Keeping Tempo November 2014

Keeping Tempo Volume 6, Number 2, November 2014

Inside this issue: Report: Double Reed Camp in NYC

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Conductors’ Notes: Stay Musical During the Hiatus

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Executive Director’s Corner: Envisioning the Future

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Student Spotlight: James Kong

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Practice-A-Thon Yields Astonishing Results

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Two YOBC Students Selected for NAfME

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Benefit Artist Announcement

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YOBC Alumnus Max Swan Competing in PHL Live Finals

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Important Dates: 

November 22–23, 2014: Fall Concerts

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December 6, 2014: Barnes & Noble Bookfair with special musical reading

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December 7, 2014: Treefest, Bucks County Visitors Center, Bensalem

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January 11, 2015: Spring rehearsals begin

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February 19, 2015: Fanfare Winds Concert, Cairn University

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February 22, 2015: Chamber Recital, BCCC 8:00 pm

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March 7, 2015: Annual Live Show & Auction Benefit, New Hope Winery

Fanfare Woodwind Quintet Part of YOBC’s Growing Chamber Ensemble Program Several years ago YOBC conducted a survey of all of its members to see what we were doing right and what we needed to improve. One of the most popular suggestions was to provide more opportunities for chamber music and small ensembles.

Thus some new ensembles were born—Honors Strings, Saxophone Ensemble, and Woodwind and Brass Quintets among them. This year, again by popular demand, another woodwind quintet has been added, and our most advanced wind players were given a new designation—Fanfare Woodwind Quintet—and a professional coach. Made up of five wind players from YOBC’s Fanfare Winds ensemble, these musicians meet weekly to rehearse together. On alternate weeks they receive professional coaching.

Fanfare Woodwind Quintet’s new coach is Erica Cherry. Ms. Cherry is skilled as a performer, teacher, and teaching artist. She studied at the University of Cincinnati Col-

lege-Conservatory of Music where she recently graduated with a Masters of Music. Before that she studied at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was a twotime recipient of the Silberman Clarinet Award given for musical excellence.

The Fanfare Woodwind Quintet will perform on December 20 at Pennswood Village in Newtown and at the Fanfare Winds concert on February 19 at Cairn University in Langhorne. Most of YOBC’s chamber ensembles will be active during the holiday hiatus and most of these events are free. Check out

Erica Cherry

the Chamber Concert schedule on our website for dates and details about these appearances.

Clockwise: Laura Krause, flute; Emily Day, basooon; Tasha Schapiro, French horn; Justin Shaw, clarinet; Neel Shah, oboe.

Report: Double Reed Camp in NYC In early August, I participated in a teen camp at the International Double Reed Society convention in New York City. At the camp, there were 14 bassoonists and 28 oboists from across the United States, which is the most double reed players I have ever seen in one place.

I learned about many things I didn’t know existed. I saw a jazz bassoonist. A jazz bassoonist! I didn’t know that was a thing until this camp. Our camp director was so intrigued by the idea of a jazz bassoonist that we played The Pink Panther as our last piece in the final performance. In this piece we had one section where an English horn player, two oboists, a bassoonist, and a contra bassoonist all played improvised solos. Our final concert also focused on chamber ensembles. It included a quartet of two English horns and two oboes playing Oboi, Oboi, which makes fun of classical music, and a trio of oboes playing Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter. I was part of a bassoon quartet that played Prelude, Fugue, and Scherzo by Gordon Jacobs, which was well received by the audience. As a combined group we played Military March Number One and Hungarian Dance Number Five in addition to The Pink Panther.

This camp also taught me how to make reeds, which is an important part of any double reed

player’s life. Though many attempts failed, some of my reeds cracking right in half, I came out of the camp with one playable reed.

As part of the process, you get to pick what color string to wrap the end of the reed with, and one of my

friends, Max, made his pink with sparkles. It was obviously the manliest reed of the bunch.

