This is a really neat presentation on how venues have helped to develop music throughout the different eras.
Not only did architecture change music, but music probably had a part in developing architecture as well. Visual art had a role in developing both, as well as changing governmental structures and developments in science. It may just be a question of the chicken or the egg.
Last week was annual summer conference for the ICDA (Indiana Choral Director's Association).
The conference was extremely refreshing. We spent time in sessions with the two headliners, Beth and Brad Holmes from Milikin University. They talked a lot about digging deep into the music that we teach our students, about getting below the surface. The idea is that students are more likely to sing musically if they understand the piece and have a connection to it. Technical stuff, within reason, will iron itself out. You won't need to tell them to take a bigger breath because they will naturally want to do it if they understand the meaning behind the text.
For example, let's look at a piece we talked about in one of the sessions, "Nine Hundred Miles," (found here on Santa Barbara's website) arranged by Philip E. Silvey.
I am walkin' on this track, I've got tears in my eyes, I'm tryin' to read a letter from my home. And if that train runs me right, I'll be home Saturday night, 'Cause I'm nine hundred miles from my home. And I hate to hear that lonesome whistle blow, that long lonesome train whistlin' down.
Well this train that I ride is a hundred coaches long. You can hear her whistle blow a million miles.
So, in looking at the text, we can pull questions from it. Why is he walking on the track? Why is he crying? Has he read the letter before? What does he mean by "run me right"--will the train go in the right direction--will he be taking the right one? Have you ever felt like you're not sure if you're taking the right direction?
And etc.
It, of course, was much more poignant in person. I could have sat and listened to them for hours. It was so enlightening for me to go beyond the words and notes on the page--imagine how much better my choir would be if I led them on that path to discovering what lies beneath the music.
Okay, so I don't have my own choir yet, but when I get one, I will try my hardest to incorporate what I learned into my instruction. For me, I am not an abstract thinker, so it is going to be a stretch trying to understand the music myself. I know it will be worth it, though, and my students will have a great experience.
The conference also included multiple other sessions and various topics, such as technology, show choir, jazz choir, and commissioning. A benefit of these conferences is the reading sessions. They pass out packets of octavos, and the attendees gather into a room and just sight read. It is so much fun!
I will leave you with a piece discussed in one of Beth Holmes's sessions. I couldn't sing this without crying. Mary Speaks, arranged by Dan Gawthrop.
O you who bear the pain of the whole earth,
I bore you.
O you whose tears give human tears their worth,
I laughed with you.
You, who, when your hem is touched, give power,
I nourished you.
Who turn the day to night in this dark hour,
light comes from you.
O you who hold the world in your embrace,
I carried you. Whose arms encircled the world with your grace, My arms held you.
O you who laughed and ate and walked the shore,
I played with you.
And I, who with all others you died for,
now I hold you.
May I be faithful to this final test,
in this last time I hold my child, my son,
His body close enfolded to my breast,
the holder held: the bearer borne.
Mourning to joy: darkness to mourn.
Open, my arms: your work is done.
Yep! You can now buy your very own lightsaber! Not sure why you would want to market something this dangerous. But then again, isn't is supposed to slice off body parts 'n stuff anyway?
I love choral music. I would hope that I've mentioned that by now. If you ask me what my favorite kind of music is, I'm going to be nerdy and say choral music.
Choral music... it's what keeps me centered most of the time (I'm a Christian, so praying and reading Scripture is also a part of that, but that goes without saying!). If I'm in a horrible mood, I'll pull out the slow, beautiful pieces that I come back to over and over again, put in my head phones, and absorb myself into the sound. If I'm in a great mood, I'll listen to my favorite Spirituals. Sometime I will provide a favorites list of mine.
If you are in any way involved in choral music, as a participant, director, accompanist, or lover of, you should know about Choralnet.org. Choralnet has one of the largest compilations of resources that have anything to do with choral music. You can find links to publishers, choirs, even apparel, as well as a forum to discuss any issue you could think of. Included among the many resources is ChoralBlog. Several people rotate to create daily blog posts to discuss issues in and related to choral music.
I am quite the idealist when it comes to teaching. It's no surprise, then, that the story of the Freedom Writers has been nothing but moving.
During the summer of 2008, someone gave me a copy of Teach From the Heartby Erin Gruwell. Her story about how she affected her kids was astounding. During my four-and-a-half years in college, I worked at a community center that caters to the at-risk youth of Terre Haute. Erin's freshman English classroom consisted of the bottom feeder kids, the ones that nobody wanted to teach. She had the privilege of teaching them all four years of high school and helped them overcome their circumstances. Now many of those students are affecting the lives of other kids.
If you get a chance, check out The Freedom Writers Diary. It's very inspiring. MTV made a movie of the story.
Erin Gruwell and her Freedom Writers started the Freedom Writers Foundation to help support other teachers in recreating the success of the original group.
As I was reading the book (I am nearly finished with it), I have a hard time digesting the stories of the students. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have gone through their lives. Read it--story after story after story about overcoming adversity... one of my goals in life is to understand other's perspectives in life, and thus, I will be able to relate to my students much easier. It is difficult to do so when you have not experienced those things yourself. But, I wish to convey a sense of empathy, and I hope this helps.
MysteryGuitarMan does it again! I posted a few videos of his in a previous blog. I just want to illustrate what I mean when I talk about his creativity.
This is wild. An organ made out of a cavern. This has been added to my "must-see" list. The sound is beautiful, and I don't think could find a better resonating space!
