Jazz Season

            The 2015 jazz band season is officially open! It’s the time of year where there are two or three jazz charts running through the musicians head. It is also the time when mistakes are no longer an option; where the music has to be felt instead of played; where jazz musicians go to be critiqued and ultimately die; where the weak fall and the strong rise up to shatter the knees of the lesser; where you find out, you may not be as good as you think. For Kennedy Jazz One, this is the time of year where we scramble to know the music well enough to not get last. Already we have started the season fast having competed at 2 competitions.
            The first competition was the Triton Jazz Fest at Iowa Central. At this competition there were only 2, 4A jazz bands battling for spots; both of which came from the wonderful school, Kennedy. Yes, at this competition we were the only school from 4A, competing against Jazz Two. In a way, not really a competition, more of a preliminary morale boost. It was a definite win and Jazz One did pull out the victory from Jazz Two. This is the very first, first place that I have received for jazz band in the three years I have been involved. I am proud of our victory but also know it was kind of pointless. After this competition, we don’t know where we line up with the other good 4A schools (for example: Washington, Prairie, Linn-Mar). We got a score and comments, sure, but that doesn’t show us what we have to compete against. It shows us that we are better than Jazz Two, (which, hopefully). In a way, although this was useful with the judges comments, it really doesn’t count. It was definitely a given, nothing we had to work that hard for.            Also at this competition, I received an outstanding soloist award, which, quite frankly, shocked me. I know I am not nearly good enough to have received this award at any other competition. This was just another pick me up that worked for a very short amount of time.            Just tonight we got done competing at the State Jazz Music Festival held at Jefferson High School. This was our first real competition where we got scored and given a rating. Now, because we just got done competing, I don’t know how we did. But based on the advice and critique the clinician gave us, it couldn’t have been good. Basically, he said that our band lacked energy and a sense of a good jazz feel. Not good. We definitely need work on out style and playing it with more passion. Sure, we are good at the technical stuff involved in jazz, but the non-technical stuff is way more important in jazz. For example: accents, phrases, staccatos, beats, etc. Most of these things are written on the page but jazz isn’t always about what’s on the page, it’s about how those dots and squiggles are interpreted by another person. We have a lot of tedious work ahead of us.            To end this not so great night, this clinician talked to me for what felt like 5 minutes about how my solo was crap. I went from the top all the way down to the bottom in a week. Apparently I am just terrible at everything. I try so hard but I just can’t seem to win, (except when there isn’t any competition). Overall, this past night was not a great night as my heart has been broken several times. 




 

Is Music Ever Going to Run Out?

            This week a question crossed my mind; will we ever run out of music? Music is my life. Every day I wake up with a song running through my head. Everywhere I turn I run into music, and I love it. Some people might call me a nerd for liking music and being obsessed over it and it is 100% true. I am ok with being a music nerd, it is what ultimately gets me through the day. Without music, life would be boring and bland, like cereal without milk. I would wake up and be empty, nothing to fuel my brain. The answer to this question, no, music will always be there.

            So what happens when all the possible melodies have been written? The only problem with this statement, the melodies are always going to be there, at least in my lifetime. There are so many different combinations of pitches that have not been written that there will always be different possibilities. The only problem is whether or not people can find these new melodies. It seems like there are many songs that have the same, or relatively the same, melody line. That could become a problem. If people just copy the same melody line but change the words, how is that different music?

I ran across a video that got my attention as it talks about this topic. It explains that even songs like God Bless America and God Save the Queen have the exact same melody, only different words. So how, if we haven’t already, ran out of new music? That is also explained in the video. Because there is such a large amount of different possibilities, we have not gotten to the full extent of our music statistically.

In my opinion, we will never run out of new music. Even though there are many songs that might sound alike, there is such a large amount of different melody lines that there is no way to run out of music in my lifetime. This is a relief to me. I don’t know what I would do without new exciting music to rotate my life around. 

1 Point Behind, 1 Place Ahead

            This past Saturday, the show choirs from Kennedy High School went to compete at Linn-Mar and did an amazing job. Protégé, the prep choir, received first in the prep division and went on to compete with the varsity division and proceeded to get 5^th out of 6. After the day rounds, Happiness was in first and we would not step down; Happiness ended up in first place with best choreography and vocals.

Last but not least, for the most important part, combo. Sadly, but also awesome, the band did not get the best band award. The reason this is awesome is because, sure it was second, but it was second by one point. One stinking point! If we had done one aspect of music, one measure, one phrase better, we would have received best combo. It tears my heart out being one point away. We are so close.

One of the aspects that we could have done better in the day round was a grove. For some reason, we just didn't jam with the music as hard as we have in the past. It felt almost too pushed, like we were trying to force the sound and not embrace it. It is so important for our combo to feel the beat and have fun playing. Last year we had this problem; we didn’t let the music just come out of our instruments, it was forced. When bands grove and fit in with the singers, it’s amazing. It’s a whole level above those who just play and don’t put emotion behind the notes.

