(Termina rather than Viridian City because I've realized that almost everyone I see here looks like someone I've seen before, just edited somewhat... it's kind of freaky, really)
Obviously the biggest thing I've had to worry about was my ensemble placement audition, which was on the first Friday of my being back. I had to play the last movement of JS Bach's cello Suite #1, a short melody blatantly ripped from the violin line in the first movement of Mahler 5, and another wind ensemble-esque fanfare thing. And... I thought it went poorly, at first. I got a huge hit of nerves partway through the Bach excerpt, and had a really hard time breathing for the rest of the page, which isn't exactly the best thing on brass. I took a bit of extra time to try and catch my breath for the Mahler-esque one, but I still felt like my breathing was really shallow (I played the Mahlery one on C, for that added touch of detail, I think it went over well; can't say for sure as the audition was blind). Finally, by the concert band one, I had calmed down enough to play normally, and that one actually kind of rocked.
Thankfully, it worked out for me, and I ended up getting into the orchestra rather than the wind symphony, which is exactly what I was hoping for. I guess, if people would ask me what my advice would be for a stressful situation like that, it's "keep going, no matter what." I really think my nerves were audible, but at the same time, I didn't let anything stop me. Even when I was struggling for air, I kept the flow of the piece (I may have sped up a tad >.>) and tanked my way through. It's kind of the same in rep class / perf class / masterclass / whatever your school calls it: you're trying to emulate a performance, so DON'T STOP. Tank your way through, and if you do want to stop, have a good, justifiable reason for it.
Firebird was making fun of me because I discovered something I had made fun of her for once: the half-hour practice session. I used to do the marathon thing when it came to practicing, and I kind of hate my old habits of doing that. Doing 3-5 half-hour sessions in a day is CLEARLY the superior option, as I've been feeling fresh for each one, having an easier time concentrating, and getting tired less often, not to mention having a better batting average in ensemble rehearsals. Maurice frickin' André was an advocate of the half-hour session, for crying out loud... how have I not discovered this before? But, yeah... do it.
We had our first quintet rehearsal today, and it looks like we'll probably be doing two per week, one coached and one independently. It was good to read through some things, and I think we'll work out to be a pretty solid group, once we start doing some serious woodshedding.
It's a little unusual to me, but ensembles are really early at this school. Like, the latest I'm usually done is by 6pm, meaning I generally get back home by 7. This means, being the antisocial hermit that I am, and since I don't have an undergraduate amount of homework to do, I get bored a lot easier at night. Not that that's interesting to anyone, but as I said, laced with vanity or something.
And so yeah, that was my not-terribly-interesting post of the night. Not sure what's in store next time, might be another one of these, might be a silly one, might be something completely different. I do have an idea for a silly one, but it's a very rough plan. So, instead, I'll leave you with something that's just... also silly. Peace out!
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