Almost New Years!

So apparently I'm pretty bad at keeping promises. But with finals, state football championships and work, I've been superduper busy. So I believe its okay that I've not totally kept up (: But here I am!

Christmas was good. I got my new MacBook (which was supposed to be for graduation) and I absolutely love it. The break has also given me some much needed time to practice my concerto.

So, as you know, I'm playing the Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1 in A minor for cello. And it's going well. I have the whole first page memorized. And the rest of it I pretty much have down (minus the odd little double stop backwards scale thingy. That part not so much). I'm really thinking I'll have it ready for Solo & Ensemble contest once the end of January comes around. I'm also thinking about entering this Concerto competition at the end of May (: but that involves learning the whole thing... haha.

So, thats pretty much all for now. I have my first lesson of 2010 on the 5th and am hoping that he is happy with my progress. Talk to you all later!

Hugs, Kisses and warm wishes for 2010!

Sarah, Sadie & Henry

Lesson Numero Uno (:

So I think I may be blogging about my lesson each week. Yes? Okay good (:

So today was my first lesson in... oh, 5 years? Yep, 5 years. So sad. Anyways, I like my teacher. He's from Albania and plays so beautifully. And he doesn't sugar coat things either, which is good for me. I like the truth.

I went in with the Dvorak piece Silent Woods that I was intending on playing for Solo & Ensemble. He looked through it and simply told me I was wasting my time with it. So instead I am now playing two concertos- the Saint- Saens and the Lalo. I've kinda already looking at the first movement of the Saint- Saens, so I should be able to have that ready by the end of January.

That's all for now! I'm sure I'm going to love this whole lesson thing (:

Love you all!
Sarah, Sadie & Henry

HOORAY!

So I have a lesson tomorrow, my first one in almost 5 years. I am ecstatic! I am going with one of my good friends from orchestra and her teacher is excited to meet me. So I am excited too! Woohoo! I will report more after my lesson (: and if you are wondering why I am typing without any contractions, it is because my apostrophe key is messed up and opens a new browser every time I hit it. Oh well! The end (:
Love you bunches!
Sarah, Sadie & Henry

Does Anyone Still Read This Thing?

Sorry guys, its been crazy here. New school, college apps, very little time to blog. I promise I will be doing more (:

First off, school. I hate school orchestra this year. Its just... awful. I somehow am 5th chair out of 11, which has never happened to me. Its just AWFUL! And not just because I'm 5th chair- because our director is fresh outta college and we're playing all the stuff I've already played at my old school. I'm utterly bored. I'm about to the point of quitting.

I applied to college and got in- Texas A&M University! WHOOP! haha. I'm planning on a Biology major and a music minor. May change to psych major though. But no new cello in the forecast...

I'm working on 2 pieces right now- Saint-Saens Concerto No. 1 in whatever key it is and Dvorak's Silent Woods. The concerto is gonna be used strictly for scholarship purposes and the Dvorak for contest purposes. Hopefully both go well, considering I STILL don't have a teacher. I'm still not too happy with that situation. Oh well. On to some older news...

Since I last blogged, I went to State competition playing Faure's Elegie. The judge wasn't in a very good mood that day and I ended up with a 3. I apparently had 8 out of tune notes, I tapped my bare foot too loudly on carpet and I didn't interpret the music to her liking. Irony? The part she didn't like was what got me to State in the first place. I don't understand people sometimes. My pianist did tell me it was better than I'd ever played it before though. I took his compliment over hers. Take that, evil judge lady.

I also (once again) went to TTUBOC and can honestly say I had the time of my life. I was social for once, and went to most of the social functions. I also made the top orchestra and some of the best friends. It was by far my favorite year at camp.

Anyways, thats about all for now. I promisepromisepromise! I'll be on here more, if anyone actually still reads this. Thanks guys (:
Sarah, Sadie & Henry

Spring is Here (:

And along with spring comes contest season! So anyway...

FULL CONTEST- the day we left for Disney World (which I will tell about in a minute). I thought we had done amazing, but apparently not. We got a 1, 2, and a 3 on stage. So according to the judges, we were superior, excellent and good? Makes no sense to me. But we did get sweepstakes in sightreading (yay!) even though I was playing violin! I guess that means I can kinda sight read... (:

DISNEY MAGIC MUSIC DAYS- we played for 3 1/2 hours with a Disney musician, and we recorded ourselves playing Beauty and the Beast and even got to put it to the movie. I sat 2nd chair cello, but my director told me after that he wished he had put me first chair. Apparently I have better leadership skills. Go figure.

FIDDLE AT DOWNTOWN DISNEY- our fiddle group took the stage at Downtown Disney for 30 minutes, but that wasn't enought for some folks. We got a large round of "encore" but the people in charge wouldn't let us do one. It was a lot of fun though.

ANKLE SURGERY- what?! That's not music. But its still happening, this week. I ruptured the ligaments sliding into 3rd base in softball.