Emotion is what decides the best combo. Without emotion, the music sounds dead. It is a hard technique to master because a musician has to truly want to win, to convince the judges we are the best. Emotion is just so hard to put into an instrument. It’s not like we can just change what our face looks like, we can’t put on a façade like the singers can. They can almost fake their way with emotion but at the same time not. All aspects of music involved in a show choir involves some kind of emotion, some kind of feel. Whether that feeling is sad, or happy, or fun, or whatever, each person has to know what it should be like and use that to give the judges a show.

With emotion, our combo sounds so much better. During the night rounds, the grove and feeling of the show was incredible. I could tell that each person, no matter how tired, gave it their all. For the musicians in the combo, when playing for Happiness for the last time, it was the 4^th show. There was even a trumpet player that had just danced her second show and was still willing to put everything into her instrument. It is just amazing that there was so much emotion and a sense of championship left that we blew the other groups out of the water.

After the night rounds, there was no doubt that Happiness was going to get first, and it happened. This was my first show choir championship ever and I could not be more proud to be involved with the group. Thanks to all the musicians who were willing to leave it all on the stage, to prove we deserve 1^st! 

Preparation and Practice

            Preparation is the key factor in the lives of musicians. To perform well and not embarrass themselves, there is a certain amount of preparation and practice beforehand that has to occur. The amount of time spent on practicing will vary from one person to the next based on their natural skill and how much time they put in of practice time total. Without preparing, or preparing well, musicians would show up to contests and performances sounding mediocre.

            In many cases, this is one of the problems for the Kennedy Band program. Many of the musicians involved in the groups don’t want to practice on their own before rehearsal, let alone before a performance. This is a big issue. Groups do not sound good if the musicians don’t know their part or can’t execute it well. This is the story of all Kennedy Band ensembles; we can’t figure out how that everyone has to do their part.

            Not every section, or every person, is terrible. There are the few that are willing to do the work while others don’t see it necessary. So, when it comes to contests—in our case, recordings—we do not live up to our potential. The Kennedy Wind Symphony could be an amazing group, but we can’t pull it off if not everyone gives their all.

            This problem is like a disease; every ensemble: concert bands, jazz bands, and marching band, has a terrible case of laziness. For example, the jazz bands are going to a competition this Friday and we are not close to ready for competition season. We don’t sound quite as well as we could. The main problem, not everyone takes it seriously or practices at home. As much as I hate to admit it, I am victim to this disease as well. Even today I did not take home my music to practice. In fact, of the three years involved in the organization, I haven’t ever taken home music to practice. Not once have I done more than needed, minus practicing for my private lessons. I see no need to just like so many others in the groups. Except the difference is, I know my music and can execute it fairly well, at least that’s what I think.

            This problem will not go away for a long time. There is absolutely no incentive for the musicians to practice. It will be the downfall of the failing band program—if it hasn't burned it too much already. 

Combo 2015

Show choir is a complicated machine that has to work almost perfectly for any results to occur. There are many separate parts that can be hard to combine to achieve the goals of the group. First, the singers have to dance, sing, and perform at their best, which is more complicated than it looks. Second, the tech crew has to be dead on with moving props and helping the soloists with mikes, all while being unseen. Lastly, the band, a.k.a. combo, has to provide the group with the music to sing to and it has to be perfect, in tune, on pitch, 100% accurate. All these make up a show choir and all rely on each other to sound and look good. 

I want to talk about the part I mentioned last, combo. I am in combo and play the bari sax for two of the three groups at Kennedy High School: Protégé and Happiness. I started last year with these groups and it was one of the best decisions I have made so far in high school. I made friends and found a new way to show off my skills with the instrument. It has been fun so far and have enjoyed the experience. 

Despite it being fun, I still have to work. Being the bari player, I am taxed with an important job; I have to keep a steady tempo and also provide a low voice in the instrumentation. Personally, I love the job. I get to jam and play some awesome music, at the same time that I provide an important sound to the band. I believe that the bari in combo is the best instrument; I get to play most of the fun, important lines and I get to do it loud. I can play super loud in this group without having the fear of covering up anyone. 

In the Protégé/Happiness combo there are 4 trumpets, 3 saxes (alto, tenor, bari), 2 (sometimes 3) trombones, a drummer, 2 keyboard players, a bass, and a guitar player. Overall there are a total of 15 players that provide the music for each show choir. 15 instrumentalists is a relatively small group but can hard to put together with the singers; we cannot cover up the singers but we also have to play loud enough to be heard by the audience. It can be a tricky balance and somewhat hard to hear playing behind the singers. Since we are in the back, and the singing is being projected opposite of us, we can’t always tell if we are too loud or if any one instrument is covering up the singers. Due to this fact, it is hard being in combo. We are criticized for being too loud and too soft. It takes many practices to get the balance perfect and everyone has to be committed to work for perfection. 

Another problem with 15 instrumentalists is that not everyone is as committed to it 100%. Some sections, especially last year, didn't want to put in the work or the time to sound good. They would show up to performances without practicing between rehearsal and the performance hoping it would be “good enough.” The problem, it wasn't even close to good enough. At the beginning of last year, about one year ago, the combo got dead last in the division. This did not help the choirs at all. The group would get in the top three for every division: choreography, vocal, etc., and the band would be dragging the score down being last in our division. The first couple competitions were slaps in the face and by the end of the year we were getting second consistently. 

