tutti by LASA Ezine

Our staff loves music. It’s what drew us together; it’s what drew this magazine together. And it’s what we seek to spread. We observed that music outlets are often very exclusive or uniform in the sense that similar genres are stuck together: there is little variation in offered content. We want to share an outlet where many types of music can be included and talked about. We want to share a space where there is music discovery. Tutti is the Italian word for “all.” When one sees “tutti,” it means that all the parts of the ensemble play in unison. Tutti seeks to include many voices in a melody presented in classical to K-pop to alternative rock and back.

, the chief editor, is in two bands, Charlie Belle and Grace London. She started playing the bass guitar at age eight, and took up the double bass in sixth grade beginning orchestra. She continues to play in the LBJ orchestra. In her free time, she listens to a wide variety of music genres, including (but not limited to) alternative rock, Austin folk, and electro-pop.

No. 1

was born in Boston, Massachusetts and lived in rural Maine for eight years before moving to Austin. She is a bassist as well and has been playing upright since sixth grade and electric since seventh. She enjoys transcribing and arranging music for string instruments. She can also play a smidge of piano, which is useful when she writes songs.

PHOTO BY BRIAN LEE

PHOTO BY GYASI BONDS

PHOTO BY MAUREEN O’SHAY PHOTOGRAPHY

Zoe Czarnecki

was born in Austin, but lived in Korea for a couple years. She has been playing the cello for five years and piano for eight. She plays in multiple chamber groups, including the Newtonian String Trio and the Kryddor Piano Trio. She’s also had a little experience with arranging and writing music. She is an avid member of the LBJ orchestra family.

No. 1

rancesco Mastromatteo sits at the podium, cello lying beside him. A high school freshman orchestra is gathered around him, quietly chatting. A few parents watch in the back. A virtuosic cellist has come to visit, and it isn’t a small event. As a professional cellist, Mastromatteo has much to tell of both successes and failures. His speech encompasses the essence of practicing and the relationship between music and one’s soul, interspersed with anecdotes and mini-performances. He speaks of his love of music and how music left a huge impact on his life. But most importantly, he speaks of the importance of young musicians in today’s musical world-- he connects with the highschoolers sitting around him. Mastromatteo is an Italian cellist, known world-wide for his superlative playing. “[I’m] a teacher and a performing artist, I would say,” Mastromatteo said. “I am doing both aspects of that. I love to perform, I love to teach. So I’m trying to share equally the two aspects. I also think it’s very important for a teacher to perform because in order to inspire young people, you have to have that experience on stage because the stage really deals with your emotions in relationship with others.” Mastromatteo has taken several young students under his wing for both private and chamber lessons. “I am a teacher because I love to share my passion for music and I also love to see how this can make a person grow in a more complete way,” he said. “I love to see how both these things, passion and music, can make you grow in a complete way. I love to transfer this.”

Although his main work is based in Italy-- he is the chamber music professor at the Umberto Giordano Conservatory in Foggia-- he has been appointed Artist in Residence of the Austin-based non-profit organization Classical Music for the World (CMFW). “I think [music] contributes to improving society,” Mastromatteo said. “It’s a fundamental contribution to improve the quality of life. Of everybody. So music is my part to create a better world. I feel [it] is my mission and CMFW is the organization that allows me to do so. To improve the world, actually.” CMFW was founded by Younnie Meglino, a South Korean who came to the United States. “CMFW was founded in the spring of 2010 with the vision of sharing the beautiful music with everyone and of serving people of the world,” Meglino said. “Because music is a true gift from nature, CMFW intends to use music as a vehicle to bridge friendships, businesses, and cultures among the different cities from foreign countries. Music is truly the best communicator among people, as we say it’s a universal language. Through this musical communication, CMFW intends to contribute to global harmony.” The organization hosts a variety of programs in order to promote the love of music in its community. Nick Hammel, a

