Good morning!
Kaeren (Clarinet) is also looking for a ride to Victoria Beach.
She lives near McPhillips and Notre Dame but is willing to meet her ride in the city at a convenient mutually agreed upon location.
Please email any offers to info@mbmillenniumband.com and we’ll connect you to one another!
Thanks!
Elizabeth.
I can’t believe it’s that time already! But, here we are, minutes (it feels!) away from Victoria Beach! This is a long blow, folks. But it is a fun one and well worth the trek!
The administrative stuff:
Cars are not permitted past the parking area, but we have special dispensation for 2 shuttle vehicles to move gear (and people who have mobility issues). The shuttles will be near the guard building and will make trips to and from the bandstand as required.
Please aim to arrive early! Bodies should be in chairs by 1:30 pm as we will definitely have to perform the Band Shuffle! (It may even require an encore).
We are playing under a canopy, but there’s a built-in picnic table that wreaks havoc on our seating arrangement. (Happens every year). So I can pretty much guarantee that unless you play percussion, you’re going to have a different vantage point of me. Also, you are likely not going to sit beside your regular neighbour. We try to keep sections together as best we can, but, life happens. (This is why early arrival is critical – it lets you stake out your section’s real estate). Forewarned is forearmed.
We will play about 45 minutes or so, take about a 20 minute break, then play another 45 minutes. I will probably talk a bit more than usual in order to help you give your chops a rest.
After the gig, we will retire to the Woolisons’ cottage for a barbecue ($5/person, BYOB) and fellowship. Shenanigans may ensue.
Some things to consider when it comes to playing outside:
So, what do we do about this? Well, I’m glad you asked.
Stay calm.
Watch me.
Trust me.
Trust me.
Trust your preparation.
I’m serious – Trust me. I will guide you.
Play the way you normally play – dynamics, expression, etc – unless I override that! Sometimes weird things happen out there and we need more cowbell – I mean, we’re OBOE with band accompaniment (that really did happen, by the way) – or something completely different.
And did I mention? Trust me.
Concert dress is our standard: black bottoms and Millennium t-shirt/forest green top/black top.
Warm Up starts at 1:55 pm – we’ll probably do a couple of scales – let’s say F and Bb to change it up a bit.
11 – Cartoon Symphony
64 – Bolero
4 – Standard of St George
58 – Les Miserables
59 – Super Mario – Click this link to watch the video!
2 – Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday
22 – The Stripper
INTERMISSION
17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
9 – Arabian Dances
1 – The 80s
40 – Windjammer
25 – Blue Orchid
63 – Hallelujah
36 – Space and Beyond
Make sure you are practising good self-care! Expect to require hats, sunscreen, insect repellent. Bring lots of water with you – this is thirsty work!
If you are able to bring one person (and his oboe) to Victoria Beach, we are looking for a ride. James lives near St Vital Centre and has no way to get to Victoria Beach as of this writing. Please email the info@mbmillenniumband.com address if you’re able to help out and I’ll facilitate the connection.
See you at the beach!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
Good evening,
Our oboe player does not have a ride to Victoria Beach. He lives near St Vital Centre and is very easy to find! Does anyone have room to bring one extra person?
Please contact us at info@mbmillenniumband.com and we’ll connect you with James to make arrangements.
The Concordia Village concert this week goes down in the books as a success. There were a few minor hiccups, but we held it together really well and I’m so proud of you!
Holy Mars, Batman!!! We did it!! NO ONE played in the gaps for the first time ever!! Did you hear how COOL that was??? Let’s do that every time!
One thing I’ve been on your case about, and it was pretty obvious in Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday, is making sure that we get our dynamic level DOWN to start a crescendo. In Eleanor Rigby, we didn’t do that as well as we have at rehearsals, and we had some tone issues because of it. I’m mentioning this for several reasons: it will help save your chops (mission critical with Victoria Beach looming on the horizon), it will be more dramatic, and it will keep us from having that spready, blatty, out of control tone. You know – the one we all cringed at during Wednesday’s concert.
I also wanted to commend you on a job well done in Eine Kleine Rockmusik. When the Eine Kleine theme returned, you remembered to keep it nice and light, and that was so effective! (Next project: matching quarter note length in that section). Also, the balancing – particularly with solo trumpet – was exactly where it needed to be!
