Concert Preparation

We have two weeks to prepare for our Winter Concert on Monday, December 17 (7 pm in the EDHS Gym, concert dress, call time TBA). For these two weeks we will be back on our regular rehearsal schedule. On Monday morning, December 3, we will record ourselves! We will listen and fix things during the afternoon rehearsal. Be in your seat, music and pencils out, bows rosined, at 7:53 when the bell rings. During the 3 or 4 days between rehearsals, your homework is to practice.

Practice List for Monday, December 3

We Need a Little Christmas

• Goal tempo is half note = 132
• Measures with a lot of accidentals, including
• 4 measures before 25
• 4 measures before 41
• 57 (for cello and bass)

• 4 measures before 69

The Christmas Song (Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire)

• Practice at a slow tempo – quarter note = 76
• Practice with vibrato on any note longer than an eighth note

Holly vs. Ivy vs. Godzilla

• Goal tempo is quarter note = 96
• The best way to practice this piece is one section at a time
• Measures 19-27, 27-35, etc.
• Look for repeated notes and rhythms from section to section
• Then put sections together
• Pay close attention to measures where you have an entrance NOT on beat one

The Bells of Christmas

• Measure 49 – first two notes are on beats one and two; last note is on the AND of three
• Cellos measure 76-91
• 2^nd violin and viola measure 114 – starts on the AND of 1
• All violins – measures 130-134
• Everyone measures 174-178
• 2^nd  violin, viola, cello, bass measure 178-185 – some of these entrances are on 1, but others are on 2
• Everyone cross off measure 186 (5 from the end) – just an empty measure of rest where the audience will start clapping
• Everyone last two measures – first quarter note short so there is space before the final four notes.

How would you like to build your own orchestra?

More information about what you just saw here.

Taken from Diego Stocco's website:

Diego Stocco was born in Rovigo, Italy in 1976. He discovered music at the age of 6 when his parents, hoping to calm him down, gave him his first electronic keyboard. That might have backfired!

Diego is a composer, music sound designer and performer. He creates eclectic compositions using custom built instruments, elements of nature and experimental recording techniques.

Most recently, he composed the score for the feature film “Chernobyl Diaries”. Diego is also a featured soloist on many films and video games, including “Sherlock Holmes”, “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” and “Assassin’s Creed Revelations”. He has also worked as a music sound designer on numerous projects, including the films “Immortals”, “Takers”, “Into the Blue”, “Crank”, tv shows “The Tudors” and “Moonlight”. Diego also created the score for the video game “The Conduit”.

His music has been licensed for dozens of film and video game trailers including “TRON: Legacy”, “Terminator Salvation”, “2012”, “Transformers”, “Spider Man Shattered Universe”, Call of Duty, World at War”, “Soulcalibur IV” and numerous tv shows and promos.

Diego creates a series of viral video performances where he explores unique ways of making music, his “Music from a Tree”, “Music from Sand”, “Music from a Dry Cleaner” have been featured on tv and radio shows like NBC’s “Today”, Discovery Channel’s “Daily Planet”, CBS News, NPR’s “Living on Earth” and “All Things Considered”.

Diego also lectures at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston and FIDM in Los Angeles, sharing his unique approach and techniques with their students.

Vitamin String Quartet

I'm probably late to the party on this one, but the Vitamin String Quartet is an incredibly prolific group that arranges contemporary music for strings - from Adele to Metallica, Twilight and Hunger Games to Skrillex. AND they are having a 50% off sale this weekend for physical CD's! Check it out here.

Sinfonia Winterfest Concert

For all Sinfonia members, our concert at Valencia High School is the Thursday after break! The flyer is posted below.

• Rehearsal is Tuesday, 11/27, from 4-5 pm at the Valencia High School Auditorium
• Concert is Thursday, 11/29, 6:15 pm call, 7 pm concert at the VHS Auditorium
• Concert dress
• I have tickets available for $2 each, first come first served. Money from all the tickets bought from me goes straight to our program! Tickets will also be available at the door for $3 each.
• Recordings of Troika and A Christmas Festival are on the right sidebar.

Thanksgiving break

Hey everyone, we've done a lot of great work so far this year. Our biggest events yet are coming up! I have heard from multiple people that they are looking forward to hearing our groups perform. Please practice over break, keep checking the blog for announcements and cool videos, and remember that Monday morning after break is Sinfonia, Monday afternoon are our regular rehearsals.

And at this time of the year -
I am thankful for working with such great students. I nominated Jose and Faith for Character Counts awards this month, but I had a really difficult time narrowing it down. Character Counts awards are a big deal to me -  I am very proud of my daughter for receiving one in preschool and one this year in kindergarten, the first one in her class each year to get one - so as a teacher I wanted to make sure I participated as well. But as I sat down to fill out the forms my first thought was "I could nominate every single one of my students".

I am thankful for Mr. and Mrs. Lovering's donation of 10 (!) new folding music stands on Friday.

I am thankful for not having to spend so much time in the car this week!

And for Faith...Big Bang Theory Flash Mob!



If you're keeping score, that's "Call Me Maybe" 2, Mozart 0 on this "orchestra" blog

New page for videos

I created a new page for videos, click here or find it in the page listing above. All the Sinfonia tunes are there, plus Geometric Dances with full orchestra. Leave a comment to let me know what you think of our performance!

First Concert

Hey everyone, our spaghetti dinner/concert/fundraiser was a great night. It was wonderful to see everyone come together for the cause of music. I really enjoyed meeting and talking to family and friends.

I thought we played great and looked great doing so! See for yourself on the photos page with pictures that my wife took. She really enjoyed the night despite the long drive and despite Clare going berserk from drinking the punch. She never drinks juice, especially the Hummingbird Food that is Kool Aid.

I really want to thank everyone, students and parents alike, for going beyond the playing and the food preparation to make our first event so successful. Ryan, Brady, Michael, Kathleen all did a tremendous job setting up, David moved out all the water bottles afterwards, Faith's mom manned the donation table and Andrew's mom vacuumed the WHOLE room afterwards! I know I'm forgetting people but that's just who is coming to mind right now.