Keeping Tempo November 2014

Several years ago YOBC conducted a survey of all of its members to see what we were doing right and what we needed to improve. One of the most popular suggestions was to provide more opportu-nities for chamber music and small ensembles. Thus some new ensembles were born—Honors Strings, Saxophone En-semble, and Woodwind and Brass Quintets among them. This year, again by popular demand, another woodwind quintet has been added, and our most advanced wind players were given a new desig-nation—Fanfare Wood-wind Quintet—and a pro-fessional coach. Made up of five wind players from YOBC’s Fanfare Winds ensemble, these musi-cians meet weekly to re-hearse together. On alter-nate weeks they receive professional coaching. Fanfare Woodwind Quintet’s new coach is Er-ica Cherry. Ms. Cherry is skilled as a performer, teacher, and teaching art-ist. She studied at the Uni-versity of Cincinnati Col-

Report: Double Reed Camp in NYC

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Conductors’ Notes: Stay Musical During the Hiatus

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Executive Director’s Corner: Envisioning the Future

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Student Spotlight: James Kong

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Practice-A-Thon Yields Astonishing Results

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Two YOBC Students Selected for NAfME

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Benefit Artist Announcement

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YOBC Alumnus Max Swan Competing in PHL Live Finals

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Important Dates: November 22–23, 2014:

Fall Concerts

December 6, 2014: Barnes & Noble Bookfair with special musical reading

December 7, 2014: Treefest, Bucks County Visitors Center, Bensalem

January 11, 2015: Spring rehearsals begin

February 19, 2015: Fan-fare Winds Concert, Cairn University

February 22, 2015: Cham-ber Recital, BCCC 8:00 pm

March 7, 2015: Annual Live Show & Auction Benefit, New Hope Winery

Inside this issue: Fanfare Woodwind Quintet Part of YOBC’s Growing Chamber Ensemble Program

Volume 6, Number 2, November 2014

lege-Conservatory of Music where she recently gradu-ated with a Masters of Mu-sic. Before that she studied at Carnegie Mellon Univer-sity, where she was a two-time recipient of the Silber-man Clarinet Award given for musical excellence. The Fanfare Wood-wind Quintet will perform on December 20 at Penns-wood Village in Newtown and at the Fanfare Winds concert on February 19 at Cairn University in Lang-horne. Most of YOBC’s chamber ensembles will be active during the holiday hiatus and most of these events are free. Check out

the Chamber Concert schedule on our website for dates and details about these appearances.

Keeping Tempo

Clockwise: Laura Krause, flute; Emily Day, basooon; Tasha Schapiro, French horn; Justin Shaw, clarinet; Neel Shah, oboe.

Erica Cherry

Following the fall concerts, YOBC students will have a hiatus from regular rehearsals. Rehearsals be-gin again on January 11. But our conductors have some suggestions for how to stay in top musical form during the break. Here are a few ideas for you to consider. In front of a crackling fire, sip-

ping a cup of your favorite hot chocolate … enjoy listening to Dvorak’s New World Symphony

and the first movement of Lalo’s Cello Concerto (the rep-ertoire for YOBC Symphony's spring semester).

Check out a master class on New World Symphony’s amaz-ing new site, http://musaic.nws.edu/.

Go down to Wanamakers in Center City to listen to a noon organ concert and perhaps do some shopping. Treat yourself

to lunch afterwards at the Reading Terminal or China-town.

Drop your instrument off at the repair shop for a fine tuning.

Grab an instrumental friend and go to a nursing home or visit a shut-in and play holiday music.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Conductors’ Notes: Stay Musical During the Hiatus

In early August, I participated in a teen camp at the International Dou-ble Reed Society convention in New York City. At the camp, there were 14 bassoonists and 28 oboists from across the United States, which is the most double reed players I have ever seen in one place. I learned about many things I didn’t know existed. I saw a jazz bassoonist. A jazz bassoonist! I did-n’t know that was a thing until this camp. Our camp director was so intrigued by the idea of a jazz bas-soonist that we played The Pink Panther as our last piece in the fi-nal performance. In this piece we had one section where an English horn player, two oboists, a bassoon-ist, and a contra bassoonist all played improvised solos. Our final concert also focused on chamber ensembles. It included a quartet of two English horns and two oboes playing Oboi, Oboi, which makes fun of classical music, and a trio of oboes playing Hedwig’s Theme from Harry Potter. I was part of a bas-soon quartet that played Prelude, Fugue, and Scherzo by Gordon Ja-cobs, which was well received by the audience. As a combined group we played Military March Number One and Hungarian Dance Number Five in addition to The Pink Pan-ther. This camp also taught me how to make reeds, which is an impor-tant part of any double reed

player’s life. Though many at-tempts failed, some of my reeds cracking right in half, I came out of the camp with one playable reed. As part of the process, you get to pick what color string to wrap the end of the reed with, and one of my

friends, Max, made his pink with sparkles. It was obviously the manliest reed of the bunch. During the camp, I also got to spend some time at the actual con-vention on the NYU campus. The convention covered four floors and had every type of a bassoon and oboe imaginable. I tried an albino bassoon that has unstained maple wood, or in other words: it’s white. One of the company’s exhibitors even took a picture of me trying it and posted it on their Facebook page.