Windjammer sounded really good! Awesome trumpet work – it sounded effortless! And I also wanted to again, express my appreciation for that final crazy section, where we have to main themes playing over an ostinato rhythm (aka the waves). I heard BOTH themes clearly, so the waves did an awesome job at carrying us without overwhelming, and the opening melody came though really nicely with a full, open tone. I can’t ask for more!
I was approached by several audience members who asked me to convey their appreciation to the band. One hopes we’ll be back next summer, another commented on how evident it is that we love what we’re doing and how it got her heart pumping. Job well done!
So. I’m sad to announce that our rehearsal on Wednesday is the very last one of the season. While sharing what we’ve worked so hard on with an audience has a very important role and is generally good and fun to do, my heart is in the rehearsing. I love pulling things apart and getting into the nitty-gritty. I love what happens to our pieces when we rebuild them, knowing about a cool inner part or the way a line dovetails into a different instrument. Also, it’s at this point that I start to feel more like a traffic director (and an empty nester) than anything else – you are as prepared as I can help you to be. And you are prepared!
This is another dress rehearsal – this time for our big gig at Victoria Beach!
We have some administrative details to work out – I’ll be doing a count at rehearsal, so this is for the people who ARE going to Victoria Beach but are NOT able to attend rehearsal:
Car Pooling
The band will be covering the parking fee for members (your membership dues at work!), so we are strongly encouraging as much car-pooling as possible. Please consider whether you are willing to go with someone else, or if you’re willing to drive others. We’ll try to get people paired up on Wednesday. (If you need or can provide a ride but can’t make rehearsal, please let us know in the comments or by email).
Post-Event Social Time and Meal
The concert on the 26th will be followed by a meal and fellowship at the Woolisons’ cottage. This year, we’re doing Roast Beef on a Bun – and I believe we’re asking for $5/person to help defray the costs (I’ll confirm this on Wednesday). It is BYOBeverage. You are welcome to bring others – of the significant or family variety. But, since we have to procure the victuals, we need a count. Once again, I’m taking the official count on Wednesday, but if you can’t be at rehearsal, please let me know in the comments how many of you and yours are dining with us.
Practise Self-Care
Make sure, along with clothes pins/plexiglass/other music fastening devices, that you pack the following: sunscreen, a hat, insect repellant, and VERY importantly, plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Music
This is about the time we have some final departures. Please do not forget to turn in your binders. Also, if you know you can’t attend a concert, please make sure you leave your binder with the library – it will be at all gigs. If you have rearranged any music, please ensure it’s put back in its original place in the binder before you turn it in. This saves our librarian a LOT of effort!
This is our long concert – it’s two sets with a short break in between. The intention for our rehearsal is to spot-check as needed, but really we’ll be spending more of our time on the pieces we haven’t been rehearsing so much (italicized below).
11 – Cartoon Symphony
64 – Bolero
4 – Standard of St George
58 – Les Miserables
59 – Super Mario
2 – Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday
22 – The Stripper
INTERMISSION
17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
9 – Arabian Dances
1 – The 80s
40 – Windjammer
25 – Blue Orchid
63 – Hallelujah
36 – Space and Beyond
Finally, if you are NOT able to attend the September 9 gig (at Bourkevale), and you have not already let me know, please do so as soon as possible (either in the comments or via email) so that I can make sure we have parts covered.
For those among you who have concluded your playing season with us, I’m sorry to see you go, but so pleased that you were able to join us! We’ll miss you as we continue our shenanigans!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
Here are the details for our second concert!
Where: Concordia Village
1125 Molson St
When: Wednesday, July 19 – Warm up starts: 6:55 pm sharp
We’ll be performing in the really lovely new auditorium that was installed about a year ago. (It’s quite the thing. Trust me, you’re going to LOVE it!) The stage is wide and shallow, so we’ll probably have to go with a few long rows as far as seating is concerned.
There is limited visitor parking and a secret entrance which I’ve included on the attached satellite view of the Concordia Village campus:
Concordia Directions August 16, 2017
Concordia Village is right across Molson from Concordia Hospital.