freshman at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy and an active member of CMFW, knows all about these programs. “One of the programs is a chamber music program and two times a year, Francesco comes and he basically teaches a few chamber groups,” he said. “It’s a very fun experience to watch him teach us and to learn from him.” CMFW also creates a chamber orchestra, which is a small orchestra with violins, violas, cellos, and sometimes wind instruments like flutes. Dr. Michael Schneider has conducted the orchestra for the last two years. “Last year when I was in chamber orchestra, he was also the conductor, and he wrote us a song,” Hammel said. “It was a really fun experience because he was the composer of the song.” CMFW is well known for recruiting gifted artists who enhance its programs. “We invite professional musicians who are not only technically well-trained, but also who love music as art and who are willing to serve the young and amateur adult students as loving teachers,” Meglino said. “Our current artists and coaches are of the highest level of musicians and also very humble minded and respectable. We are continuously seeking more professional musicians who would like to join our mission as performers and teachers.”

Not only does Meglino love hosting these artists, but the artists themselves

No. 1

enjoy being part of CMFW. “[I contribute to CMFW] as both a teacher and as a performer with what I can do, which are my two dimensions,” Mastromatteo said. “And also because I have a passion for organizing things, like creating a musical environment. I think that this improves society, so I firmly believe in that.” Mastromatteo also directs a concert organization in Italy. I try to give my contribution to create a musical environment where people can be more easily inspired. It’s not only about music. Music is one way to discover passions. Passions of any kind.” On one particular day, Mastromatteo’s passion for teaching led him to swallow a toothpick. He dedicates most of his time in Austin to teach his students, which often keeps him so busy that he cannot find time to eat. “Well one day I was teaching a lesson and the mother came with a sandwich. When

No. 1

I teach I often do not have time to eat, I forget it. Also, when I am teaching, I talk a lot. So I was eating and talking and trying to eat as fast as I could to keep teaching. After eating the first half of the sandwich, I look at the other half and I see that there is a toothpick in the middle of the sandwich. So I went out of the practice room and I said a very stupid question to the mother of this kid. I asked, ‘Uh, sorry miss, do you put toothpicks in every sandwich you make?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ So I realized that I had just eaten a toothpick. “The thing is that the day after, I had a performance of Schumann concerto to do. Big cello concerto with the orchestra. I ate the other half without the toothpick, but I kept worrying. I drank a lot of water thinking, ‘Maybe this will help the thing go down,’ I don’t start to feel that well. It starts to hurt. It

starts to hurt very badly. I spit and I see that there is blood. So actually things are getting dangerous.” Mastromatteo visited the hospital, and everything turned out okay. He came out of the surgery without the toothpick before the situation got too serious. Thankfully, he’s still around to tell this story with a smile. “And the funny thing is all this happens and it is 5 in the morning and the day after I have a performance at 11 o’clock for the Korean meeting association. So I go there and play Bach suites by memory and then at 4 in the afternoon, I had a performance of Schumann concerto with the orchestra. I was almost dead the day before and I was so grateful. The Schumann concerto and the Bach went fine,” he finishes with a smile. “So never play music while you’re distracted or else a toothpick goes by. Remember this.”

you are today, but you are also tomorrow. You are the best way to see tomorrow. So I feel that I can deal with the future as a young person. I have the energy of a 14, 15 year old and this makes me radiant to go ahead with life.”

Here are some tips on how to better yourself as a player.

listen to the opinions of others (but be skeptical when necessary)

keep an open mind

audition a lot and get familiar with the processes

make your practice sessions efficient

perfect practice makes perfect

ALL PHOTOS BY BRIAN LEE

CMFW’s future seems bright, and Meglino plans on expanding it. “In order to continue our mission, recently, I submitted the 501(c)(3) non-profit application form,” Meglino said, smiling proudly. “We are expecting to get the non-profit status around the end of this year.” Becoming an independent non-profit organization means CMFW will get more public support to

