(1) Positive Statement
What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?
I suppose I am proud of the fact that I put in enough time to be able research a few things that were both new and familiar to me.
(2) Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?
AP/CR
b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
AP/CR
(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
I was able to explore more about what goes into preparation for a classical music performance.
(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I would most likely better prepare myself for my presentation or at least practiced before an audience.
(5) Finding Value
How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.
The senior project I believe will help me find ways to become a better person in the sense that I will be able to be more open minded about alternatives for when it comes to problem solving and thinking.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
Blog 21: Mentorship
Literal
Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog
Contact Name and Mentorship Place.
Done.
Interpretive
What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?
I suppose the most important thing I gained from this was the ability to think about things differently and also the skills to be a more effective, if not apt learner for cases of having to prepare on very short notice or even preparing a year or so ahead. I also learned some new skills along the way that can help me better prepare classical music for a performance, especially since I have plans to one day perform in an international piano competition. I could also say I gained more self confidence that of what I had, as I have been known to be quite hard on myself as I am a perfectionist for when it comes to being a serious musician.
Applied
How has what you’ve done helped you to answer your EQ? Please explain.
What I have done has helped me answer my EQ because it helped me explore numerous methods of practice, different periods of music (and different genres outside of senior project with fellow musicians in the senior class), and has also given me plenty to research and question aside from everything I already knew or had an idea of.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Blog 20: Exit Interivew
Content:
(1) How can learning various playing styles and techniques best prepare you for mastering classical music for a performance?"
My answers are:
I took as many routes to finding this answer as possible. I looked at the few answers I currently had and then decided to delve further into what goes behind making a classical piece successful. What helped was to practice different methods myself, and also asking other musicians what practice methods worked best for them when they were preparing classical music.
My answers are:
- Learning various playing styles and genres help you to really listen to music and understand it for what it is and what goes on within it, especially when it comes to music periods from the Baroque era to 20th Century, where the composer's intents are explicitly described in each measure and phrase of a piece
- Learning various styles and genres help you when Exploring multiple methods of practice and playing can really assist a pianist for when it comes to performing classical music in a way that gets them to continue repeating basic knowledge while also learning something new along the way.
- Learning various styles and genres help you with creating your own way of expressing yourself in music by influencing your musical style so that you can be unique with your own musical interpretations.
- Learning various styles and genres help you when Exploring multiple methods of practice and playing can really assist a pianist for when it comes to performing classical music in a way that gets them to continue repeating basic knowledge while also learning something new along the way.
I took as many routes to finding this answer as possible. I looked at the few answers I currently had and then decided to delve further into what goes behind making a classical piece successful. What helped was to practice different methods myself, and also asking other musicians what practice methods worked best for them when they were preparing classical music.
(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
Some problems I faced were having unclear answers and also not being specific with what I was trying to convey. I already had my answers and everything, I just needed to find a way to explain it while still making sense. I tend to have a habit of confusing others.
Some problems I faced were having unclear answers and also not being specific with what I was trying to convey. I already had my answers and everything, I just needed to find a way to explain it while still making sense. I tend to have a habit of confusing others.
(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
Two most significant sources I used to answer my essential question were:
Johnson, Daniel. "Music Listening and Critical Thinking." International Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2004). Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Chueke, Zelia. "Stages of Listening During Preparation and Execution of a Piano Performance." University of Miami (2000). Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
They helped me find what I needed and gave me detailed insight on how listening and practice really help.
Two most significant sources I used to answer my essential question were:
Johnson, Daniel. "Music Listening and Critical Thinking." International Journal of the Humanities, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2004). Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Chueke, Zelia. "Stages of Listening During Preparation and Execution of a Piano Performance." University of Miami (2000). Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
They helped me find what I needed and gave me detailed insight on how listening and practice really help.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Blog 19: Independent Component 2
LITERAL
(a) Statement saying: “I, Alyssa Casey, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b) Sources:
(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).
Posted.
