November Blog Post

For most of this month, I've been focusing heavily on classical pieces that I will submit to the colleges I've applied to. I've been learning from Chopin, Beethoven, and Bach. My normal practice hours of two and a half hours daily have been doubled nearly every day, as I have been trying to learn these pieces as fast as possible. It has been quite a stressful experience, but also a fun one, as I get a better head start with these pieces, especially with the one I am doing for independent component. By the time I have these pieces ready, I will most likely already be prepared for my independent component as well. I've had to juggle time management with test prep for the ACT and SAT, but I have managed. I am more than halfway done learning my pieces, all I must do now is to perfect them and record them.

Blog 8: Research and Working EQ

1.  What is your working EQ?
Piano- How can learning to play jazz music improve piano technique?



2.  What is a possible answer to your working EQ? Please write the answer in thesis format.

• Learning how to improvise melodies or play variations of a melody by simply understanding the key it is in can help when learning accompaniment pieces that are not available in sheet music format
• Playing different kinds of jazz can help better improve understanding of timing and rhythm
• Understanding the style of jazz can make one a valuable musician
• Can improve execution of dynamics and precision

3.  What is the most important source you have used that has helped you come up with an answer to your working EQ?

The most important source I have used so far is The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Jazz by Loren Schoenberg.

4.  Who is your mentor, or where are you volunteering, and how does what you are doing relate to your working EQ?

My mentor is Stacey Ulmer, my piano teacher, who works at San Dimas Music, and the methods of playing I am learning, including playing whole and broken chords in different keys helps me understand how jazz works, as sometimes it is not always written down, but rather played by ear, or by a variation.

Blog 7: Independent Component

1. I plan to learn a difficult piece from the 20th century, most likely a work by Sergei Prokofiev. Preferably a piano sonata, something that gives the piano enough emotion and also demonstrates advanced playing skills.

2. I will have some video footage of a few practice sessions, mostly showing the progression, a final recording of the full song preferably at a performance (most likely the Talent Show), along with photos of the work in progress.

3. I will do some reading on composers of the 20th century, and also be listening to their piano solos and other works to get a better understanding of that music period. I may listen to Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, among others.

4.Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your mentorship log and call it the independent component log.

(Finished)

Additional Blog: Music Genre Research

As I delve further in expanding my repertoire, I decided to start learning about every music genre I can, starting with jazz. I picked up a book about the jazz genre itself one day over the course of the summer at a yard sale, just because I thought it would be an interesting read. This book was The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Jazz by Loren Schoenberg. Little did I know that it would be quite informative in many ways, not to mention pertaining to my senior project, which is on piano. So far, I have read the extensive history behind it, from its roots in late 19th century New Orleans to Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole throughout the 20's-50's up until now. 

Within this book that I have been reading are also techniques specific to the piano when playing jazz music, such as the stride, which consists of left hand movements that alternate between single or lower octave notes and higher, fully fingered chords with improvisation. Among some techniques mentioned, there is also a section describing the variations of jazz, such as Be Bop, Cool, Swing, Fussion, Bossa Nova, and Dixieland Jazz. When finished with this book, I will continue to find other sources to learn more about jazz, and maybe even try to find method books on how to play jazz, or attempt to improvise.

Blog 6: Second Interview Questions

1. Who is your mentor and where does she work? 

Stacey Ulmer is my mentor, who works at the San Dimas Music store as a private instructor.

2. What five questions will you ask her about her background?

•  What made you want to pursue a career in music?
•  Have you been involved in events and concerts both as a soloist and accompanist?
•  Do you have a degree in music? If so, where did you study, and in what department was it?
•  Do you do anything else outside of piano that pertains to music, like singing, or play any other instruments?)
•  Is music a career worth going into?

Blog 5: Project Reflection and Working EQ

1. Something positive that has happened with what I have completed is that I've progressed a little with my practice routines, and have been getting a sense of accomplishment every time I practice for two hours. I am able to sit down now and just play, as opposed to struggling with reading and playing at the same time, as well as being able to play without hurting myself.

2. A piece of research, such as an article I found that had to do with the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of playing piano has helped me understand just how much of a positive influence the piano can have on a person's mind, body, and emotions because it can be used as a means of expression, creativity, learning, and physical therapy.

3. So far, with the senior project, being able to effectively communicate with my mentor whenever I have needed her, and whenever I meet her (which is every Tuesday, or other day if I am not available), has worked well for me because she has answered many of my questions and has shown me how to approach everything I currently am learning effectively, such as not rushing into things or skipping ahead of what I am supposed to be doing.

4. What has not worked so far is that I haven't been able to secure my interview date yet. I'm hoping to have it by next week, and if I can't interview the person I specifically want to interview, I do have a backup plan. I just feel that I haven't been punctual with my scheduling.

5.

• How can learning to play piano be a positive influence in someone's life?
• For mentorship, I will continue taking lessons, getting advice, practicing, teaching my sister the fundamentals of piano under the supervision of my mentor (who is also my sister's teacher), and possibly be apart of various events including Talent Show, fall festivals, concerts in parks, and so on.

