Spring 2005
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30 MAY 2005:
GLENN NIELSEN UNACCOUNTABLY MISSING FROM MEMORIAL DAY PARADE
Have you seen
this man?
Parades have for many years been one of Mr. Nielsenn's native habitats. Rumors of sightings abounded on Monday, but all claims seem to have been exaggerated. We must consider the possibility that he has shifted his range and was present as an onlooker. Meanwhile there was someone marching with Indian Mound Middle School Band, as shown in the image at right. However, detailed inspection of the image, by methods ranging from extreme digital zoom to random questioning of shoppers at Pick 'n Save, seems to indicate that this person is not Mr. Nielsen. So far this imposter has not been positively identified. Members of our music groups were dispersed among entrants in the parade, with instructions to record any confirmed sightings of Mr. Nielsen, and to tag him if he seemed safe to approach. Brad Anderson, Becca Funk, Nora Hickey, Autumn Leonard, Isis Leonard, Danielle Meissen, Tonya Neumann, Becky Schultz, Zach Staszewski and Melissa Wilkosz were all on duty, but no reliable observations were made.
27 MAY 2005:
"PEP" TOO TAME A WORD TO DESCRIBE BAND CONCERT
There is a special sound that can be achieved only by putting an explosive mixture in an enclosed space and igniting it. On Friday night two dozen enthusiastic percussionists and a couple of hundred horn players were tamped tightly into one end of the MHS gymnasium with plenty of good sheet music and a primer of choice vocal acts from last week's Cabaret. The MHS band directors were playing with fire, and the effect on the standing-room-only audience was overwhelming.
Brad Anderson, Nora Hickey, Autumn Leonard, Danielle Meissen, Tonya Neumann, Becky Schultz, and Zach Staszewski performed in the mass band and in many of the featured ensembles; Amanda DeBoer was on hand to reprise her Foolish Games solo from the Cabaret. Other acts coming from the vocal to the instrumental show were Torina's Sandra Dee (a bit spicier than she was in the auditorium); Autumn, his pretty dummy, and friends (including Zach) in Both Reached for the Gun; Godspeed; the startling YMCA, with Brad and Autumn; and Amanda, Tonya, and the other Sparkling Diamond girls (also served with extra sauce). Several excellent percussion ensembles, featuring Brad and Becky of course, gave crisp renditions of Pire and Blue Rondo a la Turk, as well as a spot-on performance of Everybody's Everything and the crowd-pleasing Lids, this year's entry in the list of pieces played on empty plastic paint drums and garbage cans.
The two HS jazz ensembles gave reprises of Buffalo Head, Birdland,and Oye Como Va. The film score for The Incredibles had the quirky sophistication of 1960's-style adventure-flick jazz smartly updated with modern drive and timing; Early Bird played an excellent new arrangement of this material for jazz ensemble, which kept all the flavor. Soloists included Becky, Autumn, and Tonya - it is always a good day when you get to hear a soprano sax played well.
The Senior Band Video has a long tradition of tomfoolery, usually involving some humiliation for the band directors. This year's effort included Autumn as a pirate (we think he was going for Johnny Depp), Tonya as a pirate wench (if I got this wrong, I am sure she will gently correct me) and Danielle as a sort of Charlie's Angels catburglar-ess. Neat Star Wars effects by Steve Eversoll added to the fun. The Tuba Ensemble from S&E, including Autumn, nailed Keystone Chops once again, this time with welcome backup by Dave Heilman on set. Autumn appeared again with some of the droll goofballs who last year brought us Bulbous Bouffant, this time with an equally offbeat skit on the trials of a Tai Kwan Leep novice. The audience was happy.
Of course the massed band numbers were the big noise of the night, from the opening bars of Victors to the last blast of You've Said It All. A reprise of the Phantom of the Opera medley sounded fine, even if the video wasn't on the screen most of the time. Becky and Danielle each had short solos in it, as did some girl with a great scream. (It sounded like the same scream as last time; is it maybe Kelsey?) It's been said too often that the drum line is like thunder, so I won't: it's better than thunder anyway. And during the 'Crowd Participation Medley', people actually did.