During the camp, I also got to spend some time at the actual convention on the NYU campus. The convention covered four floors and had every type of a bassoon and oboe imaginable. I tried an albino bassoon that has unstained maple wood, or in other words: it’s white. One of the company’s exhibitors even took a picture of me trying it and posted it on their Facebook page.

I also met many people from all over the world, who came to this convention. I met a nice oboist from France and a man from Germany who was looking for a new contra bassoon.

Every night we went to a concert that featured oboe and bassoon soloists. The first night was a three-hour long concert consisting of three oboe concertos and three bassoon concertos. Needless to say, after the first hour and half and only two concertos, the man in the row behind me fell asleep and started to snore. Unfortunately his snoring wasn’t even in time. The last concert was a complete contrast. There was everything from one of the drummers using his sticks on the strings of the bass to electric bassoons. It was, in my opinion, the most amusing and musical concert of the week.

Overall, this camp was an amazing experience that I would recommend to any double reed player. I would also suggest the concerts to any musician, simply because they show the complexities and the abilities of the instruments and the musicians. However, you are going to have to wait until the festival comes back to America, because next year it’s in Tokyo.

—Emily Day, bassoon YOBC Symphony Orchestra, Fanfare Winds, and Fanfare Wind Quintet

Conductors’ Notes: Stay Musical During the Hiatus Following the fall concerts, YOBC students will have a hiatus from regular rehearsals. Rehearsals begin again on January 11. But our conductors have some suggestions for how to stay in top musical form during the break. Here are a few ideas for you to consider.  In front of a crackling fire, sipping a cup of your favorite hot chocolate … enjoy listening to Dvorak’s New World Symphony Page 2

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and the first movement of Lalo’s Cello Concerto (the repertoire for YOBC Symphony's spring semester).

Check out a master class on New World Symphony’s amazing new site, http:// musaic.nws.edu/.

Go down to Wanamakers in Center City to listen to a noon organ concert and perhaps do some shopping. Treat yourself

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to lunch afterwards at the Reading Terminal or Chinatown.

Drop your instrument off at the repair shop for a fine tuning.

Grab an instrumental friend and go to a nursing home or visit a shut-in and play holiday music.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Keeping Tempo

Executive Director’s Corner: Envisioning the Future Last week my life looked like a geography lesson! My “to do” list was as long as the Nile. A Mount Everest of paperwork lay piled on my desk. My house looked like Hurricane Sandy had just blown through. Got to get a game plan. I drew up a list of everything I needed to do and planned out exactly when I was going to do it. It was a crazy busy schedule, but if I could just stay on target, I could get everything done. Get to work. Stick with the plan. Stay on target. I was in the heads-down, no-time-for-smalltalk working groove. Then, just like that…everything changed. I heard a knock on the door.

Opened the door. Three redcheeked little children stood smiling up at me with treats held tightly in their chubby hands. “Surprise, Grammy!”

Sometimes life reminds us to step back and look at the big picture. The important things. The reasons why we do what we do, all day long, every day. In a world where the pace of life rushes forward like the waters of Niagara Falls, these light bulb moments remind us of what is truly important.

Organizations need a bigpicture perspective too. YOBC requires a lot work and support at the board level. Five years ago YOBC board members took a step back from the front lines of organizational business to consider our goals and what was most important to us. Through that process we developed a fiveyear strategic plan which is posted on the YOBC website.

Most of the document is a game plan which outlines organizational goals and a timeline for achieving them. But the really important part of our strategic plan, the part that gives meaning and purpose to everything else, is contained in two short sections near the beginning of Volume 6, Number 2, November 2014

the document: the Mission and Vision Statements.

Each time I read these statements I am inspired all over again.

They remind me why I love YOBC. What is our purpose?

YOBC creates opportunities for young musicians to achieve artistic excellence through enriching classical music experiences. It sounds a little stiff, but here’s the deal. Kids come to us full of hopes and dreams, and with a love and

Organizations need a bigpicture perspective too.

