A Tribute to a Good Man

  This past week, a good man fought a battle and lost. A good man was ripped out of my life. A good man is now dancing with loved ones. A good man will never die, he will always live on. My grandpa was truly an amazing man; he touched so many lives and will be missed by all. 

My grandpa was a music teacher in many different places around Iowa. He taught in several small towns, then spent a long time teaching in Washington, Iowa, where he was the vocal director. Around the time that Kennedy High School was due to open, Grandpa, moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa with his wife and three children. He started his journey here at Washington High School, only teaching there for a year, before Kennedy opened. He applied and was accepted at Kennedy as the first vocal director in 1967. He was the man who created the foundation for all of Kennedy’s success in the future. Without my grandpa and grandma, there might not be an original fight song and Alma Mater. Our fight song might be a song borrowed from another school, but instead Mr. Feuerhelm wanted to create a legacy for his sons and daughter and their families to live up to. What big shoes I now have to fill. Who could possibly do anything greater than set up a school for success? Just look at all the trophies overflowing in the music departments; that all started with my grandpa. 

My grandpa didn’t stop with the fight song and Alma Mater. He decided to set up a new tradition ; he created the first show choir west of the Mississippi. Happiness Machine was the original name but that was shot down quickly by the students. This group turned into Happiness Incorporated shortly thereafter. This first show choir was completely different than it is today. It was set up as a way for kids to get involved in music and to just have fun. The first group wasn’t even involved in any competitions, as there weren’t any competitors, and everything they did would be an example for others to follow. Every jazz hand performed would be a basis and every kick and big hit would be a building block that others would improve and copy. Another difference from show choirs today is that there wasn’t a whole team devoted to costumes. In fact, the first dresses ever to be debuted in Happiness Inc. were bought at K-Mart. I have never heard of any other vocal director creating an activity that was made simply to get kids involved in popular music. My grandpa truly wanted to try to give every student the feeling that music gave him. He wanted to share his passion for music and he wanted to pass it on through many different generations. My grandpa gave the keys to the car of music for others to take the wheel to prove what they could do. 

  After his great success at Kennedy, he moved on to Grant Wood Elementary to become the music teacher there. This was the longest part of his journey in teaching music and he would eventually retire there. He wrote a Grant Wood loyalty song, too. Many people that I met over the past week that had him as a teacher all had great things to say about him. The most frequent comment was that he was passionate about music. In the time that I knew and loved my grandfather, I can tell you he was more than just passionate about music; my grandpa loved. That’s just it, the only way to describe him, all he did was love, that’s what made him great. He truly cared for his family and friends and would do anything for us. I can only hope to continue to make him proud.
        I am doing my best to keep my grandpa alive through my music. We had a great connection through music and he loved to hear every note I played, whether it was correct or not. I loved to play for him because he was always grateful. I knew if he was in the audience I would always have at least one fan by the end of the performance. I would get comments like, “How do you do that?”

         “You sound great, I loved hearing you play again.” 

         “You’ll do great, I know it.” 

I truly miss and long to hear those words in my ear again. Without my grandpa, I might not have ever gone into music; he was and always will be a true inspiration to me. No one can do what my grandpa did. He was my leader, he is what I want to copy. To the very end of his life he believed in me and wanted to see me succeed. Everything I do from this point on in music is through him, I love him and he will always be with me for every note I caress into the ears of my audience.

  Not only was he a music man, he was my favorite grandpa. Over the past 16 years I developed a relationship with him that a tank couldn’t pull apart if it tried. I remember when I was about 4 or 5 years old I would go over to his house to spend time with him over the summer. I remember that my parents would drop me off and leave me to hang out with my grandpa for the whole day. Each day, after lunch, around noon it was nap time. He would take me down stairs and sing me to sleep with “Old McDonald”. I loved this even though I didn’t realize it at the time. Every once and a while he would say a cow said ‘oink’. I’m sure he did this to see if I was paying attention or to see if I was really falling asleep, he caught me every time as I would realize the accidental and spring up to tell him the right answer. Gramps did this kind of thing with me all the time, until the very end he had a humor around him that was precious to me and I will miss it greatly. I always remember that he had a cookie jar, and every time I was about to leave he would say, “I wonder if the cookie monster got in here again.” That was my cue to race over to the counter to grab a cookie out of the jar. 