The band's gift of new yardline markers for Bill is a thoughtful one, and should warm the cockles of his heart.One last thing: thanks to the students (and to Mr. V., who confiscated cubic yards of contraband) for keeping the show so clean. The balloons were a great idea, and were enough: any show that has balloons, tubas, drums, and good singing doesn't need silly string or dog food too.
Photos, from top to bottom:
Mitch Williams, Brad, Kenny Harmtman, and Autumn in YMCA
Amanda, Tonya and friends in Sparkling Diamond
Danielle (and the top of Tonya's head) during Phantom
Nora, Becky (and part of Tonya's head again) in Phantom
Brad (and no portion of Tonya's head) in Everybody's Everything
Tonya (head and all) wearing a mock yardline marker
27 MAY 2005:
ISIS AND BECKY PERFORM IN NATIONAL PIANO GUILD AUDITIONS
Isis Leonard and Becky Schultz each appeared before Guild examiners today to perform programs of ten memorized pieces. Both pianists have been students of Mrs. Margaret McKay, who retired from instruction this spring. The Piano Guild, an arm of the American College of Musicians, is a national organization for student musicians of all ages and levels. (The image links to the A. C. of M. Web page, which is only sporadically available). Students audition yearly to obtain or maintain Guildmembership. Audition requirements are intended to provide a student with direction for their piano studies, and with a way of measuring their progress. Students select works from a curriculum encompassing much excellent piano literature, and perform their programs for qualified musicians serving as adjudicators at private auditions. Performances are judged for accuracy, continuity, phrasing, pedaling, dynamics, rhythm, tempo, tone, interpretation, style and technique. In addition to some certificates and pins, the performer receives a detailed Analysis Report.
The ten-piece memorized audition program is the highest level of participation offered by the Guild; success entitles the performer to National-level Guildmembership. Such a program usually comes after a student has performed shorter programs, or non-memorized programs, for several years. This is Becky's tenth year performing at the National level, and Isis' fifth. A tenth-year member used to get an award plaque, but they changed the rules just as Becky got there.
Mrs. McKay's last crop of students gave their final recital on the evening of 24 April 2005 at her home. Her studio's recitals often have a theme; this time, each student prepared one or more Classical selections. Becky performed Debussy's Reverie flawlessly, beautifully capturing the dreamy flow Debussy demands, without producing the unfocused smear of tones to which he is sometimes reduced. Isis' rendition of Harry Lincoln's Midnight Fire Alarm broke down the gates and hit the track running; the piece was certainly a crowd-pleaser, if perhaps not quite defensibly "Classical". The performances of more than twenty students made a fine tribute to a well-loved teacher.
22 MAY 2005:
BRAD AND BECKY HONORED AT FINAL WYSO CONCERT
Brad Anderson and Becky Schultz were honored Sunday with the WYSO's Bolz Senior Awards, which celebrate the musicianship and dedication of students aging out of the orchestra. The two MHS seniors were recognized at the Youth orchestra's final regular concert and at an awards reception. Both events were Sunday afternoon. WYSO is Wisconsin's flagship musical organization for students in grades 6 through 12, and consists of three full orchestra, a string orchestra, and several ensembles. To audition successfully into these groups even once, a student musician must be of the very highest caliber. Becky and Brad have each been in WYSO more than once.
Brad has been a percussionist in WYSO for 5 years. He is also a member of the WYSO percussion ensemble, which had its final performance on Saturday the 21st. This is not quite his final WYSO performance: he will joint the orchestra on its grand European tour. According to his note in Sunday's concert program, he will continue his involvement in music after graduation.
