The Earworm

Earworm

Ezine Fall 2019 The Earworm | Page 1

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Table of Contents 6-7

Meet the Editors Behind the bands

12-13

battle of the apps

Our local talent on the big stage

18-19

8-11 14-17

Parts of an electric guitar Austin cellists

24-25 Which instrument should you play?

Conductor’s conduct

20-23 26-29

30-31 Parts of a violin Anatomy of a snare and timpani Page 4 | The Earworm

32-33

34-38 Sticking with percussion jazz in the city of music

39-43

44-45 A timeline of music festivals in Austin Letter from the Editors Dear Reader, Entering high school, music was a big part of our lives in both what we listen to and how we play it. The rivalry between band and orchestra from junior high was shattered and created into something everyone can appreciate. We hope that while reading our magazine you can appreciate the interesting parts of music and what goes into the musical community. We explored the background of musicians, the festivals in Austin, the different genres in music, and the overall experience of being a musician.

From, Ardy Smith, Declan Kim, Zachary Vasseur, Amelise Morrison, Sophia Rodriguez, and Maziel Solis.

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Meet the editors

Ardisson Smith Ardisson Smith is a violin player who has been playing for 3 and a half years. He listens to a variety of music and has participated in chamber orchestras too. In his free time, he plays games online and he practices archery.

Declan Kim Declan Kim is a freshman and an accomplished tuba player. Along with enjoying the occasional video game, Declan often finds himself curled up in his room reading a good book. Other than classical music, Declan enjoys listening to music from the 1980s and 1990s.

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Zachary Vasseur Zachary Vasseur is a freshman that goes to High-school. He likes to play piano. He also plays percussion at said “High-school”. His favorite genre of piano playing is Ragtime. He also enjoys different assortments of Jazz and Classic Music (He agrees that he’s being very vague when saying that but it’s the truth).

Amelise Morrison Amelise Morrison is a freshman at LASA HS. She has been playing the cello for 4 years, and she played the piano for 6 years. In her free time, she enjoys pen palling, thrifting, and listening to music. She also enjoys crafting, and she crochets, embroiders, journals, and sews.

Her favorite movies are Train to Busan, My Neighbor Totoro, and The Grudge.

Sophia Rodriguez Sophia Rodriguez is a freshman at LASA high school and enjoys playing in orchestra. She has been playing the violin since she was in sixth grade and hopes to improve her skill. She listens to artists like Night Tempo, Desire, and Jakob Ogawa. During her free time she enjoys drawing and hanging out with friends.

Maziel Solis Maziel is a freshman. She plays the guitar and enjoys listening all types of music specifically rap. Her favorite artist are Brockhamton, tyler the creator and NF . During my free time i like to procrastinate doing my homework. I play basketball , soccer and also do martial arts.

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Behind the bands

The story of how three bands came to be

By Sophia Rodriguez

The bright lights, the echoing sound of their voices, the movement of everyone on the stage.

Most people think that for a musician, every day is all fun and games. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Artist Sabrina Ellis of the Giant Dogs talks about how her life is far from partying all day. “People perceive it as a party all the time when I’m actually working really hard,” Ellis said. Three local musicians: Sabrina Ellis of A Giant Dog and Sweet Spirit, Jackie O’Brien of The Bright Light Social Hour and Lauren Burton of Lola Tried share the real life of a musician.

Austin is the live music capital of the world. Musicians have many opportunities to express their music abilities in places like 6th Page 8 | The Earworm

Street clubs or local music festivals. The musicians talk about what influenced them to pursue a musical career, what a day in their shoes is like and the hardships of being a musician. Lauren Burton even gives us advice for aspiring musicians and how they should feel before they dive into the career.

Jackie O’Brien, vocalist and bassist of The Bright Light Social

Hour, introduced an earlier version of the band. They had all met in high school with a real passion for music. They played gigs on 6th Street, slowly realizing that they wanted to do it professionally.

“I wanted to be doing that every night and I was a pretty good student, but suddenly found [school] to be like this thing that stood in my way,” O’Brien said. “My parents wanted me to go to college

Bright Light Social Hour members, Edward Braillif (left), Joseph Mirasole (middle left), Jackie O’Brien (middle right), and Curtis Roush (Right) posing together. Jackie tells us the struggles and the rewards of the behind the scenes of every day in the life of a musician. Photo provided by Bright Light Social Hour.

said. “It was really hard not to think about expectations and what people expected of us. And so even still that makes us we have to realize that we are writing the music for us. We’re not writing it for anyone else, but it’s also tough because you want to maintain this level of success and be able to survive and make money off of it. So that really gets in your head.”

“I think learning to trust your emotional instincts, I think can help in the creation of the art as well as business too,” O’Brien said.

“Always understanding the art, this is extremely important and then it’s a very probably the most powerful agent of change… even if you’re only reaching a few people; think you can reach them in a deeper way than any politician or economist or anybody else like that money, and it’s really easy to forget.”

and I spent the whole time not knowing what to study, changing majors and then I started the band of currently in there.”

When asked about fame, O’Brien refers to the idea more of a reaction than the money or the publicity. The first record they ever recorded got an unexpected reaction and was thought to be “beginner’s luck.”

“I think at first it was really encouraging I would almost call it beginner’s luck,” O’Brien said.

“We put out our first record and it did a lot better than we thought it would. We started touring a lot and our show was really well received everywhere we went so it was like, ‘Okay, we’re good.”

“It’s really easy to feel like what you’re doing is not that important, especially if you’re not finding an audience which takes a lot of time.

So I think having faith in yourself.

If you’re being honest in your art, it’s probably going to do something you can’t even imagine for somebody else.”

After they got immense recognition from their first album, it became hard to produce music from a natural place with emotions because of the need to produce music that everyone can relate to.

It made them reconsider why they were truly creating their music.

“It… became really hard to write music from natural place,” O’Brien

Lauren Burton is a part of a newer band in ATX, releasing their first EP in 2018, Lola Tried. Burton refers to their music as their “baby” because the music they produce is always going to be put first before anything else.

When asked what advice she would give an aspiring artist, she says that they should reach for goals that seem achievable and are reasonable to the stage they are at in their career. Burton suggested focusing on the small achievements because in the future bigger goals will be achieved.