  In the recent years, my grandpa has become even more special to me. Gramps would have me come over and do simple tasks for him, like change his razor blades. When I got these jobs done in 2 minutes he would look at me, shake his head, and say, “How did you do that so quickly? Your old gramps would be at it for at least 30 minutes.” I would just look at him, smile and reply with, “I’m magican.” We would then both laugh and tease each other for another five minutes or so. Another little tradition, if that’s what you would call it, is that he hated milk so every time we sat down to eat I would say, “What do you want to drink? Milk?” He would laugh and make some witty remark followed by, “I’ll give my portion to you, ‘Lij.” He could always make me laugh, whether it was one of our traditional teases or a completely new phrase never heard before, I always laughed when he was around. If you never had the chance to meet him, I am dearly sorry because he was the funniest comedian the world has ever seen. He was also caring and kind to anyone he talked to, even when he was starting to get older and slightly crazy. I loved him to pieces and he loved me back with the same enthusiasm. 

  My grandfather was a great man, all he wanted to do was set people up for success and he would do anything to see them achieve their goals. My grandpa truly loved to teach kids and had a great passion for music. He was eternally grateful for his family and he always showed his love in every way known to man. There are very few left of the great generation, very few that would do anything to make people succeed. My grandpa was one of the greats and no one will be able to fill his shoes, to take music to his level of success, to love unconditionally and whole heartedly, to do anything for anyone no matter the request, to love his family more than words can express. He is now dancing with my grandma in a better place. Dance away you two!

  Thanks Gramps. Thanks for all the love, inspiration, and lessons I’ll never forget you. I love you, always have, always will. 

Moanin'

  I came across a new song to me that is amazing. It is entitled Moanin’, written by Charles Mingus. 

I first discovered Moanin’ because this song is actually one of my assignments for me to learn. I am excited to chow down and learn the awesome bass line that the Bari has. This song starts out with just the Bari playing the main melody and Ronnie Cuber just continually honks away. I am inspired and want to sound just like that, I want to sound like a crazy sax man who loves to play. 

I get to learn this piece/bass line to make me sound better at jazz. It will be a challenge but I am ready. I can’t wait to get the chance to sound like a professional musician playing awesome music.

Take a minute and listen to this piece. 

http://open.spotify.com/track/6n9GGoiLwNlY5Ro7NsdbJP

All-State Audition

  The most stressful part of the year has come and passed with a great sense of accomplishment. I’m talking about All-State Auditions. 

What is All-State? All-State is an honor band that is the toughest and most honorable to get selected for. High school musicians work for three months, August to the end of October, preparing music picked out by a panel of musicians. This music is supposed to be challenging so it eliminates some of the weaker players. There are three different groups that different people try out for depending on their instrument or voice: band, choir, and orchestra. Obviously singers try out for the choir, string instruments are going for orchestra, and wind instruments, band. The best group, my personal favorite, is the band. I love to play in band and wouldn’t dare try out on anything other than saxophone. However, wind players are sometimes accepted into orchestra to create a full orchestra. These players are usually brass and are the best of the best. In other words, even better than the band players. However, no saxophones play in orchestra so band is the top honor.

  This year I tried out on Bari Sax. To make All-State I had to play excerpts from a selection of two different etudes, I had to play scales (which are memorized and chosen randomly), as well as a solo of my choice. This year I was more prepared than any other year. I had my etudes mastered and scales known since 6th grade. The biggest spot that I felt even better prepared for was my solo. This year I played Introduction et Danse by Henri Tomasi. My solo was probably the key to getting into All-State. 
         When it was my turn to play for the judge, I stepped into the room and let my confidence spill all over the room. I took my spot behind the stand and started. As soon as I hit that first note and cadenza that followed I knew the judge was impressed. After I had finished my solo I wondered if there was any need to even touch the other material. But the audition went as planned and I played my scales and etudes wonderfully. Walking out of that room I knew I would have a spot in the All-State band of 2014. 

After my audition, I had to wait an agonizing hour for the piece of paper to be posted that would announce  my fate. I remember walking into the gym and seeing a man walk over to the ladder with a blue sheet of paper. Every step he climbed, I felt like an elephant was starting to sit on my chest. He reached the top, stuck the paper to the wall, and let it roll out. The paper got stuck, so it took an agonizing time to see. I looked up and saw my name printed under the accepted column and felt all the tension leave my body. I made it! My dad came running over to me and hugged me with a pressure only fathers can give. I was filled with joy as my dad started to cry. I had done it! I had done it for my grandpa. As he looks down on me from heaven I know he is proud. He gave me the strength and ability to completely blow the judge away. 