Becky has been an oboist in WYSO for 3 years. She plans to study music education in college. Even after observing the lives of Mr. Garvey, Mr. Heilman, and Mr. Nielsenn for many years, she still hopes one day to teach music in a Wisconsin high school.
This was WYSO's "concerto concert", featuring performances by winners of the group's concerto contests. The program closed with an excellent rendition of Copland's Billy the Kid. Becky and Brad both performed in this work (the percussion section was somewhat slighted during the concertos); Nora Hickey also performed, on bassoon, but since she is not a graduating senior this article is not really about her, so she won't be mentioned.
21 MAY 2005:
AMANDA DEBOER WINS MHS CHORAL AWARD
The National School Choral Award is the highest honor the District can bestow upon a High School vocalist. It recognizes dedication, talent, and cumulative achievement.
Amanda DeBoer is the 2005 winner at MHS. She received the award from Anne Nichols at the close of Saturday's Cabaret concert*. When I get a photo of Amanda and Anne, I'll put it here.Recipients of the award are selected by a vote among their peers, and only one award may be given per year per school, except in the rare event of a tie. As with the band awards, the winner of the National Choral Award receives a statuette, pin, and certificate, and her name is engraved on a plaque which is displayed at the High School.
And, in case anyone hasn't noticed - yes, it is now a complete sweep: members of the AITDJB won all the music awards at MHS for 2005, adding to the piles of honors (and heaps of hardware) they have all earned as they passed through the District. I'd compare it to the Triple Crown, but we have four winners, not just three. Way to whup up on those awards, people!
* At which Anne herself received a baseball bat from grateful seniors.
21 MAY 2005:
MHS CABARET PLAYS TO PACKED, SCREAMING HOUSE
Autumn Leonard,
Tonya Neumann, and classmate Mitch Williams served as MCs for Saturday night's long-awaited and wildly successful MHS Cabaret show. All three MCs also performed, as did
Brad Anderson,
Amanda DeBoer,
Becky Schultz,
Zach Staszewski,
and a host of other MHS vocal luminaries. There was even a rare performance appearance by MHS' R.G., Anne Nichols, who demonstrated that she still knows how to hold a violin. Mostly, only acts featuring musicians from the AITDJB and allied groups will be mentioned here.The Blue Notes' rendition of Chili Con Carne runs a little differently every time I hear it, but it's always delightful, and was again Saturday night as Brad, Amanda, Autumn, Tonya, Becky, Zach and their compatriots showed plenty of flair. Becky accompanied herself on the Randy Newman ballad When She Loved Me, showing us again that she can sing perfectly well, thank you, although with the AITDJB she never chooses to. Tonya was one half of the Elephant Love Medley from 'Moulin Rouge', and sounded like she knew (and cared) what she was doing, even though she's probably too young to remember when people actually listened to some of those songs in their entirety. Brad accompanied Godspeed, making it all sound effortless as usual. Zach shone as part of the Up A Fifth vocal group; the barbershop sevenths that can be so annoying if badly done sounded clean and tangy from these five young men.
Autumn got Katie Goll to sit on his knee and keep (mostly) silent during a spirited performance of We Both Reached for the Gun from 'Chicago', aided by Tim Meisel, Zach, Becky, Brad, and Chris DuCharme. Katie was of course charming as the Roxie Hart dummy, nailing all the melodramatic facial expressions and wooden-jointed movements perfectly. Autumn was in fine form, his recent dietary habits notwithstanding, and portrayed the slimy lawyer rather convincingly.A highlight of the show was the superb choreography, and execution of same, in the Phantom of the Opera medley sung by the massed choirs. Kudos to Lindsey Kuehl for inspired dance sequences, and for finding enough boys to dance them - Zach was one of these. Becky was at the piano. In this number we also had the bittersweet pleasure of hearing Katie Goll's lovely singing voice for perhaps the last time. It is well that she was not a dummy all night.
