Letter from Jack (8/31)

Dear Concert Orchestra,

And we’re off! How good it was to start our year off on such a strong note. I appreciated your patience persistence, and good spirit as we launched our year. I am very much looking forward to the year ahead- I hope you are too!

Please see below for some guideposts to your next (2!) weeks of practice!

First Rehearsal Sheet

Good ideas for practicing early on in a concert cycle

1. Do some deep listening. It’s best to listen to a good recording, in a quiet space away from distractions, with a pencil in hand and your part in front of you. Mark in which instruments are playing the melody at any given point. You can mark in descriptive words or phrases, decode/translate any musical words you don’t understand, or write in your impressions of the recording.
2. Start to identify the trickiest sections. After you get the long arc of the piece in place, you can start to “zero in” on these areas. Work in small chunks!
3. Make a technical plan– please write in fingerings for your part as you need. Chat with your private teacher if you need help with this. Strings especially should come to rehearsal with a good “left hand plan” for our music.

MOZART: Overture to the Magic Flute

• Focus your attention on beginning to measure 96

We’re going to dig into the above section with some very detailed rehearsing in two weeks time. Please be prepared! It is vital that you begin to realize every detail in your parts- bowings, dynamics, articulations, phrasing: this is the stuff that makes Mozart really shine.

Listening to a recording and thoughtfully marking your music will be a vital component to our success, here. Please don’t expect to “learn how the music goes” at our next rehearsal. Take this time as your opportunity to really dive into a small chunk of music!

SCHERZO FANTASY 

• Rehearsal A to Rehearsal H
• Please Review the attached “Complex Meter” sheet. Three options for your early practice:

GOOD: Count through your part (saying “1,2” or “1,2,3”) with every meter change.

BETTER: Set a metronome At ______ and Speak “1,2” or “1,2,3” with every meter change.

BEST: Set a metronome At_________ and Speak “1,2” or “1,2,3” with every meter change, clapping on every “slash” or “Triangle”.

Once you can accomplish this basic task, go ahead and pick up your instrument, practicing slowly and keeping a steady pulse while you work. Complex, ⅞ and ⅝ time are icy cold rhythmic waters. Dive in head first!

I’m wishing you the best for a fantastic start to your school year- and I can’t wait to see you in two weeks’ time.

Happy practicing!

Jack.