I can finally relax and let the stress of the week pass through me. I made it and can’t wait to experience a whole new adventure! Mr. Wacker told me, “You have more work now…it’s time to prepare for chair auditions next!”

                                  

Dream Saxophone

       Yanagisawa. A weird name but wonderful machines. This is a brand name of saxophones that is my personal favorite. Some people like Selmer Mark VI, which is apparently the highest quality saxophone (I haven’t ever tried one though). The only problem with a mark VI is the outrageous cost. A new tenor online is priced at $19,000! I could buy a nice car for that amount. The great part about a new Yani sax is it only costs about $9,000 for the top line. But there are Yani saxes cheaper than that that play just as well, if not better than any sax. The price of the horn doesn’t always mean that it is better or worse than an expensive piece of metal. 

My favorite sax is without a doubt Yanagisawa as they aren’t as expensive and they have a good sound quality. Besides the quality of the tone, they also look beautiful. There is one Bari in particular that looks amazing and I would love to add it to my collection…if I had unlimited amounts of money. Even though Yani’s are cheaper, 6 grand is a lot to drop on a piece of metal, especially for a high school kid. Just look at this beauty!

                                             

PTX

        A cappella. The genre alone suggests an interesting and wonderful sound to be created. Good groups can hook a listener in with the strange and unique sounds. Bad groups repel listeners like the best bug spray in the world. 

My favorite group, and in my opinion the best the world has seen so far, are the Pentatonix. A group of only five, sound like a whole band. Each individual would be a world class musician on their own, but together, the sound produced is enough to make you fall out of your chair. Each and every song that the Pentatonix sing has a certain tone that you can’t help but start to sing along. The best part of every song is the bass. The bass is one of my personal favorites because he can make sounds lower than I thought any human was able to create. I always hear the bass and can’t help but sing along trying, although failing horribly, to copy the pitch. The group as a whole would sound empty without this driving force. Anyone who hasn’t heard a song by the Pentatonix has missed out on a life altering phenomenon. 

        My favorite song by the Pentatonix  is called The Wizard of Ahhhs. This song is a compilation of different songs, arranged by Todrick Hall, that tell the story of the Wizard of Oz. It personally connected to me because as a child  I was in love with the whole story. I was also in a production at Jefferson High School. Not only is this song a great compilation but it also makes me think of all the times I sat in awe of the musical. 

        The Wizard of Ahhhs starts with a great little melody line that transforms into the traditional Over the Rainbow. It starts and attracts you with a simple yet effective mixture of old and new. The melody of the musical then turns into Wide Awake by Katy Perry. This transition, in my head, gives me the image of Dorothy waking up after the house landed in the land of Oz. It makes me feel as if I had awoken to a strange new land. From there it goes into another melody that puts the image of the small munchkins in my mind. In this melody there is a clear dominance of the bass line which makes it so addicting. From there the music continues to change and illustrate the adventure of Dorothy and her pals she picks up on the way. 

         Another part that sticks out in my mind is when the song goes into Home by Phillip Phillips. I liked the original of this song but when this melody comes up in the song, the feeling of beauty fills my ears with its liquid. There are amazing chord changes in the original that truly give me a sense of home. These chords are multiplied by about 10 as the amazing voice of the five combined makes my insides melt with the pure wonder that is created. To top it all off, the ending chord makes the song complete. It is a chord that I just cannot get out of my mind for the whole day after hearing it. 

To me, the Wizard of Ahhhs is the best song produced by the Pentatonix but they also have a couple other great albums that are just as glorious. Take a couple minutes and listen to the pure gold that is the Pentatonix. 

http://youtu.be/QkVeKb2igrg (Wizard of Ahhhs)

http://youtu.be/OglS3Q0Zxik  (Can’t Hold Us)

http://youtu.be/F80FsZDTgn0  (Love Again)

Jazz Components

Think of a jazz band. What pops into your head first? Is it the sharp tones of the trumpets, the easy sound of the trombone, or the cool chill of the sax section? All of these characteristics make up a jazz band; with one section missing the sound is as empty as the middle of a donut.