“Someone who wishes to be in the career should take baby steps and focus on the small rewards,” Burton said. “You should start off The Earworm | Page 9

small and you shouldn’t expect anything from anyone right away.

It’s going to be years later when you get your first tour or your first groundbreaking album, so be happy on the small achievements and you will improve as musicians and approach your goal.”

Sabrina Ellis, a member of Sweet Spirit and A Giant Dog, talks

Focus on the small rewards. Try putting one foot in front of the other. about what she loves about the music industry and how she can truly express herself and her emotions through her songs.

She talks about the bigger meaning behind a single song and how people should inter-

Lola Tried members Lauren Burton (Right) and Ray Flynt (left) express themselves through music. Lola Tried member, Lauren Burton, tells us how music is a way to express yourself and your emotions and it seems like they are doing just that. She tells us that as an aspirign artist you should take baby steps. Photo provided by Lola Tried.

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pret it in different ways.

“I love writing songs because the songs are so emotional and everybody feels that,” Ellis said. “But I think a musician also acknowledges that some songs are also mathematical and so taking your emotion, turning it into this package, this little pattern that fits into two or three minute that rhymes.

It’s kind of a way of perspective.

Seeing something from another angle down outside, and it makes the problem just almost seem to be kind of beautiful in a way.”

Ellis tells us about her appreciation for different types of music and how she feels inspired by them and incorporating them into music projects. Music can be very therapeutic and she often uses it to relax. Ellis wishes that producing music can be an outlet for her strong emotions and that people can use the music that

she makes as something to relate to, project themselves on, and put their emotions on them.

“Music has been really therapeutic so that I can go live somewhere else in my brain for the hours,” Ellis said. “It’s equally for them and for their consumer; in my case, an audience, a music audience. And then the person on the consumer end or the audience end, it’s equally theirs and it’s theirs to immerse in it’s theirs to dance to, it’s theirs to insert into their romantic relationships and send in a playlist, you know, it’s theirs to project upon and say the songs about me and my experience with my family, you know, it’s theirs to say ‘I put this song on when I’m feeling so much rage and I need to empathize.’”

Ellis tells us that the path of a musician is a path that one will know to go down if it is the right thing for them to do. There is an instinct feeling and being a musician is way more that the fame or the money, but the feeling is there and there needs to be an outlet for those emotions.

Sweet Spirit and A Giant Dog’s Sabrina Ellis screams her heart out at a concert. Ellis tells us about what it’s like to be locally recognized in Austin and what she hopes people can take out of listening to her music.

Photo provided by Miguel Gutierrez Jr. from KUTX

“A musician will know if that’s what they’re supposed to do,” Ellis said. “And then throughout their career, they’ll doubt it and they’ll want to give up. And then they’ll know again. That that that this is what they’re supposed to do.If you are choosing to be an artist, you’re choosing a life of challenges and obstacles. The odds are against you. You are doing it because that’s

your drive and that’s what’s going to make your life worthwhile. ♪

It was really weird and surreal to be on tour with the same person who I feel influenced me to realize I could make rock and roll.

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Battle of the apps: Comparing the best music apps of the lore five ations on p x e l il plic icle w This art ic streaming ap o coms .T u main m d other devices eir prices, an at th phones will look . The article e w m e pare th Spoelection y, and s used apps like it il b a il a av tly ogle frequen usic, Go includes Cloud, Apple M usic.

M nd tify, Sou , and YouTube ic s u play m

Information provided by: Spotify.com Souncloud.com, Apple. com, Play.google.com Youtube .com

By Sophia Rodriguez

Spotify P

remium

YouTube Individual Plan: $9.99/ month (Music Premium)

-Benefits: Ad-free music, listen in the background, downloads Catalog: No hard number, more music available (live concerts, covers, etc.)

Downloads: up to 500 downloads Devices that support YouTube Music: On YouTube app, chromecast, Apple and Android TV Page 12 | The Earworm

Individual Plan: $9.99/ month

-Benefits: Ad-free listening, play anywhere (even offline), on-demand playback Catalog: Over 35 million songs Downloads: 10,000 on each device Devices that support Spotify: Available on both ios and andrioid devices, chromecast, and Samsung TV

Music

Apple Music Individual Plan: $9.99/ month

-Benefits: Download Favorite tracks, exclusive and original content, and ad-free listening.

Catalog: Over 50 million songs Downloads: limited by space on device Devices that support Apple Music: ios devices (including apple watch, apple TV, and Mac), it also supports Pc and

Google P

lay Mus

SoundCl

ic Unlim

ited

Individual Plan: $9.99/ music

-Benefits: Subscribe to podcasts, Radio for moods, Ad-free listening, download and play music offline, and YouTube music included Catalog: Listen to 40 million songs on demand Downloads: Up to 50,000 songs Devices that support Google Music: ios, android, and web

oud Go+

Individual Plan: $9.99/ month

-Benefits: Save unlimited tracks for offline listening, Ad-free listening, Access full catalog, no previews, High quality audio Catalog: Over 100 million songs (“from top 40 to underground) Downloads: Unlimited amount Devices that support SoundCloud:

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our Local talent on The BIG STAGE

The local Austin artist that performed at ACL

By:Maziel Solis

A large crowd gathered around one of the performances at the Austin City Limits festival. ACL is one of the biggest festivals in Austin Tx and in the United States.

Photo credit Austin City Limits Festival Music

You are stainding on stage for one of the biggest festivals in the country. You have a crowd in front of you dancing and singing your songs what could top this moment.

Austin, Texas is a city full of many things it is recognized for being the capital of texas, bats and it food, but it is most recognizable for it music.

ACL is a music festival that takes place in Zilker park in downtown austin. The Page 14 | The Earworm

festival takes place during two consecutive weekends of October .

Austin City Limits allows for different artist to come play for their fans. The artist and bands that come from all different genres which allows for many different types of people to come to the festival.

Austin texas is also known as the music capital hosts many festivals. Some of the biggest festivals include SXSW and Autin City limits.

Austin city limits host some of the biggest artists around. This year austin city limits hosted artist like Guns and Roses Billie Eilish and Childish Gambino.