(d) For my independent component, I did three pieces for the piano. They were for the Talent Show, which was April 1st, and they were rather varied. One was a classical piece, another was an accompaniment for my own voice, and the other an accompaniment for another vocalist's voice. The thirty hours of work were mainly daily practice, especially with the accompaniment piece that was for another vocalist besides myself. That last piece I took different ways of playing it: by ear, by the written, set-in-stone sheet music with the notes, and also with the chord names that were written above the sheet music on the same page. I took to simply using the basic five chord pattern for that particular piece. As for the others, I mainly went by how they were written, and may have added more thematic elements when I performed them with more vigor and excitement.
INTERPRETIVE
Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.
The work I did was mainly practicing and finding different methods of how not to become nervous while onstage. I took time to try listening to my material on the go repeatedly, so that if there were to come a moment that I forgot a passage, I could simply improvise because I would know what that passage was supposed to sound like. I tried different methods for multitasking, especially for when it came to accompanying my own singing voice. Playing as an accompanist for another singer or even as a classical soloist was very different than from what I was preparing for. At times, I felt that this self sustaining performance of me playing along with my voice was more difficult than executing Beethoven. I managed to perform well at the talent show, and received good reception overall.
A phrase from "Let It Go" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, composed for the movie "Frozen."
Lyrics from "Let It Go."
Here's me (figuratively) hoping that I was confident enough about it.
"Read All About It" by Emeli Sande
First page of the sheets I found that thankfully had the guitar tabs and chord names (letters above the graph things that have letters such as Bm and Gmaj7).
Finally, there's this delicious piece.
Here is a passage where the first set of mordents is shown. The mordents force the pianist to move the right hand over the left as you are to play the staccato bass notes before jumping back into treble clef.
The part where the grave set piece becomes devilishly fast, with notes that play like sixteenths.
Second set of mordents after the fast bass notes that lead to the trills. This is in a different key than the first set of mordents.
Here is a part where the fast paced main theme leads into a slower paced passage with half notes that seem to quiet down, but then get louder, and get softer once more. You now are in the second set of mordents in E-Flat.
Here's a fun part where the first set of mordents dissipates into the slow, longer held half notes that builds up to the wrist rotating staccato parts that get louder each time, as mentioned where it says "cresc." meaning, get louder.
This page here, this very one was the most fun and the most painful. That sudden natural key change and then the melody shifting to the left hand. You gotta love it. Oh, the markings with "tr," those are the really fast and painstaking trills. Totally fun. Oh, they were played with my pinky and ring fingers.
My hand moving over for the first mordents that appear in the piece. Notice that my left is crossed under, playing the softer harmonic rhythm while my right hand is playing the melody.
My hands here are playing the Beethoven at the actual speed it was written at, which was Allegro di molto e con brio, which means "fast, with fire." Left me plenty of room for expression.
Talent Show pamphlet, with all three of my performance numbers under 2, 6, and 13.
APPLIED
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.
The component helped me answer my EQ because it helped me understand how much practice can really make a difference in the way a final performance goes. Although I admit I didn't do as much practice as I wished, the times I did made me realize that for most cases, it is best to get secondary help from others and to actually communicate with those you are working with, even if you have yet to complete your end of the deal. That is something I realized after not practicing with my partner for the song "Read All About It." The reason I didn't exactly meet up my partner was because I didn't want them to feel I wasn't ready or capable enough of assisting them.
(a) Statement saying: “I, Alyssa Casey, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
(b) Sources:
- Stacey Ulmer, mentor
- Thomas Nalbach , 4th Interview
- Lammers, Will. "Factors Affecting Performance Proficiency: A Case Study Involving Intermediate Piano Students." Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education, Brock University (2006). Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
- Schoenberg, Arnold. Style and Idea. New York: Philosophical Library, Inc., 1950. Print. Pgs 153-180.
- Chueke, Zelia. "Stages of Listening During Preparation and Execution of a Piano Performance." University of Miami (2000). Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
(c) Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).
Posted.