expand its mission. “Ultimately, more people will experience the beauty of music through our programs and support our mission.” Mastromatteo’s view of the young musical world seems bright as well. “I feel great, because I received a lot of energy from all of [them] and I love that because about the thing that we said before- to share talent and to share music and passions,” he said after speaking to the LBJ Chamber Orchestra. “We often think that the teacher gives something to the student, and the student receives, like you receive an indication what to think about or you receive images or you receive an inspiration. But this is only 50%. We as teachers receive a lot from you. And actually if we don’t receive, we cannot give. Because every act of giving is implying a relationship. So we need to add back. To receive back. That’s why it’s not a giving but it’s a sharing.” Mastromatteo believes students are the best part of this world at their age, because they are the present and the future at the same time. “If I can face you, if I can interact with you, I can interact with everybody,” Mastromatteo said. “Not only I can interact with what has to happen tomorrow. Because

No. 1

THE ANATOMY OF THE CELLO by Sara Bergeron

When the cello was first being played, strings were made from sheep or goat gut. The majority of modern strings are made of aluminum, titanium, and/or chromium. However, some cellists today still prefer to play with gut strings. The strings are attached at the top of the instrument, wrapped around the tuning pegs, and at the bottom, in the ebony tailpiece.

The bridge holds the strings above the fingerboard, and is not glued to the instrument, but is instead held up by the pressure of the strings. It is typically made of maplewood and has notches on the top edge for the strings to sit in so that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t slip off the rounded edge.

The endpin of a cello provides stability while playing. It was first introduced to the instrument in 1845 by Adrien Servais. Before it came along, cellists simply held the instrument between their calves while sitting, which was not an entirely comfortable position for playing.

No. 1

The scroll, peg box, and neck are all made from one piece of wood, and they make up the top of the instrument. The peg box contains the wooden tuning pegs, and the strings are wrapped around the pegs. Turning the pegs one way or another changes the pitch of each string.

The F holes allow sound to escape the cello, and they are named for their shape. They can also help maitenancewise, acting as access points to the instrument if repairs need to be made internally.

THE ANATOMY OF THE BOW The frog of the bow is made of ebony and holds the hair above the stick. It also allows for adjustment of the hair tension, so that the bow can be loosened while not in use.

The most important sound-making part of a bow is the hair, which is horsehair. Some bows are made with black hair, or red, which changes the tone slightly. However, it is simply a matter of preference for the player.

Players of all classical string instruments apply rosin to their bows to make the hair sticky enough to create the friction needed to make the strings emit a nice tone when played. Rosin is thick resin collected from coniferous trees, mostly pines.

Cheaper, student model bows are usually made of fiberglass, since itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s durable and not expensive. Nicer bows are made of carbon-fiber, which is more resilient than wood, and the nicest bows are made of pernambuco or brazilwood.

Originally, the stick of the bow simply sloped into the tip where the hair was attached. Since then, the tip has evolved for better sound quality, sloping much more harshly from the rest of the stick.

No. 1

arge red, striped bricks make up the Chicon Collective. A garden sits on one edge growing tomatoes, a banana plant, okra, and basil. A few steps from the garden stands a bright yellow door and inside that, a cool space with concrete floors and large paintings hanging on a white wall to the left. However, the people inside are far more interesting than the building. These are the “creatives” getting things done in Austin. These are the people behind $3 Shows. These shows are hosted at the Swan Dive on Red River Street in Austin, Texas. They feature two stages: outdoor and indoor. The outdoor Sole Glow Collective Stage features mostly electronic music, while the inside stage features a variety of genres. “I like to mix it up and offer all different genres in one night,” said Lauren Bruno, the mother of Austin band Les RAV and creator of $3 Shows. Bruno created $3 Shows to fill a promotional void for nonprofits. She grew up around nonprofits and understands that most of the time, there is not enough money for promotion because an organization’s funding and energy goes towards their mission. The

