Grade 3 Flute Preparation - Update

Just a quick update for those following the preparations for Janet's Grade 3 Flute exam (which is tomorrow!).

We had a lovely day at Burwell House today. Janet has been running a weekend residential for her Saturday Workshop String Orchestra. They had been rehearsing Beethoven 7 and Mozart's Overture to The Impresario. For the final rehearsal and run through she invited a few friends and colleagues to read through the wind and brass parts to get the complete sound so as no other clarinettists were available I was eventually invited along to make up the numbers. After a short wind and brass reehasral and an enjoyable Sunday roast myself and Janet set ourselves up. When we announced we were going to play some Mozart everyone assumed it would be the Flute and Harp Concerto. "Oh no, that's for next year. This is the Aria from Don Giovanni."

We got through it really well with a couple of minor slips from each of us and the audience applauded heartily at the end. They were however a tough crowd as they demanded some scales from Janet. She was insistent that wasn't necessary and hastily gathered the Men's Barbershop Chorus that had been rehearsing during the breaks from playing and drinking/eating over the weekend. They were followed by the Women's Barbershop ensemble who sang Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man, all really well sung! It was then back into the house to perform the orchestral pieces and the strings also did the Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings.

The sun shone and the atmosphere was relaxed and full of music and merriment so if we can get our examiner to engage in a little of that tomorrow afternoon we should do really well. A full report to follow tomorrow!

Another GOATee, another exam - Grade 3 Flute

I have written before that whenever I get asked to do something it has to fall into at least one of three catergories. 1. Be really well paid. 2. Provide top nosh or cake. 3. Be irresistably musically satisfying. Being asked to accompany Janet (2011 Top Flautist) for her grade 3 flute definitely falls into one of these catergories but I won't say which one!!

As with most musicians I know it is never enough just to do the bare essentials and in school on Friday Janet suggested we play her two pieces with harp accompaniment. Never one to turn down an opportunity to play my harp I instantly agreed. Did the exam board allow this sort of thing? I tentatively asked. Who cares! was the reply.

Chris and I were in Cambridge on Sunday so popped round to Janet's to pick up the music. I thought we had disturbed Janet's flute practise although seeing what was on the telly I think the Wimbledon final had already disrupted Janet's practise. However she was insistent that with the music perched on the shelf she could practise her Mozart and watch the tennis at the same time. We had a run through with me on the piano and Chris politely listened, awarding Jan 25/30 for La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni. We then did Neville's Waltz from Harry Potter and the semiquavers were quite evenly spread. The staccatos lost a little sound on the way down but it was accurate and had some character.

Combining two great loves...Wolfgang and Roger!

Having already got the lowdown from Laura (Janet's daughter) who had heard her play just a few days earlier I was pleasantly surprised by the standard and apart from one or two little hesitations (and expletives!!) for the high notes it was all easily to a passable standard! ("And I've got a week. I've still got a week to go," Janet said.) Janet treated us to a ride in her latest love, her Morris Minor, and we clung on tight as we zoomed around the country lanes of Cambridgeshire!

50mph. In the wet!

We arranged a rehearsal for Friday as we will both be in school and Janet repeated her mantra "I've got a week!" but then remembered "ah, but I'm out all next weekend running my Workshop string orchestra course". I remembered I will also be at Janet's course, helping out on the Sunday (satisfies two of my conditions listed above!). I asked if she thought the participants might be interested in a concert? Janet said just before she did her Grade 1 she played her pieces to the participants at her Saturday Workshop and left a bucket out for donations so that raised awareness of the SIA charity and was a big help in performance preparation. Whether the participants are interested or not I think they are going to get a performance next Sunday!

Grade 6 result...

I knew exam mark sheets were being posted out yesterday so I rushed home from school only to find my first private pupil of the day had arrived a couple of minutes early. I saw the envelope on the mat within a large pile of post but had to put it to one side while we did her lesson. An hour of advanced clarinet sight-reading later and I found the envelope and opened it trying not to appear to be too desperate even though no one was actually watching! I unfolded the sheets, turned them the right way, checked the name (my one was on top) and saw the mark... 82... a merit!! Marvellous! I checked Hannah's underneath and she had also got a merit so I am absolutely delighted for her as she has worked very hard while doing her AS level exams. (Of course these marks are provisional until the "results are confirmed by the issue of a certificate (or otherwise)" as stated on the report form. I have not know this happen but it is a procedure in place just in case something has gone wrong somewhere along the way.)

My best piece was Manha de Carnaval, while the Scarlatti was just over the pass mark and all other marks were well within the merit categories. Even the improvisation, which I probably wouldn't have paid good money to listen to, scored 8/10 so he heard some evidence of musical ability there. The phrase 'a little hesitant' cropped up in a few places so that is something to work on in future.

As to the future... I have two weddings to provide music for. The first is in August and is for my cousin Greg and his fiancee Libby. I am playing for the church service, background music as guests arrive and a couple of pieces during the signing of the register. They have given me free reign on music but I've already decided to do Bach C major Prelude. Then in November I will be playing for Alice, the sister of Jess, one of my closest friends and whose wedding I played at last year. (We had practised the Bach Prelude for Jess to walk down the aisle but she got there so quick we played about 8 bars!) Jess will be on flute for at least a couple of pieces. I have a long list to try out and have also been asked if I can do some Bob Marley as Alice's husband-to-be is into Reggae. I always like a challenge so will experiment with arranging Three Little Birds and Is This Love for flute and harp!

To Grade 7 or not to Grade 7...?
The new repertoire lists for Trinity came out a week or so ago. I've already had a look although initially just to try out some new music but one piece caught my eye. She Moved Through the Fair is a folk tune, arranged by Alina Bzhezhinska for lever harp, and as this was one of the songs we sang at the GOAT Reunion concert in February. I guess I'll have to start with that one! Music is on order so as the term winds down I'll have plenty to keep me going.

Grade 6!

This is about as live as the blog will ever get! I am currently in the waiting area having done the exam although have waited until after lunch to post my exam review. Everything went very smoothly, Cambridge traffic was not that unhelpful and both myself and my clarinet pupil Hannah, also taking her grade 6, got here on time. Anne and Rohan are also here as they are stewarding and have pupils of their own so between candidates we catch up on the gossip and share exam experiences.

Updating the blog

I had a little warm up first thing and as there were others before me I had to wait around. While I accompanied Hannah (she played really well) Rohan tuned my harp. Sadly I haven't used Rohan and her harping skills as much as I should have. She always gives good, clear advice in lessons and I go away with plenty to think about and work on. Still, she tunes a harp efficiently so I am grateful for that!

I don't think the examiner realised it was going to be me doing the exam but managed not to look too surprised as Anne introduced me "This is Stephanie and she is going to do her grade 6 harp". I sat myself down and played the Scarlatti from memory. This went pretty well, no major mistakes but a few finger catches made some extra buzzing noises and while I definitely got loud and soft dynamics they were still a bit bumpy, so not completely solid. The Haiku I think was ok, one or two tiny hesitations and I really went for the big sound in the middle section, perhaps a bit too much judging by a violent buzz. Manha da Carnaval went much better than I could have hoped for. It had one or two hesitations but the bits where I have to stay focussed, where I have memorised a few notes, all went without incident.

It was then onto technical exercises and I started with Showing Off. I did this one without music and after the first few chords had been played with as much panache as I could muster I skipped a chord in my head and ended up one ahead. I left it as it was, did the twiddly bit and then played the same chord at the right time. I can analyse exactly what I played and know what I should have done but that is just part of the exam pressure. Mistakes that have never happened before crop up just when you least expect it! Still it got me focussed for the rest of it. The examiner picked Two Into One, the piece I have spent the least amount of time on and was writing the final fingerings in this morning. I got through it and there was some substance to it.