The Festival first began in 2002 as a one weekend festival , but because the festival gained popularity over time it became a two weekend festival.

In the first year of the festival around 25,000 people attended the festival. In the beginning the festival also only had five stages.

The attendance of the festival quickly grew and in the latest hosting of the festival the attendance was expected at 75,000. The festival has also grown in the amount of stages they have. The now have 8 stages where bands and artists can perform.

At Austin city limits you can’t nominate someone to perform the festival reaches out to artist and invites them to come perform.

If your a small local artist that austin city limits reached out to the feeling might seem unreal The festival brings many people the Austin , Texas ,but it also brings a lot of opportunity for smaller artists.

Every year Austin City limits chooses local artist to perform at the festival . This gives the artist an opportunity to get recognized by more people.

Being able to perform at the same festival with many big artists can be seen as a big deal.

If your a small local artist that austin city limits reached out to the feeling might seem unreal

KADY RAIN Kady Rain is a local pop artist that was given the opportunity to perform at Austin City Limits this year.

Kady Rain also known as Austin pop music queen began singing and dancing when she was very little Kady grew up in Austin and has lived in Austin her whole life.

“I’ve been singing since before I could talk and walk,” Rain said She would listen to music like Spice girls and Selena with her

sister The influence of Austin has had a good effect on Rain “Austin has really allowed me to express myself genuinely without fear of rejection,” Rain said Kady main inspiration to start writing and singing came from an abusive relationship that moved her to think very critical about her life.

Her singing and writing has allowed her to use music as an outlet and as therapy for her.

She sees music as a self expression. She has created music that people can relate to and she has created music that can help people “Being able to create something that comes from your heart, and it’s able to touch somebody else’s life and help them like there’s no better feeling in the world.”

With her music she gained recognition. This recignization was enough for her to be put on the line up for the Austin City Limits Festival 2019.

“ACL is one of the biggest festivals in the world.” Kady Rain said

Crowds of people at Austin city Limits Festival 2019 Photo by :Katrina Barber

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When talking more about the influence of the festival Kady said ,”it has a huge influence on tastemakers around the world.

For like, what’s cool with music and what the what the year is going to look like for festival lineups” Kady was surprised when ACL reached out asking her to perform at the festival. “ I thought that somebody was like, playing a joke on me,” Rain said when talking about how ACL reached out to her .

She describes her music as fun and upbeat.

“Pop, pop, pop, pop music,” Rain said. “Unapologetic indie pop.”

Expect to see Rain at ACL in the near future.

“I want to bring some sass and some attitude,” Rain said.

ALESIA LANI Alesia Lani is another local artist that as given the opportunity to perform at Austin City Limits Music Festival . Alesia performs R&B. Lani got inspiration for her music from her mother mother taste in music which was R&B. “It [R&B] was just always something I really liked , and just really stuck with me the longest.”

Lani said Alesia has seen music as something that has “given [her] growth, has given [her] personal happiness,awesome opportunities,opportunities to perform my art in front of people.”

Alesia has also gotten to perform her music in other festivals like SXSW and the pecan street Festival.

When told she was performing at Austin City Limits she felt like it was at another level.

Alesia Lani talked about how the festival is more tight knit than SXSW.

“SXSW All over the place. Media is not as exclusive” Lani said Alesia sees performing at ACL as a milestone. She hopes to gain many things from the festival like opportunities and more fans. She also wants to bring something special to the festival. “a whole different flavor, something that they’re not gonna always hear throughout the day something that is something memorable” says lani She has worked hard to get where she is.“It’s going to be an overall great experience,” Lani said when talking about what she will expire in the festival

ACL is a very crucial part to Austin culture. It has helped shape what the city is.

The Austin City Limits Music Festival has brought many things to austin and it is giving many chances for our local talent to be on the big stage. ♪

Local Austin artist AlesLani Photo courtesy Brandi McCarns

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Parts of a Electric Guitar The electric guitar is composed of many parts and heres what they are!

Body

By: Maziel Solis

Bridge

Supports strings on the guitar

The biggest part of the guitar holds most of the parts

Volume and tone knobs These knobs control the volume and tone the comes out of the guitar

Pick selector Input jack You plug in the aux cord that you plug in to the amp.

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Lets you choose the kind of pickup you want

The electric guitar The electric guitar is an string instrument used in many diffrent generes like rock. The instrument can be heard in many song of the band Queen. The guitar is one of the most used intruments in music. It has had a big influnce in the sound of music trough out history.

Neck The neck of the guitar cointains the frets and is where you play chords

Nut The nut maintains correct string spacing

String holder hold stings on place so they go to their corespiding tuner.

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Austin Cellists By: Amelise Morrison

Highlighting the struggles and rewards of playing in the Live Music Capital of the world.

Bion Tsang made his professional debut at the age of 111. Photo by Bion Tsang.

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Harrod began playing the cello at the age of five. Photo by Rylie Harrod.

The silence of the audience as you walk on stage, the scraping of your endpin, and the hushed moment before you begin. From a young age, you fell in love with the thrill of a performance. After pursuing your musical career your entire life, you ended up in Austin, Texas, the city of live music.

For cellists in Austin, it certainly isn’t an easy market. With music playing everywhere you go, it’s hard to distinguish yourself from other artists or have reliable income.

While some cellists go the ensemble/symphony route, others prefer to stay solo, and don’t want a strict schedule or the many responsibilities that comes with playing with a group of multiple people. As well, the Austin Symphony is a prestigious, relatively small

group of people, so getting in is already very competitive.

One of the main reasons that young artists or musicians choose not to pursue it as a career is because of the vulnerability and stress of a not-so stable flow of income.

One of the most important things is getting involved. For musicians, one of the main factors in how successful you are is how involved you are in the community, as well as how much you market yourself. Harrod completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Texas, and studied under Joshua Gindele, as well as Bion Tsang. She began studying the cello at the age of 5, after starting on the violin at the age of 3. As well, she serves as the Director and Cello faculty of The Earworm | Page 21

Anna Park is the assistant principal cellist for the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Anna Park.

the Longhorn Music camp, and Chamber Faculty for the Austin Chamber Center Music Workshop. By interacting with the community and working with different artists, cellists can put themselves out there and meet more people, as well as get recommended for gigs. She works mostly in solo work, but also gives cello lessons to students that want to learn. Harrod is also the Principal Cellist at the Waco Symphony Orchestra, and is a substitute player for the Austin Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Orchestra.