Trumpets. They drive on my nerves and are always cocky, but they are an essential component to the whole feel of a jazz band. Trumpets usually make or break the overall effect that the music has on an audience. If the trumpet section isn’t perfect or doesn’t give the band a commanding tone, the whole band sounds bad to me. Last year, the trumpets in the jazz band that I was involved in, were not astounding. The trumpets in my jazz band made us sound like a middle school jazz band and incredibly unprofessional. This group of musicians mostly thought that they were good enough without having to get any better; this is the part of the trumpet mentality that drives me nuts. No one is ever good enough with where they are at right now, especially musicians have to constantly work to get better. In music, no one is perfect, there is always something that can be improved. Whether it is making their tone better or learning to have confidence in playing, there is always some detail that can be better. Since the trumpet section was not willing to work at getting better on their own, the whole band was forced to play middle school level music just so the trumpets could play the music. Even though trumpets usually are annoying, without them the jazz band wouldn’t be a band. 

Trumpets may be the head of the band but trombones are the arms that grip the audience into every piece. Just looking at the shape of the trombone suggests that the tone produced will be interesting. Because of the shape, trombones have one of the most difficult instruments as they are simply playing a large tuning slide. This also gives trombone players an advantage because they can always be in tune by simply moving their hand a couple of millimeters. Maybe this is why I have thought the trombone as the weird but perfect instrument. The trombones give the whole texture of a strange unique sound that can’t quite be described as anything other than a trombone. The Kennedy High School trombones last year were the second best section of the three wind categories. They had strong players that could play every note correct but not necessarily in the correct style. 

Finally, the cherry on top of a sundae, the sax section. The sound of the saxophone gives the whole band a laid back and smooth feel; as if the saxes were creating a hole in the ground with their sweet sound. Of course the best spot to hold in the band is the Bari sax. It is that low voice you hear creeping into the background or the brick on the gas pedal that drives the whole band. I might be slightly biased as I am a Bari sax player myself, but the Bari has much better parts that are without a doubt, more fun than any part in the band. Last year, in Kennedy Jazz One, the saxes were a whole level above every other section but we were dragged down by the trumpets. We never were featured, even though it would have made us sound better as a band, because the trumpets couldn’t figure out how to practice on their own to get better. The saxes were also the most reliable section as the first alto is a professional level musician and she is only in high school. With the first alto and myself, really everybody was able to achieve a glorious sound and be accurate every time. Without the saxes, the Kennedy Jazz Band would not have been as good as we were. The saxes alone create a whole mood and sound that if it were missing the band would sound too much like nails on a chalkboard.

Every wind instrument in a jazz band is equally important and needed because without one section the band would sound terrible. I can’t take all the credit from last year, but the sax section, along with the trombone section, led the band and put us in higher positions even without the trumpets. In a way the trumpets were left behind on an island all isolated and not doing anything to get back home. The trumpets could only look on as the great ship saxo-bone sailed away.  

The Phantom

        When I have a choice of music, I either choose a form of jazz, or I listen to soundtracks. There is something about soundtracks that makes me feel powerful, like I am a god in another world. Currently, my favorite soundtrack is Phantom of the Opera. It has a melody that is simple and yet complex at the same time; this is what intrigues me about it. 

The main melody is a simple run that is just going down by half steps. This seems like a simple melody, it seems like it would get old quickly, but it doesn’t. The simple melody is often played by an organ. When the melody is first played, a creepy feeling overcomes you, like someone breathing on your neck and turning around to find no one there. You feel goosebumps appear on your arms as the feeling of power and darkness surges over you through a simple descending line of five notes. To make the five note melody more interesting, a rock type beat is added to give it a sense of motion. The best part about the music in The Phantom of the Opera, is the fact that a 1800s opera sound is able to mix more modern beats.  

I personally love the french horn in any orchestral piece and the Phantom of the Opera is no exception. The strange range and tone of horns give me a chill that runs down my spine. The better a horn line is, the more interesting and attractive the piece is to me. I can’t quite describe the feeling or reason why horn lines are so interesting to me. Horns give me a sense of power, like I am a king and everything else is insignificant. 

Overall, The Phantom of the Opera is a great mix of old and new style as well as a perfect combination and balance of the horns. Another reason why The Phantom of the Opera is appealing to me is because the story is so different and the music throughout the whole musical is always interesting. The whole premise of the musical is about the goings on in an opera house, but it is performed on stage. There is no other musical that I know of that is a musical within a musical. Not only is the music appealing to me but the plot strikes me as unique. 

If you have a chance, listen and be blown away by the sheer greatness of this beautiful masterpiece http://youtu.be/1lBUlCADoNU. When you realize that this is only a taste of what is to come, go and rent the movie and discover the music that is the phantom. 

