all day long. I know it's a short matter of time before I make this flute exchange anyway, so I'm going to do it now. This is a pretty brazen move for a new flutist, I know, but it's what I want.