Anna Park, assistant principal cellist for the Austin Symphony Orchestra, focuses more on her private studio.

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Park earned her Bachelor of Music Degree from the Peabody Conservatory, and her Master of Music degree from Northwestern University.

However, she greatly enjoys teaching young cellists in her private studio. She is also very involved with the community as well, and she works with CHAMPS (Chamber Music in Public Schools) to work with more students as well. For Park, getting to teach and work with students is one of the parts of her job. She regularly helps out around the community with working and tutoring with students, such as working with the LBJ Orchestra cellists this summer for orchestra camp.

Another influential cellist in

Austin is cellist Bion Tsang, who made his professional debut at the age of 11 with two concerts with Zubin Mehta and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He soon became the youngest cellist to ever win a prize in the VIII Tchaikovsky Competition at age 19. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University and his Master of Musical Arts Degree from Yale University. He started on the cello at the age of seven, and has been playing for 45 years. The most important thing is determination and

practice, and that you just have to keep working hard to succeed. Tsang mostly does solo work, and has played with the New York, Mexico City, Moscow, Busan and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, the National, American, Pacific, Delaware and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras, the Saint Paul and Stuttgart Chamber Orchestras, the Louisville Orchestra and the Taiwan National Orchestra as a soloist. As well, he was nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for his performance of a 2009 PBS special A Company

of Voices: Conspirare in Concert (Harmonia Mundi).

Harrod focuses more on smaller ensembles and teaching, while Park is a part of the Austin Symphony and Tsang is a world-class soloist who performs with many different orchestras.

For these Austin cellists, their specialties and lifestyles my vary, but they all have the same set of core values: leadership, getting involved with the community and the students, determination, drive and hard work.

Bion Tsang is a solo cellist in Austin. Photo by Bion Tsang.

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Which Instrument Should You Play?

The Tuba is the lowest-pitched and largest of any of the brass instruments. The insrument is held upright, and requires a lot of breath to play.

Some famous tuba players include Alan Baer, Carol Jantsh, and Gene Pokorny.

The piano was invented in Italy in 1709, with a total of 88 black and white keys. It has the widest range in tones of any instrument, and can be considered a percussion or string instrument.

The Saxophone was invented in 1846 by Adolphe Sax, and is classified as a woodwind instrument. It is often made of brass, and some famous saxophone players include John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, and Sonny Rollins.

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The cello is one of the lowest instruments in an orchestra, and was bulit between the years of 1583 and 1560. The strings were originally made out of sheep gut or goat gut, but modern cellos have metal strings. The instrument is played sitting down, and is classified as a bowed string instrument. Some famous cello players include Yo-Yo Ma, Pablo Casals, and Edward Elgar.

The trumpet is a small brass instrument, and can have up to 6 feet of tubing. It has valves and keys, and is played by manipulating the valves.

Some famous trumpet players include Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Clifford Brown.

The french horn is classified as a brass instrument, and is made out of multiple pieces for easier transportation. The instrument can have up to 12 or 13 feet of tubing alone, and is made of brass. Some famous french horn players include Dennis Brain, Barry Tuckwell, and Dale Clevenger.

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Conductor’s Conduct By: Ardy Smith

What inspires conductors to conduct

A photo of Conductor Jesus Torres conducting a concert. Torres has been with the Austin Cinematic Symphony for 8 years.

Courtesy of Austin Cinematic Symphony.

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one. ££££3333344

I

n every orchestra, there must always be a person to direct the grand assortment and variety of instruments.

While it looks simple and maybe easy, conductors have one of the hardest jobs in the musical industry.

Every movement and decision of the conductor affects a different part of the orchestra, and the whole of the orchestra too, and it is their job to make each section come together to make a unified piece.

Conductors in Austin are some of the many musicians the city has in it. Their work and efforts are much more difficult than it may seem to somebody who has never been in an orchestra, and possibly even to someone who is in one.

Austin is one of the many musically dense cities in America, and it contains music from many different genres. A less popular, but still appreciated, performance is orchestral performances. Orchestras contain many people in them which can make it very difficult for them to make a unified sound, but it’s a conductor’s duty to bring everyone’s part of every song together as

Ms. Aurora Zenfell is a conductor and violin player at the New Leaf Orchestra in Austin.

She started New Leaf Orchestra because she wanted a place for people who haven’t been playing their whole lives to be able to practice their arts and play with a similar community.

players from varying skill ranges with eight violins, two violas, and five cellos.

Double basses are another string instrument in many school orchestras, but in most string orchestras, or smaller orchestras called chamber orchestras, they often are not present.

Like many other conductors and orchestra players, Ms. Zenfell finds her most memorable

“I wanted to create a place where people could play music that was like community orchestra level.”

Aurora Zenfell

“We’re only about 15 [members big]. You could say that we’re small enough to be considered a chamber [orchestra], but I do conduct them in concert.” Zenfell said, “There’s definitely a core of people who stay, who are in it year after year, but there’s also people who kind of come in and out.”

moments not always on stage, but many times during practices with the small group. “[I like] being able to get everybody to come to work together and see what it’s like to hear all the different parts

Zenfell also taught in the Austin school district for a few years as a music teacher.

Zenfells orchestra consists of 15

Members of the New Leaf Orchestra practicing for an upcoming concert. Courtesy of New Leaf Orchestra.

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how they how they’re similar or different” Zenfell said, “[I like seeing] which sections have a little part together or helping them understand the music. ” Dedication is undoubtedly one of the most important things in a musicians life.

No matter how advanced a musician is, the more they practice and work on their skills, the better they will end up. Ms. Michelle Schumann from the Austin Chamber Music Center and a professor at the University of Mary HardinBaylor practices her piano for about 2-6 hours a day.

Like Ms. Zenfell, one of her favorite things to do is sitting at her instrument, in this case a piano, for hours at a time, and woodshedding, or spending time with a certain piece to make sure you understand it thoroughly, through her music.

Many musicians can agree with her when Schumann says her favorite piece is whatever they are working on at the current time.