Sight-reading was ploddy and with plenty of mis-hit notes but I like to think I got the character. I probably shouldn't give the style away but I recall the shape of the melody and the tonality. Hannah and I compared exams afterwards. She doesn't like sight-reading so busks the notes and rhythms and concentrates on the dynamics. When she told me this I realised I didn't remember whether there were any dynamics on mine, let alone actually having done them!

Improvising was, er, improvised! The trouble with the lever harp is that improvising chromatic changes requires quite a lot of practise as you either have to be really quick with the lever changes, or be prepared with octaves. I tried to be prepared with the octaves but still got a little muddled. I busked through it, not completely satisfied but as I finished I dampened my strings, looked up and said "or something like that". The examiner smiled and said "thank you very much" and I was free to go!

I told Rohan, Anne and Hannah how it had gone and had a biscuit which was today's reward. I actually enjoyed it and think Hannah was amused to see her teacher taking a similar level exam! I just hope my blasé attitude won't make her any less conscientious about her own playing! Results will hopefully be available in a few days so tune in soon to find out how we both got on!

Grade 6 final preparation

I have my grade 6 exam tomorrow and after catching up on some last-minute-end-of-term admin I played my three pieces and three studies through to Chris late this evening (he couldn't find an excuse quick enough to escape) and that little session pretty much equalled what I have done since the Fete de la Musique! 8 performances (playing, school concerts, garden parties or conducting amateur groups) in the ten days leading up to the exam have taken their toll on my final preparation so I don't feel as ready as I would like. There should be no major breakdowns but it certainly won't be flawless! Anyway it's too late to do anything more so I will just go for it. I'll have another run through tomorrow morning. I could have kept the date quiet but Chris's parents Judith and Martin sent me a 'Good Luck' card so I realise I have mentioned it to a few people. Thank you for the message!

If I thought I was slightly unprepared I have to remember it could always be a lot worse. In other former GOATee news Jan, head of music at one of my schools and 2011's Top Flautist (see Blog posts in 2011!) has now decided to go for her grade 3 flute exam. She is entered for the final session at the end of term and has been practising her scales. She made a decision on which pieces to do and only got round to ordering the music last week! Nothing like leaving it until the last minute to get the job done! I am delighted to report that I will be accompanying Jan for the exam so I will report back after our first rehearsal.

In more Fete de la Musique news I was sent the following from the Saffron Walden Reporter! All those involved that I have been in touch with since thought the day was a roaring success so I am sure it will be talked about for some time to come.

Another clipping for the scrapbook!

Fête de la musique

The big black cloud overhead as I set off didn't look like a great start but the weather forecast still said cloudy but dry. I made it to Pat and John's in the centre of Saffron Walden nice and early and dropped off my harp and bags near another pile of instruments for Walden Winds. I took the car up to Aunty Ann and Uncle Chris's, had a cup of tea and wandered back into town to find my venues and get my bearings. The town was fairly busy with a few musicians and green-t-shirted volunteers being briefed, enjoying the sunshine which had now appeared.

Tourist Information window

I met John just after 11 and he carried my harp through to my first venue, outside The Courtyard Cafe. There were already a few people at the tables and I met Isabella, one of the organisers. I kicked off my programme at 12 starting with an easy Grandjany tune. So far so good! There was a burst of applause from my designated volunteer although no one else joined in at that point so I carried on. 15 minutes later and I realised I'd got through almost all of my programme for this set so I had to go into the next set to get up to 25 minutes. However the applause had grown to at least two tables so I was feeling encouraged. I finished and got another round of applause from most of the tables around! I packed away and heard the first piece by the next act, a young cellist with a young accompanist playing a slow piece, possible by Faure, from memory and very musically played.

Outside the Courtyard Cafe

As he started his second I headed off to the Adnams Cellar which has it's own courtyard. A singer / sax player was performing to backing tracks, all slickly arranged and well played. I spotted a few friends and a few of the Walden Winds members and eventually my family arrived. I set up, got introduced and then it fell quiet...a little too quiet for my liking. It was more like a recital than a background performance and I remember thinking I hadn't signed up to this. I had been hoping to give very informal run-throughs of my grade 6 pieces without too much attention from by-standers so that did make me a little more nervous and there were stumbles and improvised poly-tonal accompaniments for a beat or two. I don't get this on the clarinet but as Doris (bass clarinet in Walden Winds) has said to me before "Now you know how we feel". Yes, thank you Doris!! Also the band in the Market Square were more than adequately amplified and I heard strains of a semi-familiar tune drifting through while I tried out one of my grade 6 pieces. Anyway at least those who came to more than one of my sets heard slightly different versions (combination of right-wrong notes) each time!

Ann and Chris bought me a pizza athough cousin Debbie stole a slice and we sat on the common eating lunch. I had a wander round hearing a few other groups and soaking up the atmosphere. Next stop was Jubilee Gardens where Walden Winds were due to play. We got set up and as we started playing Walden Winds became Walden Windy! A few loosely pegged sheets came away from stands and we missed a few bars here and there but otherwise it was an enjoyable performance. As we were at the top of a hill a few people at the bottom couldn't quite hear us as the sound didn't carry that well but those that moved up the hill then stayed when they could hear the standard!

Walden Winds

We finished and a sitar player took over showing just what a varied festival this was.  I said bye to the family and took the opportunity of a break to wander round hearing some of the other groups. I saw a lot of familiar faces enjoying the music including friends, pupils, colleagues and quite a few teachers from current and past schools, one of whom I'd not seen for four or five years. Some people had itineraries and had their whole day planned while others arrived and just wandered around. I headed back to John's place to find him having a rest. We chatted for a bit then it was time to go to the Cross Keys for my final set.

Roving Assistant!

There had been a little panic beforehand as the pub was very busy and we weren't sure if I would be heard but they had set aside some space for me and after the first piece I checked with Walden Wind member and fete volunteer Adam who was eating with his family and he said it carried fine. Others were eating their Sunday lunch and a small crowd gathered around me just to listen. About halfway through I spotted Beth and Maya, two members of my junior fan club. Both are promising musicians on piano and Beth also plays the cello. I played Evening Song for them as it was a tune they had both learned on the piano so I knew they would recognise that! A photographer from the Saffron Walden Reporter took a few shots so while I focussed on hand positions I forgot about notes so created yet another variation on the Bach C major Prelude. After 30 minutes I had run out of music and concentration was waning so I packed up and had a drink with Doris and Adam and his family. John was on another duty (at the Rock venue which was a few minutes out of town) so I took my harp and roved myself back to the Market Square to get the key from Pat.

After losing my assistant I had to do my own donkey work

After collecting my car (and getting tea and cake at Aunty Ann's!) I headed back to the Market Square to catch the end of The Hooligans (fantastic sound) and the start of the Grand Finale which was The Reavey Brothers and Friends. Two of the Friends were in the band that played at mine and Chris's wedding, one of whom Dan, is a fellow teacher. I also recognised Chas on trumpet, another teacher. They were excellent and the packed Market Square was in for a treat. I stayed for a few numbers then headed off into the sunset. It had been an amazing day and congratulations and a massive thank you to Pat, Isabella and Louise, the chief organisers and all the volunteers and helpers, who made sure the day went incredibly smoothly! Thanks also to all of the venues that provided space, refreshments and power to many of the performers and finally a big congratulations to all of the performers who provided such a varied programme throughout the day!