This year, I am glad to say that we don’t have this issue anymore. By hiring a combo director, Ben Feuerhelm (my brother), the work ethic has changed and we sound better as a whole. With the addition of two new sax players, a trombone, and a great trumpet, our tone has evolved tremendously. This year we are able to jam as a group and sound good. Yesterday was our first competition and walking out of the auditorium, I felt really good. Last year at this time, I was walking out embarrassed; the group sounded terrible and I couldn't do anything to fix it. This year is a whole new story, I felt pumped and excited for our potential of this year. For the first time ever, our clinician said, “The combo either makes or breaks a group…this one didn't.” I am so impressed and proud to say that I am a part of the Protégé and Happiness combo. I can’t wait to see what this year holds. 

Overall, show choir is an organized clutter; and I only touched on one of the three. There are many wonderful musicians and people in these groups. I am excited to see what the rest of this year holds. 

Christmas Disaster?

Christmas musicals are usually happy and fills hearts with cheer. However, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, the Christmas program is hilarious to see. There are people that don’t know music and they rely on the few of us that are very successful musicians, mainly my family. 

This Christmas “Cantata” was an interesting adventure. To start this adventure off well, I was required to play an instrument I had never played before. It was a fun adventure but I didn’t know how to execute the tenor well enough to sound adequate. All the music for this was unison and the band consisted of a flute, cello, and tenor saxophone. Not a great combo to start out with. And then, to make matters worse, the songs I played on, I had absolutely no music. I was improvising the whole time by ear, without any music or chord progressions. 

I’m sure the audience didn’t mind the complete disaster because the Santa’s Saxes played before and after to wash the bad parts out of their minds. The music wasn’t bad, but it definitely could have been better. 

Santa's Saxes

            Santa’s Saxes. A group composed of four musicians (a.k.a. a quartet). A group where I am 1 out of the 4. A group not connected by school, but by our private lesson teacher. Every year, Lynne Hart puts together a saxophone quartet (Alto 1, Alto 2, Tenor, Bari) which performs all around Cedar Rapids. I have the honor of being the Bari player. This group is one reason why I love this time of the year so much. 

            The amazing part about Santa’s Saxes is that not all the musicians are from the same school. People often ask, “So what school?” We all look at each other and stutter for a second before we introduce ourselves individually. In the group this year, there are three different schools represented: Kennedy, Washington, and Mount Vernon. It may be hard to believe that students from different high schools could get along but that is not the case at all. Through Santa’s Saxes I have made some friendships with people from different schools and I have enjoyed every year so far.

            Getting to the more interesting part now, the music. All of our music is arranged by Lynne and it is all interesting and fun to play and listen to. There are songs such as: I Saw Mommy Kissing Lawrence Welk, Rockin’ Around the Cheesy Medley, Let it Snow/Santa, and many more. All these songs have a twist to them that give them a fun atmosphere. In all the songs in our book, there isn’t one that you would be able to sing along to. Many people start to sing along cautiously thinking, “Yeah, I know this song.” And then, right as they start to sing more confidently, that’s when a twist in the melody appears that you would not expect; and suddenly, that person quickly looks around to see if anyone noticed them. It is actually pretty hilarious, knowing the music, when someone tries to sing along. We get to that part in the song where the melody changes and I hear the person who was singing slowly fade away with a confused sound in their voice. Some advice, if you are ever around to hear the Santa’s Saxes, just don’t sing, it’ll be more embarrassing for you.

            Anyway, I Saw Mommy Kissing Lawrence Welk. This song is an interesting song it starts off with the traditional, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, and ends with some themes from the Lawrence Welk Show. Living and growing up in the 21^st century, most people these days don’t understand the whole Lawrence Welk thing. The music for this show was really cheesy with heavy vibrato and incredibly short articulations. Since the show is rarely on anymore, most people just think it is a funny little diversion of a song. This song is fun to play at nursing homes because mostly everyone there has seen the Lawrence Welk Show and understands where the tune is coming from. To help out understand this song better, here is the Lawrence Welk show and the Santa’s Saxes rendition of I Saw Mommy Kissing Lawrence Welk.

            One of my favorite songs to play is Rockin’ Around the Cheesy Medley. This song is a compilation of 6 different “cheesy” Christmas tunes, including: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Holly Jolly Christmas, Here Comes Santa Claus, Jingle Bell Rock, Blue Christmas, and Santa Baby. It is a cool arrangement of the 6 different songs. I like it because it is fun to play and interesting all the time. You can form your own opinion, but this is one of my favorites out of the whole book.

            Another of my favorite, out of the two hour book, is Ukrainian Carol. This one has a cool base line that I get to play and it might just get stuck in your head, I know it gets stuck in mine. It is a fun version of Carol of the Bells and I love to rock out on it.

            I hope you enjoyed this selection out of the Santa’s Saxes book. To hear more fun songs, come out to Chick-Fil-A on December 22^nd, 2014 between 5 and 7pm.