A connection is formed between a musician and their music when they have dedicated so much time, energy, and resources into their profession, or even hobbies, that almost every piece has its own place in a musician’s heart.

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Almost all musicians tend to start young as that’s when the brain is developing the most and it is easier for a child to pick up a habit than an adult could. Ms. Schumann started playing the piano when she was just five years old, and when she was 13 years old she joined her first chamber group. She played in a piano trio, which means there is one violin, one cello, and obviously a piano, and the group played Mozart’s piano trio in E flat K.502. Later, when she saw a recording of her performance alongside her peers, she immediately knew that music was what she

remember watching a video of it with my teacher and with her other students a year later and thinking oh my God, I was really good at it.”

Schumann said.

One of the biggest industries for modern day composers is the cinematic soundtrack industry. Conductor Jesus Torres of the Austin Cinematic Symphony and a teacher at East View High School has been with the Cinematic Symphony for a little over 8 years. On top of conducting, Mr. Torres plays the

There are few composers that are outside of that [Cinematic Soundtrack] industry that are of the same caliber. And so I think it’s just a way to get some exposure to the very best art and help other people see and hear that.

Jesus Torres

wanted to pursue in life.

“I

Michelle Schumann and two colleagues performing in a chamber concert. Courtesy of Art Around Austin.

“I would say that from a personal experience, you have a little bit more appreciation for what the conductor is doing when you’re playing in a group like this.”

Jesus Torres

trumpet, and though he doesn’t play in orchestras as much anymore, he is still able to reflect on how experience in conducting can help you play better as a musician.

Many big modern composers work for the

film industry. Only a very small amount of today’s biggest composers haven’t dipped into the branch of cinematic soundtracks yet because times have changed in the past few centuries.

With the creation of films, musicians and composers were needed to accompany them. Many musicians from many different genres and instruments have played and/or composed at least a few cinematic pieces because of the industry’s rapid growth.

“There are a few composers that are outside of that industry that are of the same caliber,” Torres said “And so you know, I think it’s just a way to get some exposure to the very best art and help other people see and hear that.”

A music stand a conductor could use.

Courtesy of Front Porch Antiques.

Varying from both Ms. Zenfell’s and Ms. Schumann’s group sizes, Mr. Torres’ orchestra consists of about 60 people with a variety of instruments, some not being in the string family.

One of Mr. Torres most memorable pieces to play was the soundtrack from the show “Lost” about two years ago. The soundtrack includes some trombones, many string instruments, a harp and a few other instruments.

They practice once a week before most concerts for a span of somewhere around six weeks.

“We’re able to not just create a performance that’s technically proficient, but also emotionally satisfying.”

Torres said.

Like Ms. Schumann and Ms. Zenfell, Mr. Torres also does this not just to present in the final stage, but to be able to work with others and with themselves to create a beautiful arrangement that makes all of their efforts and used time and energy worth it all.

“I would say that the best part of it is not usually in a performance,” Torres said, “sometimes it happens when everything seems to come together.

We rehearse a lot and we may even have our best run-throughs of a piece in rehearsal.

In conclusion, conducting is much more important than many tend to think, and the conductors are just as dedicated to their work as the musicians they guide are. ♪ The Earworm | Page 29

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The Parts of a Violin By: Ardy Smith

T

he violin has many different parts, with some being purely for cosmetics, and some being necessary for the instrument to stick together. This guide will show you some of the parts of the violin, and also parts of it’s bow.

The Violin

The Neck: The Neck of the violin is where the first few notes for each string are located.

The Fingerboard: The Fingerboard is where the player puts their fingers to create certain notes.

The Scroll: The Scroll of a violin is purely decorative and it resembles a paper scroll.

The Tuning Pegs: The Tuning Pegs are helpful for tuning each string to match it’s designated note.

The Strings: The strings are used to make notes, and they make sound when the bow goes back and forth on it because they vibrate.

Center Bout Bridge: The Center Bout was developed to make it easier to play the outer strings, G and E.

The Tailpiece: The Tailpiece holds the strings and has smaller tuning pegs to fine tune each string.

The Shoulder Rest: Developed in the 19th century, the shoulder rest lets the player rest their chin on it while they’re playing.

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The F-Holes: The two F-Holes mainly help lower notes project themselves, and it lets air circulate through the instrument.

Information provided by Musilesson.com, Theaterstore.com, and palamavaleva.com.

The Bow Tip: The Bow Tip is where the bow hair connects at the end, and it’s also where the quietist sounds are produced on the violin since there is less pressure being put on it.

The Bow

The Bow Stick: The Bow Stick is the main structure of the bow. It is usually a piece of wood or fiberglass.

The Bow Hair: The Bow Hair is usually made with real horse hair and it produces friction on the strings which produces the sound of the violin.

The Grip: The Grip is where the player places their first finger. It helps put pressure on the bow.

The Frog: The Frog is where the player puts their middle and ring finger while playing. It also moves depending on how much your bow is tightened.

The Screw: The Screw is the item used to tighten the bow. The bow must be tightened in order to make sounds.

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Anatomy of a Snare Drum it may seem like Percussion is just hitting a platform with a stick. While this is a F orverymany, simple statment, it misses the art and complexity that goes behind the making of a

drum. There are a lot of parts that work together to make a drum, whether tht be a snare drum or timpani, sound good at the very least.

2

1

Tension Rod: Tunes the Batter Head

4

Batter Head: The place where the stick hits

3

Snare Strainer Release: Toggles Snare strain

5

Lug Casing: Holds the bottom hoop and counter hoop

Snare Strainer: Strains the snares to get iconic sound

6

Butt Plate: holds snare to drum

9

7

8 12

Shell: Casing of the drum Snare Head:Snares make sound by vibrating on this head

Counter Hoop: Holds the batter head

Badge: shows company brand

11 Information by Dave Gerhart

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Snares: metal strands that hit the snare head

10

Bottom Hoop: Holds the snare head down

Anatomy of a Timpani 1

Tension Rod: Tunes the Head

2

Bowl: Amplifies sound

3

Bearing Edge: Holds the head taught

4

Head: place where mallets make sounds

5

6

8

13

Cable Band: Holds down adjustment Wire

12

Mini Caster: Helps move Timpani more easily

11

10

Hoop: Holds Head down

Tuning Indicator: Indicates approximate pitch of timpani

7

Pointer Lock Nut: Locks the tune indicator

Pointer Adjustment Knob: Moves to adjust pitch

9

Pedal: Adjusts Pitch

PAC Adjustment Knob: Responds to Pedal

Base: Holds things together

Information by Troy Wollwage

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S

o T g n i k tic ay w � l a n tio e “tradi

h

t c i s u m Playing

eur

ar y Vass

By Zach

A Marimba is a keyboard instrument that uses resonators to get a mellow and deep sound.

