Ooooooh Review of Ear Training I-III.,....
Thou art the bane of my existance.
I suck at ear training.
Like hard-core.
More specifically, I suck at melodic dictation.
I am always, always one step off.
Seriously.
Every time we do melodic dictation and he puts the answers on the board, every note I have written is one step (usually below) what he has written.
Argh!
And we've got a quiz this Thursday.
And I've got a 'hearing' Thursday as well.
A hearing is like a mini-test with the TA.
To sum up.
Thursday = Bad News Bears.
Cheers.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A secret translator......*a secret translator*
Today I visited a new church.
Cavalry Lutheran is a mega church outside of Minneapolis with three services on Sundays.
A 'classical' service early in the morning...
Two 'contemporary' services later in the morning...
And a 'modern' service in the evening.
Looking for young-uns with which to ingratiate myself, and for some rockin' tunes, I decided to attend the modern evening service.
Umm.....yeah.
The service was not in the huge main area, but in a smaller side chapel with a GORGEOUS stained glass window.
There was a small amount of people there (about 20 or 30?), and most of them older people or families.
The music was awesome.
Rockin'.
And it was all songs I knew (which was great!).
The vocalist had a fantastic voice and their arrangements were really interesting as well.
While I'm on the subject of church worship I would like to put the question into cyberspace....Why don't Minnesotans sing in church!?!?!??! There's always worship, and there's always projectors, why does everyone seem content to stand and WATCH the band rather than joining in?! That's why they have the words up there ya know!
Oy.
Anyway....Then came the message.
*giggle*
I say again, 'oy'.
The pastor was really cheesy and disengaged me almost right away.
He was like one of those really annoying pastors you see on tv on Sundays where they're always smiling but you don't know why and are sure they don't either.
The message was accompanied by a power point.
This week it was called 'igniting the fire', and was appropriately backlit by a picture of licking red flames.
....ok. Maybe not so appropriately. Not gonna lie, it looked a little like hell.
Woops.
The Pastor started out wanting to talk about 'the great commission', but ended up spending forty minutes giving us almost a word for word summary of a book he read this summer. A book which has nothing to do with the great commission.
.....yyyyeaaaaahh....
However, what really got to me was what I like to call the 'secret translator'.
The power point was set up to be a sort of 'echo' to everything the pastor was saying, sometimes to the letter.
(proof positive that this was a completly memorized message with ZERO improvistation what-so-ever).
The effect was that of having a translator sitting next to you whispering what the speaker is saying after they say it.
For example.
Imagine that in the following exchange, the red type is the pastor and the orange type is the powerpoint. Imagine that the powerpoint appears about one second after the pastor speaks.
This summer I read a book called 'Soul Obsession' by Nikki ........
'Soul Obsession' by Nikki ........
He was a man who grew up in Puerto Rico with his mother
Grew up in Puerto Rico with his mother
He was walking down the street when he heard music from a church and stepped in.
He found a church.
Hundreds of people showed up to pray for his mother.
Hundreds of people, praying for his mother.
He felt that God wanted him to forgive his mother.
God wants him to forgive his mother.
Seriously.
It was ridiculous.
I almost laughed out loud a few times.
Well.
In conclusion.....I love the music at this church, but the message at the Vinyard was FAR superior.
Pretty awesome as a matter of fact.
I don't know what I'm going to do next week.
I'm torn between checking out the contemporary service to see if it's any better, checking out one other church I was interested in, and going back to the Vinyard; where I don't know any of the songs and feel a little 'uncool', but the messages are fantastiche.
.....I dunno.
I guess we'll see.
Cheers.
Cavalry Lutheran is a mega church outside of Minneapolis with three services on Sundays.
A 'classical' service early in the morning...
Two 'contemporary' services later in the morning...
And a 'modern' service in the evening.
Looking for young-uns with which to ingratiate myself, and for some rockin' tunes, I decided to attend the modern evening service.
Umm.....yeah.
The service was not in the huge main area, but in a smaller side chapel with a GORGEOUS stained glass window.
There was a small amount of people there (about 20 or 30?), and most of them older people or families.
The music was awesome.
Rockin'.
And it was all songs I knew (which was great!).
The vocalist had a fantastic voice and their arrangements were really interesting as well.
While I'm on the subject of church worship I would like to put the question into cyberspace....Why don't Minnesotans sing in church!?!?!??! There's always worship, and there's always projectors, why does everyone seem content to stand and WATCH the band rather than joining in?! That's why they have the words up there ya know!
