Friday January 27, 2011.
The lights dimmed. Chatter died. A black and white glow flickered on from the back of the auditorium. A jungle crept in from the corners. The crowd sat silently with eyes riveted on the orange-clad group pushing a giant wheel onto the stage. The music pounded through a crescendo. The stage burst into a flurry of action.
And what you see, dearest readers, is the beginning of my Friday night adventure. My good friend Kristin invited me to get tickets with her to go see this show, and it was phenomenol.
We started out with a handful of contemporary dance pieces, like one of Tooele High's Dance Company performances, but with lots more guys and more couple dancing, but contemporary style. Then they had a 10-minute intermission. That's where it really picked up.
The curtains rose, and there sat Synthesis.
That's right guys. BYU's Jazz Band.
They blew me away. They had flutes. Flutes!! And a clarinet. The instructor played very nice solos on both of them. And the guitar and base, lovely solos. The pianist was phenomenol.
Although the flute and clarinet solos are dearest to my heart, I must say that the trumpets . . .
I can't even say it. Oh my gosh. Such gorgeous high notes. It was like angels singing. Clear. Pure. Beautiful. High. It was fantastic.
And what made it even better was having the dancers dance to the jazz band playing. It was incredible. Undescribable. You just had to be there.
One of the alto saxophone soloists made such unbelievable sounds that I have never heard in a high school jazz band. I was hanging on the edge of my seat with my jaw on the floor.
As a treat in the midst of all this, the dancers did a tap show for us, and it was hilarious. Very good, and very talented, but hilarious.
So yeah. That was my Friday night that I should've blogged about on Saturday, but totally wasn't even thinking about it. So I share this exciting news with you now before I move on to my Japanese homework. As they say in Japan, ja ne!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Spirit of God . . .
. . . Like a Fire is Burning.
Today has been an eventful day. I've had my tears, smiles, laughs, rants, and who knows what else. My brain also hasn't quite caught up with my fingers, though, which is why the jump from my title to my opening paragraph is skewed.
To remedy that, I'll explain. I won't go into detail, but let's just say this past week has been rather rough. What has saved my heart from the ultimate breaking is knowing that no matter what, my Father in Heaven, Savior Jesus Christ, and their companion, the Holy Ghost, are always with me. I'm not perfect, and shall never attain such a status in this life. As long as I'm working toward it and follow God's commandments, I will be saved. I know He's proud of who I am, what I'm doing, and where I'm going. I know He'll never abandon me, He'll never leave me alone, and He'll always lead me in the right direction. He leads me to my blessed family and beloved friends who look out for me.
I am grateful for the burning in my bosom that indicates His spirit is near. I never want it to leave me.
Today has been an eventful day. I've had my tears, smiles, laughs, rants, and who knows what else. My brain also hasn't quite caught up with my fingers, though, which is why the jump from my title to my opening paragraph is skewed.
To remedy that, I'll explain. I won't go into detail, but let's just say this past week has been rather rough. What has saved my heart from the ultimate breaking is knowing that no matter what, my Father in Heaven, Savior Jesus Christ, and their companion, the Holy Ghost, are always with me. I'm not perfect, and shall never attain such a status in this life. As long as I'm working toward it and follow God's commandments, I will be saved. I know He's proud of who I am, what I'm doing, and where I'm going. I know He'll never abandon me, He'll never leave me alone, and He'll always lead me in the right direction. He leads me to my blessed family and beloved friends who look out for me.
I am grateful for the burning in my bosom that indicates His spirit is near. I never want it to leave me.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Musical Tendencies of a Child-Turned Musician
Alright, as per request of echo.of.alto, I am here to share with you the story behind my flute and piccolo.
I suppose to get this right, I should start from the beginning. My mom, beautiful singer and talented pianist that she is, wanted my younger sister and I to learn to play a musical instrument. We both started on piano at a very young age. Unlike my sister, however, I did not continue it.
