This week's artist is Jacob's trumpet teacher, or rather one of his many bands. Bio Ritmo, the band, has been around for a while and Mark is one of the horn players. His main instrument is the cornet, but he plays trumpet just as well. As for the video, it was shot around Richmond including the restaurant Cuba Cuba.
Enjoy!
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Amanda Shires - Bulletproof (Live from Rhythm N' Blooms 2013)
I like to listen to the relatively local radio station WNRN, it is based in Charlottesville and plays a wide variety of music. The station is a sort of semi-professional college rado station. As a result i get to hear a fair amount of music before it becomes big. Case in point is this lovely song by Amanda Shires. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Artist of the Week: Spring Band Concert
Last week was the 35th annual Spring Concert for Jacob's wind symphony. They did a great job on the four main pieces: Time Sift. Heartbeat Five, Sun Cycles, and Passages plus the traditional end of Spring concert set: Armed Forces Songs (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard) and The Stars and Stripes Forever. This year there was an added bonus in the audience, Jacob's grandparents were able to come down for the concert.
I selected Sun Cycles to post because of a rather odd connection we have with the song. It was composed by Brian Balmages as a commission by the Patrick Marsh Middle School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison. We had lived in Madison for oh about 7 years and still have friends in the area and in fact one family still lives in Sun Prairie.
Funny how you can find connections in the strangest places.
I selected Sun Cycles to post because of a rather odd connection we have with the song. It was composed by Brian Balmages as a commission by the Patrick Marsh Middle School in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison. We had lived in Madison for oh about 7 years and still have friends in the area and in fact one family still lives in Sun Prairie.
Funny how you can find connections in the strangest places.
Monday, April 08, 2013
My Oh My
A wonderful song and video by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis that shows the passion that baseball can inspire.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Artist of the Week: Superior with Honor
This week's artist is Jacob and his high school's Wind Symphony.
Last weekend was the annual concert assessment. Middle and High schools across our district perform three pieces of music before three judges. Each judge scores the bands on a scale of one to five with one being superior. Then each band goes before another judge foe a sight reading. The director has seven minutes to organize the students to perform a new to the piece. As with the performance, the sight reading to judged on the same one to five scale.
The assessment is a very big deal, the directors select music that is graded by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors' Association. The grading goes from I (the easiest) on up to at least VI (that's the highest I've seen). It's a tricky balance, the band director wants to challenge their students, but not overly so. Our school is at about a grade IV to grade V, next year we should be a solid V.
Everybody wants a superior rating and this year it's doubly so for Jacob's high school. This past fall the marching band earned a very hard won superior rating. If a high school's music program earns a superior in both wind and marching they become a Virginia Honor Band. So you can imagine the tension going in. Happily they did a solid performance and earned ones all across the board.
Below is their performance of "Beacon of Polaris" by Gary P. Gilroy.
Last weekend was the annual concert assessment. Middle and High schools across our district perform three pieces of music before three judges. Each judge scores the bands on a scale of one to five with one being superior. Then each band goes before another judge foe a sight reading. The director has seven minutes to organize the students to perform a new to the piece. As with the performance, the sight reading to judged on the same one to five scale.
The assessment is a very big deal, the directors select music that is graded by the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors' Association. The grading goes from I (the easiest) on up to at least VI (that's the highest I've seen). It's a tricky balance, the band director wants to challenge their students, but not overly so. Our school is at about a grade IV to grade V, next year we should be a solid V.
Everybody wants a superior rating and this year it's doubly so for Jacob's high school. This past fall the marching band earned a very hard won superior rating. If a high school's music program earns a superior in both wind and marching they become a Virginia Honor Band. So you can imagine the tension going in. Happily they did a solid performance and earned ones all across the board.
Below is their performance of "Beacon of Polaris" by Gary P. Gilroy.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Artist of the Week: The Eighth Candle
This week's artist is Jacob and his high school"s band.
Last week was their winter concert and amongst the various holiday songs was "The Eighth Candle." This not the first time I have seen it in the program, but it was the first time the band was deemed to be ready to preform. I like that the director chooses a range of songs, from relatively easy to those that require the students to stretch. This year the band was up to the task.
Clocking in at just under eight minutes, the song is a long and difficult piece. The performance wasn't perfect, but the kids did a solid job. The level of play is ever so much higher than middle school and as a result the concerts are a treat to attend.
Hopefully the video will finish being processed and y'all will be able to enjoy The Eighth Candle.
Hooray, it's ready! Enjoy.
