Latest Obsession: Mozart’s 40th Symphony and Sonata Form

In the last week or so, I’ve been drawn to Mozart’s 40th. I have a student playing a piano reduction of the First Movement’s main theme, I’ve been feeling it’s quiet and raging emotions even without listening to it, and I’ve been teaching Sonata Form (the form of at least the First Movement) to other students who have pieces in that form and style.

So, before you get bored with my music theory nerdiness, go to Google, YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, or whatever to find a recording of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 and listen to it. Just the first movement is fine if you’re short on time, but the whole thing is worth your while. It is nicknamed Mozart’s “Great” Symphony, for that reason. The modulations (changes of keys) and orchestration (which instruments play what where) are particularly inspiring to me right now in the compositional realm.

Then after you listen to it, you can look at the picture below and be slightly less bewildered…maybe. This is what I’m using to show my students what Sonata Form is and also how to roughly diagram a piece of music.

And I love my new neon dry erase markers and my old mirror a little too much. I’ll try to check in again soon.

I am Master, and I shall call you Padawan.

In August, I graduated with a Master of Fine Arts!  Consequently, I “feel” like a Jedi Master of Music or something, especially because I currently have students.

I feel like I have a thousand more ideas now too, but first I have to” work.”  I have a freebie children’s piece that I’m doing for a friend, and I have some transcribing and editing work that is paid!  I’m trying to write an orchestral piece (originally, I wanted a symphony) for a contest next month.  I’m also busy with my students, my “little padawans” as I now sometimes refer to them, with festivals, holidays, and recitals coming up.

This time around graduating, I’m thankful that I haven’t gotten much post-graduation depression, as I have in the past.  I’ve still had many ups and downs, but thanks to my many friends (mostly musical) and family, I have a lot more hope for my future of making it in the world.  I feel more prepared, but I have also learned that I’ll never feel perfectly prepared for anything worth that is trying.  So, I have to just remember my support system and take leaps of faith.  Not too hard, right?

Busy, busy, busy, but not much getting done…

Wow, it has been a while.  Sorry.  I’ve been getting busy again…new students, two student recitals coming up, more homework, past homework catching up with me, habitually taking on more than I can handle, etc…

But I finally have it posted on YouTube! (The contest’s short film that I wrote music for.)

Hope you enjoy.

Also, I’ve been seriously considering (finally) getting my own domain name.  Unfortunately, I just ordered 500 more business cards with WordPress in the domain name.  I guess that will have to wait a bit.

Self Promotion

Yes, like the title says, I’m advertising myself right now.

If you haven’t “liked” me on Facebook or “friended” me on MySpace (www.myspace.com/annachapman), please do so.  You can also follow me on Twitter@ACMusic101, YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/AnnaBoomMC), and LinkedIn.  I’m also on Music2Deal.com, MusicDealers.com, and AudioCatch.com, but only recently with these.

I have a piece of my short film score (the credits music) from the recent competition that I entered posted on my MySpace page, and the filmmaker has given permission for the entries to use his film with each original score for self promotion.  I will have it up on YouTube soon with my score, even though I was not chosen as one of the finalists.  (But one of my fellow classmates is a finalist in the competition!)

On another note (haha-I haven’t yet gotten tired of using that pun), one of the non-musical things that I do is photography, where I consider myself an amateur: http://www.annachapmanphotos.printroom.com/

That’s it for now.  Happy browsing. 🙂

Oh, Jazz…

Well, I did end up writing two pieces for the jazz ensemble at my Vermont residency in February, but there was not enough time allotted for me to get to hear them both.  One was an arrangement of the percussion piece that I mentioned in the previous post, and the other was a tango, which was the one I chose to hear, have performed, and have recorded.  I am still trying to put the sound files together for the mix that I want for this tango, and also for the percussion piece.  So, hopefully, I will have them available for listening this week sometime.

Between homework for my new (and final!) semester and the craziness that comes with spring for my music students, I’m kind of overwhelmed right now; hence the short blog.  But I’m going to try again, God willing, to stay more steady with my blog (and updating my online presence as a whole), even if that means this is all you get each time.  Thanks for still supporting me in my musical and life goals!

Under Construction

“Hello, World!”  I’m in the process of constructing this blog, which will mainly serve as my website with an added feature blog about my musical exploits, adventures, and thoughts.  I plan to blog my thoughts about teaching music, performing music, and composing music.  I would love to read your responses and thoughts on the same as well, so feel free to comment.

Along with this webpage, my life at the moment is also “under construction.”  I am recruiting more music students for additional income, sharpening my performance skills with a band, and have started a Masters program in music composition with lots and lots of homework.

So, my thought for the day?  Homework.