 

A packed Market Square

Grand Finale

Harps at the Grafton Centre

After dropping Chris off near Bury St Edmunds so he could collect his car from a garage I came home via Cambridge to hear the young harpists Bonnie and Rosie who were playing at the Grafton Centre. I did a little bit of shopping then found the harps outside the cafe area. The harpists were on a break so I said hello to mum Nyree. Also there was Frankie, a colleague from an old job, herself a musician and teacher so we caught up on the gossip and from Nyree I found out more about the harps and Diabetes UK, the charity for which they were raising money. I gave a donation and played Barcarolle on the 1815 Dodds harp. It had a beautiful ringing sound and a lovely soft feel to it, very easy to pluck. The sound was much like a harpsichord but with a greater resonance. It was very clear! I then tried the much newer (1885) Erard, again it had a lovely sound, louder and fuller than the Dodds.

Playing Grandjany on the Dodds & Son 1815

The Dodds was a single action meaning the pedals only have two positions, while the Erard was a double action so the pedals have three positions (double meaning the pedals move twice). Nyree has several more historic harps at home and has considerable knowledge about them all. Sadly I couldn't quite remember everything but it was great to see these two instruments as examples of the development of the harp. The Dodds was recently restored at Pilgrims (the makers of my own harp) and it is always lovely to see old instruments brought back to their former glory, and more importantly, being played and heard!

Dodds

Erard

One of the security team came over wanting a go so as I was almost in position I ended up giving her a very quick lesson. She enjoyed making a sound but her was restricted by her immensely long nails. I did fear she might do some damage, either to the nails or worse to one of the strings!

Bonnie, Rosie and friend Rachel returned and played a few pieces, solo and then a trio and other people stopped by wither to listen, chat or have a go. Dad Richard was also around and I noticed he had the perfect t-shirt. Apparently I was not the first to say to him "I want one of those for my roadie!" I now doubt that I will be the last either!

Just as I was leaving some friends of the girls arrived, at least one of whom was a harpist, so the playing continued. Their harp interests are not just in historic harps as Bonnie has been working on electronic looping techniques with her harp so I was given a link to listen to. I hope to hear more about that in the future. Many thanks to Nyree and the girls for being so welcoming and letting me play, and for taking the photo of me. I hope they raise a good amount for Diabetes UK!

Harps at the Grafton Centre and Fête de la Musique

The summer always brings a mix of outdoor festivals, fetes and open-air concerts. There are at least two free events going on this weekend. On Saturday two young harpists will be playing at the Grafton Centre in Cambridge from 9am to 4pm (or until blisters permit!). Bonnie and Rosie, two of Rohan's pupils, will be raising money for Diabetes UK and will have two historic harps with them. One is a recently restored 200 year old Dodds pedal harp. They have a JustGiving site if you do want to support them.
Http://www.justgiving.com/harpsisters
Then the big event is in Saffron Walden this Sunday 21 June. The Fête de la Musique is a free festival that takes place on Midsummer's day in over 90 countries. This is the first time Saffron Walden has held such an event. The finishing touches are being added to the programme and final preparations are being made to the venues. The three main organisers Isabella, Pat and Louise are working non-stop to ensure the smooth running of the day. The publicity campaign has been building up and Pat has already mentioned me in a BBC Essex Radio interview, although not by name she hastened to add, having mentioned the sorts of acts that were on she said "we've even got a roving harpist!". I will add that to my C.V.

Preparation for my little performances are going well and I think I have decided on a running order. As well as entertaining the crowds of Saffron Walden I am aiming to get a couple of play-throughs of two of my grade 6 pieces and a piece I am hoping to play at a family wedding in August. I have to remember not to take them too fast, and to leave them until later in a set as my fingers need to have warmed up. I do think I have enough music to be able to go on for two half-hour sessions before I will need to repeat any of my programme so that is a step up from the last few events I have done.

I have three venues, starting at 12 in the Courtyard, then at 1pm I move to the Adnams Cellar. After conducting Walden Winds outside the Museum at 2:30 I have a break until 4:50 where I head to the Cross Keys so I finish my set in the local tavern. I couldn't have planned it better myself! I will be roving with a glamourous assistant as I have the support of one of the many volunteers, John, who will be helping me cart all of my gear from venue to venue.

There are plenty of other groups, all listed on the website, but I should give a special plug to the Grand Finale performance which will be in the Market Square from 7 to 8:30pm. The Reavey Brothers and Friends include Tom who plays in the band Mind The Gap! They were the final band to play at mine and Chris's wedding in August 2012. Dance along to a mix of soul, funk, disco, boogie-woogie and ska.

The programme and a map are downloadable from here...:
http://www.saffronwaldenartstrust.co.uk/fete-de-la-musique/

...and there is more information on the website about the day. I hope to see some of you there!

Fête de la musique - Saturday 21 June, Saffron Walden

Part of the preparation for any exam or performance requires a practise performance in a relaxed setting and I have a fabulous opportunity to perform at a festival taking place in June. The Fête de la Musique, a free music festival, is taking place in Saffron Walden on 21 June and gives local amateur musicians the opportunity to perform at various sites across the town. The festival takes place on 21 June each year (or when the day falls on a Sunday) and now over 400 cities are now involved. It started in France in 1982 and aims to bring free music to people all across the planet. Walden Winds will be performing on the bandstand and I will be doing two sets on the harp. I have started revising my favourite pieces to get my set list in order and will add two of my grade 6 pieces (Scarlatti and Manha de Carnaval) as they would be just right for open air performance.

There are over 70 groups or acts and 290 performers taking part and I will be appearing in The Courtyard from 12 to 12:30, then outside the Adnams shop from 1 to 1:20. I will then be appearing with Walden Winds on the Bandstand in Jubilee Gardens from 2:30pm.

http://www.saffronwaldenartstrust.co.uk/fete-de-la-musique/

April and May update

It has taken a while but I have finally got myself into a practise routine and have made the entry for grade 6 so there's no turning back now. Progress is really steady with just small improvements every week or so. There is a lot to get through so I tend to spend a few days focussing on one piece and one exercise then when I have had enough of that I turn my attention to another piece and exercise. I think ideally I should be working on all three pieces and all three studies, maybe to different extents every time I practise, but it feels like such hard work that I lose enthusiasm if I overdo it. However the sponsors have been great for keeping going and there have been two more since the Reunion concert and I dedicate the whole of April's practise to my partner in various forms of musical crime Caroline. As well as music Caroline and I have an interest in miniatures and we met up to go to the Doll's House exhibition at the V&A Museum of Childhood. An fascinating collection! May's practise goes to Susan, another Palace Band member. A few weeks ago Susan and I went to see the clarinettist Martin Frost. Schubert, Schumann and a modern piece which ended with a bass drum being struck by Frost. Very theatrical!

Miniature Music at the V&A Museum of Childhood

Also on my list of dedicatees is Celia George, the photographer who was at the GOAT Reunion concert. I made a donation to MSF in return for two photos she took of me in rehearsal. She is a photographer working in Essex and other parts of Anglia. More details at www.colourfullifephotography.com/

Clueless in Competition rehearsal

There has been another exam result in from the Grade-One-A-Thon. Saxophonist and Ska specialist Liz passed her grade 1 trombone with flying colours. She even played her trombone on a couple of gigs in the build-up to the exam!

While the grade-one-a-thon is replaced by other happenings and events the MSF are still working across the planet in areas that you or I would probably never dream of going to. I have received the latest copy of their journal Dispatches which contains reports from those right on the front lines of various campaigns. It is a mixture of amazing success and utter despair and tragedy with all the emotions taken to their extremes. As well as ebola diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria along with injuries in conflict zones are the most mentioned. In one part of Papua New Guinea medical staff can't reach some TB patients because the rivers are filled with crocodiles and taking a boat is too dangerous. The solution appears to be a sort of drone which can be sent to a community and returned with samples for testing. They have now sent teams to Nepal to try and help victims of the devastating earthquakes earlier in May. Their work continues and any donations in return for my efforts on the harp are very welcome indeed!