At the tender age of 11, my mother warned me that when I got into Jr. High, she wanted me to join the band. As luck would have it, my neighbor, Karen Hoover, happened to play the flute. Due to a children's musical instrument game my siblings and I would play for fun, I decided that this silver instrument was the one I wanted to cultivate skill in.
The rest is history, I suppose. I started up lessons with Karen, and subsequently quit piano while I was at it. I got into Jr. High and joined the band where my talent in playing the flute grew. I continued with it in high school, though I quit my sophomore year.
My junior year of high school, a good friend of mine suggested that I should learn piccolo. Why she suggested it, I still don't know, but I will forever be eternally grateful to her for the comment. She lent me her piccolo for parade marching the next summer and I fell in love with the instrument. I spent my entire senior year pleading with my parents for one, and luckily enough, got one as a graduation gift.
That's pretty much it. It's a rather simple story, really. But I guess I should mention that I've always loved the mellow, sweet sound that comes from a flute. My passion for high singing (I am a first soprano after all) fed the fire of desire in my ventures with the flute, and eventually led me to the piccolo. I cherish both instruments, though since my flute is rather old, it doesn't sound nearly as good as it once did.
What really makes me laugh now is that I've gone back and am relearning the piano on my own--and it's hard. I'll just have to keep trying!
I suppose to get this right, I should start from the beginning. My mom, beautiful singer and talented pianist that she is, wanted my younger sister and I to learn to play a musical instrument. We both started on piano at a very young age. Unlike my sister, however, I did not continue it.
At the tender age of 11, my mother warned me that when I got into Jr. High, she wanted me to join the band. As luck would have it, my neighbor, Karen Hoover, happened to play the flute. Due to a children's musical instrument game my siblings and I would play for fun, I decided that this silver instrument was the one I wanted to cultivate skill in.
The rest is history, I suppose. I started up lessons with Karen, and subsequently quit piano while I was at it. I got into Jr. High and joined the band where my talent in playing the flute grew. I continued with it in high school, though I quit my sophomore year.
My junior year of high school, a good friend of mine suggested that I should learn piccolo. Why she suggested it, I still don't know, but I will forever be eternally grateful to her for the comment. She lent me her piccolo for parade marching the next summer and I fell in love with the instrument. I spent my entire senior year pleading with my parents for one, and luckily enough, got one as a graduation gift.
That's pretty much it. It's a rather simple story, really. But I guess I should mention that I've always loved the mellow, sweet sound that comes from a flute. My passion for high singing (I am a first soprano after all) fed the fire of desire in my ventures with the flute, and eventually led me to the piccolo. I cherish both instruments, though since my flute is rather old, it doesn't sound nearly as good as it once did.
What really makes me laugh now is that I've gone back and am relearning the piano on my own--and it's hard. I'll just have to keep trying!
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Beginning of an Adventure
This is it. The beginning. I fought it off for a long time but found I can no longer do so. Blogging has gripped me with an iron hand and is not willing to release me anytime soon.
I honestly don't know what to do with a blog, which is why I held off getting one for so long. But the time has come for me to man up (or woman up, I suppose). However, my knowledge is limited and although creative at times, my mind lacks the amazing analysis qualities that accompany many I see with blogs.
Until I can officially stand up on my own two feet, I would ask anyone who happens upon this blog or follows it (for whatever reasons you deem most important) to please shout out some topics. That way, I can use my poor creative muscle that has grown way too lax in recent years.
I honestly don't know what to do with a blog, which is why I held off getting one for so long. But the time has come for me to man up (or woman up, I suppose). However, my knowledge is limited and although creative at times, my mind lacks the amazing analysis qualities that accompany many I see with blogs.
Until I can officially stand up on my own two feet, I would ask anyone who happens upon this blog or follows it (for whatever reasons you deem most important) to please shout out some topics. That way, I can use my poor creative muscle that has grown way too lax in recent years.
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