Bb Scale (we’ll play this a couple of times – fair warning!)
64 – Bolero
11 – Cartoon Symphony
2 – Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday
17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
59 – Super Mario
58 – Les Miserables
40 – Windjammer
63 – Hallelujah
36 – Space and Beyond
In other news, I am the repository for Lost and Found items. There are two up for grabs (I’ll have them with me at the concert next week):
Based on our rehearsal tonight, I’m very confident that we’ll turn in a solid performance!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
I hope everyone’s had a good break from the routine!
There are a few newsy-type items to share:
That’s all I’ve got for developments at this stage!
I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
Wow!!! What an excellent first performance we had this week! I’m so proud of all of you! There were a couple of hiccups, but they were not of the “we were unprepared for this” variety, but more under the heading of “momentary lapses.” (Those can happen anytime – it was a hot room, and I know that can play a role in losing focus! We were set up a little differently, so you were likely hearing some new sounds, etc). The point is, we were able to recover from them smoothly, and that’s really what the rehearsing should prepare us to do.
There was so much just good playing happening! Each and every one of you had a moment to be a superstar.
One thing we’ll have to pay better attention to is the cut-offs. We had some ragged endings – several of them, in fact. I’ll be contemplating this over the break, and I hope to have some ideas to test out next rehearsal to help us.
A couple of highlights:
I was really pleased with The 80s – that is not an easy piece with its lightening-fast changes and general weirdness (but, that’s kind of how the 80s were). You handled it with aplomb and it came off really well! This is a bit of a showstopper of an arrangement. I think it’s going to play very well at Victoria Beach!
Windjammer got off to a rocky start – sort of. I guess it goes to show that the trumpets don’t need me anymore. (They played it perfectly with each other – but not with me). This is a blow to my ego, but I’ll survive. All in all, it came off really, really well. Trumpets – you nailed the inner echoey bits (where your parts are different from the opening). I was also really pleased to hear all three of the lines happening in the busy-ness at the end – the A theme, the B theme and the water all were there, your sound was full, but not spready/shrieky/blatty, and it didn’t feel like the wheels were going to fall off. I got chills in the bar where there’s the dovetailing sixteenth note descending line that gets passed around and ends with the pick up into the main theme – every note of every part was just perfectly placed and the effect was of a little eddy in the calm water before the main theme returned – it’s a short moment, but a really lovely one.
You made me cry in “Hallelujah.” It was just unbearable, heart-breakingly beautiful. Your control and restraint were bang-on. We didn’t rush (although I know we were fighting the urge!) and we really did well to hold our course and make the climax the actual dynamic climax (but even that didn’t get away from us – we had a strong, beautiful forte – not a spready, blatty, shrieky mess). So, please keep doing THAT. While I can’t be certain (because I was in the midst of my own emotional moment), I do feel that this had a strong impact on our audience – I think I heard a few sighs from behind me.
All in all, it was a really strong outing and it bodes well for the rest of the summer! See! I told you that we were ready!
I was approached by a couple of ladies after the concert who wanted to make sure that I passed on their appreciation to the band. One wanted to know the exact date we’re coming back, so I’d say that’s a pretty ringing endorsement! The other says that she’s starting to recognise people and that she really enjoys our concerts and she would like to see us back as well.
You know, we pulled a tricky programme together in 7 rehearsals. That’s pretty spectacular. Please, do take a little time and give yourselves a solid pat on the back – you have worked really hard and it shows.
So now we have a bit of a break.
Our next rehearsal, on August 9, is another dress rehearsal!
The plan will be similar to our previous dress rehearsal: we’ll do a shorter warm up, a sight-reading piece, then we’ll run the tentative program (below). We will take some time to polish a couple of trouble spots, and I hope we’ll be able to run a couple of pieces that we’ll likely perform at Victoria Beach.
Without further ado, here’s the TENTATIVE programme:
11 – Cartoon Symphony
59 – Super Mario
2 – Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday
17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
64 – Bolero
58 – Les Miserables
40 – Windjammer
63 – Hallelujah
36 – Space and Beyond
Run – will be on Victoria Beach programme:
25 – Blue Orchid
4 – Standard of St George
9 – Arabian Dances
1 – The 80s
22 – The Stripper
To those of you who are off to Band Camp: have a wonderful time!