The Definition of Music

        What is music? To some people, music is vibrations of different instruments put together in a line, others say music is what fills their soul. I say that music is whatever the listener interprets it as. 

Music is a very wide term. It connects every corner of the world; it brings together families, friends, and even complete strangers. Music is basically a device that is universal; it spreads feeling and thoughts to people unknown to us. A major chord is the same in America as it is in Asia, a minor chord is the same in Europe as it is in Africa. Anywhere a person goes, they know that music will be there for them. Music is like a friend, it is there for you for the better or worse. To me, music has always been able to help me through tough times. When I am in a bad mood I can turn on a song and go back in time to cheer me up. Music also gives me strength to keep going. Without music, without a friend, I wouldn’t be able to last. 

Every person is able to create music for music is a slice of your brain being translated into pitches. Musicians are the best writers in the world; they aren’t afraid of projecting their thoughts. Any musician, no matter the skill, can take a series of notes and they can draw a picture so indescribable even Picasso would stand in awe at the overwhelming image that was created through the sound of music. I personally experience this every time I pick up my shiny gold instrument and pour my heart and soul through it.  Musicians have one of the toughest jobs in the world, they constantly get criticized for the thought running through their heads. All that music is, is thoughts, words spelled out in pitches, thoughts drawn in dots. You would never have to wonder what musicians think because you hear it every time a note strikes your ear drums. Every piece of music is a perfect representation of a composers thoughts. In that sense, there is no such thing as a mistake. Every note has been thought of, revised, and rewritten over and over again every millisecond in the mind of a musician. Being a jazz musician, I can’t think about what I am playing, I have to feel it. Good musicians don’t think when they play, they feel. 

Music is the best invention mankind has ever made and will ever make; it is thoughts heard through pitches. Music is not a bunch of random notes, it is a clear thought process that is different based on the mind that creates those notes. The best part of music is it is the same language and yet so different based on the mind. Music is your thoughts. For all I know, my favorite song is just a jumble of vibrations to another mind. Music can’t be described in words, music is music. 

Music Plots

Think about your favorite movie. Now describe what makes it your favorite. The one thing you probably didn’t mention was the music. Behind every movie, no matter the genre, there is some type of music that builds onto the excitement of the whole adventure. Without soundtracks, movies would have no beginning, middle, or end. I listen closely to the music in a movie to find the effectiveness of the story. 

In my opinion, without amazing music assisting the plot of the story, a movie isn’t as exciting. The effectiveness of a soundtrack starts with the composer. A composer has the toughest job and usually gets the least credit. Composers have to know what kind of music is appropriate and where and how to build to the climax of the story. One of my favorite composers is Michael Giacchino, he can effectively build up a story with some great melodies. Giacchino is probably one of my favorites because he is willing to stretch the limits of each instrument. For example, he has string players play on the other side of the bridge to get the high pitched sound that builds excitement in action movies. He also has had a harp player play the lowest note, which can’t be heard as well and is hardly used. When you hear this note however, it gives the piece a whole new interpretation. This note gives the whole sound track an ominous sound, like thunder heard in the distance. Another factor that Giacchino changes is the percussion. In the soundtrack Lost, Giacchino used actual parts of an airplane to put in a certain sound that can’t be found with any other instrument. Giacchino always tries to give his music authenticity both within the time period and with the actual sounds of authentic instruments. Without pressing these limitations, Giacchino would not separate himself from the crowd of composers, he would have been one in the same. 

Another effect that clearly separates Giacchino from other composers is his use of a live orchestra. To me, live orchestras give the overall sound a fuller more rich sound. Today people can synthesize every instrument on a computer, the sound that is produced however, is nothing like the tone of a professional player. Synthesized music lacks a certain quality of human investment in a piece. For example, in the Incredibles, Giacchino recorded a live orchestra using cassette tapes. By recording it on cassette tapes, the whole tone was given a 1950s sound. The slight difference in the recording on cassette tapes gave the music a sound which fit perfectly with the superhero movie. If a computer synthesized soundtrack was made, this authenticity would not be as prominent and it would have been less effective. Without these slight differences in a soundtrack, the music seems too unreal and it puts a damper on the effectiveness of the movie itself. 

While people sit and watch movies waiting for the climax, I wait to see how a composer will build up to that climax. Generally, the better a composer pushes the plot along, the more interested I become in the movie.