March Update - Exam results!

It is now well past the middle of April and I haven't updated for a while even though lots has been going on.

First the news you have all been waiting for...how did Pat get on in her grade 1 violin exam!! Did she pass with flying colours or did the examiner suggest she take up a new hobby...

I am very pleased to let you know she passed with merit! She was delighted and since then has bought the grade 2 pieces and booked herself on a course at Benslow. She is enjoying it and also takes some pleasure in the fact that a once-loved family instrument is being loved again.

Pat, along with two other GOATees had her certificate presented by Viv at a Cambridge Wind Band rehearsal last week, a few days before their Night at the Movies concert at the weekend (more about that later). Vicky, a clarinettist, passed her grade 1 flute, and bassoonist Simon, who plays oboe with CWB got a distinction for his viola exam. There were some comments that if he took grade 2 he would be ready to join the viola section of most of the local orchestras but I thought that was a bit harsh so I won't repeat it here!! Well done to all and hopefully any extra donation pledges for passing the exam have now been made!!

There are more exams to come. Liz, bari sax player will be doing her grade 1 trombone in a few weeks and my own exam is still on. I had a lesson in the holidays and learnt loads from Rohan. She did say that if I'd gone to her before I'd started learning some of the pieces she'd have given me some more efficient fingering patterns so I wouldn't now have to relearn anything, but that would take the fun out of it surely! In the meantime I've been playing my clarinet more than usual so harping has taken a bit of a back seat. It is out and I pluck it occasionally but I haven't done as much of the structured practise as I need to.

Cambridge Wind Band at West Road

The CWB concert was a huge success. I was right in the middle with the third clarinets and loved playing. A packed West Road Concert Hall heard an excellent and entertaining performance. Viv was outstanding in her directing and the soloists were also extremely good. Thanks to Viv's mum for the photo!

GOAT reunion 2015

More from GOAT

I have managed a couple of practise sessions this week (2 March), on Monday I managed half an hour going through exam pieces and Pat's accompaniments. This session was for my long suffering husband Chris although he excused himself to the garage so he wouldn't have to suffer too much that evening!

Tuesday's practise was dedicated to my Dad. While he has his preferences when listening to music he will actually listen with an open mind to any genre. This session was yet another reflective one deciding on where I am at and what I still need to do. Playing through basically! As quite a few of my recent sessions have been like this I realise this is not really progress so I have written down some questions that I have, mainly to do with technique. I saw Rohan at school yesterday and we have provisionally booked a lesson so I will make sure I bombard her with my queries when we do manage to meet up.

One highlight from this week was playing Sea Symphony by Vaughan Williams, over an hour of music for two vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra. I was on E flat clarinet for this one (the little one) and didn't have to work too hard. When I did play it was high, loud and with the piccolo so just added to the overall effect. It was made all the more enjoyable as we performed it in King's College Chapel. I don't play there very often so when I do it is a great experience. The waves crash all around for a few movements but at the end of the final movement, itself 30 minutes long, the violins and cellos get quieter and quieter alternating notes high and low, almost like a ship disappearing over the horizon and you not quite being able to tell when it has gone. The cellos finish with a long drawn bow and the piece ends when the last cellist's bow can go no further. No one knew when the piece had finished and we sat there. After an age conductor Stephen Cleobury did a gentle sigh and brought his baton down. This is usually the cue for the audience to relax and applaud but it was such a magic moment they stayed silent! It is always difficult to tell how long that sort of silence goes on for but it must have been a good 45 seconds before Stephen moved again, more exaggerated and someone did start the clapping!

More from Goat!

Living outside of the city walls means that we don't get the local paper around here so I missed this last week:

This is a lovely picture of clarinet and sax player, and good friend and colleague Sally giving it all she's got on the trumpet! The journalist was not one to let the truth get in the way of a good story so there are some inaccuracies but I like the way he has written "the winners were Brassed Off, who were hilarious - they won the people's hearts...possibly for the wrong reasons!" That could so have been one of the wind or strings saying that!

(Thanks to Cath for buying the paper, and Kirsty for sharing!)

There is now a clip available on Youtube from the concert. This is the end of the Finale. I like that the audience looks excited but that might be because they know they can nearly go home!
 
https://youtu.be/dAfIGFd8D4g

The total amount raised is around £25,000 although this will continue to creep up. There is news of photos as well and one of my future practise sessions will be for Celia George who spent the whole concert day photographing everyone. Twice! I now have my photos and will post them in a later blog.

Pat's Grade 1 Violin exam!

I have a little catching up from the week or so and will post those blogs shortly but today was the day that fellow GOATee Pat did her grade 1 violin exam. I was at the same school as GOAT organiser and herder Thanea this morning and mentioned that I was leaving early that day to accompany Pat. She immediately delved into her purse and thrust a donation in my hand to give to Pat for her MSF total asking me to wish her all the best! We know of at least four others from Cambridge Wind Band who are taking grade 1 on their new instruments and Pat is the first of the CWB to take the exam.

I parked near the venue, a music shop on the outskirts of Cambridge, just before Pat and husband Martin arrived so we walked in together. Pat was a little concerned as she feels she has good days and bad days and she just couldn't predict which way it was going to go. She asked if I had good and bad days with my clarinet but as I tend to only do things that are well within my technical ability I rarely have a bad day. I have had things go wrong in the past, and have learnt some tough and necessary lessons, but there is a point where many of the basic skills become so automatic and secure that it isn't a problem. Pat knows where to put the bow, how to play her scales, that intonation is important but she was aware that when she plays she is thinking a lot about everything. However she was also aware that she had only been playing for just over six weeks so to be taking the exam was a major achievement. I think her thoughts flitted between the two sides "might have a bad day" v. "six weeks work is pretty good y'know"! Which probably only made it more agonising!!

We were welcomed by the steward, who knew Pat and Martin very well, and we went up to the warm up room and I presented Pat with Thanea's donation. Martin carried the violin, checked the tuning and sorted out the music while Pat filled in the slip for the examiner. As Martin's mannerisms went from 'encouraging parent gently helping' to 'pushy parent ready to take the exam himself' we sent him back into the shop to buy a mute for their granddaughter's violin. He also amused himself by trying out a 1/16th size instrument!

Pat and I ran through the pieces which were pretty good, although the Menuet went a little sharp where Pat has to play a top B so she knew to remember not to stretch too far. The Sandman was fine and Pennsylvania 6-5000 was great with all the right jazzy rhythms in place. We also planned our ending which meant me giving a discrete nod to get the last note in palce. This is not cheating, this is commuication, essential for any musician. The steward came to fetch us and down we went.

We went into the exam room welcomed by the examiner and played through the three peices. On the whole I thought they went well. Menuet was nicely played, I can't actually remember too much about the Sandman as I was focussing on my own part which needed more concentration, and Pennsylvania 6-5000 went well. The last note came in strongly and ended more quickly than we'd rehearsed but we finished together so that was fine! I left the room at this point and afterwards Pat said her scales had gone fine, sight-reading had been suprisingly short and not too bad while the aural was also manageable. Then it was over and we headed next door to the pub for some lunch and further chat.

While Pat and I had a small snack Martin ordered himself the largest curry complete with poppadums and naan bread which made me wonder who perhaps was the most relieved that the exam was over! Pat's thoughts again ran between "feeling a little deflated that perhaps it could have gone better" and "should I do grade 2?" We talked about the violin which as a family heirloom played by Martin's father and grandfather was treasured by them both and Pat had a fondness for it that she hadn't felt when learning the trumpet at the 2011 GOAT. In the end Pat felt more confident about it as time went by and I said I would text her as soon as I had the result. We also decided to meet up soon to do some flute and harp playing so we will have some plans soon.

