Orchestra Playing Test Pre- Festival Concert

Aniela Crayton
Dr. Wang
Symphony Orchestra B4
Violin 2
Tuesday February 7th,2017

Orchestra Playing Test Pre- Festival Concert

Chabrier- Espana: 16 measures after K to L

Chabrier- Espana: 2 measures after G to 3 measures after H

Hungarian March: 4 measures after K to 6 before the end

*I tried my best, but my finger still kind of hurt, and the band- aid got in the way a littler bit.  I hope it is still ok, and I am really sorry!

Sectional Rehearsal Reflection for Class on Thursday January 19th, 2017

Aniela Crayton
Dr. Wang
Symphony Orchestra B4
Monday January 23rd, 2017
Sectional Rehearsal Reflection for Class on Thursday January 19th, 2017
Finale (The Dargason):  We did not practice this piece as much as the other pieces.  In this piece we only focused on one part.  We worked from box 5 to box 7.  The main goal of this was to work on the rhythm.  Also, to work on staying together, in the parts where there were a lot of quarter and half notes.

Emmanuel Chabrier Espana:  This was the piece that I and as a group we worked on the most, and I think I needed the most work on.  We started working at measure 21 to measure 30.  In this part we focused on notes and rhythm.  To improve upon this, we did the notes slowly and made sure that everyone had good fingerings and then for rhythm we clapped the notes slowly and made sure that everyone got the rests and everything.  Next, we worked from 12 after D to E.  In this part the focus was on bow speed and phrasing.  We also made sure everyone knew the bow changes.  After that, we worked on letter G to H.  We played the notes slowly and looked at accidentals to improve upon intonation.  After that, from 9 before k to k, I worked on writing the fingering in so that I could play all the notes on the same string, G string.  Finally, we worked from K to L and played slowly, highlighting accidentals, to improve the intonation.

March Hongroise:  This we also did not focus on as much.  The first thing we worked on was from G till box 4.  We focused on being able to play the notes and also looked at the key change.  Also, because there are a lot of half notes we worked on staying together, and not rushing.  Finally, from 9 before 6 to the end we worked on intonation and shifting, because of all the high notes on E string.  We played the notes slowly and we also got fingerings.

* Some of the things we worked on individually, and some as a group.  We(with a lot of help from Sophia) found the places to work on as a group and decided what we needed to work on in that section as a group, but fixed some parts individually, either during class or at home.

Winter Concert Reflection, 12/15/16

Serenade in E Major by Dvorak Playing Test

Aniela Crayton

October 26th, 2016

Serenade in E Major by Dvorak Playing Test

Measures 7- 12

Measures 16-22

Measures 38-41

Fall Orchestra Concert Reflection

Aniela Crayton

Dr. Wang

Symphony Orchestra/ II Violin/ B4

Sunday October 9th, 2016

Fall Orchestra Concert Reflection

Marchz:

Group

-I thought that individually this piece was good, but when brought together it could have been cleaner.

-I really liked the style choices that were made, it sounded like a march, with the short bows, and on beat and off beat passages.

- I thought that the dynamics were good, but some of the other pieces had better dynamics.

-The clapping was a good idea, excepted the audience clapped the whole time and so at times it was confusing and hard to play.

Personal

-I felt that at times the rhythm was tricky and I messed up some parts.

- Intonation wasn't a big issue in this piece so that was good.

- At times I had trouble sticking with the right bowing.

- The unique struggle for this piece was just knowing where in the music to go next.

Holberg:

Group

- Same with this piece, each person was good on their own, but when we came together as an ensemble the piece was necessarily played together.

- I though our dynamics in this piece was really well done.

- Thought that as a group there were some trouble spots, like at the bottom of the first page, that if fixed would have made the piece a lot better.

- Felt that overall this was one of the best pieces we played.

Personal

-This was one of the pieces I though I personally played the best, I put the most at home effort into it.

- Thought that my bowing was off at times.

- In general would have liked to add more musicality to my playing.

Slavonic Dance

Group

-  Along with the Holberg thought that this piece was one of the best that we played

-Thought that our intonation was a little off at time, especially going out of first position in the violin sections.

-Really liked how much dynamic contrast we had.

Personal

-Thought that my intonation on this piece could have been better, just with the key signature and all.

-Though that the style of bowing that I used wasn't always correct, and the type that the rest of the ensemble was using.

- Especially in this piece my violin teacher highlighted that I over vibrate my vibrato, so that was something that could have been better in this piece.

Olympic Fanfare

Group

- I loved that the harps were part of this piece, they added a unique element to the piece!

- Really like our style and just the piece in general, it had the feeling of a song that would welcome the whole world to the Olympic games.

Personal

-Wish that I would have practiced this piece more, I thought it was easy, and it was, but I wish I would have put more artistic time into it.

-Sometimes, the rhythm was a little tricky at times, and I messed it up.

Pre- concert Reflection Blog Post

Aniela Crayton
Dr. Wang
Symphony Orchestra II Violin B4
Sunday October 2nd, 2016

Pre- concert Reflection Blog Post

Holberg Suite

What goals do you want to achieve for the Holberg Suite today?

- Be able to play at, a faster tempo

- Hit the notes on the descending scales

- Improve intonation

- Get better bow control and direction

- Get the double stops

- Improve rhythm

Concert Critiques on Holberg Suite

-There change in dynamics was good

- How they worked together and looked at one another to make sure they were together in rhythm and style

- The amount of passion they had and how they move on together

- Their ability to highlight instrument and part

Reflections

- Focus on bowing and improve on making sure it is constant

- Make sure that I watch at rite. because sometimes I am not with the orchestra

Slavonic Dance No. 8

What goals do you want to achieve for the Slavonic Dance No. 8 today?

- I want to improve my double stops

- Improve intonation

- Play with more confidence

- Do more dynamics

- Interact with other sections more

- Improve string crossing and better bow control

Concert Critiques on Slavonic Dance No. 8

-Really good dynamics

- Very excited and active

- Each section is with one another, they are cohesive

- Good dynamic balance

- Smooth string crossings

Reflections

- Improve ending, somehow I always end on an up bow

- Make sure to hold rests long enough

- Enjoy playing the piece more

- Better intonation (accidentals)

- Better rhythm

- Improve change in dynamics

When I scanned the actual piece of paper on to my computer, the writing was really faint and I wasn't able to read it, so I just typed up my responses, hope that's ok!

Day One Assignment: First Blog Post for the 2016- 2017 School Year

Day One Assignment: First Blog Post for the 2016- 2017 School Year

-Name, Grade, #of years playing your instrument or singing, and any other instruments that you play:

Aniela Crayton, 12th Grade, 6 years of playing the violin

-How much did you practice over the summer?

I practiced some over the summer, but with college applications, and the extended essay I was not able to practice as much as I would have liked to.

-What are you most looking forward to in this class this year?

I am looking forward to getting to know Dr. Wang better, and to see what new/ different types of ensemble pieces she has us play.

-What else does Dr. Wang need to know to ensure you have a successful year?

Nothing really, except that I usually don't come to the rehearsals after school on Thursday, unless they are mandatory, because I have cross country or track after school almost everyday.