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Dear MYS Symphony Orchestra,

Thank you for a great rehearsal on Sunday. And thank you to Lida White and Ian Ko for volunteering to play their Fall term “back pocket” pieces. Wonderful job!

New this week, we’re starting to post and archive all of my e-mail notes to you on this blog. You’ll be able to easily log in and check current and older rehearsal notes. This will also allow for comments and interaction, which we can explore together in the coming weeks.

REHEARSAL RECAP (10/9)

• We spent the first half of rehearsal reading the second draft of the YCP dances. Thank you for your reading and your feedback.
• After the break, we spent a bit of time on the first few Back Pocket pieces.
• Dvořák, Mov 3: we worked on the whole movement, with emphasis on the sections starting at m. 142 and the coda.
• Dvořák, Mov 4: we also worked on the entire movement, and then worked backwards from the end, including all the tempo changes after #12.
• REMINDER: don’t forget to practice what we did in the last rehearsal during the first half of your week. Then, after Tuesday, you can focus on what we’re doing at the next rehearsal.

REHEARSAL PLAN FOR SUNDAY 10/16

No sectionals or YCP dances this week. Composers are currently working on the final edition of their pieces, and we’ll start rehearsing those properly on 10/23.

4:00pm-4:10pm – Project Back Pocket (2 or 3 volunteers). I’ll spin the wheel for names if we have no volunteers.

4:10pm-5:30pm –  Dvořák, Mov. 1

— break —

5:30pm-6:30pm – Dvořák, Mov. 2

6:30pm-7:00pm – Visit by Nancy Ives (composer and OSO principal cellist)

LOOKING AHEAD: 10/23

• More Project Back Pocket
• Sunday 10/23, we will start rehearsing the final versions of the YCP dances. I will share new part assignments for the winds (mostly one person per part). This means that most woodwind players will not play in all of the dances, just one or two (especially flutes and clarinets).
• We will go back to movements 3 and 4 of Dvořák.
• Also, we will listen to the recording of the premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain Suite, which we will be playing in the spring.

Thank you, and happy practicing!

Dr. G. 

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When I was a student, the picture on the right described me quite often, and I would like to help you not ever be in this situation. By the end of this season, I would like for each of you to have 3 short pieces “in your back pocket” that you can play reliably and on-demand in any situation. We will do one piece per term. Here we go:

• Let’s pretend that your best friend invited you to their family reunion. They want you there in case there’s nobody interesting to talk to, or in case they need an accomplice to sneak out.
• You show up about one hour after the party started, because you were coming straight from rehearsal, so, you have your instrument on you.
• You go in, people notice your instrument and they DEMAND that you play something for them. They start chanting your name. You look around and find your best friend all the way across the room. They shrug and mouth the words “I’m sorry..”
• So, you’re stuck and you HAVE to play. You have no sheet music.
• As you reluctantly and awkwardly take your instrument out of its case, you look around to room to get a sense of your audience. Among the multi-racial, multi-generational guests, you see: 4 young kids running around (elementary school age), several middle-age relatives, and 3 older guests (grandparents, perhaps?).
• WHAT DO YOU PLAY? You have 1 minute to play something by memory that will definitely be a crowd pleaser. It can be anything from any genre, as long as you can make it work on your instrument. And even if not everybody knows what you’re playing, they can enjoy it in some way.

So, start thinking about this. Find ONE piece that you can play by ear or memorize. It should be about one minute long. Starting in October, I will pull 3 names randomly each rehearsal, and you will get to play your “back pocket” piece for all of us. Nerves and all. You’ll thank me in a few years 😊