Last week was their winter concert and amongst the various holiday songs was "The Eighth Candle." This not the first time I have seen it in the program, but it was the first time the band was deemed to be ready to preform. I like that the director chooses a range of songs, from relatively easy to those that require the students to stretch. This year the band was up to the task.
Clocking in at just under eight minutes, the song is a long and difficult piece. The performance wasn't perfect, but the kids did a solid job. The level of play is ever so much higher than middle school and as a result the concerts are a treat to attend.
Hopefully the video will finish being processed and y'all will be able to enjoy The Eighth Candle.
Hooray, it's ready! Enjoy.
Monday, October 01, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Fun - We're Not Young (Yahoo!'s SketchY Parody)
I like the original song, We are Young, by the group Fun. But this Parody is wonderful. The original was written from the viewpoint of twenty somethings and the parody is from the thirty something perspective, meanwhile I sit here in my mid-forties and find all the angst hilarious.
Happily I have been declared not old by Max. He feels that you have to be in your seventies to be considered old. That gives me quite a bit more time to be young and foolish.
Happily I have been declared not old by Max. He feels that you have to be in your seventies to be considered old. That gives me quite a bit more time to be young and foolish.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Artist of the Week: Soloist
This year Jacob's band teacher decided to do things a bit differently for the end of the year concert. Normally she brings in a soloist from outside the school, but this year she decided to feature two seniors. One of them is a fellow trumpet player with Jacob. Cameron is a great guy and a wonderful trumpet player and was also this year's field marshal. He put up with a lot of shenanigans in the trumpet section.
I think he did an amazing job with a fairly complex piece. Jacob and I were impressed how Cam could play two notes at once. As Jacob noted, that's something the woodwinds can't do and that he finds very hard.
So I present Carnival of Venice.
I think he did an amazing job with a fairly complex piece. Jacob and I were impressed how Cam could play two notes at once. As Jacob noted, that's something the woodwinds can't do and that he finds very hard.
So I present Carnival of Venice.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Artist of the Week: Rebecca Spring 2012
This week's artist is the very lovely Rebecca. She looks so grown-up in this picture. I snapped it while she was next to me at the recital. The key thing with the picture was that I waited until after she preformed. I'm not sure I would have gotten as nice a smile if I tried before hand.
As for the performance itself, it went well. Rebecca originally planned on playing with the sheet music before her. However, her teacher approached her before the start of the recital and urged Rebecca to at least considering trying with out the sheet music.
Apparently the gentle urging worked.
When it was Rebecca's turn to play she strode up to the piano sans book. She was a bit hesitant at first, but as she progressed through the piece she grew more and more confident.Rebecca did a nice job and as you can she in the picture she was a very happy girl.
As for the performance itself, it went well. Rebecca originally planned on playing with the sheet music before her. However, her teacher approached her before the start of the recital and urged Rebecca to at least considering trying with out the sheet music.
Apparently the gentle urging worked.
When it was Rebecca's turn to play she strode up to the piano sans book. She was a bit hesitant at first, but as she progressed through the piece she grew more and more confident.Rebecca did a nice job and as you can she in the picture she was a very happy girl.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Wild Celtic Bagpipe Piece
For Max, who really loves the bagpipes and I'm more than happy to help him out.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Artist of the Week: Pre-Festival Concert 2012
This week's artist is Jake along with his fellow members of wing symphony. This was recorded back on March 1st. The concert was a sort of pre-assesment warm-up. The following week they performed for a panel of judges. They did a bang-up job and got top marks from the judges. However, they were not done.
They not only played the three pieces here, but also did a sight reading with an unfamiliar piece. The director was given 15 minutes to organize her students, then they had to perform for the judge. Again they scored top marks. It was a proud day for all the students and their parents.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Artist of the Week: Winter Concert
This week's artist is Jacob along with the high school band and I must state he looks incredibly handsome in his tuxedo. The shaggy hair adds to the whole musician esthetic, he definitely looks like his brother Nate in this particular photo.
Last week was the winter concert and as always, holiday themed music was on the program. In the following video the first and last songs performed by the band are showcased.
The first one is "Jingle Bells Fantasy" by James D. Ployhur, the same fellow that wrote "Pomp and Circumstance." I think the band did a great job playing this song, I just wish my filming skills were a bit better to do the performance justice.
The next song in the clip below is "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson. In addition to Jacobs band, the school's symphony orchestra are preforming as well. There wasn't close to enough room onstage so the strings had to play off the stage and down in the orchestra pit. The combined pseudo symphony orchestra did a bang up job. This was the first time the Orchestra and band had ever been combined and I think they did a bang up job.
