Für Elise by Beethoven is the song that expresses who I am. When I started playing piano, I got frustrated that most of my family had a natural talent while I didn't. My father talked to me and gave me one of the most important lessons of my life: "Practice makes perfection, if you want something, insist until you get it". After playing piano as a hobby, at age 17 I decided to take my skills to the next level by taking piano lessons at college and I challenged myself to first learn how to play Für Elise. It wasn't easy, but practice made perfection.…
Fiesta Grande Reflection During my three years of being in band I have played many pieces of music, although my favorite has been a song called Fiesta Grande. I was given this song in the 7th grade. The point of learning to play this music piece was to play it for our concert in 7th grade although we didn't get the song completed in time so in 8th grade we played it for our winter concert. The song was energetic.…
In the video “The Transformative Power of Classical Music” Benjamin Zanders demonstrates how powerful and connecting classical music can be. While not everyone is a fan of the classical genre, Benjamin Zanders attempts to prove that everyone can enjoy it and connect to it. He tries to prove this by asking his audience to think of someone they loved that was no longer with them as he played a piece by Chopin. By doing this, Benjamin Zanders was seeking to pull the audience in and let them feel what his message truly meant. While he cannot prove that every single person is affected by that piece, he did give an example of a kid who had been emotionally affected by Benjamin Zanders’ playing of Chopin.…
I was striving for an unattainable goal because I didn’t work towards any form of progression. On the other hand, being an instrumentalist has taught me the importance of daily goals, a good work ethic, and dedication. With that in mind, I am becoming more aware that music is not just the notes on an staff but also the zipping of a jacket and even the tumbling on a trampoline floor. I believe that my five year old self would be proud of who I am becoming because I have already completed my personal goals instead of lacking improvement in the shadows of someone…
If I have not challenged myself to practice and to confront challenges, I could not have become the principal player in our school’s jazz band and wind ensemble. After several breakthroughs, I decided to share my inspirations to the younger generation. This year, I am one of the coordinators of the Molding Musicians program supported by the Cypress Boys and Girls Club, teaching the fifth and sixth graders how to play an instrument. I appreciate the fact that my achievements did not come from an easy work, but rather a persistent standing against…
~ From the perspective of a Lutheran Baroque Composer in 1680 Dearest Friend, How curious is it, looking dimensionally, how retroactive we are as musicians. It seems as though the other forms of expression such as art, literature, philosophy, and architecture seem to predate all our efforts in the fine arts. I am thinking directly to the days of Martin Luther, that initial step into protestant reformation. Thus came from the manifested power of the Catholic Church the words of the Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. Was this not the first act of philosophy to reconcile us with the true God-fearing self?…
For my concert critique, I went to Jason Terry’s Doctoral Piano Recital on Tuesday, December 1st at the School of Music in room 206. Because Terry was able to pick the pieces he played, he picked a range of different pieces to emphasize his wide range of talent. He included older and modern pieces including Bach, Godowsky, Balakirev, Zorn, and Liszt. The first piece he played was “Prelude & Fugue, BWV 872” composed by Bach. I was a little unsure about the nature and form of this piece because it was unlike some of the more structured pieces we listen to in class.…
As my life has shifted and changed for the past nine years, I have been stressed and anxious too many times to count. For a while, I couldn’t find a source of relief that I could fall back on, so I quickly became overwhelmed and fell apart. I didn’t realize this at the time, but I had been neglecting my life line. I had forgotten how much piano had meant to me and how much it helped me.…
Reflection on the science literacy narrative of Nadia Strydom Markers Margin Scientific literacy is the ability to comprehend notions necessary for everyday choices as well as for social doings. A reflective essay consists of a logical but descriptive assignment. It is used to analyse and evaluate experiences. During the course of this essay, reflection on Nadia Strydom’s narrative literacy will be discussed.…
As a person, I am unique. I am girly, and fun, geeky, quiet, obnoxious, sarcastic, caring, musical, and most importantly; myself. Carly Jones. I am always true to myself, no matter the situation. First of all, my music is the most important thing to me.…
Since the beginning of time music has connected souls around the world. It impacts the daily lives of numerous people and lives in the hearts of many. Each piece of music is composed with an array of character much of which reflects the period it was written in. When we take the time to dig deeper into a music composition it can reveal so much beauty we otherwise would have not seen. I selected the piece Canon a tre in D Major composed by Johann Pachelbel to uncover.…
I walk into the festival theatre with eyes of wonder staring at the blank canvas stage. I take the very best seat so I can enjoy the first performance of the grand celebration. Everyone remains restless and cheerful as we wait for the curtains to be drawn into the sky. The performance starts.…
“Music is a more pontet instrument than any other for education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul. ”-Plato. As a student who started music at just the age of 4, I followed the aesthetic thought to music. My love for music began with the magnificence and gratitude I had for music.…
Music is a popular and powerful tool. Many of us use music for many reasons, whether it be to relax, escape from current unpleasant circumstances, or if we are in a bad mood and are looking to shake that feeling- music is the first alternative to picking up our spirits. Maybe there is a big exam that you have to study for but just can’t get your mind to focus, once you put on some classical music-somehow, you find yourself very in-tuned with your books and able to retain the information better than you did a few minutes earlier. If you have ever heard a pregnant woman talk about how they play music to their unborn child, it is because music can actually help stimulate the babies brain activity from the womb. In this essay I will be explaining…
With ‘Prayer before Birth’ it hooks the reader with soft and comforting words, the quote being “ Pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings” the text obviously has a child involved which adds another layer of sadness to the reader as the victim could be a child. “Piano takes the same approach with the words “rubbed with her bare palms” which also includes a child in the…