A big thank you to Pat for allowing me to accompany her and be part of her Violin playing journey! I hope I am part of her grade 2 challenge!!

Hapus Dydd Gŵyl Dewi

With a free weekend I was able to get back into practising properly again. Saturday's session was for Pat, who made another donation shortly after our violin and piano session during half term! Proper warm ups included some finger exercises I haven't done in a while before working on the longer studies and then Manha de Carnaval as my main piece. I practised two of Pat's violin accompaniments on the harp, Handel Minuet and The Sandman by Brahms. The Sandman is quite tricky as there are a few quick lever changes but they are getting there and I might be able to play this for Pat next time I see her!

Look what popped through the post on Saturday morning just in time for St. David's Day!

Latest CD from Claire Jones!

I have listened to it and it is lovely, a real range of beautiful melodies from folk and classical worlds, themes and Chris Marshall's new piece Bluestone. There is a concert on Thursday 5 March at St. John's Smith Square. Sadly I can't go as I will be rehearsing elsewhere but hopefully Claire will gradually make her way around the country again. I thought things had gone a little quiet over the last year or so but she has been recovering from ME (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).The album is to raise awareness of this awful condition as well as raise funds for charities which support those receiving treatment, recovering and coping with the condition.

I know from following Claire on the social media site that she has been giving interviews about her latest album and concert tour. On Sunday she was on Classic FM talking about the last few years and what she has been through. I knew ME was a debilitating illness but had assumed it was extreme tiredness and did not realise it is much more than that. To feel so unwell not to be able to get out of bed, nor look after yourself was even worse than I had imagined. Claire said she used music as part of her recovery. Bluestone by Chris, Claire's hsuband, takes its inspiration from the Preseli mountains not far from Claire's home in Pembrokeshire where Chris would drive Claire when she felt well enough to go out. It was a lovely interview and Clarie sounded so bright, very much as I remember her from meeting her a few years ago.

My practise session on Sunday afternoon was for Jess and Rob following a similar pattern to yetsterday but focussing on the Scarlatti instead. I need to set myself a new routine now and try and make the technical improvements needed to master each of the pieces. I think I need a lesson so will get in touch with Rohan and see if she can spare me half an hour over the next few weeks!

On Sunday evening I went to a chamber opera (three singers, clarinet, cello and piano) which was composed by Kate, one of the GOAT clarinettists. She gave me a flyer at the end of the rehearsal last Sunday so I went along on Sunday evening. It was called Porcelain and Pink and based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was very amusing, and well written and performed, a great way to round off the weekend!

Clarinet & Saxophone Supergroup

Now that the Clueless in Competition is over some musicians have reluctantly handed back their instruments, others have gladly handed them back, some have put it in the cupboard/under the bed/on top of the wardrobe (for now at least) while the rest continue to play as they work on their three pieces, scales, sight-reading and aural for their next exam. I should be with the last group but as this is a short half term with many concerts in it I spent most of the week back on my clarinets and was out nearly every night doing something or other.

Several schools have their annual concerts before Easter so require planning to allow students enough time to learn and practise parts. Friday's school is a large village college with a lot of music going on and last year clarinettist turned double bassist Trevor put together a single reed choir (single reeds are clarinet and saxes) from all of the players in the school. Several staff lent their rarer instruments (alto and bass clarinet, soprano and baritone sax) for pupils to try and I let one of my pupils play my contrabass clarinet, the biggest of them all! The result was quite a spectacular sound and generated a lot of interest from the audience. This year it is my turn to sort music and get them into shape. However when I saw the note that had gone out to pupils it didn't read Clarinet & Saxophone 'Choir', or 'Ensemble', or even 'Orchestra' but head of dept. Janet had coined the term 'Super Group'. I like this as it is comparable to the astronomical Supernova which Wikipedia describes as "a stellar explosion that briefly outshines an entire galaxy, radiating as much energy as the Sun or any ordinary star is expected to emit over its entire life span, before fading from view over several weeks or months." I think we had around 25 players and we did an arrangement of Radetsky March (Jan had to inform the drama teacher that this had nothing to do with Canadian-turned-British tennis player Greg Radetsky) which was starting to sound pretty impressive even after the first rehearsal. It is not quite ready yet but really promising and will hopefully give the students as much of a buzz as it did for me at th end of the rehearsal. Musical aims are to encourage players to keep their own independent line going and to come in at the right time even if no one else is playing, as happens as few times. And do the dynamics... such an easy way to make a big musical difference but such a hard way to get them to do without shouting "FORTE" every time the f sign appears on the page.

I have a queue of generous sponsors so my practise will begin again over the weekend as I have plenty of free time!

Clueless in Competition - Postscript

Monday 7:55am

I saw Thanea in school this morning and she has already said several times that this was the last ever GOAT event. Suffice to say we are all now looking forward to the next one!

Clueless in Competition - The Results!

Our compere for the evening was Tim Lihoreau, presenter of the Classic FM Breakfast Show. He began by welcoming the audience and reminding us that just a few days ago the Chinese celebrations were to welcome in the Year of the Goat. Tim introduced Steve Bingham who played a couple of pieces on the violin, Syrinx, originally for flute, and Owner of a Lonely Heart, originally for prog rock band. Both were superbly played and despite being a woodwinder have to say I did enjoy the Syrinx!

Tim Lihoreau expertly keeping the audience entertained

Then it was onto the competition. Leading my clarinet section in the Long-winded was a proud moment and the whole group played really well remembering most of the detail that had been rehearsed. I had a quick dash to the strings, and while the stage was reset Tim chatted freely to the audience with some interesting facts about Medecins Sans Frontiers, facts about the last two grade-One-A-Thons and anything else of interest. When the strings were ready we began. Again this went very well and there were no disasters or dodgy entries. It actually sounded rather good!

Smiles all round for the Strings

Then came the brass with their conductor Paul Garner. A fine trumpet player Paul could have probably had a career in any branch of the entertainment industry. The brass 'tuned' in what could have been a carefully staged skit as it sounded so awful but perhaps this was the real brass skill being displayed! There were some cracking moments in this most notably when the first trumpets had a rest and the second trumpets had to play a particularly high note. It was played with such force that the whole tone quality (and I use the word loosley) was changed dramatically. It was very amusing but to be fair it was very good as well! Another quick change and CWB were on for their Thames River Journey. Another great performance led by Viv and we left the stage leaving the audience to make their choices and post their ballot forms into the orange buckets by the exits.

Kirsty has a sneaky look to see how well the tubas are scoring

The second half began with a performance form Marie-Noelle Kendall on the piano then the GOAT Choir gave their first and last ever performance of She moved through the fair and Singin' in the Rain. Despite the trickiness of these they were solid performances. We later learnt that this was the highlight of the night for many audience members. (Thanea also pointed out afterwards that this was the most-complained-about item by the Goats!). Prime Brass then did their usual style of performance mixing humour with an incredibly high standard of performance. Guy Llewellyn was superb as usual as the soloist for Concerto de Cucaracha (special mention for Derek and his marvellous maracas in this one) and the whole group produced some fine sounds in two Gershwin numbers.

