In Cincinnati, we had a chance to attend the Westchester Symphony rehearsal, where we met string players like Nicole & Amanda. We spread the word about SCOR! and even played along. Thanks to director Susan Schirmer, you invited us to rehearsal.
Nicole had played as a kid, and had joined an orchestra in college, but the competitive nature of the violin section made her question why she was doing this. As an adult she picked up the instrument again and joined a community orchestra. This is the only time during the week that is "time for me" she says, and enjoys playing with a group that plays for the fun of it!
Amanda enjoys playing with the symphony as well, and enjoys the friendships she has made with players like Nicole. Although Amanda did not take any hiatus, and plays more regularly, she finds the string parts to her orchestra music challenging enough, especially when it's something like John Williams' Harry Potter scores! She says she plays most of the notes! :-)
We talked with Susan about coming back next year and coaching the string section. We'll look forward to it!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Knoxville Workshop
Saturday, May 1st...
Knoxville's workshop went very well. We were able to meet a number of wonderful people, most of whom have started a string instrument very recently. We had a good time playing by ear, sight-reading, and unlocking our minds! :-) Here are some of the stories...
Last year Kathleen Bowman, cello teacher extraordinaire, plunked a SCOR! brochure down in front of Alicia, a cello student of 4 years. "You HAVE to go to this," she told her. Alicia willingly complied, attending SCOR! Rochester in 2009. After an initial hesitating start at camp (OK, she was panicking...) Alicia had a terrific time. Her stand partner in orchestra, Peter, helped her out a lot, and she got to know many other wonderful adult players, including a friend she has seen since in Atlanta. Alicia says that her playing completely changed after attending SCOR!, and Kathleen attests to her being a different person. Alicia attended the Knoxville workshop, and plans to return this year to SCOR! Rochester this year. For my part, I must say that Alicia sure looks like she's having some fun on the cello!
Sharon played piano and organ for years, and taught students as well. She has now played the cello for 5 years and loves it, although can get frustrated when what she wants to do on the cello doesn't come out, or when she feels her progess is not consistent enough. We all agreed that, although we may not always be satisfied by day to day improvements, we definitely notice improvements over the months, and that sticking with it is what will yield the results. Sharon was very encouraging to the others, and has certainly made lots of progress in the last few years!
Knoxville's workshop went very well. We were able to meet a number of wonderful people, most of whom have started a string instrument very recently. We had a good time playing by ear, sight-reading, and unlocking our minds! :-) Here are some of the stories...
Last year Kathleen Bowman, cello teacher extraordinaire, plunked a SCOR! brochure down in front of Alicia, a cello student of 4 years. "You HAVE to go to this," she told her. Alicia willingly complied, attending SCOR! Rochester in 2009. After an initial hesitating start at camp (OK, she was panicking...) Alicia had a terrific time. Her stand partner in orchestra, Peter, helped her out a lot, and she got to know many other wonderful adult players, including a friend she has seen since in Atlanta. Alicia says that her playing completely changed after attending SCOR!, and Kathleen attests to her being a different person. Alicia attended the Knoxville workshop, and plans to return this year to SCOR! Rochester this year. For my part, I must say that Alicia sure looks like she's having some fun on the cello!
Sharon played piano and organ for years, and taught students as well. She has now played the cello for 5 years and loves it, although can get frustrated when what she wants to do on the cello doesn't come out, or when she feels her progess is not consistent enough. We all agreed that, although we may not always be satisfied by day to day improvements, we definitely notice improvements over the months, and that sticking with it is what will yield the results. Sharon was very encouraging to the others, and has certainly made lots of progress in the last few years!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Knoxville, May 1st
We are looking forward to offering our first SCOR! Workshop in Knoxville, TN this coming Saturday, May 1st. Thanks to Kathleen Bowman and her wonderful help in breaking into this area. Off to Knoxville!
A few stories from Atlanta
A funny thing happened at the Main Street Symphony rehearsal last week! Conductor Dana had us work with the group on my piece, "Blessing & Celebration". When they were about to work on Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nacht Musik" next, Dana casually said..."The next composer is unavailable." I really cracked up that time...