Extra Blog- Piano

What I have discovered with learning specific kinds of pieces of piano is that no matter how long it takes you to learn a classical piece from Chopin or Beethoven, someone will always somehow do it better. Why is it that some end up doing it better? Often times, it is because they have had plenty of experience with that specific composer, and so they are familiar with the technique required for that composer's style, or have been playing for so long that no kind of composer can really challenge their expertise or versatility. For me, as a semi novice learner having started a little later in my life, at least being serious about it, I struggle with being able to execute proper hand techniques including trills with two fingers, turns, mordents, and toccatta, which is more demanding of precision with three different fingers that strike a key much faster than possible, as demonstrated with the works of Domenico Scarlatti, among others. I'm not saying that the professional concert pianists can learn faster than I, they've just been doing it longer. As for learning a piece, for most professionals, it can take from seven months to one year to not only memorize a piece, but to also execute it perfectly with timing, pitch, dynamics, as well as with emotion. I suppose I still have a lot more to learn, or at least a lot more practice time to make for learning my pieces that will hopefully get me into Juilliard or NYU.

Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1. I plan on interviewing my former music teacher Mr. Ogden specifically because he has helped me so much these past three years with piano, and has a vast amount of knowledge of music. Not only does he know how to play, but he also knows the approach to properly learning piano, both through reading music and preventing injuries when playing any instrument.

2. Some additional questions I would ask are:

• How did you come to know so much about piano?
• When did you become passionate about music?
• How do you know so much about music?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. List your topic here:

Piano

2. What do you plan to do this year to show growth in each of the ESLR's? Be specific and use an example. Examples can come from senior project, model assembly, core, and/or participation in senior class ASB or other organizations on campus (clubs etc).

• As an Effective iPoly Citizen, I will get more involved with community service, such as helping out music students with learning the basics of music before they can start playing an instrument, and maybe helping the drama community with rehearsals. Hopefully I can also be more involved with the senior class in preparing events such as iFest and the Talent Show.
• As an Effective Learner, I plan to take thorough notes that will help me become a better test taker, be consistent with all of my assignments, and have very good SAT and ACT test scores in order to be accepted into a private university.
• As an Effective User of Technology, I will continuously be checking the senior blog, my emails, and will use technology to to my advantage when it comes to research and other forms of communicating with teachers and peers.
• As an Effective Communicator, I will be open minded to everyone's ideas and thoughts, and will be an understanding and supportive group member with my model assembly group.

Summer Mentorship

Summer Mentorship

1.  My first ten hours were completed at the San Dimas Music store during private lessons with my instructor every Tuesday ranging from an hour to an hour and a half lessons.

Summer Mentorship Hours

 2.  Contact

 Stacey Ulmer:

 (626)991-0242  

3.  Questions

• What kind of career can I do with piano?
• Is it possible to apply my musical knowledge to something else like therapy or physics?
• Will this field provide a stable job for me whether or not I have a degree?
• Will working in a music field pay me well enough?

4. The most important thing I gained from this experience was approaching many new ways of learning techniques, pieces, and how to play in time effectively by adopting new methods of thorough study through trial and error. I also learned how much effort must be put into practice for classical pieces, as well as how much time. For the most part, well executed performances don't take a day or less to perfectly master. It takes a lot of dedication, observance, time, practice, and repetition to master a technique or certain piece to near perfection, especially in the case of major concerts or college auditions.

5. Initially, learning the dynamics of piano helped give me an idea to pick a music topic. Since I really had no other options, and only had two other people who are also musicians that were readily available, I decided to go with something along the lines of music. Initially, I wanted to do music education, but found it to be a broad yet vague topic since it can include a variety of different things, and decided to go with something more specific, like piano. I chose to stay with piano because I feel that it will help me improve majorly this year with performance as well as even passing auditions with schools such as NYU, USC, Juilliard, and many other notable music schools.

2-Hour Presentation Reflection

Senior Presentation Reflection
1. The following presentations I saw were:

• Clinical Pharmacist - Gina Thi
• Violin - Alexa Calvelo
• Foley Artist - Evan Muth
• Real Estate
• Mexican Folk Art - Johanis Quiroz
• Dancing
• Math Teaching - Alexis Ayala
• Film Directing - Amanda Nieto
• Forensic Photography
• Deaf Culture
• Marketing
• Scope Surgery

2. I need to know to how much research needs to be done in senior projects. and also how much content can be said in a presentation of 30 minutes minimum. I want to know how to say enough, but not too much or too little, and how to keep the audience interested, especially with a music related senior project.

3. The most important thing to help the senior project is the mentorship, because it is a process of research in itself. It helps the student to further understand their topic.

4. I am considering doing piano. I want to not only do classical piano, but I want to do piano in all genres, and show how and why it is a very popular instrument in today's world of music.