Prime Brass

It had been an entertaining evening so far but above all this was a night for fund-raising. Since January we have been reminded that the main aim is to raise as much money as possible for MSF and we had a talk from Chris Pesket from the charity who told the audience a great deal about the work that goes on in many parts fo the world. Funds raised do not just go on treatment but on prevention as well so vaccinations can be provided to prevent outbreaks of common diseases such as malaria. He also told personal stories about how he had treated someone who was very ill and to have then seen her a few days later, well on the way to recovery and thanking him. One of the things I have been impressed with is the way in which most of the money goes straight back into the charity. The figures he gave were 3% admin, about 8% on fundraising with the rest going straight to where it was needed. He said it is still carfeully controlled and his travel and accomodation are always at the budget end.

Finally it was time for a great many thank yous and the results. The top four fundraisers were announced, one of whom was Kirsty. In the individual sections third place went to the trombones, second place to the oboes (!) while the winners were the cellos. Finally the main ensembles were announced with Long-Winded third, Highly-Strung in second place with Brassed Off the winners! We played our final piece Altogether Now and the audience popped their paper bags at nearly the right time. I saw Jess and her mum Margaret on the way out and they siad how much they had enjoyed it. Jess also sent me a few photos so many thanks to her!

In the end the winning didn't matter (and I'm not just saying that!) as we had already raised £23,000 for MSF. This will continue to rise as the justgiving pages will be open until 22 April. Many players are going onto take their Grade 1 exams with a few looking at higher grades just to progress a little more. My grade 6 is a little way off but this is my own challenge and I will continue to dedicate practise sessions to anyone who sponsors me over the next few weeks. I already have a little queue so will get back to my practise this week and I look forward to hearing how others are getting on!

Clueless in Competition - The Rehearsals

With a car loaded full of instruments and equipment I set off nice and early for West Road. When I arrived the place was already buzzing with people being busy and doing important things. I spotted Claire, one of the music teachers at my Friday school on the sponsorship desk. "I didn't know you were going to be here" I said. "Neither did I until last night" she replied. She had been at a concert the previous evening and got cornered by Maurice who asked if she was free today. Not really, as she was supposed to be planning for the week's lessons but how could she resist the opportunity of helping out some Goats!

The rest of the afternoon was filled with rehearsals as each group took a turn at polishing their prepared performances. I heard the end of the brass rehearsal. It was good but, well, had it improved since last time... Their leader Paul complimented them on their ability to avoid watching the conductor. They had all truly made it as brass players! The woodwind rehearsal was great. All of the clarinettists had improved and the ratio of squeaks to real notes was considerably better. There were still some issues with intonation as some notes were a little on the flat side but we briefly covered a few technical things to help. We also had the privilege of composer Simon joining us in the clarinets. I thought he was doing rather well for a beginner especially as he hadn't played at the January rehearsal but it turned out he had played properly at school, doing grade 8 and beyond before giving it all up to concentrate on the recorder. Viv was in fine form encouraging us and giving useful tips about breathing well before the note, and how to make the piece dance by making phrases lighter.

The choir sounded surprisingly good. I have to confess I didn't look at this but with enough semi-confident singers around the support was useful. In the strings rehearsal Steve was very thoughtful of the harps and adapted some of the dynamics so that the harps and guitars could be heard. I could hear what we were doing but the sound wasn't really carrying out front. I did feel the sound and ensemble here were just a notch above the other two groups but would the audience be judging on that?

Highly Strung - in rehearsal

Finally the Goats all came together to rehearse the full orchestra piece. Russell was our leader for this and his dry humour and thinly veiled sarcasm gave us the confidence we needed. I was also able to give one last piece of advice to the clarinets which was "Don't worry about the squeaks as the meaty tone of the oboes nicely covers the higher frequencies and prevents them from travelling further than the edge of the stage."

I joined Cambridge Wind Band on sax for their rehearsal, again with Viv. Their previous concerts have been in a large boomy church in Cambridge and the difference in sound was fantastic for them. They have their own concert here in April so it was great for them to try it out. Prime Brass followed and then practise time was over.

The Bang, Bow and Blow was in full swing out in the foyer with two theremins, a double bass and some lower brass on the go. A few children had a go on the contrabass clarinet, with mixed results but many enjoyed hearing about the history. I also learnt recently that one of the Goats is related to a Doctor Who from the 1970s so my contra will almost certainly have accompanied some of his antics on screen! The audience went into the hall and it was time to begin!

Mini Theremin

Mighty Moog

Day 53 - Clueless in Competition

Today is the day of Clueless in Competition and in a few hours I will be heading down to West Road Concert Hall to take part in the rehearsals, assist in the Bow, Blow and Bang! and perform as a section leader in the woodwind ensemble Long Winded and as a competitive harpist in the string ensemble Highly Strung. Then part 1 of my challenge will be over and while some participants and their families breathe huge sighs of relief that they will never have to hear that viola/euphonum/oboe ever again, others will be continuing and taking the grade 1 exam and I will be continuing my adventure eventually taking grade 6 in the summer. The justgiving page will be open until 22 April so that gives me two months of being able to dedicate practise sessions to whoever sponsers me. After that I'm on my own!

The Bow, Blow and Bang! part of the evening is before the concert where anyone (audience/GOAT/gopher) can pay a pound or two to try out a rare and exciting instrument. And the trombone. There will be theremins, double basses and I will be taking one of my more recent purchases, a contrabass clarinet. My isntrument is of particular historical interest as it was played on the soundtracks of the early Doctor Who series.

When today is over I will try and use my blog to write about anything of interest in the various worlds I float around in and there are plenty of things of interest. Claire Jones has a new album out (I'm just listening to a preview of Scarborough Fair), some of my sponsors have concerts and events that can be plugged and of course all of these grade 1/6/8 results will need to be reported on!

Day 52 - One day to go!

With one day to go until the Clueless in Competition my priorities really should have been on lots of my own playing but I had a more pressing request from my old college friend and saxophonist John. He wanted to play the clarinet to me! Woodwinders tend to do grade 8 on their first instrument while still at school then take up several other instruments without bothering to work through the grades, just practise as and when they are needed for performance. The more versatile you are the more likely you are to get pit work (in the theatre band, not down the mine, although as John is from the south-west it might have been either) and peri teaching work. It takes a brave person to set out to do a grade 8 when they have a full time job and an interest in beer festivals but John now has a date for his third grade 8 having passed (with distinction) his grade 8 flute last year. This time it is his least favourite instrument, the clarinet, so I had the job of hearing him play his pieces and assisting in any way I could, in a friendly and supportive manner. Actually the pieces all sound pretty good already but there are little technical details to sort that might mean the difference between a merit and distinction. It is not just about the certificate at the end as the aim is to make improvements along the way.

In return for me enduring John's performance I played him a little bit on the harp and as his MA dissertation opens with a line about Stan Getz I played the Manha de Carnaval to see if he recognised it. He did! Well, he knew it was on a Stan Getz album, even if he couldn't get the title. Miles Davis described Stan Getz as having "so much patience". I think John equally matched that quality while listening!


I have had a few sponsors come in over the last few days and today's practise is dedicated to Martin and Judith, Chris's parents. They enjoy listening to a wide range of music and sometimes come to my concerts. My practise session was in the evening and I started with the Scarlatti. It was going well but I was then interrupted by Chris who wanted feeding so I stopped and we got tea started. Afterwards I did a little more on Manha de Carnaval then ran through GOAT pieces, Pat's grade 1 violin pieces and wrote my list of things to take then get myself an early night to be on my best form for the concert.

Day 51 - Half term Friday

Another day at home, this time with a visit from Derek, sponsor of Day 46's practise and member of Palace Band. We worked through a piece that we are hoping to have performed by Palace Band either later this year or at some point next year. It is a jazz-inspired piece in four short movements. The two aims today were to start arranging the lines for the layout of the band, and to learn a little more about how to use the music notation software we both have. I regularly use it for my own arrangements and lesson work but it has taken some years to understand how it all works and where the short cuts are. I have even had to read the manual at times to find out how to add a certain figure to my music! It is a fabulous programme though and can save time in so many ways. With the introduction of 'Lite' versions alongside the 'Pro' versions it also means that it becomes accessible for student and amateur musicians to use.