Amanda's solo performance was a treat again this year, as she accompanied herself on piano while singing the plaintive Jewel song Foolish Games. Based on samples caught while scanning Madison radio stations it is my opinion that Amanda's rendition was superior to Jewel's - at once more intelligent and less soaked in bathos - but of course it is possible that I am a biased observer. The surprise smash of the evening, at least to me, was YMCA; I had expected it to be unpolished, to put it no more strongly. But it was actually a good act, and looked like it had had enough preparation but not too much. It was put neatly over the top by the fact that Kenny Hartman, Autumn, Zach Dahl, Ben Bowen, Mitch Williams, and Brad (yes, Brad Anderson) showed not the slightest trace of inhibition as they strutted and cavorted in 'Village People' costumes.
Since each of the MCs was in more than one performing act, they kept up a rotating format which on the whole worked quite well, and seemed to give them time for costume changes, although Mitch apparently had some trouble 'doing up his back'. However, note to Tonya: the boys could have used some help with the raffle. ("Our next item up is, um, a hair thingy I guess".)
'Screaming house' is no euphemism. Every time a woman appeared on stage the auditorium erupted with cheers, whistles, and the distinctive sharp "OW!" reserved for appreciating hot stuff; by the second half of the show, guys were getting the same welcome. Applause was tremendous. The spirit and appreciation shown by students in the audience for all the acts, regardless of quality, was wonderful: anyone who attended Cabaret and still thinks kids today are rotten can go suck eggs.
21 MAY 2005:
WYSO SINFONIETTA PREMIERES ISIS LEONARD'S "LAMENT"
Isis Leonard, a member of WYSO's Sinfonietta, composed the work and arranged it for strings. She submitted it to Sinfonietta's conductor, Mark Leiser (shown at right, gently guiding his apprentices) who, after a few readthroughs, graciously offered to include it in the Spring concert lineup. Lament is a lovely, flowing piece, well suited to the string vocabulary. It was well received by the audience.The concert as a whole was a very mature, informed performance. The opening piece was a deft, comical rendition of the overture to Suppe's Poet and Peasant operetta. A colorful program followed, containing ambitious selections from Bach's third Brandenburg concerto and from a string arrangement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, both of which the group played with admirable aplomb. During the Brandenburg in particular, they often showed an advanced ability to interlock without locking horns. The Idylls of Pegasus, by Richard Meyer, served as the closing number and may have been the afternoon's highlight. Sinfonietta's fine playing drew from this evocative work a glimpse of the broad emotional possibilities that can be found in unaccompanied strings.
Our afternoon in Mills Hall was very rewarding: a tribute to the ingenuity of the conductor in raising his group to such heights, to the dedication of the performers' instructors in giving them such skills, and of course to the talent of the performers themselves.
14 MAY 2005:
SECOND STRING VIOLIN DUO WOWS SUZUKI CROWD
Nora Hickey and Isis Leonard gave a richly nuanced performance of Bach's D-minor Concerto for Two Violins and Piano at the McFarland United Church of Christ this afternoon. Both violinists are students in Gail Shoemaker's Suzuki program.
The two friends had already performed the concerto publicly several times as they prepared for the WSMA Solo and Ensemble contests. In March, a judge at the District contest awarded their performance of the Class A work a starred 1 rating. The achievement earned them the right to advance to the State contest in April, where they were again awarded a 1 rating. Their handling of the piece has improved with each outing, and at the Suzuki concert it was heartfelt and well-phrased, if somewhat troubled by a tempo shift in its final portion. Their accompanist for the piece is Kathy Leonard.
Isis and Nora each also took a solo violin piece to S&E. Both received 1 ratings, Isis in Class B and Nora in class A; Nora advanced to State, where she earned another 1. They performed these pieces again at the UCC concert. Unfortunately, the concert followed Suzuki doctrine by requiring several violinists to perform in unison pieces intended as solo works. This hamstrings the soloists' freedom of interpretation, and in Isis and Nora's case resulted in performances inferior to those they had given at other events.