shows provide a platform to expose people to the organization, raise funds, connect the arts community and the social issues community, and introduce and advocate Bruno’s three C’s: Community, Collaboration, and Cross Promotion. “At the shows we connect multiple platforms and communities with one main goal—to help sustain the culture of helping one another to make the world a better place,” Bruno said. The shows bring different people together; people come from different places to make the shows happen. This is the first C: Community. The monthly event benefits a local nonprofit and features artists and vendors, music on two stages, and almost anything else imaginable, such as the fire dancing and acrobatic yoga displayed at the August 2014 show benefiting Energies Balanced. All these people come together to make a dynamic event. However Ismael Quintanilla, who does event photography and media work, thinks the shows are not only for the benefit of the community, but for the individual’s community, “In the time I have participated in $3 Shows I have met more people than in the time that I was on my own.” Quintanilla struggled with finding a

community, until he came across $3 Shows. In addition to forging connections, people also inspire one another through peer interaction driving the show series. “The shows have impacted my life in many ways, but what stands out is the pure hearts,” Bruno said. “The willingness to support one another and to support the community for the sake of preserving a culture, The creative and positive energy created at these events makes it 100 percent worth it.” Community facilitates the connection, but the participation and partnership of the members makes the shows a reality, which is the second C: Collaboration. By definition, the shows are a gathering of people to play and showcase their art for a cause. “These shows are built on collaboration and the value in forming a support system,” Bruno said. “The shows could not be successful without Collaboration.” Quintanilla agrees with Bruno. “We work together as a whole to make this work. Everybody is good at something, but when you bring everybody together, it just—makes everything work.” The key factor in the shows’ success lies in Collaboration, but what makes the

shows really appealing and, as Bruno says, a “win-win situation,” is the third C: Cross Promotion. Musicians and vendors do not participate for monetary gain. What they come for is the chance to promote their art, service, or product with others in a way that benefits both parties. Cross Promotion happens when two organizations or businesses present a product at the same time or to the same audience as a team in a

way that makes them both appealing to the consumers. The shows are an example of this strategy. “It goes back to the networking that I have been talking about. We help each other out.” Quintanilla said. Musicians in particular, Bruno said, are playing for free, but they are playing for a larger crowd than they might normally have access to, as well as for the community and connections. People can use the connections made

through the shows to further implement the Cross Promotion strategy. The typical confines of a one-night show do not apply. The connections last beyond the event. This is not just a theory or a hopeful projection of what should occur; it is actually working. Quintanilla said is has helped him as a photographer. “Cross Promotion has come in handy when somebody refers me to other people to get more jobs.”

themselves and explaining why they were there and what they do. The room was full of designers, event and venue bookers, musicians, public relations people, event planners, photographers, media people, people “just here to connect,” and someone there to “get involved and learn and stuff.” It was one of the most inclusive environments I have ever been exposed to. My role was to observe and learn and take notes, but I found myself ready and eager to answer with everyone else when Bruno asked a question. It made me very excited—excited to know these people; excited about what they are doing; excited about art; and excited about community, connections, networking, and building relationships. The bulk of the meeting started with Bruno asking, “What do you think the community is missing?” What is missing is this opportunity for partnership. During our interview, Quintanilla and I had talked about what is wrong with Austin. He said the problem with the Austin music scene “is everybody is doing music on their own, but nobody is talking to each other.” The issue is lack of Community, lack of Collaboration, and lack of Cross Promotion. $3 Shows is filling holes in nonprofits and in the Austin art community. “At the shows we connect multiple platforms and communities with one main goal—to help sustain the culture of giving, the culture of art preservation, and the culture of helping one another to make the world a better place,” Bruno said. This independence in the music scene was constricting, but $3 Shows is beginning to strengthen and set the scene free. While still in its early stages, $3 Shows is growing rapidly. Quintanilla says he can see the growth not only in attendance, but also in participation. The shows are growing and flourishing. As Bruno reached the end of her agenda, she attempted to bring the meeting to a close by asking, “How do I end meetings?” The volunteers responded with the same positive and supportive energy that had been evident the entire evening, ending the meeting for her with applause and a chorus of yays. And then there was dancing.