Jo is a wonderful lady from Alabama who joined our Atlanta workshop for the second year in a row. Jo started playing the violin 4 years ago in an instructional group directed by Anne Witt near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Jo began playing for a folks in a local nursing home, at first by herself, bringing great joy to the residents. She then branched out and started a little informal group of local string players, which she now writes musical arrangements for. The whole group now frequents the nursing home, benefitting all who listen and participate. What an adventuresome lady! Thanks, Jo, for inspiring us!
After being a violin mom for 15 years, Nancy missed the sounds of string & orchestral music when her son grew up. She mentioned starting the cello, and was really committed when her husband bought her one for her birthday! Now, 7 years later, she has fallen in love with the cello, and is an enthusiastic member of several local groups as well as an invaluable participant in SCOR! programs (see picture below of Nancy with her cello award). She has improved in a myriad of ways in just the last few years, and continues valiantly toward her goal of sounding like Yo-yo Ma. Nancy, keep being inspiring!
Jo is a wonderful lady from Alabama who joined our Atlanta workshop for the second year in a row. Jo started playing the violin 4 years ago in an instructional group directed by Anne Witt near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Jo began playing for a folks in a local nursing home, at first by herself, bringing great joy to the residents. She then branched out and started a little informal group of local string players, which she now writes musical arrangements for. The whole group now frequents the nursing home, benefitting all who listen and participate. What an adventuresome lady! Thanks, Jo, for inspiring us!
After being a violin mom for 15 years, Nancy missed the sounds of string & orchestral music when her son grew up. She mentioned starting the cello, and was really committed when her husband bought her one for her birthday! Now, 7 years later, she has fallen in love with the cello, and is an enthusiastic member of several local groups as well as an invaluable participant in SCOR! programs (see picture below of Nancy with her cello award). She has improved in a myriad of ways in just the last few years, and continues valiantly toward her goal of sounding like Yo-yo Ma. Nancy, keep being inspiring!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Atlanta Cello Project
We got to go to the Atlanta Cello Project concert on Sunday. What a great group of cellists! They play for fun, sort of like a cello club, and gave a wonderful concert of music for cello ensemble. We were able to meet some SCOR! workshop attendees from last year, and some enthusiastic teachers & players.
Thank you, Atlanta Cello Project!
Saturday's SCOR! Workshop Atlanta
On Saturday, we presented our second SCOR! Workshop Atlanta. What a wonderful group of people!!! Most were members of the Main Street Symphony, whose rehearsal we visited last week. Ginger & Denise were violinists that had played through school and much of their lives. Marcia, Jungsoon, and Nancy all started cello in their 50+ years. Jo is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and drove all the way in to Atlanta for this concert & workshop. What an enthusiastic bunch.
We started with "how to get better faster" - a session on practicing, and I have already gotten some positive feedback from participants who thought the session was really helpful! We also played Tribal Warfare, another piece of mine, and that was so much fun! We sounded pretty good, too! The afternoon brought some sight-reading, Unlocking of the Mind (working on overcoming mental obstacles in playing & performing), some sight-reading tips and tension-relieving technique lessons. We had so much fun!
Thank you to all who participated. Looking forward to seeing you at our next camp/workshop in the southeast!
We started with "how to get better faster" - a session on practicing, and I have already gotten some positive feedback from participants who thought the session was really helpful! We also played Tribal Warfare, another piece of mine, and that was so much fun! We sounded pretty good, too! The afternoon brought some sight-reading, Unlocking of the Mind (working on overcoming mental obstacles in playing & performing), some sight-reading tips and tension-relieving technique lessons. We had so much fun!
Thank you to all who participated. Looking forward to seeing you at our next camp/workshop in the southeast!
Benefit Concert on Friday
On Friday night, we (Kyle & Beth) played a SCOR! Benefit Concert at Huthmaker Violins. They were nice enough to let us use their newly rennovated downstairs facility. We were able to share several original compositions, classical duets, sacred arrangements, and a free improvisation. How fun! Some generous donations to the organization were a wonderful surprise! Thank you to all who came!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Atlanta events
We are busily preparing for our Atlanta events this week - a concert on Friday night (7:30PM at Huthmaker Violins, 3140 Main St., Duluth)and a Saturday workshop at the same location. We got a couple more registrations for the workshop in the last few days, and are looking forward to sharing this with several Atlanta-area (& beyond) string players.