The Second String Violin Duo has performed in several other venues, including a fundraiser for Romanian orphans, the Stoughton VFW, the Larson Park Gazebo, and the McFarland Family Festival.
Both Isis and Nora have a musical life beyond violins. Each is an avid, not to say rabid, bassoonist; they are members of the United Bassoonists of McFarland. Nora plays bassoon in the top WYSO orchestra. Both musicians took bassoon solos to the District contest and turned in admirable performances. Isis is also a pianist, and earned a 1 rating for her Class B piano solo at District.
Nora plays bassoon in a woodwind quintet which also includes Becky Schultz and Danielle Meissen. This group, too advanced to State and won a 1 rating there, performing Liadov's Eight Russian Folksongs. They showed a strong, sure hand with the melodic lines, and a fine sense of balance not expected in a group that has been together such a short time. The whole rendition was hauntingly beautiful.
12 MAY 2005:
AITDJB MEMBERS SWEEP MHS BAND AWARDS
The John Philip Sousa Band Award and the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award each recognize a senior high school musician of outstanding talent and achievement.
Brad Anderson,
Autumn Leonard,
and
Becky Schultz
are the 2005 winners at MHS. Recipients of the awards are selected by a vote among their peers, and each award may be bestowed upon only one student per year per school, except in the rare event of a tie.
Brad received the Armstrong award, which recognizes musicianship, dedication and excellence in jazz performance. Autumn and Becky jointly received the Sousa award, which recognizes superior musicianship, dependability, loyalty, and cooperation. The picture at right (click it for a larger view) shows, from left to right, Dave Heilman, Becky Schulz, Autumn Leonard, Brad Anderson, and Bill Garvey, all appearing very serious and natural.
2 MAY 2005:
THE WSMA STATE SOLO AND ENSEMBLE CONTEST
was packed to the gills with members of the AITDJB, the Solstice Brass, the Wind in the Reeds, and Second String:
Brad Anderson,
Amanda DeBoer,
Nora Hickey,
Autumn Leonard,
Isis Leonard,
Danielle Meissen,
Tonya Neumann,
Becky Schultz,
and Zach Staszewski
all advanced to Wisconsin's highest student music competition, most in more than one event. These nine students brought home at least 27 medals (maybe even a few more that I missed), nearly all 1s: WSMA's highest regular rating. Click on the WSMA logo to go to the 2005 WSMA State results for MHS.
1 MAY 2005:
THE AITDJB WILL HAVE A NEW LINEUP FOR 2005
Neither Steve Thorson nor Bria Mason will not be able to join us this season, having moved on and entered the real world. They break the longstanding tradition by which the AITDJB only uses up trumpet players. We will sorely miss Bria's dulcet, bell-like tones, and Steve's many colorful contributions to AITDJB culture.So we need some new blood. Tonya Neumann (shown at right, in vibrant native costume) will take over as the principle sax player for the 2005 AITDJB season. Tonya apparently learned tenor sax when she joined us in 2003, rather as the cat learned to swim. (But no, really! She's great! We look forward to having her in the front line!)
Fun fact: It's pretty easy to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile if you can see the animal's teeth: alligators have an overbite; crocs, an underbite.
25 APRIL 2005:
HOT MCFARLAND JAZZ BLISTERS PAINT OFF THE RAFTERS
Click for larger view
All four groups are hot in the technical sense, making extensive use of improvisational solos. Brad Anderson, Becca Funk, Nora Hickey, Autumn Leonard, Tonya Neumann, and Becky Schultz all played rip-snorting solos, as did many other fine McFarland musicians. Nora was up to her old tricks on bassoon, this time reading a trombone part; unfortunately her horn was badly miked and that solo was lost, but her violin break was a welcome addition. Autumn was given a lion's share of breaks, leaving him room to explore a range of trombone possibilities, from a growly 6th- and 7th-position 'bone thang early in the evening to a spot-on lyric turn in Oye Como Va. Brad is of course so perfect that a deaf man could enjoy his music by watching his wrists.
