I am at Eastern Music Festival. For those who don't know, it's a pretty big deal. There are eight oboes here, and I'm sitting beside people who go to Eastman and Cincinnati Conservatory. It's absolutely amazing. The orchestra is definitely better than any one I've ever been a part of...almost as good as ICSO. But it's hard to tell. But the chance to perform Barber's Second Essay for Orchestra and Prokofiev 5 within a week of each other is pretty fantastic.
After a morning of intense frustration, I've had two major breakthroughs in my playing today. The first is how I think about the oboe and my air; that rather than using the intensity of my embouchure to control the sound, I should use the intensity of my air to fill the reed and the sound. Second, I need to trust myself more. I know I have problems with rhythm, and I've let that get in the way of playing the music. Instead of playing where I know is right, I think too much and count too much. Everything gets bogged down and I end up coming in late or early. Music isn't about math, it's about sound and interlocking parts. So if I think of it as a puzzle rather than an equation, it becomes more playable.
It's amazing what one lesson can do. It's amazing that someone different can say something, the same thing you've heard a thousand times before, and suddenly it makes sense.
It's kind of a liberating feeling.
6.29.2011
6.10.2011
OH!
One more thing: every time I type the exclamation "OH!", all I can think about is a very excited hydroxide molecule.
Wow. I've been terrible about blogging. I should probably change this, now that I have the time to a) breathe, b) sleep, and c) do anything other than be in a constant state of running toward or away from the oboe.
Summer is here. Unsurprisingly, Macon is still about as boring as ever. We're getting a new gay bar called Kaos. It's drenched in rainbow insignia and also conveniently placed next to a sketchy massage parlour (take the hint). Customer overlap? All in all it seems pretty shady. Macon is just not the place to be gay, or at least be out about it.
It's infernally hot. It's already reached 102 in the beginning of June when those temperatures are usually reserved to mid/late July and the always sweltering August. Between the heat and the humidity, walking outside is somewhat similar to being slapped in the face with a sauna.
On a positive note, after a brief scare due to family history and five hours at Middle Georgia Diagnostics getting stuck every hour, I have concluded that I do not have diabetes and am in fact hypoglycemic. The result? Eat more. Buh. Well, at least I'm being advised on how to keep my body healthy.
OH! Also on a positive note, I was accepted to Eastern Music Festival in April. I'll be leaving for five weeks spanning the end of June and the entire month of July. I'm incredibly excited about getting to play some amazing music, especially because my orchestral experience is limited. I'm looking forward to the people and to getting out of Georgia.
After a month of practicing two hours a day and only having made ONE reed, I finally broke down and bought a shaper handle, something I've been meaning to do for two years now. This means I'll actually have to start being productive...disappointing. Though I do find it amazing that when you actually listen to what your teachers tell you, you advance really fast. Who would have thought? Listening? To your teachers? I guess it just takes a certain amount of time and musical maturity for it to sink in, but when it does, it's both amazing and terrible: amazing because you've reached a new height in your playing, terrible because now everything sounds inadequate. But that's the life of a musician. Always striving for more.
So that's a life update for the wild wild web. Pixels, I'm glad you hear me.
Summer is here. Unsurprisingly, Macon is still about as boring as ever. We're getting a new gay bar called Kaos. It's drenched in rainbow insignia and also conveniently placed next to a sketchy massage parlour (take the hint). Customer overlap? All in all it seems pretty shady. Macon is just not the place to be gay, or at least be out about it.
It's infernally hot. It's already reached 102 in the beginning of June when those temperatures are usually reserved to mid/late July and the always sweltering August. Between the heat and the humidity, walking outside is somewhat similar to being slapped in the face with a sauna.
On a positive note, after a brief scare due to family history and five hours at Middle Georgia Diagnostics getting stuck every hour, I have concluded that I do not have diabetes and am in fact hypoglycemic. The result? Eat more. Buh. Well, at least I'm being advised on how to keep my body healthy.
OH! Also on a positive note, I was accepted to Eastern Music Festival in April. I'll be leaving for five weeks spanning the end of June and the entire month of July. I'm incredibly excited about getting to play some amazing music, especially because my orchestral experience is limited. I'm looking forward to the people and to getting out of Georgia.
After a month of practicing two hours a day and only having made ONE reed, I finally broke down and bought a shaper handle, something I've been meaning to do for two years now. This means I'll actually have to start being productive...disappointing. Though I do find it amazing that when you actually listen to what your teachers tell you, you advance really fast. Who would have thought? Listening? To your teachers? I guess it just takes a certain amount of time and musical maturity for it to sink in, but when it does, it's both amazing and terrible: amazing because you've reached a new height in your playing, terrible because now everything sounds inadequate. But that's the life of a musician. Always striving for more.
So that's a life update for the wild wild web. Pixels, I'm glad you hear me.
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