The three C’s are not simply ideals for the basis of the shows. Community, Collaboration, and Cross Promotion are contagious. Emily Svec, a body painter of Body by Svec, works with $3 Shows. She said the concept of the three C’s “[is] infectious, a way to live your life as a working artist.” These ideas and concepts of living and helping within a community of people propel this movement forward. People cannot resist

the positivity. “The overall consensus is these shows inspire and ignite passion and perseverance,” Bruno said. She’s right. In preparation for this article, I attended a $3 Show volunteer meeting. We gathered in chairs and a few couches around a central area in the Chicon Collective. The meeting started with everyone introducing

No. 1

K-Pop is one of the many prides of South Korea and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spreading around the world, despite the language barriers. Learn more about some K-Pop groups from the main entertainment companies and discover a totally new genre of music!

No. 1

by Sara Bergeron

No. 1

ow has the internet changed the way the world of music is discovered and perceived around the world? Little Jack Melody, professional songwriter and music journalist, said, “Back when I was a kid, if you had said the words ‘world music,’ back-to-back like that… There was no such thing, no such concept like that. But the musical world is so fluid nowadays that you can absorb influences from everywhere.” Musicians of all genres in today’s society use the internet to learn, teach, and promote their music. Melody uses the internet to get the word out about his music. Luzvic Backstrom, zealous classical bass player and orchestra director, has been assisted by YouTube when it comes to finding classical music that she has to play with an orchestra or give to her orchestra students. Norm Bergeron, Temple College professor of Rock History and Music Theory, uses the internet to find music for both listening and teaching purposes. Even the most popular artists of today have risen to fame via the internet. Melody uses Justin Bieber as an example. “I’m not an expert on Justin Bieber, but I understand that here’s this little persistent kid in Canada who happens to have a lot of talent and starts posting stuff, and people start paying attention to it. So it is possible to, via YouTube, just post a bunch of stuff that a lot of people begin to identify with and seek out, and then boom. Next thing you know, maybe you’ve got a record deal.” Melody believes the internet has become a very important medium to become known as artists in today’s music industry. Even orchestra directors have benefited from the use of the internet, such as LBJ/LASA Orchestra Director Luzvic Backstrom. “One of my first professors was who inspired me to be an orchestra director,” Backstrom said. “He always was so natural and so honest about what he wanted to do with music, and he emphasized the importance of enjoying what you do, rather

than worry about what you are doing, and I think that makes a difference in the music that we made, because we weren’t so worried about what was going on musically, but we were enjoying the music.” As an ardent musician who cares a lot about her students and the passion that they possess, Backstrom often relies on the internet to help her out. She often uses YouTube videos when it comes to learning music for orchestra performances. “I think it gives you that musical freedom to listen to what other people are doing, look at their fingerings, look at the dynamics, look at things, and apply them to you.” She even advises students to watch YouTube videos of the solos they’re learning or the pieces they’re playing in orchestra settings, so they can see the types of techniques professionals might use for those pieces.

Many orchestra directors encourage their students to listen to genres other than classical. Even rock music is something that directors will often enjoy and research in their free time. As Backstrom said, “I think that’s one of the things I remember why I like orchestra in the first place, because I listened to Metallica with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. And I played rock concerts, a lot of rock concerts actually, with orchestra. It’s been always fun, I mean I always enjoyed it, because that’s what brought me to classical music, believe it or not.” With the invention of YouTube, people all over the world can perform and upload videos like the ones with classical musicians playing rock music and this allows more

