I'm Still Alive.

It's been a while, AGAIN. Not that anyone even notices.

On a random note, I just finished one of my favorite books so far. It's called "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" by Tucker Max. If you're not easily disturbed, its a great book. Haha.

Cello-related news, I've currently got many things going on. Going to State again (woot), just finished musical (thank God), and I'm working on 4 pieces right now. 2 for college auditions and 2 contenders for State. For college, I'm gonna do the Saint-Saens concerto in A minor, same I played for contest last month, and Bach's Arioso. Simple enough. For State, I'm looking at Hungarian Rhapsody and the Lalo concerto in D minor. I love them both.

I'm boring, so that's pretty much it. Except for the fact that I missed the concert we had due to snow in Houston. Well, more because of the idiots who don't know how to drive in snow in Houston! Oh well.

TaTa For Now!

Sarah, Sadie & Henry

:D!

So I'm going back to State again. 4 years in a row (: But the solo...

I've been prepared for a while. Really prepared. This is the first year I've been this prepared. So I'm okay all morning. Then I get to the room and I'm NERVOUS. Shaking nervous. Full-out scared. I go in, tell him how scared I am, blah blah blah. I start my concerto, and it sounds AWFUL. I can't do it. So I ask to start over and start crying. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CONTEST. Then everyone was like no! no! It's okay! And then I start over. It went pretty well, minus a few slips off the fingerboard and other random faux pas. The I was about to cry when I was done. Then the judge told me that the parts that were flawless were amazing. And that he screwed up his senior recital in college and had to stop. Then my accompanist told us that the reason she was off the whole time was because her pages had copied wrong. Sooooo, yeah. I went home sobbing, thinking for sure I wasn't going to qualify for my last year. Then my friend texted me and told me I'd done it! I was so happy.

So yeah, I'm going to state again (: That 's pretty much it!

Love you!

State Bound Sarah & Sadie

One Week and Counting...

So there is one week until Solo & Ensemble contest. And for losers like me, that's one of the biggest events of the year, haha. As you know, I'm playing Saint Saens Cello Concerto in A minor, op. 33. Only the first movement though. And as of an hour ago, I have it all memorized and nearly up to tempo. I'm excited. I'm really hoping that I make it to state again this year. This is my last chance!

I've also decided that I'm going to Louisiana State University, and I've decided to double major in biology and music education (:

Currently, we're doing a production of My Fair Lady. The music is so beautiful, but I'm playing about 40 hours a week right now. As is is, my joints have problems, and since I've been playing so much, my thumb where it connects to my hand is bruised and swollen. It's weird!

That's all for now. I'll update probably... Next Saturday. Wish me luck!

Sarah, Sadie & Henry

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

zzzz. My blog is boring.

So I have failed to update this thing for quite a while. Sorry folks.

Where did I leave off? Oh yes. College, violin, and camp. Let's start there.

As far as college goes, I GOT MY FIRST ACCEPTANCE LETTER! To the University of Alabama. I probably won't end up going there though. Biology not as great there. Now I'm looking more at Baylor. And the admissions counselor said that it would be nearly impossible for me to do a Bio/PreMed major with a music minor. That is sad news. I'm still gonna play though.

Camp camp camp. This was probably by far the best year. I made second orchestra again, but I didn't care (after the first two days, anyway). The cello section was ALL girls, so we got especially close. I think we were the most friendly section out of all the others. We had cello parties, dressed up our cellos, and they even wore concert black scroll bows for the concert! They were beautiful. Anyway, I ended up FIRST CHAIR! Woot! So exciting (:

And finally, fiddle. Sadie feels neglected I believe, as I have been spending far more time with Henry lately. But I did get Sadie a new bow. A CodaBow! So I believe she should take that into consideration when she is mad at me for ignoring her. Anyway, Henry. I'm starting to sound better on violin. I just can't sightread. And for anyone that even thinks they know me and cello, then they would know I can't sightread worth anything. Now, if I can't do it on my own instrument, why did I think it would be possible to do it on a different instrument?? In a different clef? Oh boy. I am enjoying it though. And I think it is starting to help me with cello too. Well, our first event is next weekend, the Katy Rice Harvest Festival I believe. And in March, we are performing in Downtown Disney! If you are in the area, come see The Cripple Creek Fiddlers (:

Well, that's all for now. I promise I'll update it more often from now on. Pinkie promise.
Love you bunches!
Sarah, Sadie and Henry

summer brings about many good things, doesn't it?

