Jennifer the pianists Blog on RealTravel

Brevard journal: La vie Boheme

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 20:35:30 GMT

Things are really wrapping up here! Today was a busy one... I had my last lesson, in which i played the Bach French Suite...no pain!. Also, the student piano recital was today and it was very long. I really liked the Prokofiev Sonata no. 2. This evening was Puccini's La Boheme.Beautiful music, beautiful scenery, and the singing was fantastic! It is very closely related to rent. Trying to give my wrists the benefit rest, so ill sign off...tomorrow is the symphony and then i go home saturday morning!

Brevard journal: 7th inning stretch!

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:43:58 GMT

Again, not much to report here! Tonight was a concert of all Bach music. Concerti werre played and Cantatas were sung.

Brevard journal: Biltmorejuly

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 20:33:42 GMT

Yesterday, Ryan, Dad and I spent our time at the Biltmore Estate, where we toured all day. The whole area is incredible. This man was so rich that he could build a house that had over 33 guest bedrooms, each with its own style and name! I couldnt help but thinking, "What musical key is each of these rooms?" I guess thats Brevard rubbing off on me...I would not be able to do the estate justice to try and explain all of the rooms, gardens and the special tour that we took on the rooftops and attics of the mansion; the estate is something that everyone should see. It made me fascinated about the ...

Black Mountain journal: Into the Mountain

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 20:28:04 GMT

Today my dad and Ryan rescued me from Brevard and we took a trip into the great Blue Ridge mountains. Before going there, however, we stayed to watch a concert! On today's program were two long pieces about nature. The first was Sunscapes by Freund, a composer who wrote the piece especially for the orchestra at Brevard. Featuring Joe Lulloff on Saxophone, the piece portrayed different facets of the sun, and the form was one movement of orchestral and saxophone duo, and one movement of saxophone feature. This pattern repeated through several movements that made up two larger parts. Some of the ...

Brevard journal: Why can't I play?!

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 21:13:15 GMT

The past few days have been my regular routine of waiting for the next concert on the itinerary, making friends, and educating myself a bit.

I have been watching a video on technique suggested by the nurse on campus, and i have been talking to my friends about their technique to see if i can pick up any useful tips. I have played maybe 40 minutes today, in 2x20 minute sessions, without pain. I became frustrated, however, when my friends who have played since they were 5 and are older than me, tried to help me but i didn't understand. Hopefully i will be able to finish my time here by ...

Brevard journal: Hanging on

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:35:09 GMT

The past few days have been a challenge, because i have stopped playing due to pain in my wrists and hands. I am trying to keep entertained by reading a book by Aaron Copland, however, and attending concerts.

Last night was the Joshua Bell concert, for which over 2000 people showed up. I didn't have seats, so i sat on the lawn and was able to see a little bit, but from what i could hear, he was by far the closest to perfect violin playing i have ever heard, live or recorded. His tone was gorgeous, and so good that i dont even think of that as being a violin sound...it was so rich! The ...

Brevard journal: Lazy Sunday

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:55:46 GMT

Weekends here are easy...people take time to relax and tell stories of herioc practicing sessions (at brunch, I heard one girl talking about her session from 12-6 AM). Thanks to a performing artist lecturer on how to give an audition (which i missed...i didnt know about it!), everyone is freaked out by his opinion that you are not a real musician unless you practice at least 8 hours a day. Im not so sure about that, but what do i know? ha. Im just trying to get a few hours in between wrist pain and waxing and icing and whatever else i do to make my arms feel better. I think that last week i ...

Brevard journal: Musicians like Harry Potter too

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:12:38 GMT

On Friday afternoon, all pianists participated in a masterclass given by James Giles, professor of music at Northwestern University. For two long hours (our brains were dead by the end), we dissected 5 pieces of sweet music. The first was the Humoresque by Schumann, then Soaring from Schumann’s Fantastieucke. Other pieces were the third movement of Beethoven's Moonlight sonata. Dr. Giles was very technical...Instead of discussing the musical aspects of a piece, as i am used to, he discussed how to achieve technical mastery of the pieces. Either way, it was easy to see that he is a ...

Brevard journal: A Different Breed

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:29:13 GMT

Well, i guess I'm getting into the swing of things here at Brevard, and if nothing else, i have learned to deal with extreme free time, 23 hours a day to be exact. Im meeting a lot of different people, and many of them pianists. There are a lot of grad students...they make up about half of the AD division. It is weird to be one of the younger members of my division after being near the top for awhile. With new people come many new, foreign names. I have a bunch of friends from china, korea, japan, peru, and across the united states now. Only a few people have heard of IUP, which is a weird ...

Brevard journal: Wellness

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:57:10 GMT

One of the highlights of being at the Brevard Center for me is the Wellness Center on Campus. When i went there this morning to get a band aid, i found that the nurse is looking out for way more than our bumps and bruises; she knows everything about the physical aspect of being a musician. I learned today that tension in the hands and wrists can come from three muscles in the neck, and is pretty common in people who tend to let their shoulders rise to their necks while they are playing (me!).

There are four steps to warming up before each practice session, if you are willing to commit to ...

Brevard journal: first impressions

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:07:30 GMT

Today is my first full day in Brevard. After a smooth trip yesterday, i landed in Asheville and have traveled into the Blue Ridge mountains to this camp in the woods. instead of big buildings, Brevard has many small huts for practicing, lessons, residences, and student services. There are plenty of hills to trudge around and the campus is completely covered in beautiful North Carolina Vegetation. I live in a high ceilinged "cottage" that is shared with 12 other girls. Four of us live in a small room (!) and there is foyer. The one very unique quality to brevard is that all of its halls are ...