Oy.
Anyway....Then came the message.
*giggle*
I say again, 'oy'.
The pastor was really cheesy and disengaged me almost right away.
He was like one of those really annoying pastors you see on tv on Sundays where they're always smiling but you don't know why and are sure they don't either.
The message was accompanied by a power point.
This week it was called 'igniting the fire', and was appropriately backlit by a picture of licking red flames.
....ok. Maybe not so appropriately. Not gonna lie, it looked a little like hell.
Woops.
The Pastor started out wanting to talk about 'the great commission', but ended up spending forty minutes giving us almost a word for word summary of a book he read this summer. A book which has nothing to do with the great commission.
.....yyyyeaaaaahh....
However, what really got to me was what I like to call the 'secret translator'.
The power point was set up to be a sort of 'echo' to everything the pastor was saying, sometimes to the letter.
(proof positive that this was a completly memorized message with ZERO improvistation what-so-ever).
The effect was that of having a translator sitting next to you whispering what the speaker is saying after they say it.
For example.
Imagine that in the following exchange, the red type is the pastor and the orange type is the powerpoint. Imagine that the powerpoint appears about one second after the pastor speaks.
This summer I read a book called 'Soul Obsession' by Nikki ........
'Soul Obsession' by Nikki ........
He was a man who grew up in Puerto Rico with his mother
Grew up in Puerto Rico with his mother
He was walking down the street when he heard music from a church and stepped in.
He found a church.
Hundreds of people showed up to pray for his mother.
Hundreds of people, praying for his mother.
He felt that God wanted him to forgive his mother.
God wants him to forgive his mother.
Seriously.
It was ridiculous.
I almost laughed out loud a few times.
Well.
In conclusion.....I love the music at this church, but the message at the Vinyard was FAR superior.
Pretty awesome as a matter of fact.
I don't know what I'm going to do next week.
I'm torn between checking out the contemporary service to see if it's any better, checking out one other church I was interested in, and going back to the Vinyard; where I don't know any of the songs and feel a little 'uncool', but the messages are fantastiche.
.....I dunno.
I guess we'll see.
Cheers.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Ridin' through the desert on a horse with no name
Hi everyone!
First week of classes?
Officially done.
Feeling better about life.
I love Voice Lit.
The teacher is this super cute little pregnant woman.
She's young, and hilarious.
Loves bad puns.
I think it's gonna be a really interesting class.
Mostly because of her, not because I'm actually super excited about identifying art song or anything. *ack*
Diction?
Also gonna be fun.
The Bag is our teacher for that class and mostly we're just reading German conversations and performing German lieder.
She then corrects every little tiny mistake.
Which is good.
We need that.
Also, I love how she's into making everything relevant to our careers (theory? not so much).
The conversations are conversations you would hear when walking into an audition in a German speaking country, and our vocab list is all words we would need as professionals as well.
Ear training.....
Well....The professor is really cool.
He's funny and seems like a really nice guy. Kind of reminds me of a female Survilla.
However, that doesn't completely stop the class itself from SUCKING the joy from life.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeevilllllll clllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssss..........................
Opera Theatre?
...We'll see.
We've only had that one meeting so far (I have rehearsal again this Monday), and I've been working like a maniac on this music and the Russian.
I'm stressin' a little about it, but I don't know what else I can do besides keep working on it.
Voice lessons?
Rock. Period.
I think my placement is really improving already.
Rock on.
And that's about all there is to it!
I still feel pretty dumb sometimes (I'm sorry! I don't like listening to classical music in my free time!!!! ARGH! Let's have you all take a musical theatre class and see who gets pwned!), but whatever. I just have to remind myself that that's why I'm taking the class.
Cheers mates.
First week of classes?
Officially done.
Feeling better about life.
I love Voice Lit.
The teacher is this super cute little pregnant woman.
She's young, and hilarious.
Loves bad puns.
I think it's gonna be a really interesting class.
Mostly because of her, not because I'm actually super excited about identifying art song or anything. *ack*
Diction?
Also gonna be fun.
The Bag is our teacher for that class and mostly we're just reading German conversations and performing German lieder.
She then corrects every little tiny mistake.
Which is good.
We need that.
Also, I love how she's into making everything relevant to our careers (theory? not so much).