(d) For my independent component, I did three pieces for the piano. They were for the Talent Show, which was April 1st, and they were rather varied. One was a classical piece, another was an accompaniment for my own voice, and the other an accompaniment for another vocalist's voice. The thirty hours of work were mainly daily practice, especially with the accompaniment piece that was for another vocalist besides myself. That last piece I took different ways of playing it: by ear, by the written, set-in-stone sheet music with the notes, and also with the chord names that were written above the sheet music on the same page. I took to simply using the basic five chord pattern for that particular piece. As for the others, I mainly went by how they were written, and may have added more thematic elements when I performed them with more vigor and excitement.
INTERPRETIVE
Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence (photos, transcript, art work, videos, etc) of the 30 hours of work.
The work I did was mainly practicing and finding different methods of how not to become nervous while onstage. I took time to try listening to my material on the go repeatedly, so that if there were to come a moment that I forgot a passage, I could simply improvise because I would know what that passage was supposed to sound like. I tried different methods for multitasking, especially for when it came to accompanying my own singing voice. Playing as an accompanist for another singer or even as a classical soloist was very different than from what I was preparing for. At times, I felt that this self sustaining performance of me playing along with my voice was more difficult than executing Beethoven. I managed to perform well at the talent show, and received good reception overall.
A phrase from "Let It Go" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, composed for the movie "Frozen."
Lyrics from "Let It Go."
Here's me (figuratively) hoping that I was confident enough about it.
"Read All About It" by Emeli Sande
First page of the sheets I found that thankfully had the guitar tabs and chord names (letters above the graph things that have letters such as Bm and Gmaj7).
Finally, there's this delicious piece.
Here is a passage where the first set of mordents is shown. The mordents force the pianist to move the right hand over the left as you are to play the staccato bass notes before jumping back into treble clef.
The part where the grave set piece becomes devilishly fast, with notes that play like sixteenths.
Second set of mordents after the fast bass notes that lead to the trills. This is in a different key than the first set of mordents.
Here is a part where the fast paced main theme leads into a slower paced passage with half notes that seem to quiet down, but then get louder, and get softer once more. You now are in the second set of mordents in E-Flat.
Here's a fun part where the first set of mordents dissipates into the slow, longer held half notes that builds up to the wrist rotating staccato parts that get louder each time, as mentioned where it says "cresc." meaning, get louder.
This page here, this very one was the most fun and the most painful. That sudden natural key change and then the melody shifting to the left hand. You gotta love it. Oh, the markings with "tr," those are the really fast and painstaking trills. Totally fun. Oh, they were played with my pinky and ring fingers.
My hand moving over for the first mordents that appear in the piece. Notice that my left is crossed under, playing the softer harmonic rhythm while my right hand is playing the melody.
My hands here are playing the Beethoven at the actual speed it was written at, which was Allegro di molto e con brio, which means "fast, with fire." Left me plenty of room for expression.
Talent Show pamphlet, with all three of my performance numbers under 2, 6, and 13.
APPLIED
How did the component help you answer your EQ? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.
The component helped me answer my EQ because it helped me understand how much practice can really make a difference in the way a final performance goes. Although I admit I didn't do as much practice as I wished, the times I did made me realize that for most cases, it is best to get secondary help from others and to actually communicate with those you are working with, even if you have yet to complete your end of the deal. That is something I realized after not practicing with my partner for the song "Read All About It." The reason I didn't exactly meet up my partner was because I didn't want them to feel I wasn't ready or capable enough of assisting them.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Extra Post: March
For the duration of this month, I have been focusing more on accompaniment mainly because I am doing two accompaniments for talent show on April 1st. These two are songs from different genres, one being a soundtrack piece from the film Frozen and the other a pop/R&B song by Emeli Sande. However, I have also been studying my Beethoven piece, and have that ready to perform whenever. As of now, I am to start a piece for iFest, also an accompaniment. This accompaniment is a song from the popular musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz, and the song is Defying Gravity. I hope to be prepared for talent show as it is approaching soon.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Blog 18: Third Answer
Learning various playing styles and techniques can best prepare you for mastering classical music because performing more often can reduce your anxiety when you have recitals.