YOBC requires a lot work and support at the board level. talent for music. We understand those dreams and our role in helping each student to reach them.

What do we hope to become?

Our Vision Statement gives real insight into the philosophy that drives our programs and the culture we promote. YOBC envisions creating programs that help students grow beyond the bounds of what they believe is possible.

YOBC envisions sustaining a positive, nurturing environment that supports students in their musical growth and sustains their love of music. YOBC seeks to impact students beyond their musical growth to enhance personal development and leadership skills. We envision making these opportunities available to all students, re-

gardless of their financial resources.

This is a student-centered vision, focused squarely on helping kids. Everything we do is rooted in this vision. It is a vision that continues to inspire me every day. Each time I look into the face of a student, I am reminded of the potential that YOBC has to encourage, nurture, and guide a young person to the next step in his or her life.

This year, the YOBC Board of Directors will again take a step back from everyday tasks and begin work on our next strategic plan. We welcome your ideas and invite you to dream with us as we create a vision that will impact the lives of the next generation of YOBC musicians.

—Colleen Sweetsir

YOBC Executive Director

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tudent

potlight: James Kong

James Kong is a violist in YOBC’s Ripieno ensemble and has been a member of YOBC for two years. He began his musical career with the piano starting in first grade. Currently an eighth grader at Lenape Middle School, James began playing viola in fourth grade when he was nine years old. He was first introduced to the viola when the fourth graders were presented a variety of instruments. “I didn't want to play a common instrument like the violin, or have to lug around a giant cello,” James says. “However, I did want to play an instrument with a deep voice, like the cello, and so the viola was the perfect match.”

James first heard about YOBC while playing in a select ensemble

at a concert. “I knew that I wanted to play in an orchestra outside of school, and YOBC seemed to be the perfect fit for what I wanted.”

Besides YOBC, James plays first chair viola in his school’s eighth-grade orchestra and in the select string ensemble.

When he’s not playing music, James says, “My favorite subjects in school are math and science.

Outside of school, I play tennis and basketball. I also like to watch movies and play video games in my free time over the weekend. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends.”

James Kong

James expects to continue playing with YOBC, and he plans to audition for the BCMEA county orchestra. In the future, James hopes to become an engineer.

Practice-A-Thon Yields Astonishing Results What was all that music you heard last month? It was the sound of YOBC musicians practicing … to support YOBC! The Practice-AThon took place from October 5–19, and during that 15-day period, our participating students practiced for almost 40,000 minutes. The Practice-A-Thon was held to support YOBC educational programs — specifically this year’s master classes with Curtis Strings, a Curtis woodwind quintet, Dr. Quincy Hilliard, and a special visit from the Flutronix flute duo. Every YOBC student will take part in one or more of these master classes.

The Practice-A-Thon pitted ensembles against each other as the one with the most average practice minutes will win a pizza party. The top prizes of $100 each will be given to the student who raised the most money and the student who practiced the most minutes. Stay tuned, because the prize winners will be announced at the YOBC fall concerts.

Overall, $8,000 was raised for YOBC. About 80 students took part Page 4

and 200 individual sponsors supported their efforts. The benefits to YOBC were not purely financial, though. Colleen Sweetsir reported on the progress of Jonathan Bywater, a member of Wind Symphony and also her private student.

As he was warming up for his weekly lesson, Mrs. Sweetsir was impressed with how great he sounded.

He sounded markedly stronger than he did the previous week. She told him that he sounded like he had really been practicing, and he replied that he used to practice a half hour every day, but now he practices an hour every day. “It's the Practice-A-Thon. Now it's just part of my regular practice routine.

It's working really well! I'm really enjoying it!”

YOBC is very grateful to all the enthusiastic musicians, parents, friends, family, and teachers who made our event a huge success.

Come hear the results of all their hard work at the fall concerts.

Jonathan Bywater practicing the horn.