So sit back and listen to a little holiday music.
Last week was the winter concert and as always, holiday themed music was on the program. In the following video the first and last songs performed by the band are showcased.
The first one is "Jingle Bells Fantasy" by James D. Ployhur, the same fellow that wrote "Pomp and Circumstance." I think the band did a great job playing this song, I just wish my filming skills were a bit better to do the performance justice.
The next song in the clip below is "Sleigh Ride" by Leroy Anderson. In addition to Jacobs band, the school's symphony orchestra are preforming as well. There wasn't close to enough room onstage so the strings had to play off the stage and down in the orchestra pit. The combined pseudo symphony orchestra did a bang up job. This was the first time the Orchestra and band had ever been combined and I think they did a bang up job.
So sit back and listen to a little holiday music.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Party Wagon
This is what the back of my van looked like last week. We brought home all the food Saturday and left the nonperishables for the next day. Larry and I were bushed and the idea of driving back and forth for the second load was unthinkable. We still had an after-party that evening and we wanted to relax a bit.
So Sunday morning we made our way back to the synagog and loaded up the van with two huge flower arrangements, a dozen glass bowls with pansies, two amplifiers, two pedals, a guitar (Nate's), a bass (Larry's), and two stands. It was a full load and after we packed it all in the van looked very festive.
The ride home was for the most part uneventful. Nate's guitar did topple over, but fortunately nothing broke. We made one side trip to drop off the huge arrangements at a local nursing home. After Jake's Bar Mitzvah we didn't think of donating them. I'm glad this time we did, they got to brighten a few more lives.
So Sunday morning we made our way back to the synagog and loaded up the van with two huge flower arrangements, a dozen glass bowls with pansies, two amplifiers, two pedals, a guitar (Nate's), a bass (Larry's), and two stands. It was a full load and after we packed it all in the van looked very festive.
The ride home was for the most part uneventful. Nate's guitar did topple over, but fortunately nothing broke. We made one side trip to drop off the huge arrangements at a local nursing home. After Jake's Bar Mitzvah we didn't think of donating them. I'm glad this time we did, they got to brighten a few more lives.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Artist of the Week: Last Call
This week's artist, or rather artists are the Velvet Marias. Sadly they will be playing their last gig together this Saturday.
They have been together, oh about five years and Larry and I have been to many of their shows around Richmond. Originally we went because Larry is friends with the bassist, but we kept going because they are/were a fun band. Since then we have become friends with the female singer and the drummer. In fact two of the drummer's sons are teaching Max drums, Nate guitar, and Larry bass.
The video below is of the Velvets playing at a local BBQ joint. They are doing a splendid cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking." An all time favorite on their set list.
I'm sad to see them go as a band, but we'll still see them individually around town. They had introduced us to Richmond's vibrant live music scene and got us to go out as a couple again.
They have been together, oh about five years and Larry and I have been to many of their shows around Richmond. Originally we went because Larry is friends with the bassist, but we kept going because they are/were a fun band. Since then we have become friends with the female singer and the drummer. In fact two of the drummer's sons are teaching Max drums, Nate guitar, and Larry bass.
The video below is of the Velvets playing at a local BBQ joint. They are doing a splendid cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking." An all time favorite on their set list.
I'm sad to see them go as a band, but we'll still see them individually around town. They had introduced us to Richmond's vibrant live music scene and got us to go out as a couple again.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, August 04, 2011
My Drummer Boy
We had a really neat opportunity today at our local library. A member of Tampa Taiko was in our area and would be at our local library. I signed up both Max and me and we skedaddled on over after lunch.
It was a fun program sponsored by the Friends of the Library. We learned a bit about taiko, Japanese drums, from how the drums are made, what they are called,and the notes you play on them. The best part was at the end when groups of seven were brought up and invited to play the drums. Max had a good time and even the big kids (grownups like me) got to join in the fun. Everybody was encouraged to give it a try and even dance.
It was wonderful, I hope they get invited to come again and I'll bring the rest of my crew.
It was a fun program sponsored by the Friends of the Library. We learned a bit about taiko, Japanese drums, from how the drums are made, what they are called,and the notes you play on them. The best part was at the end when groups of seven were brought up and invited to play the drums. Max had a good time and even the big kids (grownups like me) got to join in the fun. Everybody was encouraged to give it a try and even dance.
It was wonderful, I hope they get invited to come again and I'll bring the rest of my crew.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Caravan Palace - Suzy
This is not the first time I've featured Caravan Palace, and probably not the last.
I love the song and the video. It is just plain fun.
I love the song and the video. It is just plain fun.
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