The conversations are conversations you would hear when walking into an audition in a German speaking country, and our vocab list is all words we would need as professionals as well.
Ear training.....
Well....The professor is really cool.
He's funny and seems like a really nice guy. Kind of reminds me of a female Survilla.
However, that doesn't completely stop the class itself from SUCKING the joy from life.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeevilllllll clllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssss..........................
Opera Theatre?
...We'll see.
We've only had that one meeting so far (I have rehearsal again this Monday), and I've been working like a maniac on this music and the Russian.
I'm stressin' a little about it, but I don't know what else I can do besides keep working on it.
Voice lessons?
Rock. Period.
I think my placement is really improving already.
Rock on.
And that's about all there is to it!
I still feel pretty dumb sometimes (I'm sorry! I don't like listening to classical music in my free time!!!! ARGH! Let's have you all take a musical theatre class and see who gets pwned!), but whatever. I just have to remind myself that that's why I'm taking the class.
Cheers mates.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Of Course
The casts of all three one act operas just got an e-mail from the director saying he was SUPER disappointed with the amount of music learned last night.
He also essentially said that if it wasn't learned completely in two weeks he was going to refuse to rehearse with those people and dock their grades for the class.
*continues grappling and panicking with Stravinsky*
Ahhhhh yes. The words of comfort and encouragement I was looking for.
Thanks David.
Thanks for that.
*incoherant noise of anguish*
He also essentially said that if it wasn't learned completely in two weeks he was going to refuse to rehearse with those people and dock their grades for the class.
*continues grappling and panicking with Stravinsky*
Ahhhhh yes. The words of comfort and encouragement I was looking for.
Thanks David.
Thanks for that.
*incoherant noise of anguish*
Woefully Inadequate
Prepare yourselves.
It's another one of those posts.
We are in the middle of day 2 of classes and I feel awful.
I feel like everybody knows more than me, sounds better than me, looks better than me, and is all around just.......better than me.
*argh*
On top of which, I keep having to alter my work schedule, which came out before I had all of my classes in order.
So.....My work schedule for this week and the next are in just about the biggest mess I have ever seen in my life. And everyone keeps looking at me like it's my fault they just released the Opera rehearsal scheule last night! Or that no one EVER mentioned ANYTHING about a 'recital hour' on Tuesdays! Let alone that it was required!!!!
I also didn't know I was going to have to take ear training review until I got the test results end of last week!
I'm SORRY everyone!
Trust me! I would MUCH rather have had all of this information a month ago!
And God knows how I'm ever going to get it figured out to everyone's satisfaction.
*head plant*
Suck.
I also have no idea how I'm going to do my homework and work at the bookstore at the same time. I know other people do it though.....So I guess I'll just have to figure it out somehow.
*dies*
I just really hope this all works itself out eventually.
But as for the month of September.......It is made of horrible death-eater level awfullness.
Epic Fail, September.
Epic.
Fail.
It's another one of those posts.
We are in the middle of day 2 of classes and I feel awful.
I feel like everybody knows more than me, sounds better than me, looks better than me, and is all around just.......better than me.
*argh*
On top of which, I keep having to alter my work schedule, which came out before I had all of my classes in order.
So.....My work schedule for this week and the next are in just about the biggest mess I have ever seen in my life. And everyone keeps looking at me like it's my fault they just released the Opera rehearsal scheule last night! Or that no one EVER mentioned ANYTHING about a 'recital hour' on Tuesdays! Let alone that it was required!!!!
I also didn't know I was going to have to take ear training review until I got the test results end of last week!
I'm SORRY everyone!
Trust me! I would MUCH rather have had all of this information a month ago!
And God knows how I'm ever going to get it figured out to everyone's satisfaction.
*head plant*
Suck.
I also have no idea how I'm going to do my homework and work at the bookstore at the same time. I know other people do it though.....So I guess I'll just have to figure it out somehow.
*dies*
I just really hope this all works itself out eventually.
But as for the month of September.......It is made of horrible death-eater level awfullness.
Epic Fail, September.
Epic.
Fail.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
We're a special kind of people known as 'Show People'
Re-watched the premiere of 'Glee' on abc.
Love, by the way.
You should all watch it.
It's rockin' my face.
Witty, tongue-in-cheek, slapstick, and quality performers. (Have I met some of them? Yes I have! Yay Broadway!)
However, all 'Glee' managed to do for me tonight was make me cry.