So for starters, things are pretty good. as far as music goes, things are absolutely AMAZING. but ill get to that in a second. :)

i will be graduating next spring (woo! class of '09!) instead of in 2010. not only that, i will be attending the university of alabama with a major in biology and a music minor. yes, thats right, i will be keeping up with cello alright. and now violin as well.

my cello quartet preformed at the university of texas in austin on memorial day for our state competition. amazingly, we ended up bringing home a 1!!! absolutely awesome. i will deeply miss becca and shinae, our wonderful seniors. also, some of you may know that i picked up the violin last year. well, our school has a pretty well known fiddle group. i decided that i was going to audition for one of the 4 spots available. out of the 22 people that auditioned for these spots, i made it! i am very excited for this, as we will be preforming at EPCOT this coming spring and in norway in 2010. and, in light of this recent event, i got a new violin! his name is henry, and he is a golden brownish color, and has a wonderful tone. surprisingly enough, this little $800 guy sounded better than the $1800 one! pictures of sadie and henry to come soon.

i will be off to texas tech next month for orchestra camp, where i will get to see the legendary CELLOCHICK!!!! i know, i know, you all probably think she fell off the side of the earth or something. nope, she is alive and well, and ill be sure she updates her blog :)

hasta luego!!!
sarah, sadie and henry

its been quite a while...

wow, long time no chat! ive been awful busy with softball, broken bones, and of course, cello. :] where to begin...

well, since the last time i posted, quite a bit has happened, but ill spare you and give you the condensed version. you see, i wrecked 2 cars, broke my foot in 3 places and had surgery on it to fix it, made it to state for competition for my ensemble (rather a small cello choir), picked up guitar and cleaned my room. not that anyone really cares about that last one, just thought i'd throw that in there. :]

and as far as sadie goes, she is rather ill, to put it lightly. she has a crack on the front piece of wood on the upper inside of the c-bout, right there on that lip thing. the front is separating from the rib and i am so very worried about her. i think it due in part of the humidity down here in southeast texas, but that is only my guess. its getting worse but because of all the medical bills, i cant afford to have her fixed, and like any mother would be, i am worried for my baby! she is now buzzing terribly but cant really pay any attention to her for at least another month. it is quite sad.

and i have yet to get another bow. i desperately need one, but along with getting sadie fixed, that has been put on the back burner, once again. oh well.

everything else has been going pretty smoothly. hope everyone is having a wonderful new year (is it too late to wish that?) and i hope to hear from you all soon!

sarah and the pitiful sadie

7 things

CelloGal tagged me. and now i'm writing 7 things i dont think any of you know about me. here i go:

1. i am addicted to stride gum. and im not even sure why. i dont even like to chew gum. its a good stress reliever, i suppose. especially during math class.

2. i break easily. no fooling. i have broken my wrist, ankle, foot, and arm, each several times. and i tore up my knee and had surgery last year. but now i have torn up my shoulder playing softball and may have to have surgery. which would most definitely put cello on hold for a while.

3. i am really smart. but i dont come across that way. i am in 6 AP classes and orchestra. and i was #4 in my class as of last report card, but i dont know now.

4. i am hoping to go to the university of texas to major in pre-med and minor in biology. i would love to study orthopedic sports medicine. i love blood and bones so i think this would be a profession i am well suited for. when i had knee surgery last year, i was mad because they wouldnt let me watch. honestly. as for biology, i love genetics, so if medicine doesnt work out, i can study genetics and biology in general.

5. i love black nail polish. no, im not goth or anything, i just really like it. i think it makes your fingers look smaller than they really are. and i hate my fingers, so i like black nail polish. and also its just really cute. :]

6. there are three things of which my life is comprised:
-cello
-theatre
-softball
and i can not say that one is more important than the other. i love them all equally and devote just about the same amount of time to all of them. except 2 weeks ago, i ate, slept and breathed theatre because we had a production coming up. and i didnt get home earlier than 8:30 any night that week. and thiss week softball is consuming my life, as we have tournament today, thursday, and next saturday. and we had a game yesterday and thursday. so im busy, as you can see.

7. it is physically impossible for me to play cello with shoes on. and i dont even know why. it just is. whenever they are on, i mess up the whole time and tuck my feet under myself. but when i take my shoes off, im perfectly fine.

i am odd. just in case you didnt notice. :]

and since i cant think of anyone to tag, i wont.

always and forever,
sarah and the lovely sadie

i have results!

so i got closer this year. i missed region by 2 chairs. two little chairs. which means, if the two people in front of me mysteriously die, then i will be in. *makes note to kill at least 2 cello gods* but i wont kill anyone. and out of 9 people from our school that tried out, only one made it. but anyway, my story.

i hate being last. i love being first. and what number did i end up with? 52. out of 52. fifty stinkin two. which is really not a bunch of people. all the HSPVA (high school for the performing and visual arts) kiddos scared em off. and i dont blame them. but thi meant that i would have to listen to all those people in front of me and try to no be intimidated. so the auditions started. number 1 goes up there. this little bitty korean guy. HSPVA of course. and he completely BLEW the thing out of the water. like completely awesome. i actually fell out of my chair. and during all this, my friend and i (korean-no duh. she's a cello goddess) are passing note back and forth. and she is friends with this guy. and do you know what she told me? he was accepted into julliard as a sophmore. JULLIARD. AS A SOPHMORE. aaaaah. i felt completely inadequate. not to mention a little more that mildly intimidated.