Keeping Tempo

Two YOBC Students Selected for NAfME Nationals This year the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) AllNational honor ensembles gathered in Nashville, Tennessee from October 26–29. And YOBC was again well represented with John Wagner and Maya Hayden in the Symphony Orchestra. Before being selected as one of the nation’s 670 most elite high school musicians they were first named the “best of the best” out of approximately 2.5 million students nationwide at local, district, and state music festivals.

John and Maya joined exceptional young musicians to showcase their expert musicianship and to perform a gala concert celebrating music education and the arts. The

performance took place on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry House stage. Selected students rehearsed and performed a challenging repertoire under the baton of four prominent conductors.

The NAfME Symphony was conducted by Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival and Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony. Mr. Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including Emmy Awards, GRAMMY nominations, ASCAP Awards, and the Ditson Conductor’s Award.

John reports that he had a wonderful experience in Nashville:

“Working with Gerard Schwarz was great, because he was able to raise our level of playing while still having fun. The musical selections were great, and I enjoyed working as a team with such talented musicians to make beautiful music.”

Benefit Artist Announcement YOBC is pleased to announce that Griffin House will headline our annual auction and live show benefit at New Hope Winery on March 7.

The Nashville-based singersongwriter has released several albums since his debut in 2003. In August 2004, MTV/VH1 music journalist Bill Flanagan named House to his shortlist of the best emerging songwriters in the United States.

House has toured extensively, opening for artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Patti Scialfa, Josh Ritter, John Mellencamp, Mat Kearney, and The Cranberries.

Since 2007 House has been headlining his own shows. Over the past decade he has released eight albums, the most recent being Balls (2013).

Don’t miss the opportunity to hear this exciting new artist.

YOBC’s Auction and Live Show benefit takes place Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the New Hope Winery. Tickets are on sale at www.yobc.org and also in the lobby during rehearsals. Contact Dori Clough for more information or to find out how you can help: doriclough@gmail.com.

Volume 6, Number 2, November 2014

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252 Hollow Branch Lane Yardley, PA 19067 Email: info.yobc@gmail.com

yobc.org

The YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsyl vania (YOBC) was founded in 1991 with the sponsorship and support of Bucks County Community College . Its mission is to create opportunitie s for young musicians to achieve artistic excellence through enriching classical musical experiences. In 23 seasons the organization has grown fro m a single, 60-member ensemble to 14 ensembles with over 240 young music ians.

YOBC Alumnus Max Swan Competing in PHL Live Finals Max Swan played alto saxophone as a member of YOBC’s Wind Ensemble from 2005–07. He went on to graduate from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has been active in the city as a jazz saxophonist. He plays with LP Stiles, a genre-bending group of musicians who have come together to create what its members hope is, and will continue to be, an original sound.

Recently, as a soloist, Max was nominated for the PHL Live Center Stage festival and competed in a final round in Center City Philadelphia.

PHL Live is an initiative of Philadelphia councilman-at-large David Oh to shine a light not only on established local acts but also on breakout stars who otherwise would not have the resources to showcase their talents. Councilman Oh recently introduced a bill to promote Philadelphia as a live entertainment city. Oh said that while he is

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Max Swan

not a music expert, he values “the importance of music and art and what it does to help develop people.”

The PHL Live festival was

open to musicians from a number of genres (classical, country/folk, hip-hop/rap, jazz, world, pop/ dance, R&B, rock, gospel, and DJ).

A panel of judges picked the top five in each category and advanced them into the competition. Max competed as one of the five in the jazz category.

The best of each category will be announced at the final show at the Trocadero, Friday, December 5 in Philadelphia. The show will include performances from several of the champion musicians and bands. The winner will receive recording studio time, a $1,000 cash prize, a demo album, and a performance opportunity at the Dell Music Center which seats 6,000 people.

You can listen to some of Max’s music, including “Free” — the winning submission that allowed him to be part of the PHL Live festival — on YouTube and on Soundcloud.

Keeping Tempo