people to be exposed to different genres they might not have heard of otherwise. In addition to giving students more access to different genres, the internet has become a major resource for simply finding music that they like. As Backstrom said, “I used to go to a lot of concerts., I could go to as many concerts as I wanted. When I’d listen to [the music], many of it was by CD, disks, at the time.” Before websites like Pandora and YouTube, people had to discover new artists that they liked by going to concerts and then seeking out records or CDs by those artists. Melody spoke more on the trouble one might go through to get vinyl of something heard on the radio, stating, “Radio at that time was pretty adventurous, and I remember turning on the underground station and you’d hear something like ‘wow, what is that?’ and they would announce it at the end and it’d be an obscure English band that I’d never heard of, and then you go to the record store. So you’d hear a band on the radio and you’d think, ‘wow, I’ve gotta check that out,’ and you’d go to the record store, and they’d look it up in a catalogue, and they’d say, ‘No, we don’t have it. We can get it from a company in New Jersey that imports these albums from British bands that don’t necessarily have a record label or a record deal here in the states, so they didn’t have distribution.’ So then you’d say, ‘yeah, I wanna order that,’ and they’d order it from New Jersey, and it would take a couple of weeks to get here, and you’d just be on pins and needles, you know, waiting for it to arrive.” Melody said, “When I was a kid, like a young kid, like in grade school, the radio was a really potent force. You’d have to really be persistent to track something down. Nowadays, it’s just so much easier to get information out.” Before the internet, he had trouble getting the word out about his music. Now, making himself known is much easier. The trouble of getting albums and records to listen to works both ways - between an artist and their fans. Melody said, “the internet as a commercial medium didn’t really

No. 1

exist at the time, so what would happen was that somebody might hear the piece, or read about us in one of the magazines that covered us, and then they would send a postcard to my P.O. box, and say, ‘yes, I heard about the album, how do I order one?’ And then I would have to write them back, and say, ‘well, you can order one from me, $15 includes shipping,’ and so you know you’d have to really be persistent to track something down.” Even as an artist, before the medium of the internet, it was seemingly very difficult to make oneself known and heard.

Now, with the internet, there is a huge amount of available music content, free to anyone, via sites such as YouTube, Pandora, GrooveShark, and Spotify. According to statista.com, most teenagers will choose pop music when asked their favorite genre, with country and rock being close runners-up. As Norm Bergeron said, “I have found that most teens are sheeple and listen to whatever crap they are fed if it is fed to them by someone they happen to think is cooler than they are.” In saying that teens are “sheeple,” he’s saying that many teens today are like sheep and will “follow the herd” because they simply don’t know what else to do. Typically, when kids don’t know what to listen to, they’ll listen to the radio, but the radio doesn’t provide a very wide variety. The internet can be a very resourceful tool for teenagers looking to find new variety in the music that they listen to. With such a wide variety of genres out there, it’s important that people, especially teenagers, explore that world to find music that they like instead of relying on the people they look up to. As Little Jack Melody said, “Trust your own instincts.” One must keep a healthy skepticism about the choices their peers are making, leaving room for their own opinions about the music in question. “I think exposure to a variety of things is really healthy, because life is too short and the world is too big not to acknowledge the existence of other cultures and other ways of looking at things and hearing things. So you

No. 1

can feed your curiosities and not get bogged down with just one genre or subgenre. I think understanding other viewpoints, whether they’re philosophical or artistic or aesthetic, is a healthy thing. I think it makes the world a better place, on some level,” Melody said. The music world is a great way to expose oneself to other cultures and ways of living, especially amongst teenagers who may not have been exposed to such things earlier in life. There are plenty of young people with an extensive music library at their fingertips,

and whether they use it to their advantage or not is up to them, although it is highly recommended that they do. The internet is one of the most valuable resources of our time in many senses, but especially when it comes to the music world. If you don’t know how to find new artists or genres that you enjoy, simply begin with Google.

Luzvic Backstrom helps a student with her intonation in orchestra rehearsal. No. 1

owned by Emmis Communications

Media Consolidation occurs when large corporations own many media outlets. The lack of variation in ownership causes a lack of variation in the content presented to the consumer. The Federal Communications Commission used to limit and control how many stations groups could own, but, in the mid 90â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, the restrictions were repealed. You are exposed to media consolidation all the time. Take a look at the above stationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;they are all owned by Emmis Communications.

{