Main Street Symphony Visit
Last night Kyle & I attended a rehearsal of the Main Street Symphony in Duluth, GA, north of Atlanta. What a wonderful group of folks! Director Dana was spectacular, and the group was friendly, laid back, and lots of fun! I had the privelege of listening to them perform my piece - Blessing & Celebration. We gave them a few performance tips & played for them, and got to meet many wonderful folks and invite them to our upcoming SCOR! events in Atlanta. How special!
Scoping
Kyle & I are looking for more places to do SCOR! Workshops and camps, so for the last few weeks, we have had an opportunity to check out places like Savannah, GA, and Sarasota & St. Petersburg, FL. We had a nice visit with Debbie Paradise and Pete Smith, SCOR! Campers from Punta Gorda, FL, and they were able to share lots of valuable insights on the greater Sarasota area. So far we have talked to several colleges about facility use. All these cities are coastal, so we think it would be awesome to find a location near water! Do these sound like places you would want to go? We enjoyed our time checking out these different possibilities.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
SCOR! Workshop Cincinnati
Breaking news...looks like we're on for a May 8 SCOR! Workshop in Cincinnati, OH. We are looking forward to seeing some of our friends there from last year's workshop! Thanks to Rob & Bob for helping make arrangements! On the road again...
Friday, April 2, 2010
SCOR! Rochester - Are You Coming?
As we sit in our RV in a mall parking lot in Florida, working on SCOR! Rochester for this summer, we are wondering... are you thinking about registering for SCOR! Rochester this summer but just haven’t gotten around to it? We are eager to share the SCOR! Rochester 2010 experience with more of you! We are running an Easter Weekend special, which is our largest savings of the spring. Details of this special are listed below. I hope you can join us! In the meantime, happy music making!
Rochester Camp + Pre-Camp = $40 Savings!
Register & pay online at www.stringcamp.com.
Use coupon code “easterweekendonly” with Google checkout to claim your $40 savings.
Act Now! Offer expires Sunday evening, 4/4/10.
How do I Get My Discount?
This offer is valid exclusively via online payment (using your credit/debit card) through Google checkout. To pay using Google checkout, simply use the ‘add to cart’ buttons on the registration page of our website, www.stringcamp.com. You must put at least the SCOR! Base Tuition and a Pre-Camp program in your cart in order to use the coupon. Enter the coupon during checkout with Google. (Lodging & Meals payments are not due until later.)
Rochester Camp + Pre-Camp = $40 Savings!
Register & pay online at www.stringcamp.com.
Use coupon code “easterweekendonly” with Google checkout to claim your $40 savings.
Act Now! Offer expires Sunday evening, 4/4/10.
How do I Get My Discount?
This offer is valid exclusively via online payment (using your credit/debit card) through Google checkout. To pay using Google checkout, simply use the ‘add to cart’ buttons on the registration page of our website, www.stringcamp.com. You must put at least the SCOR! Base Tuition and a Pre-Camp program in your cart in order to use the coupon. Enter the coupon during checkout with Google. (Lodging & Meals payments are not due until later.)
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Learning
After the Maryland Workshop, we received a comment from a string teacher who attended, and has attended SCOR! Rochester for 6 summers. She said "Every year I've learned something new." Isn't that cool? We hope to be able to provide that for so many levels of players, and we are certainly glad when it works!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Atlanta events coming soon
We are delighted to find out for sure that we will be doing a concert and workshop in Atlanta (Duluth, actually, a northern suburb). We will be holding a benefit concert on Friday, April 23 (free admission!) and a full-day SCOR! Workshop on Saturday, April 24. Our gracious hosts, Huthmaker Violins (Dixie & Buddy Huthmaker), are allowing us to use the downstairs of their shop, and we are so grateful! We are looking forward to seeing them again, and Nancy & Mike, Anna, Anne & Steve, and all our wonderful Atlanta friends and supporters! For more info, the pdf flyer, and access to registration, go to www.scor-tour.com.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Florida, here we come!
We are on our way to Florida. There, we hope to encourage interest in a series of workshops in 2011, and a SCOR! camp in the southeast in 2012. We'll be visiting SCOR! folks and various contacts in Orlando, Clearwater, and Punta Gorda. Anyone with some great ideas on where to host workshops and/or camps? Let us know!
