This has been quite the summer so far. First off, I have the best job in the world! I get paid to dress like a pioneer every day and make music with some amazing people and sometimes even get paid to go to things like Fantasy Con and promote the park (hence the picture). That was particularly interesting since I even got to add the make-up factor to my costuming. And the people watching. The people-watching at Fantasy Con was quite good and I was impressed with how open and comfortable everyone was. Unfortunately some of the girls got particularly comfortable at the store located next to our booth that sold bustiers and corsets. No comment.
Then, just to underscore how cool the people I work with are, we had a big murder mystery party, with costumes and all, and had a little too much fun figuring out why our co-worker was dead. I love murder mystery parties!
Well, I suppose there is one thing, but it's just that sometimes I get so fatigued from being out in the sun all day that I have very little energy when I make it home. That reflects itself in the fact that I haven't posted in a very long time, especially with music. I try, but it just doesn't happen sometimes. Because of that I sometimes feel like I've completely neglected this blog which is sad when the whole reason I started it was to force myself to step out of my comfort zone and compose things frequently. Sigh.
But I've finally finished another piece! Originally it was supposed to be a choral piece but I recorded it as a string piece and it's going to be for my musical I'm writing. It's only about half of the song, but something is better than nothing right now and at least this time I fiddled and actually wrote my fiddlings down which means I'll be more likely to come back and finish it later.
Again, please let me know what you think and I hope everyone is having an absolutely awesome summer! (Despite the heat. Horrible, horrible heat lately in Utah. Ugh.) :)
You know, it's hard to find time to blog or do anything not stressful when you're in the middle of your last year of college. Weird, right?
I am always left amused when I sit back and realise that each of my professors has the idea that, to "help" us feel less busy, they are lighter on the homework at the beginning and end of the semester and pile everything at mid-term. As "good-hearted" as this may be, the problem is that when everyone is doing the same thing it doesn't really work as they intend. Instead the students are left with two or three weeks in the semester in which their lives feel like they're about to unravel because EVERYTHING IS DUE AT ONCE! The result? One of my classes didn't happen for me on Tuesday and one assignment became ignored completely. I am okay with this.
Even with all of this going on, Halloween is upon us. I don't actually care for Halloween very much. I appreciate the candy and sugar portion of the holiday, but I could live without everything else. Especially the costumes. There's a reason I've been a "model" and a "nudist on strike" the last couple of years. I just don't care anymore. Some people do and I'm so glad that they do. They can care on my behalf.
Having said that, this song is my latest project from my Orchestration class I was talking about last month. This time we were supposed to do a string and woodwind version of a piece from Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos. I thought it sounded kind of creepy in a cool way so I tried to stay true to that while orchestrating. This is the closest I get to Halloween. Enjoy!
Mikrokosmos No. 150 - Bela Bartok (Stgs & WW Arr. Segment)
So here we are, back to school and just a few weeks into the semester. At least for most people. This is my final year of school and I can openly admit that I already find myself saying each Monday morning "Three weeks down - twelve to go". Is this a bad sign? I'll assume not until further notice.
One thing great about school, though, is getting to see all my friends again. I love the weirdos I get to associate with! It doesn't make me feel normal, per se, but I do feel less conspicuous around them. Just last night we got together just to share cheesecake and ended up laughing hysterically on the floor for hours. It was epic!
Contrary to what has been my norm for the last few years, I actually do not have very many music classes this semester. I don't know what to make of that. One of my few music courses is Orchestration, something I find fascinating. I've really been getting excited for our assignments in this class so I can play around a bit with writing for specific instruments besides piano and voice. We're not allowed tons of creativity (i.e. this is not an arrangement class, purely orchestration) but that's okay with me since I'm still learning a lot.
This is my "final" draft of our first assignment. It's the opening segment of Edvard Grieg's Elfin Dance for string ensemble. I didn't do anything over the top, but I didn't really want to. I kind of like the lightness this has. Anyways, let me know what you think.
Elfin Dance - Edvard Grieg (String Arr.)
Also, in regards to my last post, I still would really love some stories or other such ideas from other people to help me write the libretto for my increasingly pipe dream-esque musical. Don't want to seem pushy, just want to make a pleasant reminder. That is all. :)