I left my practise to the evening today and this session was dedicated to George who has already managed to get several mentions in the last few days! After a little warm up and a few exercises I decided to play through everything that I am currently working on, to consolidate it all, see where I was at and use that info to help decide what to concentrate on next. I currently have four exam pieces (Scarlatti, Manha de Carnaval, Cross Currents and Haiku, a fairly easy but detailed piece in the Lever Harp World book), three studies (Showing Off, A Firm Fist and another shorter one, again not too tricky). I have the two pieces for Sunday's performance, Pat's two exam accompaniments that can be managed on the harp (Handel Fireworks Minuet and The Sandman) and I am still working on Bach's C major Prelude as I might play that at my cousin's wedding in August. I regularly tell my pupils that playing through is not practise but at the end of a week where I have done some decent work and made little steps of progress it felt like a good time to relax and just play. I am still listening to waht I am doing but not critically judging, just being aware of what's what.

Day 50 - Half term Thursday

I have a little group of teacher/musician friends that I affectionately think of as my fan club but really we support each other in playdays, concerts, exam accompanying, advice on all professional (and quite often non-professional) matters and many other things. In fact Cambridgeshire has an incredibly effective network of like-minded teachers and if you need advice it shouldn't take long to track down the right person to ask. Many of us are now self-employed due to changes a few years ago and sadly in the news in recent weeks other areas are threatened with cuts that will affect music making in their area. However this has made us all more determined than ever to make sure we do a good job in all aspects of our work and to cope with the difficulties that we may face.

One of these 'difficulties' is getting pupils to learn scales and over lunch five of us swapped tales about our worst offenders ("no, F major does not have an F sharp in it") and also our best tips. Jess R realised that there was a lot of untapped available time in car journeys so she suggests that pupils have a Tupperware box with all of their scales and key signatures on cue cards in it so that pupils can at least revise what is in each scale even if they can't play their instrument while travelling along to ballet, horse riding or Brownie Guides. Margaret gets pupils to colour in a piano keyboard template which can then be 'played' silently. I guess this would also work in the car! Jess B gets pupils to improvise in the key that they are learning. I like to play penalty shoot out scales with groups of pupils where I alternate giving a pupil a scale to play. If they do it well they score and if they don't they miss. If there is no clear winner after 5 goes it gets decided on a tie-break.

We don't always talk shop though and had a great pub lunch. We all had dessert and I spent the rest of the afternoon feeling just a little too full. Harp practise was managed but just Manha de Carnaval and devising an exercise to help with the next of the studies I want to master, called A Firm Fist. The main point of this is to play three-note chords with fingers 1, 3 and 4 in the first half and 1, 2 and 4 in the second so it is not all straight-forward triads. I have worked on it before and it makes my fingers hurt!

I went round to Pat and Martin's and after a quick chat and some tea and cake we got onto rehearsing Pat's three violin pieces. The Handel Minuet started off quite well. Naturally I wasn't quite sure what to expect although I have heard grade 1 violinists before. I was not disappointed and Pat's notes and rhythms were well in place. There were a few very small slips but when you have years of experience on the flute (and two months experience on the trumpet!) you do have higher expectations and Pat knew she could do better. I made a small suggestion of aiming for the first beat of each bar as this will help it move on. The second time through was better but thinking about the first beat of the bar means less thought on which finger goes where! There is a huge amount of co-ordination required! Next up was the Sandman by Brahms. Again, this is lovely and Pat has some nice shading in the dynamics. Finally Pennsylvania 65000 was a fun romp. I think Pat will do fine. To my ear I feel they are all passable but I know what it is like to be the one performing and the little doubts that creep in need to be addressed in a positive way. We then all went off to the CWB rehearsal and had a jolly time with conductor Viv rehearsing their piece for Sunday's programme as well as a few other pieces for their April concert. It is such a lovely atmosphere there and one of the most supportive groups I've seen in rehearsal.

Day 49 - Half term Wednesday

I had a trip to south west London today to collect some music for the CASS library. Usually if I am travelling to another part of the country I try and get something else useful done while I am in the area. I had had a request from another CASS member who wanted to try out some bass music so made plans to meet him as he lived nearby. Then last weekend I discovered that George, one of the team at Palace Band, was doing a lunchtime concert in Esher which was just a few miles from where I was headed! Brilliant! Three things all within a few miles of each other!

I made the first collection and had a cup of tea and quick chat with Michael, a very knowledgeable player particularly interested in little known repertoire for the clarinet. it was then onto lunch with Howard, an amateur player who had played at school then gave up but was persuaded by his wife to take it up again around the age of 50. The bass clarinet followed a few years later and he now enjoys playing in a local band. He is off to a course held on the Isle of Rathsaay an island off of the coast of Scotland later in April and wanted something to be able to play as part of a masterclass there. Not knowing a great deal of the bass clarinet repertoire I was charged with finding something accessible and without "too many notes to the inch"! I took some pieces that he was able to borrow. He also came to the concert that I had skilfully advertised in an earlier email!

The concert was the Kell Clarinet Quartet, made up of recent graduates from music colleges. The programme was a particularly varied mix. The opening Sevilla by Albeniz was a nod to Rocio, one of the players as she is from Seville. Next up were three early works, arranged by George, some Tallis, an anonymous 1480 piece and Viderunt Omnes by Perotin from around 1200. After two Gershwin numbers the programme finished with Piazolla's Histoire du Tango. This comes in many arrangements and this was an effective version for E flat, two B flats and bass clarinet. It would have been an excellent finish but they did do an encore and performed George's arrangement of Siman Tov, a Jewish wedding celebration piece. The programme was extremely well prepared and blend of sound was lovely so all in all it was an enjoyable concert!

The Kell Clarinet Quartet

I said a quick hello to George then set off back around the M25 before it got really bad again!

My evening harp practise session was dedicated to Jess and her mum Margaret as they are both coming to the concert on Sunday. I played at Jess and Rob's wedding in August and Jess is also honoured to be a member of my fan club. I am delighted that her mum is about to become the newest member!! The practise session was a fairly lengthy one going over all of my pieces at whatever speed they chose to be. I also ran through the accompaniments for Pat's grade 1 violin exam. They are easy on the piano and I tried the Handel Minuet on the harp. This works well so when we are happy that violin and piano is good enough for the exam we can hopefully try out the violin and harp combo! I am seeing Pat tomorrow just before the Cambridge Wind Band rehearsal.

Day 48 - Half term Tuesday

I think Tuesday is my favourite day in a half term holiday. You've had a bit of time off but you're not quite halfway through.

As Cathy had sponsored me yesterday her practise session was today. I started with Showing Off and used the metronome to see if I could get it any quicker. The answer was 'No'. Still it feels ok and I am sure my left hand chords are stronger than they were a few weeks ago. I have been doing a lot on the Manha de Carnaval and the great thing about this is that I am trying to play it too quickly. It can go slowly. I ran through the Scarlatti which is feeling quite comfortable now. As the weather was really sunny I went out for a walk. I live quite close to the open countryside so the break was much appreciated. We have had a bit of rain and I had the wrong footwear for going too far out so after getting some fresh air I headed back and did another half hour. If only all my days could be like this!

I haven't been putting many photos on so here is one from today. The wind turbine in the distance in at Wood Green Animal Shelter.