Friday, March 26, 2010
SCOR! Maryland
Saturday's workshop was a blast. We had 15 enthusiastic participants, and were able to do some string orchestra and chamber groups, as well as learn about getting better faster (practicing efficiently), sight-reading, and unlock our minds (overcoming mental obstacles in playing and performing). Here are a few stories from the participants...
Jan has had a lifelong dream to play the cello, and after a certain point in life, following the death of a close friend, she decided to start. She is now doing everything she can to make progress on the cello, fitting this into her already busy life. It's been 3 years now, and she has hung in there, enjoying all her progress.
Maria has also been playing the cello for 3 years now. She is determined to get better, and is using every opportunity she can to forge ahead. She knows that with enough hard work and determination, she will reach her goals.
Nell chose to start her viola journey at SCOR! Rochester, last summer, in the Viola for Violinists Track. Although she had moments of struggle and frustration, she stuck with it. Now, she is playing viola in an ensemble and loving it! What a show of courage!
Wayne played in a recital his teacher put on only 7 months after he started cello as an adult. He's been playing for 7 years now, after desiring to have a creative outlet for his "right-brain" side. He joined an orchestra that was a bit over his head, but held on and tried it, and enjoyed it in the process. Go, Wayne, for biting off and chewing this challenge!
All these people inspire us with their patience, perseverance, and courage. Be inspired!
Jan has had a lifelong dream to play the cello, and after a certain point in life, following the death of a close friend, she decided to start. She is now doing everything she can to make progress on the cello, fitting this into her already busy life. It's been 3 years now, and she has hung in there, enjoying all her progress.
Maria has also been playing the cello for 3 years now. She is determined to get better, and is using every opportunity she can to forge ahead. She knows that with enough hard work and determination, she will reach her goals.
Nell chose to start her viola journey at SCOR! Rochester, last summer, in the Viola for Violinists Track. Although she had moments of struggle and frustration, she stuck with it. Now, she is playing viola in an ensemble and loving it! What a show of courage!
Wayne played in a recital his teacher put on only 7 months after he started cello as an adult. He's been playing for 7 years now, after desiring to have a creative outlet for his "right-brain" side. He joined an orchestra that was a bit over his head, but held on and tried it, and enjoyed it in the process. Go, Wayne, for biting off and chewing this challenge!
All these people inspire us with their patience, perseverance, and courage. Be inspired!
Concert in MD
On Friday night, we did a benefit concert for an intimate audience of SCOR! friends. We were glad to be able to share our music with them. We performed mostly Beth's compositions, with some hymn arrangements and Mazas, and some free improv sessions thrown in there. Thank you to everyone who came!
Maryland
The first stop on our SCOR! Be-Inspired Tour was Bel-Air, MD. Last week we did a series of events there at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Bel Air.
Our free beginner class had 6 people attend, and was a fun evening of sharing music and stories, and in many cases, trying new instruments. We had a good time with technique games, playing by ear, and improvising on a fiddle tune.
One wonderful story of the evening came from Ann Marie who, after waiting for a while to start so her daughter wouldn't feel the competition, began the viola, and played by ear for about 9 months before she was "discovered" by her teacher. He asked her to play a certain passage, and she said "Uh, oh!" She had never learned to read notes, but had developed this incredible ear. She is living a dream of playing the viola (an indestructible, carbon fiber viola, that is) while "eating, breathing, and sleeping viola", especially on the weekends.
Ann Marie, you go! Happy viola-ing.
Our free beginner class had 6 people attend, and was a fun evening of sharing music and stories, and in many cases, trying new instruments. We had a good time with technique games, playing by ear, and improvising on a fiddle tune.
One wonderful story of the evening came from Ann Marie who, after waiting for a while to start so her daughter wouldn't feel the competition, began the viola, and played by ear for about 9 months before she was "discovered" by her teacher. He asked her to play a certain passage, and she said "Uh, oh!" She had never learned to read notes, but had developed this incredible ear. She is living a dream of playing the viola (an indestructible, carbon fiber viola, that is) while "eating, breathing, and sleeping viola", especially on the weekends.
Ann Marie, you go! Happy viola-ing.
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