STRING CONTEST- April 21, which I will be in a pretty pink cast for. We are playing some little Bartok movements and a trumpet concerto, along with some other little sarabande thingy. And my teacher specifically asked me to play cello for this contest, implying to me that I would be able to lead the section this time. I sure do hope so.

And Maddie, if you read this, I have no idea if I'm going to camp this year... as much as I do want to. And for anyone else who is still in high school, go to www.ttuboc.com for the best music camp ever.

The end (for now)
Sarah, Sadie & Henry

DISNEYWOLRD!!

We're going to Disney in Florida!!! We (orchestra) leave this Wednesday before spring break, and will be there until Monday the 16th. I'm so excited!!!!! (note the gazillion exclamation points)

Since my last post, Henry has been very un-neglected, and Sadie has been. But I need to get used to Sadie again, as I'm playing her at Disney.

Anyway, we have UIL contest Wednesday, then we pack on the bus and go to Disney. I'm the only person taking 2 instruments, but that just means I'm talented (: lol. I play Henry at contest, and then on Saturday at 5 in DownTown Disney for our Cripple Creek Fiddlers performance! (consider this an invite if you're in the Orlando area) We also do this thing where they give us the Disney music and then they record us and put or music to a Disney film! And that is what I'm playing Sadie for, where I will (or at least should) fianlly get to be first chair! Woohoo!

I also haven't started lessons yet, but it is EXTREMEMLY hard to find a teacher out in the Katy/ West Houston area! Most of them are for beginners only, and I am most definitely not beginner...

But I did just get a new case for Sadie! And guess what??? It's PINK!!!! Yes, pink. It's a Bobelock 2000, and are the only cases I have found that come in pink, which is what I was looking for! It's quite exciting.

Well, I'll update at Disney, and let you all know how everything is going! Lots of love (:
Sarah, Sadie, and Henry

STATE 2009!!!!

So, if you couldn't tell by the title, I'M GOING TO STATE!!!!! Woohoo (: We had our solo & ensemble competition this past weekend, and I did surprisingly well. My cello trio flaked out on me, so if I didn't do well, I wouldn't be going to state. But... I did awesome!

As you may know, I haven't had a cello teacher since the 8th grade. And apparently, the judge thought I was crazy for even attempting to do Faure's Elegie on my own. And memorized. But he was like, okay, lets hear this. I started off wonderfully, but when I got to that whole 64th-note run, I kinda really slowed down. But I still hit the top e-flat and proceeded through the rest of the song. When he was done, the first thing he said was, "don't worry, you're going to state". I was soooooo happy that it took almost every fiber in my body to not jump up and hug him.

He also told me that if I were to take lessons, I could go so much further than just having talent; actually making something out of it. And my mother agreed, which I was all the more ecstatic about.

However, this does mean one thing- I completely have not even touched my violin since, oh, mid-December. Which means that I completely sucked in class today. Which means that I was sent out with the rest of the low/struggling 1st violins to work with the student aide. But hey, I made it to state!!!! Which means I'm happy (:

TTYL Loves!
Sarah, State-Bound Sadie, & Forget-Me-Not Henry

Happy 2009!!

So many things have changed since I last wrote... in SEPTEMBER! Ugh. Sorry guys. Not that anyone really reads this anyways...

Anyhoo, I've decided I am not going to graduate early, as there are still many things I wish to do in high school. But I did get in to Baylor (SIC 'EM!!!)

As for violin, things are going okay. I played first violin at our winter concert, where I sat 14th out of 27 first violins. Not too bad for someone who has been playing for about a year and a half. I've even memorized some of the fiddle pieces, so that makes me happy.

As for cello, we have solo and ensemble coming up. I'm playing Elegie. It wasn't my first choice, but whatever. I have the first half memorized, and that whole little 32-note run thing, but not quite up to speed. Its still pretty good though. But now for the not so good.

I have been shunned. To second chair. Probably for the rest of my high school career, which MAJORLY upsets me. This cocky little freshman comes in, and everyone thinks he's amazing, just because he can sightread tough pieces. I can play the same stuff he does, only I have to read it a few times. But everyone is convinced he's a prodigy, and he doesn't even play that well. Call me jealous, because I am. This was supposed to be my year, and then he shows up. I play just as well as he does. But who gets the Ave Maria cello solo at the concert? He does. And it wasn't even in tune. Not just because I wanted something to be wrong with it, because it really was. And he was off. There were some parents who even told my mother that should have been me playing it. Oh well, sorry for the gripe session. I really just want my chair back, and with a fair chance at it too. Not an "oh-you're-automatically-second-chair-because-of-prodigy-child" chair. A real shot at first. Because I know I could do it.

That's all for griping. Sorry about that. But we do go to Disney World in March, and Norway next June. I am so excited about that, I just can't wait. Oh boy, I guess I will have to (:

TaTa for now!
Sarah, Sadie, and Henry