To those of you who will be playing in Folklorama: break a leg!
To everyone: I’ll be thinking of you!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
EDITED TO ADD: Special shout-out to Christina who gave the seating chart a valiant effort. Thanks for looking after who should sit where and ensuring that no one’s turf was invaded! You did a fantastic job – I know how hard it is!
Here are the details for our first concert of the year!
Where: Shaftesbury Park Seniors Residence
905 Shaftesbury Blvd
When: Wednesday, July 19 – Warm up starts: 6:55 pm sharp
Please be aware that there is an extremely limited number of visitor parking spots on the property, but there is a sidewalk that runs from Litchfield Blvd (turn south onto Litchfield from Taylor) to the residence. Parking on that street has traditionally been reasonably easy. It is a bit of a hike, so please allocate some extra transit time to account for the constitutional.
If you would like to purchase a snazzy, fashion-forward, Millennium Band t-shirt, one can be yours for the low, low price of $12. To help us get organised amid the chaos that is concert preparation, please email info@mbmillenniumband.com and include both your name and your t-shirt size no later than Monday, July 17. Get ’em while they’re hot!
Bb Scale (we’ll play this a couple of times – fair warning!)
11 – Cartoon Symphony
9 – Arabian Dances
2 – Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday
1 – The 80s
58 – Les Miserables
40 – Windjammer
17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
63 – Hallelujah
(22- The Stripper – spare – if time requires – I don’t expect we’ll play this)
36 – Space and Beyond
We have SO got this! We knocked the dress rehearsal out of the park! You have all put in a lot of hard work this year, and it’s really showing.
I know that some of you are on the fence about whether to play or not. In some cases, there may be some discomfort about mastering the whole program. I understand and I appreciate the sentiment. (Someone very dear to me once told me that “being nervous is good. It shows you care about what you’re doing.” More than 25 years later, that’s still among the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received. Another, regarding playing fast passages on Horn, is “close your eyes and wiggle your fingers – the notes will come out.” Slightly less good advice, but now you have been enriched by it – or not). To you, I say:
Thank you for caring so much about what we’re doing. However, and I say this from my heart: you belong. You are the Millennium Band just as much as everyone else, and the loss of one person does impact the whole band’s sound. You bring something unique that adds to the magic of this ensemble (and it is magic – I promise you). Here’s the thing: in music, stuff happens: a cue gets missed, a reed breaks, the brass cacks (Sorry, Brass). There’s not much we can do other than recover as quickly as possible (and pretend it never happened). While I believe that musicians should always aim for the highest standard, there’s always going to be something to improve, so we have to draw a line in the sand and call it good enough. After all, the whole point of what we’re doing is to share the music. So, please, if you are able, share in the music and do your best, as you always do. I am confident that we are all ready for this performance.
See you at 6:30 pm on Wednesday!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
Ah, half notes.
The problem with half notes that we see them and immediately think: Aah! a lingering peace from the hustle and bustle of the black ones!
But that is a lie. It’s a vicious, vicious lie, because what half notes really tend to do is drag. us. down. Down to the bottom of the ocean in muck, where we get sucked down beyond salvation – we’re all just lobsters. Hopeless, cold, lonely, lobsters. Or maybe clams. Nope – too happy. Lobsters it is.
What we really need to be thinking is this:
Half notes = High alert
Playing half notes an incorrect length – it’s usually too long (except in Bolero – there you’re probably cheating the note value) – really throws the whole band off. We all want to play together. It hurts us all – and our audience’s ears – when we don’t! But, I’m right – even when I’m wrong, I’m still right. You MUST follow me. I am your (plural) safety net and I can’t help anyone if you’re going all rogue and independent on me.
It is every single person’s responsibility to pay attention to whether they are with the rest of the band, and if you (singular) are not, it is your job to get back on track as quickly as you can. How, you may ask? Well, start by looking at the crazy lady at the front who’s waving and dancing. She’s trying to help. Honest. Also, listen to what’s happening around you – if your note sounds wrong (as in, not what you usually hear) you’re likely playing your half notes too long, so you’re probably a bit behind everyone (except in the aforementioned Bolero – in that case, you’re probably close to a full bar ahead).