- Knowing different musical styles can help a pianist be more comfortable with what they are performing in front of crowds because they have the skills to improvise if they forget a phrase or are nervous when playing
- Performing in group ensembles can take away from some of the anxiety because the perfection of the performance depends on the consistency of the entire group's musical aptitude
- When playing classical, it will seem easier because most of the piece is applied knowledge that is often used
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Blog 17: 4th Interview
Ten open ended questions.
1. What do you know specifically about your style piano playing, and how did you master it?
2. Has piano taken up a lot of time, and if so, has it interfered with other musical aspirations?
3. Has there been a specific influence in your musical career, and if so, how have they impacted your style of playing?
4. What pianists have you seen that have also worked on the same kind of pieces as you and how did their interpretations differ from yours?
5. How precise are you with rhythmic music and how long did it take you to become good at it?
6. What specific composer's music has helped with understanding musical structure of any piece you've learned and what about their music was useful?
7. What theory books have you used in the past and how can these theory books help other classical pianists?
8. Can listening to other pianists interpretations of one specific piece useful and what benefits would it have?
9. Can collaborating with other pianists boost the desire to do even better and if so, in what ways?
10. Can learning how to accompany vocalists help a pianist understand chords and eventually memorize them, and if so, does this also help keep consistent rhythm?
11. Can the way a pianist studies music influence the way they learn, and if so, can they learn a piece incorrectly?
12. What determines if a pianist is ready to take on classical music, and does this qualification have to do with them knowing how to play a variety of genres and styles?
13. Can classical music be learned effectively in a short amount of time, even if the person has no prior musical experience, and if so, can it take longer than average?
14. When should a pianist start studying classical music and how would this help them expand their knowledge?
15. What benefits can come from mastering classical music, and are they enough to push a pianist to want to compete?
16. What kind of preparation does it take for preparing oneself for a major piano competition and how much time does this require?
17. Which composer's music is most difficult to learn and why is it so?
18. What era of music history has the most technically challenging music, and how can studying the music from this period help improve technique?
19. What is the importance of theory, rhythm and interpretation in classical music and how does it impact the piece?
20. Can teaching another how to play piano help improve a pianist's knowledge, and if so, in what ways?
1. What do you know specifically about your style piano playing, and how did you master it?
2. Has piano taken up a lot of time, and if so, has it interfered with other musical aspirations?
3. Has there been a specific influence in your musical career, and if so, how have they impacted your style of playing?
4. What pianists have you seen that have also worked on the same kind of pieces as you and how did their interpretations differ from yours?
5. How precise are you with rhythmic music and how long did it take you to become good at it?
6. What specific composer's music has helped with understanding musical structure of any piece you've learned and what about their music was useful?
7. What theory books have you used in the past and how can these theory books help other classical pianists?
8. Can listening to other pianists interpretations of one specific piece useful and what benefits would it have?
9. Can collaborating with other pianists boost the desire to do even better and if so, in what ways?
10. Can learning how to accompany vocalists help a pianist understand chords and eventually memorize them, and if so, does this also help keep consistent rhythm?
11. Can the way a pianist studies music influence the way they learn, and if so, can they learn a piece incorrectly?
12. What determines if a pianist is ready to take on classical music, and does this qualification have to do with them knowing how to play a variety of genres and styles?
13. Can classical music be learned effectively in a short amount of time, even if the person has no prior musical experience, and if so, can it take longer than average?
14. When should a pianist start studying classical music and how would this help them expand their knowledge?
15. What benefits can come from mastering classical music, and are they enough to push a pianist to want to compete?
16. What kind of preparation does it take for preparing oneself for a major piano competition and how much time does this require?
17. Which composer's music is most difficult to learn and why is it so?
18. What era of music history has the most technically challenging music, and how can studying the music from this period help improve technique?
19. What is the importance of theory, rhythm and interpretation in classical music and how does it impact the piece?
20. Can teaching another how to play piano help improve a pianist's knowledge, and if so, in what ways?
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