Courtesy of Yamaha

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A piano is technically a percussion instruments because it has hammers that hit strings to make a sound Courtesy of Shutterstock

is ne thing O . d n a school b ce most start is on ll e for sure, ey never stop. Th artling, w a t s e h y h t t n From r a s h to playing, se for To c a l c a e b h t m a y tly arimb t i me d c was exac timpanist that ellow m rching m l, u f ,a i t s st i n beau Edward ning ma ng e f a e ASO (Au nd d e a h i t o v t i r , g o f lo ly so e ss plays st r a ) a um, selfl y Orche the n o h p snare dr to eager ears; m y ssor at o ve a S o a profe xas. ls the temp instruments ha a s i f Te em. on iversity o percussi quality about th n U ve r me d i st i n c t i e time fo you t m a n c e r it e ff he n is d i and trument e way. They “W e in sixth grade ere you s n i h c a E qu ob you w own uni d in or add t ho o s e i f or c o t i n t he i r d n a le h ob our band for t y t d n n e e i z e m li t b y r a ss o are st going to m... I signed up ny other ts, a o t te a r o v en fla football Edwards said. “I instrum , brass, l a c i m s ,” u d of m the ban nd of hooked fro t dw i n d s o o w g n s i includi as just k ward. And it ju rcussion e w p r e h t o y t on or even ts. that poin d ever y part of m n e e spark instrum a like d e t a r o corp ain.” music in struments. br or n r e t s e W in e Direct h n t o s i i s t s u it r r c e r r Bu lot of pe just like any oth Thomas on at UT. He , e s e r b u ss i o Of co of percu at what inspires ic ere has t the h t , t n e us th for instrum claimed ists to pursue m t laying it nd, p n a i c n i ha o s u a mu percussi ironment, and t make so o t t n e ea me r env instrum ne becom drove is thei may also have so n. o d i d w t w ha c is i o s o ho parents r that de nist, and ? e o v i o s s e u c c n r pe one influe become d t h e m to t tempte a h w d e k When as t percussion, t a lot of a h t s ar m t s e It se h i m to become nd t first, he t a s t t s a i h n t o i d s i u percus bone, bu urritt sa ying aro B m la o p r t n i y la d op and intereste ears of middle wanted t rents no to that y t e s v r a a p not h their fi that his rs u e me may o S t n im to pu l. e h o o m d u e t r t s ch n s a n w yed an i even pla ing the middle in before jo

The Earworm | Page 35

percussion.

The decade or time that people grew up in may also be a factor in the inspiration to become a percussionist or musician.

“I grew up in the eighties, [during] my high school, and middle school years... it turned out to be a really fantastic time to be interested in playing in a band or drums, guitar or bass,” Burritt said. “That’s the era of the game Guitar Hero. So many of us were interested in music, we all played either drums, bass, guitar or keyboard, and most of us were in a band. I can remember in high school very regularly taking my garage band, as it were, to competitions like Battle of the Bands on Friday or Saturday

nights.

Students and kids don’t seem to be interested in that these days. But that was a huge, vibrant scene for us.”

Frank Nedley is the percussion director at Anderson High School. He agreed that percussion has a lot to add to an orchestra.

Such as reflecting the emotion of the piece. Edwards also claims that it is the “icing on the cake” when combined with the orchestra.

“Without [percussion], there’s not any sound effects that are really happening... there’s not a lot of the aggressive atmosphere going on,” Nedley said. “I think it plays one of the most important parts.It rarely plays the melody, but it always brings the temperature of what the piece is

The Snare drum is one of the most common instruments in concert percussion, it makes its iconic sound by having snares vibrate on the bottom head.

Photo taken by Zachary Vasseur

supposed to be, I think it’s very important.”

Edwards had a lot to say on how recordings are set up for things like movies, he played percussion in the soundtrack for Spy Kids 2. The recording required a computer to give the Yarn mallets are used t tempo and took the hit the bars of a keyboar least amount of time instrument to produce possible. sound

Courtesy of Mike Balte “They had the whole orchestra on a soundstage,” Edwards said. “You can imagine there are 80 people on stage and everybody is tied into a click [a click is a type of metronome]. [The company] also had to save money. So it has to be done as fast and as efficiently as possible. There’s no preparing for this and then playing. You have no idea what you’re doing. [The music] is all sight-read.”

Recording for movies is a unique process in itself, it is a more visual experience for the conductor. This is to really mesh the visual and audible art into one multi-sensory experience for the audience.

“The conductor is actually looking at the movie on a screen,” Edwards said. “They used to do it differently, but now, it’s all computerized. Let’s say, Jurassic Park [as an example].

to rd e

When the dinosaurs feat hits the ground, that’s when this bass drum has to hit. And then, there’s another moment, when the dinosaurs are fighting, there’s a cymbal crash that has to happen.

[The click] has to be timed just

we’re playing this piece. The general tempo is, 120. But I need measure 43 to line up with frame 2005,’” said Edwards. “[The] computer will figure out how slow or fast it changes the click. So [that] those moments

There is also the option to teach in percussion. Nedley the percussion director at Anderson, had a lot of insight into this. He claimed that the hardest part of teaching at a high school is balancing.

“That’s one thing that I’ve been trying to get better at as a teacher is not over programming stuff and over programming my life,” Nedley said. “Being able to concentrate on the things that I can make well and not putting myself out

er

when the dinosaur claws the other dinosaur. And so that’s a frame in the music, in the movie.”

Since the music has to line up with the movie, the tempo isn’t constant. There are minor fluctuations that the musician has to look out for while playing.