In most cases, half notes are not the most interesting thing happening, so they should be approached with a certain sense of reservation. However, when they are played dynamically appropriately – not overpowering the melody – and shaped in relation to both the structure of the melody and their own pattern, they not only support the melody, but enrich it. (A side effect is that you will likely make me cry from the beauty of it. That might actually be a good game to play: can we see Elizabeth’s tears today? For my part, I’m not ashamed that beautiful music makes me weep, so consider the gauntlet thrown!)
Bear in mind that music has to flow forward – even longer notes have to have some sense of direction (either building towards something or pulling away from it). There is always a musical momentum. You may have noticed that I am prone to playing fast and loose with respecting tempo markings. This is generally a conscious choice on my part to help you find the natural internal motion of the piece (most pieces have a sweet spot for tempo where it’s easiest to feel that momentum).
One way to help you find the momentum is to look for anacruses (pick-up notes) within your line. Trust me, they are there – even if you have whole notes. Firstly, figure out where the line is going – what’s the most important note of the phrase? Then it’s a matter of determining what leads to that note – is it a step-wise motion or does it jump around a bit? (There are other hints that can help as well, but they would require a much more intense lecture on Music Theory than I am prepared to give today. If you have questions about a specific line, please feel free to email me with some details so I can look it up, or speak with me before/after/at rehearsal break and we can talk then). Incidentally, this sort of analysis works at a meta level (where is the whole piece going?) as well, which is something that I do as part of my role (in case you were in doubt that I think about these things at 11:00 pm on a Saturday night when I should be asleep).
So, to tie all this chatter together for you, here are the main considerations when approaching half notes:
– Keeping time – this means subdividing your counting, feeling the eighth notes (if it’s moderate to slow pace) or quarter notes (if it’s in cut or a quicker pace), and placing your notes carefully in time.
– Supporting – this means playing sensitively, balancing dynamic level across the band so as not to overpower the melody, and ensuring that there’s coverage (i.e. no unwritten gaps in the sound).
– Shaping – this is about knowing the direction (often slight dynamic variation within a short section) of your line and how it relates to the melody. Shape your phrase in awareness of how the interactions should happen – your own shaping should support and enhance the piece and shouldn’t ever be at the expense of the melody line.
As always, I’m happy to talk about this in more detail if you have any specific questions or concerns.
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
Once again, thanks to everyone for a very productive rehearsal this week! It’s all coming together nicely, and I feel very confident that we’re ready for our very first gig of the season – on July 19!
Since Wednesday is a dress rehearsal, there will be a variation in our pattern. Our warm-up will be a bit shorter than usual. We will still sight-read a piece, but we’ll do shorter scale work and try to jump into phase 2 fairly quickly.
Phase 2 of rehearsal will be to run the tentative concert program (coming up momentarily!) with only minimal spot-checking where I can’t possibly avoid saying something. I hope that will take us to shortly after the break.
The final phase of our rehearsal will be to review and perhaps do some work on the pieces we’re working on for later performances.
Without further ado, here is the tentative concert programme (IN THE CORRECT ORDER – I’ll publish a final version after rehearsal in case we need to make any corrections):
11 – Cartoon Symphony
9 – Arabian Dances
2 – Michelle/Eleanor Rigby/Yesterday
1 – The 80s
58 – Les Miserables
40 – Windjammer
17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
63 – Hallelujah
(22- The Stripper – spare – if time requires)
36 – Space and Beyond
Phase 3:
59 – Super Mario
64 – Bolero
25 – Blue Orchid
4 – Standard of St George
This is also our last rehearsal before – what I affectionately call – The Gap. Yes, we’re already there. I can’t believe it either! So, I’ll see you on Wednesday the 12th, we’ll have a concert on the 19th, and then I won’t see you until August 9. Bummer.
Please note that we have confirmed August 26 for Victoria Beach! (The website pages have been updated to reflect this).
I hope to see most of you on Wednesday!
Happy playing!
Elizabeth.