"52". i go up there, ready to be julliard material, and i freak. not sure why. i just do. but it was a weird freak. i stayed in rhythm and tempo, but i forgot some of the notes, so i made them up. (this was only the first cut.) but after the first part i did pretty good and ended up on the right note. and it sounded nice. but i was pretty much over with. and i knew it.

next cut. we start at the middle this time, which means i am in the second group to go up there. and i was nervous. i was kinda really depending on this. ...lots of people, then 52. me. i am shaking like a wet dog in the winter. i go up, and i start playing. and its good. actually more or less amazing. and i was so relieved that i was doing so awesome that 2 lines before the end, a part i had never had any trouble with, i skipped a line. and i went back. and got lost. and completely made a blundering fool of myself. but yet again i ended onthe right note. so thats a plus. but i still didnt make it. but its cool. i have a lot going on right now anyway. and the concert is on my birthday, so it would mean that i couldnt do anything for my sweet 16. oh well.

and my korean friend made 7th chair, top orchestra. but she hates cello and never makes an effort. she pretty much went up there and sightread the music. but since she is a senior, this is her last year to play since she hates it and s oing to pharmacy school. imagine if she only made an effort. wow.

so anyway, that is pretty much it. solo and ensemble, our next big ting, is in january, but i already have my solo memorized. and the top 3 or 4 cellos are doing a cello trio or quartet. so that is when i will definitely post here again. but i will before that. and if i figure out how to record myself playing and put it on here i will.
good riddance! and thanks for all your support!
sarah and the lovely sadie

region auditions!

ahhhhhhhhh!
region auditions are in a week. actually, 6 days, 8 hours and 52 minutes. yikes. but its getting better now that i know my music.

just incase you dont know, i barely missed making region next year. by only 3 chairs. and i was a freshman at the time. but the sucky thing is that HSPVA (high school for the preforming and visual arts) is in our region. and they are all BEASTS. seriously. they make it seem as if i had not ever even seen this music. i felt immature. and i did not like that.

but i have been practicing. and i know this music really well. i have them both memorized and play them both right around tempo. so hopefully things will turn out well. the world may never know...

hip hip hooray!

SADIE'S BACK ! SADIE'S BACK! SADIE'S BACK! goodness i am just ecstatic! i got her back two weeks earlier than planned! yay! and she sounds so good, just like new! and i was scared that i wouldnt be able to get her back for two more weeks, but here she is! its a miracle. enough of this.

i got the region music. i was scared, after seeing last year's cuts, but these are suprisingly easy. i sight read them (surprisingly-especially since i cant sight read) almost with ease. not hard at all. and they changed the audition date because of the SAT's so now i get a whole extra week to practice. oh, could this weekend get any better?

actually it could. i have been working 11 hours a day the past 2 days and am about to go sit out in the heat once again. but on saturday, our varsity football team WON! we actually WON. and it was our opening game, which we havent won for 7 years! i think this whole new coach thing will be good.

sorry. i ramble. especially when i am tired.
later yall!
sarah and sadie!

school...

yeah. so school started today.pretty exciting, considering i have a severe case of bronchitis and a really bad head cold. not only that, i didnt even have a math teacher! but i wasnt upset. no worries, they gave me one anyway (much to my misery).

but we start playing tomorrow. and i get the region music. well, actually i already had it, but considering the condition in which my room is at the current moment, i doubt that i would find it before october 6th... but that doesnt matter. i am happy because i get to play! yay. the cello i have at school sounds almost like sadie, so its all good.

thats all for tonight because i dont feel good and i cant exactly breathe. and i have homework. ont he first day. yippee.
sarah and sadie

good news, folks!

Sadie is finally in the hospital having her broken rib repaired!
YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY!
but it will take an entire month to get her back. and it is all because of those stupid kids who break their instruments and wait until the last minute to take them to the shop.

oh wait... thats sounds vaguely familiar...

the good thing is, i cracked her in a good spot. if it had been any higher up than where it is, they would have had to take off the ENTIRE front. very costly, and being a lowly lifeguard, i dont have much extra to spend on stupidity. they will just take off the bottom part of the top, glue 'er back and VOILA! all better. but its not like a dont have a cello to play because, while that would be absolutely devastating, MY SISTER GAVE ME HER CELLO!!! i think i shall name her Quincy. and she only gave it to me because she quit. hate quitters...

and when i went to the shop today, i fell in love with a VIOLIN. dont ask why, i am not very sure. it was like a dijon mustard color, and usually i dont go for yellow, but it was absolutley GORGEMOUS (maddiespeak). it looked antiquey and sounded beautiful. i am actually considering trading Quincy in for George (yes, i already named it) when i get Sadie back, only because i am trying to learn violin a bit better and i am considering having a double major in college, music being one of them. but it could be a while before i really make up my mind, so dont hate me yet, cellofolks.

and so i played Quincy tonight, and although she doesnt sound the same as Sadie, she will have to do for now. as well as playing with a violin bow because stupidly, i packed BOTH if my cello bows in my case which happens to be where? at the shop, 45 mile away.

must go practice. have fun in life- play cello!
toodles
sarah, quincy and sadie (in spirit)