Midterm Reflection

During the Fall Preview, the String Orchestra performed, “The Dance Of The Tumblers.” This performances included articulations/interpretations, dynamics, phrasing, intonation, and the overall performance with the ensemble. The articulations and interpretations in this piece was strong. When playing this song, everyone had to make each note very clear. Otherwise the audience who have heard a cluster of notes coming out of no where. The staccato notes had to be very short and clear. Practicing the staccato notes was difficult because it had to be the same. It could not have been short and clear for one measure and a little bit longer for the next. Dynamics was very important for this piece. When the music wrote forte, it was expected to be very loud. When it said piano, it was expected to say very soft. If one measure had forte and the next measure had piano, there had to be a big contrast. That way the audience would be able to tell the difference. This would also help the music come alive. This piece also dealt with a lot of phrasing. There were a lot of phrases in this piece. This piece was a joyful tune, and phrasing helped it out. The short pauses between each measure would show the phrases in this tune. Getting every single measure similar was very difficult due to phrasing. Intonation was very important for this piece. Ex specially when this was used with articulation. When articulating the notes, it would have to be very clear. For example, the staccato notes. The staccato notes had to be short and clear, this way it would be much easier to tell if a note was flat or sharp. The overall ensemble performed well during the fall preview. Most notes were correct and the articulations were good. Although, the performance was not perfect. There were still some sections that could have used some more work.

During the Winter Concert, the combined orchestra (both String and Chamber) played “Hallelujah.” It was a tradition for East to play this piece every year. Before practicing this piece, it was some random Christmas song in perspective. I did not really care for the music, but after practicing this piece. It was so much more than a Christmas song. This piece is very exciting and has a lot of drama. Since this piece is forte for the majority of the time, the music came to life. Adding more instruments and the singers also helped this song come to life. The Winter Concert was very enjoyable because it was the holiday season. During this season, most families would celebrate a specific holiday. This Winter Concert too, celebrated the holiday season by playing music. For example, “Shalom” was also played. Although, there were some parts of the Winter Concert that was not as joyful. The fact that it was during a school day would be in effect. Having to do homework