“So they’ll tell a computer, ‘OK,

in time will happen. So you’re listening to the click, but [the tempo’s changing] the whole time, and it has to do that so that these moments of music line up with the movie. That whole thing took us, [about] two or three days of just constant recording.”

there for something that is going to take too much time and or that I can’t do, it can be really challenging.”

Time management can be really challenging when you are a teacher, but their are some upsides. Nedley was interviewed right after a drumline percussion competition, and he had a lot The Earworm | Page 37

to say about the smiles on the Anderson percussionist faces.

“Today we just performed and, we’ve been working for two months now and the heat and putting in all this extra time and you have your downs and your ups,” Nedley said.

“We just performed our first performance, and seeing the kids faces afterward on how proud of themselves they are because they put in that work and they had the results. That’s by far the best part of it. You know, it’s a very, very time-consuming job. But when

everyone’s happy, it’s kind of like having a second family. A happy family.”

Burritt claimed that one of the first, if not the first instrument in human culture was a percussion instrument.

“In the most traditional sense, [in the most traditional sense, if we go back, you can trace a percussion]. If we go back, you can trace a percussion instrument to the first-ever instrument that mankind would use,” Burritt said.

“And that was probably some

kind of rock or slabs of rock placed on some sort of frame, whether that’d be wood or other stone and striking. Striking [the rock] maybe with other stones, you know, to make a sound that even predates the drum.”

Percussion, by itself, is a very broad term. Although the earliest instruments to ever be discovered can be put under this term, percussion instruments have changed drastically over hundreds of years, and will not stop changing for hundreds of years to come.

Frank Nedley leading the Anderson Drum-line onto Nelson field during the Cap City Marching Festival.

Photo by Marylene Palard Page 38 | The Earworm

Jazz in the City of Music

By Declan Kim

Christian Wiggs, an up-and-coming jazz vocalist, performs a song.

Austin is often called the “Live Music Capital of the World�, so it is no surprise that the city draws in a lot of young musical talent. Image provided by Christian Wiggs.

What it takes to make it big in the jazz industry.

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Radiant and luminous lights blind your eyes as loud and powerful music flows through your ear drums. All around you, people are dancing and drinking, chatting up a storm, but you are not with them. You are here to show everyone what you are made of; you are here to move their soul with your music. And so, as the spotlight is beginning to shine, you prepare yourself, for it’s your job alone to change the minds of these people.

Jazz is a genre of music that originally came from the African American communities of New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th century. Slaves would come together in town squares, bringing with them their musical traditions, and sing songs that contained the styles of their ethnic countries. Over time, this musical genre began to grow in popularity as many different people began to learn this unusual style of music.

Deemer also believes that jazz is the most effective form of music, and it is the best way to express yourself.

“It’s such a diverse genre,” Deemer said. “It’s just the most effective, quickest, and succinct way to to speak in the language of music.”

This complex genre eventually made its way to Austin. Today, Austin is often called the “live music capital of the world” because of its plethora of live musicians and performers.

Bruce

Saunders is a jazz guitarist and professor at the University of Texas and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Since he makes a weekly commute, Saunders knows about both of the cities’ music scenes.

Saunders believes that Austin’s music scene reigns supreme among the two.

“Boston would probably be more of a mix of club and date. Austin is obviously a lot more,” Saunders said. “It’s just awesome. [Austin has] lots of rock, lots of roots music and lots of singer-songwriters.”

Michael Mordecai is a trombone player and the founder of BBA Booking, an agency that has booked musical gigs from San Diego to Austin since 1973.

Because he has

Paul Deemer is a professor of the Jazz studies course at the University of Texas. Deemer believes that jazz is the most complicated and free form of music and has improved over time.

“It’s the improvisational and rhythmic aspect of it,” Paul Deemer said. “Jazz is the most organized, expressive, and comprehensive form of sound production.

All the way, it’s evolved through mixing cultures and heritage and history with other forms of music.”

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Michael Mordecai, an Austin musician, plays his trombone. After having been a musician himself for a long time, Michael created his own music booking agency, BBA Booking, in 1973 and is consequently well-informed about the history of jazz in Austin. Image provided by Laura Mordecai.

been involved with music in Austin, Mordecai knows a lot about Austin’s musical history.

Mordecai says that Austin began to become more music-oriented in the 1970s.

Christian Wiggs excitedly prepares to perform in front of his audience. With competition for gigs and shows, it can be difficult to find a place to perform as a jazz musician. Image provided by Christian Wiggs.

“The audience of Austin was student-oriented, youthful and hungry for quality original music,” Mordecai said. “It was flowing out of Barton Springs, the energy of the city. There was a positive musical and magical energy just infused with the entire youth of the 70s.”

However, in order to succeed as a jazz musician, you need to be able to adapt to the lifestyle of a musician. Originally, Mordecai sought to perform as a trombonist for a living, but realized that it was too difficult a lifestyle for him, so he opened his booking agency instead.

“What I figured out as a trombone player is that there’s only seven days a week, and if you’re lucky, you play three or four times, so you’re going to be limited in how many gigs you can play,” Mordecai said. “But as a booking agent, you could book multiple gigs, more than you could even play.”

Christian Wiggs is a jazz vocalist who has been performing in Austin for around five years.

Along with performing as a soloist, Christian Wiggs also bandleads the Vintage 15, a band comprised of 15 members.

Wiggs believes that in order to succeed as a jazz musician in Austin, the performance must be genuine and from the heart.

“There was a positive musical and magical energy just infused with the entire youth of the 70s.”

“You have to make sure that you can express yourself in a way that is true to the music and doesn’t sound like you’re phoning it in,” Wiggs

-Michael Mordecai

said. “People can spot a schmoozer a mile away.”

If a mistake is made, then the meaning of the performance may be lost. when it comes to live performances, mistakes are almost inevitable, and it may be difficult for young musicians to cope with The Earworm | Page 41

z

Bruce Saunders plays his guitar in front of his audience. Having performed in Boston and Austin, Bruce Saunders has had his share of experience with jazz, and as a jazz teacher himself, he is well aware of the specific techniques and styles necessary. Image provided by Bruce Saunders.

failure. Mordecai says that the best musicians are those that learn from failure.

