Musical Juries

My last blog post I will be discussing the most stressful things you have to endure as a music major. At the end of each semester we have what is called juries. These juries test you on your knowledge of the proper singing technique and sight reading music. Staff members will listen to you sing and judge you based on if you meet the criteria for a well prepared performance. These are the most stressful for music majors because they at a certain level determine if you can stay in the school of music. I feel that the music students who don't stress about them will do better. The worse thing to do in a performance is panic. Juries may be annoying but they will help you perform like a champ in the long run.

Choral Christmas Concert

This is a great way to enjoy holiday music and listen to many different kinds of music. This is a promotion for my choir. If you can attend I promise you won't be disappointed.



Celebrate this year's joyous holiday season with the members of the Western Michigan University's Choirs. Come to experience music from one of the best choral programs in the state of Michigan. 

Choral Christmas includes performances by WMU's Collegiate Singers, Cantus Femina, University Chorale, and Gold Company. There will be concerts at 4:00 and at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased for $15, $12 for seniors, and $5 for students.

Who is John Williams

Some people today find classical music to be boring and not enjoyable to listen to but, little do they know that is the root of all music that we have today. Some of the most famous composers during the classical are Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. Beethoven's most famous piece is "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" composed in either 1801 or 1802. Even if people don't know Beethoven as a composer they know him by the first movement of this symphony. It is featured in many television commercials and movies. This famous song gave inspiration to the future composers today such as John Williams. The composer of the "Star Wars" trilogy.

John Williams was born on February 8th, 1932 in New York City. His father was a musician and they put him in piano lessons at a young age. He moved to Los Angeles California with his family in 1948. He went to the University of California in Los Angeles in 1953 before he went on to Julliard's School of Music. He studied with Rosina Lhevinne. John dreamed of being a professional concert pianist, John Williams stated in a 2012 interview with NPR at Julliard he heard "players like John Browning and Van Cliburn around the place, who were also students of Rosina's, and I thought to myself, "If that's the competition, I think I better be a composer!" Some of John's other most known film scores are Jaws, Fiddler on the Roof, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, E.T The extra terrestrial and the first three Harry Potter Movies.

The Book of Mormon

Two weeks ago my roommate and I went to see "The book of Mormon" at Miller Auditorium. It was a very funny show. I can not believe that the creators of south park could come up with such an amazing show. The Book of Mormon is not your typical musical. It is not a love story and it does not follow the religious aspect like the title may imply. The show is very explicit so if you are not into that kind of thing I would not go. The music is very catchy but can also be very inappropriate. If you are interested I highly recommend this show. Some of my favorite songs are Hello, Turn it off, All American profit and so many more. This musical is a winner of nine tony awards in 2011.

Musical Theater

I am very involved in musical theater. I think you can gain a lot from being a part of a show or even just listening to this type of music. Most musicals you can relate to your own life and even learn some life lessons. I love being a part of musicals because I love the family that you form as a cast. By being around these people for at least three months you form great friendships and learn many new vocal skills. I have been in many productions such as Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory, Zombie Prom, Cinderella, High School Musical and The Addam's Family. I recommend that you try at least one show or see one. You may actually enjoy it.

Barbershop Quartets

This week I am taking a different approach on my blog and decided to tell you all about a style of music that is near and dear to my heart. One of my many favorite styles of music is singing in a barbershop quartet. Barbershop is a style of singing in a group of four people usually of the same sex. The difference between barbershop and choir is that choir you focus on blending with other singers. Barbershop you need to be more forward with your sound but blend in volume. You have to hear all parts when singing in this type of quartet. Barbershop has been one of my favorites every since I started to go to The Mountain Town Singers Harmony Camp. This camp specifically focuses on singing barbershop and you rehearse music for at least three days. On the last day you perform for your parents and members of the Mt. Pleasant Mountain Town Singers. Through this experience I have gained many friends and have strengthened my vocal technique. Here are two videos of some quartets the female quartet is "Shades of Jade." The guys quartet is "The Newfangled Four." Quartets all over the nation Sing at the Barbershop Harmony Society national competition every year. If you are interested in joining the Mountain Town Singers Harmony Camp in summers to come they allow campers as old as twenty five. The information is on their website.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MountainTown-Harmony-Explosion-196056300433210/
Website: http://www.mountaintownsingers.org/

Mozart makes people smarter?

People and students everyday listen to music to get work done but is there music people should listen to so that they can increase their performance? Studies show that if a person listens to Mozart 20-30 minutes before a test or exam they will be more focused and do better on tests. When people listen to Mozart it stimulates a large amount of brain activity which helps them focus and remember what they studied. This is called “The Mozart Effect.” “The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind and Unlock the Creative Spirit.” (Anderson Thomas.) Mozart is not the only musician that people should listen to for good study habits. Even Bach or any type of classic music will have a very close result to Mozart. Folks can still study in silence, but to enhance their performance, try listening to the classics.