Day 47 - Half term at last

A whole day at home today! I had a lesson with Cathy, one of my adult pupils, but I enjoy these lessons during the holidays as we chat and have a catch up, as well as getting some work done. Cathy's husband plays with the Cambridge Wind Band so will be performing on Sunday. Cathy is going to be at the concert so I will see her again there. She also sponsored me and while she was filling in the form I raced through the first few bars of Showing Off! She seemed particularly keen to get away after that but I think that was because she had to get back to college to supervise some students.

As my free time is quite rare I had planned to sepnd it wisely. The priority today was having a good practise sessionas I'd had a donation yesterday from Derek, clarinettist, soprano sax player in Palace Band, and a composer. I am seeing him later on in the week to work on his latest composition that I am hoping the band will play but today's practise session was dedicated to Derek. Derek enjoys all types of music but his own works are influenced by jazz styles so I spent more time on Manha de Carnaval identifying the chord patterns and working out how my finger technique needs to develop so that I can bring out the melody a little more.

The rest of the day was spent catching up on admin tasks and looking through music to arrange for future projects. When you go and hear a concert or attend a playday or course a huge amount of preparation will have taken place. The music needs to be planned, sourced either from a publisher, or more common for me, arranged to suit the group. If it is an arrangement parts need to be printed out before being distributed, and as is often the case with my line of work, rare and odd instruments may need to be catered for. I love and loathe this side of things. I enjoy the planning, deciding which pieces to try out on my various groups and I enjoy the puzzle of working out which instrument should take which line, and deciding if it is too easy or difficult. However making sure the parts look neat, have all the right dynamics in, printing, having a problem with the printer, running out of ink / paper / patience is the troublesome side of it all. Today I decided on a piece by Johann Strauss to do at a future playday. I have the score so had a quick look through and arranged the first bar before getting stuck and putting it away for another day! I'll leave it until a week before I need it. Nothing like a bit of pressure to ensure it gets finished!

Day 46

Another Sunday and another Palace Band rehearsal working on our latest commission. We nearly had a disaster though as the urn hadn't switched on and we realised only shortly before the break that there was no hot water. Fortunately three quick thinking members went and found the kettles and got enough water for us all. At least I think that was the case and not that they wanted to get out of rehearsing a tricky passage.

Today was also assistant conductor and chamber music coach George's first time conducting a full symphony orchestra as he took part in the sponsored play with the Kensington Symphony Orchestra. I have seen the photos and he looked confident and in command. I also spotted a few of my old friends in the orchestra and a good time was had by all. After getting home I had a free afternoon so had a good practise session going over all my pieces without too much detail, just remembering how they all go. When I finished I checked my emails to discover I'd got a new sponsor. Monday's practise session would have to be good!

Days 41-45 SYD

The rest of the evenings of this week were taken up with a show at one of my schools. Always one of my favourite weeks of the year as the MD Jan (2011 GOAT Top Flautist) does a quiz which keeps the band quiet during the dialogue on stage. The first section usually involves filling in blanks from lines from the show. One point for a correct answer, 2 for an amusing one, bonus points if you make Jan laugh out loud when she marks them. The aim is usually to include answers that have a dig at any other members of the band. The final section is either to answer an essay question or draw a picture. I won the West Side Story Quiz last year so was reigning champion. Winning is hard enough but defending my title will be even harder as the reeds especially are a highly competitive bunch! This was Jan's last show and she is going out on Guys & Dolls, one of my favourite shows to play so I am sure it will be riotous week. I did a god job and my picture (of a praying tomato) got a bonus point as I took the time to colour it in, but I still managed to only come joint third. Still, it was a great week and the students performed brilliantly as usual.

I saw very little of the harp, just short practise sessions with teeny elements of progress. I have gone back over the ensemble pieces (Highly Strung and Altogether Now). I also have new motivation in the for of a harp performance for Kirsty. She is organising a concert with one of her choirs (I have lost count of the number of choirs she runs but I think it is two) and they will be singing Eriskay Love Lilt which works rather well with a simple harp accompaniment arranged by her husband Derek. She didn't have to look far to find a simple harpist! I also get the chance to play one of my own pieces and we will do a clarinet and bassoon duo to show just how versatile we both are.

So another week nearly over and just one week to go until the GOAT Reunion Clueless in Competition Performance. With half term coming up I should have more time to write about the build up!

Day 40 - Thanks Mum!

(This post should have gone up last week but I've been a bit busy...)

Another busy week in store so I managed to get two shorter sessions done today both of which are dedicated to my Mum. She donated half of her bingo winnings but told me not to tell my sister as she'd want the other half.

The session started with a quick warm up then I went into Showing Off thinking a little more carefully about the sound I am making and how to articulate and pluck the strings effectively. When I listened to my hands individually it was clear that the left hand is worse than the right hand so I experimented with different ways trying to improve the sound. I think I now need a little more guidance so will try and book a lesson sooner rather than later!

I also did a little more on the Mahna de Carnival using the inspirational playing of Stan Getz to guide my phrases. My technique does not allow me the complete freedom I would like but the introduction is working really well now and I can play that in a variety of ways, some more stylistically appropriate than others! So thanks to Mum!

Day 39 - Saffron Hall

I had my first opportunity to play at Saffron Hall a wonderful new concert hall in Saffron Walden. I was playing 3rd and bass clarinet with the Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra in a concert of film music. The programme included themes from the past 75 years including Lawrence of Arabia, ET, Dr Zhivago, James Bond, Harry Potter and others in a large orchestra complete with a large string section, full woodwind and brass, lots of percussion, piano and of course, harp. I was delighted to discover that Danielle Perrett was the harpist! I know Danielle from my work with Trinity College London exam board and through my professional society but more recently I have enjoyed following her as a harpist having seen her in concert and attended her playdays and courses. She is the composer of the studies I am currently working on including Showing Off so I was able to let her know how I was getting on (I can play it at half speed so far!) and get a few tips. Her main advice was that it is a cross between a Nadermann study and a ballet cadenza, and that 'it's all in the articulation', which I have been told before so I need to make sure my fingers articulate clearly. Danielle also published the volume with Cross Currents in and pieces for this book were commissioned with the aim of adding good contemporary material to the lever harp repertoire.

The hall lived up to the very high expectations. The stage was spacious, looked smart and the sound quality was excellent. I sat up in the auditorium for one of the pieces during the rehearsal and could hear clearly each part yet it blended well.

View from 3rd / bass clarinet seat

The concert went very well and we played to a pretty full house which included my husband Chris and my Aunty Ann and Uncle Chris, cousin Debbie and family friend Pat. This was the first time that they had been to an orchestral concert and they very much enjoyed it. As they live in Saffron Walden they are planning on taking advantage of the new concert hall on their doorstep. As the concert was an afternoon event we were able to get ourselves invited back to Ann & Chris's for tea.

As I knew we were going to be late back (we always make ourselves at home at Ann & Chris's, whether they like it or not!) I got up early (bear in mind today is Sunday) and did a good twenty minutes this morning. This session was dedicated to another Palace Band member, Carolyn, a flautist who has the distinction of being one of the original, as well as one of the most recent members at the same time. She was a member back in the early days then had a few years off and re-joined last year. Carolyn's session started with a few scales and I then focussed on the Latin piece Manha de Carnaval learning a few bars at a time and planning finger placement. This has quite a few lever changes but they are all nicely spaced out so not too tricky.

When we got in from the concert I did a little research on the piece, Composed by Luis Bonfa it was originally for the 1959 film Black Orfeus (the film won an Academy award) and it has been covered many times. It is a Bossa Nova and as it is a Jazz standard I am more familiar with it as played by Stan Getz on the tenor sax. I'll be listening to more versions to try and influence my own 'interpretation'!