“If you fall here and there, it’s not horrible, it’s a huge lesson,” Mordecai said. “People really have a sink or swim mentality, and that’s where the real trials happen and you evolve and grow and learn.”

One of the biggest fears that many newer musicians will have to face is a silent crowd. Wiggs has had experience with these situations, and he believes that all you can do is try and hope for the best.

“You have to give everything that you have every night because every audience is different and everyone’s going to react to something differently,” Wiggs said. “The beauty of every PagePage 42 40 | The | TheEarworm Earworm

audience being different is that every night is different. Maybe people are going to dig what you’re putting down, maybe people aren’t.”

Fortunately and unfortunately for musicians in Austin, their jobs will only get harder in the future as the city continues to grow in size. Mordecai believes that the jazz scene in Austin will continue to grow as more genres join the music scene.

“A number of people study and play jazz in Austin,” Mordecai said. “The university attracts a lot of people, so a lot of fantastic players and jazz musicians will continue to flourish in quantity and quality.”

Deemer agrees that the music scene in Austin will continue to flourish, and he thinks

that Austin’s music scene is beginning to shift into a new and better era.

“The city is growing and so there’s a transitional period that is kind of correlated to the growth of the city,” Deemer said. “The people in Austin are starting to realize that as the city grows and as technology advances, the standard is changing. I think we in the community need to embrace the growth and embrace this new standard of professionalism and musicianship.”

Like Mordecai, Deemer also thinks that this transition and growth could lead to many more musicians joining the Austin music scene. Deemer thinks that this could also result in many newer and smaller musicians being overlooked due to the

massive amount of competition for gigs and shows.

music to help connect with his audience.

“It’s just a lot harder to stand out, especially as the city is growing,” Deemer said.

“There are a lot of options that musicians have: whether or not to rise up to a musical standard, focus on marketing or on the entertainment aspect of the community or the industry.”

“For me, it’s more of an opportunity to connect with an audience,” Mordecai said. “Sometimes that means playing some real high squeaky notes, sometimes that’s trying to emulate what a real jazz trombone player would play and sometimes it’s playing more

The fact that so many obstacles stand in the way of succeeding as jazz musician begs the question of why people choose a career that’s as risky as music.

Wiggs joined the jazz scene because he wanted to contribute something in a creative way.

“One way or the other, I wanted to create and I wanted to try to be innovative and contribute,” Wiggs said. “I wanted to add something to the field that I’m going to be in and not just funding day in, day out.”

For Wiggs, music invoked an almost otherworldly feeling in him, so he became a musician in order to keep experiencing this feeling.

“There’s an emotion that I can’t quite describe,” Wiggs said. “It just makes me incredibly giddy... It feels like it is somewhere separate than the human experience I knew the only time that I could experience it was whenever I was doing music, so I [went] into music.”

Like Wiggs, Mordecai went into a musical career because he wanted to contribute to society in some way. However, for the most part, Mordecai initially decided to play

really the only instrument I knew,” Saunders said. “I guess it was the only thing I kind of knew how to do.”

Either way, if you want to make it big in jazz, it is essential that you have some sort of passion or motivation. For Christian Wiggs, jazz is important to him because it is a medium through which one

“Whatever you’re doing, you’re telling a story. At the end of the day, it’s not just about you. It’s about how your expression connects with a group of people to make it a communal experience that is unique and specific to the moments that you’re sharing together.”

-Christian Wiggs melodic and more simple.”

However, there are some people that didn’t have any other options when it comes to careers. For Saunders, music was the only career he felt he could really choose.

“When I was very young, I picked [up the jazz guitar] and started messing around with it. It was

can express and share a moment with others.

“Whatever you’re doing, you’re telling a story,” Wiggs said. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about you. It’s about how your expression connects with a group of people to make it a communal experience that is unique and specific to the moments that you’re sharing together.”♪ The41z Earworm | Page 43 Page | The Earworm

A Timeline of Music Festivals in Austin

A

ustin, Texas is widely considered to be the “Live Music Capital of the World”. It was given this title because of its plethora of musicians and bands hailing from or coming to Austin such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson. Along with its abundance of musicians, Austin also has a great deal of music festivals and celebrations that highlight the importance of music to the city. Below is a small timeline of when some music festivals were officially established in Austin.

1950

1975

By Declan Kim

Carnaval Brasileiro

Carnaval Brasiliero is a “festival of flesh” held before the 40 days of lent, and it’s all about going wild. What started as a college student’s attempt to have fun turned intothe massive celebration of Brazilian culture that we know today. Carnaval Brasileiro takes place in Februaury.

1987

2002

South by Southwest (SxSW)

Art City Austin

Art City Austin is one of the oldest outdoor events in Austin.

If you’re looking for a festival that celebrates music, as well as visual and culinary art, then this is the festival for you. Art City Austin takes place in April.

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SxSW is one of the most popular music festivals in Austin to this day, in fact, it’s one of the biggest music festivals in the world of its kind. Besides music, SxSW also boasts an impressive film festival and many more conventions. SxSW takes place in March.

Information provided by: https://www.austintexas.org/music-scene/festivals/, http://sambaparty.com/ the-carnaval-story/, https://www.sxsw.com/about/history/, https://urbanmusicfest.com/#our-history, https://artcityaustin.org/art-alliance-austin, https://www.tvovermind.com/brief-history-austin-city-limits-festival/, and https://levitation-austin.com/about/levitation-2018/

An image of people watching a live performance at the 2018 Austin City Limits music festival. The Austin City Limits festival is an annual music festival that attracts many local and foreign people and occurs in October. Photo by Charles Reagan Hackleman.

Austin City Limits (ACL)

Austin City Limits is a festival held in Zilker Park that’s all about music. Much like SxSW, ACL is also a pretty famous music festival.

ACL has 8 different stages where different genres of musicians perform for fans. Austin City Limits takes place in October.

2008

2006

Urban Music Festival

The Urban Music Festival is a muscial event that focuses on R&B, Jazz, Funk, and more. It’s a family-centric festival with local and national entertainers. The Urban Music Festival takes place in March.

Levitation [Festival]

Levitation, alos known as Austin Psych Fest is an internationally acclaimed psychadelic rock music festival. It was named in honor of the band The 13th Floor Elevators.

Levitation takes place in November.

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