Because I want to be them.
I don't think I've ever needed anything as much as I need to be on a stage right now.
*dies a little bit*
And to make it worse, I spent a lot of time today trying to figure out how theatre works at U of M.....
And it appears that they have no musical theatre.
Except for their summer 'Showboat' company.
*dies a little more*
Are you telling me a school of this size has no musical theatre during the school year?!
REALLY!?!??!!
Is that what you're telling me?!?!?!
Because I don't think you really want to be telling me that!!!!!!!!!
*sigh*
I just......
Everyone has something they can't live without.
For some people, teaching is the only thing that will make them truly happy.
For Doctors, it's healing people.
For Architects, it's designing.
For me, it's being on a stage.
We're a special kind of people known as, 'Show People'
We live in a world of our own.
Our days are tied to curtains,
they rise and they fall.
We're born every night
at half hour call!
We can't picture being anything but, 'Show People'
civilians find the whole thing quite bizarre.
But that hope in our hearts
when the overture starts
let's us know how lucky we are!
It's on honor and joy to be in Show Business!
I feel that spotlight hit me and I'm gone!
At the last curtain call
I'm the envy of all
So I know the show must,
Go ON!
Excerpt from 'Show People' in the musical "Curtains"
Love, by the way.
You should all watch it.
It's rockin' my face.
Witty, tongue-in-cheek, slapstick, and quality performers. (Have I met some of them? Yes I have! Yay Broadway!)
However, all 'Glee' managed to do for me tonight was make me cry.
Because I want to be them.
I don't think I've ever needed anything as much as I need to be on a stage right now.
*dies a little bit*
And to make it worse, I spent a lot of time today trying to figure out how theatre works at U of M.....
And it appears that they have no musical theatre.
Except for their summer 'Showboat' company.
*dies a little more*
Are you telling me a school of this size has no musical theatre during the school year?!
REALLY!?!??!!
Is that what you're telling me?!?!?!
Because I don't think you really want to be telling me that!!!!!!!!!
*sigh*
I just......
Everyone has something they can't live without.
For some people, teaching is the only thing that will make them truly happy.
For Doctors, it's healing people.
For Architects, it's designing.
For me, it's being on a stage.
We're a special kind of people known as, 'Show People'
We live in a world of our own.
Our days are tied to curtains,
they rise and they fall.
We're born every night
at half hour call!
We can't picture being anything but, 'Show People'
civilians find the whole thing quite bizarre.
But that hope in our hearts
when the overture starts
let's us know how lucky we are!
It's on honor and joy to be in Show Business!
I feel that spotlight hit me and I'm gone!
At the last curtain call
I'm the envy of all
So I know the show must,
Go ON!
Excerpt from 'Show People' in the musical "Curtains"
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Three bummers + Three awesomes = Switzerland
Today consisted of three bummers, and three awesomes.
Bummer #1
My ATM card does not work. Not in Minneapolis. Not at any ATM. Not ever. It works as a debit card! It works as a credit card! It just refuses to let me take money out of ATMS!
Today I needed cash for the Minnesota State Fair.
I could not get cash.
I called the bank (for the second time about this).
They asked if I had ever used an ATM before.
*fume*
They asked if the ATM was out of money.
*fume*
They asked if I was trying to draw from the right account.
*fume*
To conclude. No cash. No answers. Lots of fuming.
Bummer #2
The Bag had said at my first lesson that she wanted me to audition for the MinnOp Resident Artist program this fall. Which I thought was Ca-ray-zee, because I'm only a little baby opera singer and the resident artist program is for...like...grown-ups.
Today she responded to an e-mail I sent her asking if she wanted me to start working on any new arias for the auditions, and she basically said she changed her mind and thought I should wait a year to let my voice develop more.
*blind panic!*
*anxiety!*
Did I not do as well as she hoped in my lessons?!
Did I not sound very well?!
Am I not working hard enough?!
Did she just realize that I'm too young?!?! (this is the preferrable answer).
So.....anxiety about that.
Bummer #3
Laura and I met a guy at the fair today. He was really nice. This evening Laura comes back and says all expectantly, "Did he facebook friend you?"
I check, "Nope."
*awkward pause*
"Oh."
Burn.
Frickin', just....burn.
That really bites the big one.
Either I need to get less attractive friends, or start looking at cosmetic surgery, because this will simply not do.