The 7th and 8th grade groups have shown remarkable musical growth this year, and it's already clear that the instruction and practice they receive at IMMS is producing an excellent crop of improvisational soloists who will keep the juice flowing when they hit High School. The 8th grade band put lots of pazazz into El Gato Gordo, and when they read down the rich Filling In For The Count, it was clear that these fine young musicians understood the chart. The Concert/Symphonic Band Jazz Ensemble from MHS tore into a nearly perfect rendition of Sing, Sing, Sing as soon as they hit the stage, and despite a slight tempo drift in Hooking the Flavors, kept up the heat all the way through perennial MHS favorite Birdland at the end of a fine set.
The Early Bird Jazz Ensemble is a band of heroes, and their concert-closing set was the best jazz I have ever heard in the McFarland auditorium*. Tito Puente's Oye Como Va could not have pleased the audience more. The Early Bird rhythm section is so fine that the horns and soloists must feel free to do anything they want, and the trust shows. The packed auditorium erupted in applause and whistles at the end of each piece, and as the dust sifted down from the catwalks after the closing High Impact, the audience sprang to its feet. In an era when the standing ovation is becoming too prevalent and therefore devalued, this one was deserved: the band had earned it by sweat and energy.
*With the possible exception of the AITDJB's Basin Street Blues in 2003, but who can remember how that really sounded?
Translations
17 APRIL 2005:
BRIA MASON SINGS IN AN ELECTRIFYING PERFORMANCE
of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The Beloit Janesville Symphony Chorus and Orchestra joined forces in the Eaton Chapel at Beloit College.
The small Chapel was not designed with acoustic niceties in mind, sporting exposed beams and a gallery that would have trapped and swallowed the sound of a less powerful group. It was certainly never meant to contain a full orchestra and chorus at once: parts of the bass section were on rigged scaffolding, and Kathy and I shared a gallery pew with an alto (no complaints; that was fun). In fact, at least a fifth of the people crammed into the building were the performing musicians, and the audience was everywhere so fully in contact with the performers that there was essentially no 'stage'. The result was an incredible performance, at once so powerful and so intimate as to be emotionally overwhelming. In the chorale segments, the massed voices and instruments so filled the small Chapel that the sound was palpable - everyone present must have felt that they were listening from the conductor's podium. Yet the solo vocal pieces reached the room with such closeness that each of us may just as well have had the singer at home by our own hearth. By turns quirky, bathetic, and what humanities professors like coyly to call 'earthy', the songs moved me to tears and made me laugh out loud, more than once. The framer of the program kindly included a complete translation, for those of us with limited reading speed in church Latin and in Old Middle German. The Englishing was, if not lyric, at least sturdy; armed with it, anyone should have been able to take delight in the work.
The Wheel of Fortune at right links to an English rendering that can be sung to Orff's melodies. Take my advice, boys and girls: do try this at home.
1 APRIL 2005:
OUR NEW MEDIA ARCHIVES
are on line. We have a Web page for text, photos, audio clips, and video, documenting all four groups featured on this site. It is located off the Madison.com server. Check it out here: ARCHIVE
All the material can be downloaded, although some of the higher-quality videos are rather large files. (Here I am speaking of recording quality; no warranty is offered or implied). If you can't get the stuff, and really really need it, please contact Quinn to ask about very reasonable rates on CDs.
This image is from a newspaper photo taken at a community band concert in 2002. Note trumpet John Alden, who had not yet escaped the band.
This from Frank Ransley: A C, an E flat, and a G walk into a bar. The barkeep says: "Sorry, guys; we don't serve minors". (Badda bing). Then the E flat leaves, but the other two stay and have a perfect fifth between them. (Badda boom).