Chris+Chavez



- Chris Chavez - Independent Study -Music Performance- Mrs.Kauppila- Period 6

 Weeks of January 20-24 Playing through the Lady Gaga Fugue was tough, it sounded different and was even written differently, it is a fugue and not a pop song. Whenever a song that you hear on the radio arranged for any type of ensemble, it usually tends to be quite different from the original version you hear everyday on the radio. And although the notes and rhythms weren't very hard to play through, it was more of the dynamics and tempo that changed. Taking into consideration that this piece is a Fugue it has quite a different texture to it than other styles of music. Playing through the "Bad Romance" section of this piece from measures 54 to the end was very different from the arrangement we played during marching band my sophomore year. I enjoy playing through the Lady Gaga Fugue because I knew what most of the different songs were supposed to sound like and as well as this I had to take into account the fact that a few of the rhythms and dynamics may be different from the kinds of things that I am used to hearing on the radio. Usually I am very bad at playing music that I hear on the radio in a musical ensemble because I usually play what I am used to hearing on the radio. This is why the Lady Gaga Fugue is a piece that I will have to pay great attention to details such as dynamics and rhythm.  

 Weeks of January 13-17  I am finally back in school after being sick for quite a while, I had Uvetis in both my right and left eyes which is basically inflammation and swelling in both of my eyes. The transition from laying in bed all day in a dark room to now being in school has been very different from what I had been previously doing, but it is also to now finally be in school. Coming back to band this new year was sort of a challenge with my eyes still in recovery mode, it was very challenging to see where exactly the notes were placed on the staff but over the course of this week my eyes have gotten much better making it easier to read music! Music for the formal concert was distributed while I was sick but sight reading through them, I have concluded that Blue Tango by Leroy Anderson is my favorite piece for the formal concert! After playing through the piece in class I instantly decided that this piece was one I really enjoyed. The melody is very catchy and was stuck in my head for the majority of the day, although in the Tenor Sax part there is quite some moving around for the fingers I began to practice this melody because it sounds great when played with the full ensemble. I am very eager to prepare and work on Blue Tango for the formal concert!

 Weeks of December 16 - January 13 Not in school  

Weeks of December 2 - December 13 Upon my decision to teach myself to play the bassoon, I have printed a bass clef note chart as well as a bassoon fingering chart. I looked online and found a video of a woman named Michele Bowen playing a bassoon solo it really showed how the bassoon is made to play staccato notes very well. Along with this video, I found a video series of Bassoon lessons for beginners. I learned how to assemble the bassoon and realized that it's a lot smaller than it seems. The transition from Tenor Saxophone to the Bassoon might be a bit harder than I thought due to the fact the bassoon uses a double reed. A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. The term double reed comes from the fact that there are two pieces of cane vibrating against each other. A single reed consists of only one piece of cane which vibrates against a mouthpiece made of metal, hardened rubber, resin, or some other material. The bassoon has the odd distinction of being the only instrument in the orchestra that requires every finger to play. Think about it for a second. You could lose your right thumb in a tragic birdhouse construction accident and you could still play the clarinet. Pianists continue to play their instrument with only one hand. A bassoonist needs all of his/her fingers in order to play a chromatic scale up a single octave. 

Weeks of November 18 - November 29 District Chorus auditions were on Saturday November 23rd at Octorara High School. I felt very confident and prepared for two out of my three songs. The audition section for Sicut Locutus Est was a section that I had prepared and I enjoyed, Sicut Locutus Est was probably my favorite of the three songs. Blessed Be The Name of The Lord had a harder section for the audition, the section included several half steps moving up which I struggled with. For Wondrous Cool, Thy Woodland Quiet I had also struggled with the pitches towards the end. Overall, although I did not make the festival, I was very happy with the learning experience that I gained from auditioning for the festival. Recently I came across a bassoon solo piece on one of my several Pandora stations. I have always wanted to learn to play a double reed instrument and have realized that it would be an awesome opportunity to learn to play the bassoon during my independent study! I will take it upon myself to purchase both a bassoon book for beginners and a reed so that I can learn to play the bassoon. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Weeks of November 4 - November 15 <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: center;">Welcome back Mrs.Kauppila! Finally up and running on the OAHS Independent Study Wikispace I have been able to discuss and describe the time I have been able to utilize for practice time "getting to know my inner musician" (I know, it sounds cliché and redundant but I guess that was the best way to describe it.) As my senior year has become overwhelming trying to manage academics, sports, work, and an almost negligible social life, most of my independent study has been time provided for me to work on music for serval musical groups ranging from Senior Chorus, Choral Ensemble, Concert Band, and District Chorus music. This time given to me to practice has become a lifesaver because without it I would truly be lost in ensemble rehearsals due to the fact that with my intense schedule it has become very hard for me to not only attend rehearsal but also to practice my pieces. I have found this past week as a transition in how my independent study will work considering the change in band directors, keeping a learning journal I thought at first would become a burden to try and keep up with, but also I found it to be a very helpful and reflective way to see what I have accomplished. District Chorus auditions and the Senior Chorus trip to New York City are coming up very quickly, I am very excited for both and have worked on preparing the songs Choral Ensemble will be singing in ensemble because I have been unable to attend rehearsal this past week. As for District Chorus music, that has been very challenging to learn but through the use of the practice tracks provided to us by Mrs.Wydrzynski it has become manageable.