I don't want to be 'Chunk' and have the rest of them be the cool Goonies.
So.........Ouch.
'Aaaaaand the self-esteem takes one right in the kisser!'
Still smarting from that one.
Now for the awesome......
Awesome #1
Corn dogs.
Today the chicas and I went to the fair.
There were corn dogs.
The heavens didst open and the sun shone down upon the chubby girl, and her tastebuds did rejoice for the gift of the dog of corn given from the Lord on this day of days.
Awesome #2
Deep friend Snickers.
Not as amazing as I hoped, and my teeth sort of hurt afterwards....But still very nummy.
That's something you only really need to eat once in your life.
Awesome #3
'Pirates of Penzance' performed by the Australian Opera Company arrived today (thanks Netflix)!!
Starring Anthony Warlowe and David Hobson (two of my faves).
The show was sort of skewing 'Pirates of the Carribbean' and Warlowe played the Pirate King as Jack Sparrow. Dead on.
That's the great thing about the AOC. They have quality voices (of course), but the acting is always wonderful (from the men anyways. Women....eh.) and the production designs are tremendous! Someday I'm going to make it down there and meet all my amazing heros of opera. =D
To conclude, the dvd was VERY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Australian Opera Company rocks my face.
Frickin', heck yeah.
All in all, a mixed day.
But ending it with 'Pirates' made me a happy girl.
Now, off to bed to read some 'Harry Potter' and dream of Hogwarts.
Cheers.
Bummer #1
My ATM card does not work. Not in Minneapolis. Not at any ATM. Not ever. It works as a debit card! It works as a credit card! It just refuses to let me take money out of ATMS!
Today I needed cash for the Minnesota State Fair.
I could not get cash.
I called the bank (for the second time about this).
They asked if I had ever used an ATM before.
*fume*
They asked if the ATM was out of money.
*fume*
They asked if I was trying to draw from the right account.
*fume*
To conclude. No cash. No answers. Lots of fuming.
Bummer #2
The Bag had said at my first lesson that she wanted me to audition for the MinnOp Resident Artist program this fall. Which I thought was Ca-ray-zee, because I'm only a little baby opera singer and the resident artist program is for...like...grown-ups.
Today she responded to an e-mail I sent her asking if she wanted me to start working on any new arias for the auditions, and she basically said she changed her mind and thought I should wait a year to let my voice develop more.
*blind panic!*
*anxiety!*
Did I not do as well as she hoped in my lessons?!
Did I not sound very well?!
Am I not working hard enough?!
Did she just realize that I'm too young?!?! (this is the preferrable answer).
So.....anxiety about that.
Bummer #3
Laura and I met a guy at the fair today. He was really nice. This evening Laura comes back and says all expectantly, "Did he facebook friend you?"
I check, "Nope."
*awkward pause*
"Oh."
Burn.
Frickin', just....burn.
That really bites the big one.
Either I need to get less attractive friends, or start looking at cosmetic surgery, because this will simply not do.
I don't want to be 'Chunk' and have the rest of them be the cool Goonies.
So.........Ouch.
'Aaaaaand the self-esteem takes one right in the kisser!'
Still smarting from that one.
Now for the awesome......
Awesome #1
Corn dogs.
Today the chicas and I went to the fair.
There were corn dogs.
The heavens didst open and the sun shone down upon the chubby girl, and her tastebuds did rejoice for the gift of the dog of corn given from the Lord on this day of days.
Awesome #2
Deep friend Snickers.
Not as amazing as I hoped, and my teeth sort of hurt afterwards....But still very nummy.
That's something you only really need to eat once in your life.
Awesome #3
'Pirates of Penzance' performed by the Australian Opera Company arrived today (thanks Netflix)!!
Starring Anthony Warlowe and David Hobson (two of my faves).
The show was sort of skewing 'Pirates of the Carribbean' and Warlowe played the Pirate King as Jack Sparrow. Dead on.
That's the great thing about the AOC. They have quality voices (of course), but the acting is always wonderful (from the men anyways. Women....eh.) and the production designs are tremendous! Someday I'm going to make it down there and meet all my amazing heros of opera. =D
To conclude, the dvd was VERY AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!
Australian Opera Company rocks my face.
Frickin', heck yeah.
All in all, a mixed day.
But ending it with 'Pirates' made me a happy girl.
Now, off to bed to read some 'Harry Potter' and dream of Hogwarts.
Cheers.
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