I also met many people from all over the world, who came to this convention. I met a nice oboist from France and a man from Germany who was looking for a new contra bassoon. Every night we went to a con-cert that featured oboe and bas-soon soloists. The first night was a three-hour long concert consisting of three oboe concertos and three bassoon concertos. Needless to say, after the first hour and half and only two concertos, the man in the row behind me fell asleep and started to snore. Unfortunately his snoring wasn’t even in time. The last concert was a complete con-trast. There was everything from one of the drummers using his sticks on the strings of the bass to electric bassoons. It was, in my opinion, the most amusing and musical concert of the week. Overall, this camp was an amazing experience that I would recommend to any double reed player. I would also suggest the con-certs to any musician, simply be-cause they show the complexities and the abilities of the instruments and the musicians. However, you are going to have to wait until the festi-val comes back to America, because next year it’s in Tokyo.

—Emily Day, bassoon YOBC Symphony Orchestra,

Fanfare Winds, and Fanfare Wind Quintet

Report: Double Reed Camp in NYC

Page 2 Keeping Tempo

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Executive Director’s Corner: Envisioning the Future

Last week my life looked like a geography lesson! My “to do” list was as long as the Nile. A Mount Everest of paperwork lay piled on my desk. My house looked like Hurricane Sandy had just blown through. Got to get a game plan. I drew up a list of every-thing I needed to do and planned out exactly when I was going to do it. It was a crazy busy sched-ule, but if I could just stay on target, I could get everything done. Get to work. Stick with the plan. Stay on target. I was in the heads-down, no-time-for-small-talk working groove. Then, just like that…everything changed. I heard a knock on the door. Opened the door. Three red-cheeked little children stood smiling up at me with treats held tightly in their chubby hands. “Surprise, Grammy!” Sometimes life reminds us to step back and look at the big picture. The important things. The reasons why we do what we do, all day long, every day. In a world where the pace of life rushes forward like the waters of Niagara Falls, these light bulb mo-ments remind us of what is truly important. Organizations need a big-picture perspective too. YOBC requires a lot work and support at the board level. Five years ago YOBC board members took a step back from the front lines of organizational business to con-sider our goals and what was most important to us. Through that process we developed a five-year strategic plan which is posted on the YOBC website. Most of the document is a game plan which outlines organiza-tional goals and a timeline for achieving them. But the really important part of our strategic plan, the part that gives mean-ing and purpose to everything else, is contained in two short sections near the beginning of

gardless of their financial re-sources. This is a student-centered vision, focused squarely on help-ing kids. Everything we do is rooted in this vision. It is a vision

that continues to inspire me every day. Each time I look into the face of a student, I am reminded of the potential that YOBC has to encourage, nur-ture, and guide a young person to the next step in his or her life. This year, the YOBC Board of Directors will again take a step back from everyday tasks and begin work on our next strategic plan. We welcome

your ideas and invite you to dream with us as we create a vi-sion that will impact the lives of the next generation of YOBC mu-sicians.

—Colleen Sweetsir YOBC Executive Director

the document: the Mission and Vision Statements. Each time I read these statements I am inspired all over again. They remind me why I love YOBC. What is our purpose? YOBC creates opportunities for young musicians to achieve artistic excellence through enrich-ing classical music experiences. It sounds a little stiff, but here’s the deal. Kids come to us full of hopes and dreams, and with a love and

talent for music. We understand those dreams and our role in help-ing each student to reach them. What do we hope to become? Our Vision Statement gives real insight into the philosophy that drives our programs and the cul-ture we promote. YOBC envisions creating programs that help stu-dents grow beyond the bounds of what they believe is possible. YOBC envisions sustaining a posi-tive, nurturing environment that supports students in their musical growth and sustains their love of music. YOBC seeks to impact stu-dents beyond their musical growth to enhance personal devel-opment and leadership skills. We envision making these opportuni-ties available to all students, re-


Organizations need a big-picture perspective too. YOBC requires a lot work and support at the board

level.


tudent potlight: James Kong

James Kong is a violist in YOBC’s Ripieno ensemble and has been a member of YOBC for two years. He began his musical career with the piano starting in first grade. Cur-rently an eighth grader at Lenape Middle School, James began playing viola in fourth grade when he was nine years old. He was first intro-duced to the viola when the fourth graders were presented a variety of instruments. “I didn't want to play a common instrument like the vio-lin, or have to lug around a giant cello,” James says. “However, I did want to play an instrument with a deep voice, like the cello, and so the viola was the perfect match.” James first heard about YOBC while playing in a select ensemble

at a concert. “I knew that I wanted to play in an orchestra outside of school, and YOBC seemed to be the perfect fit for what I wanted.” Besides YOBC, James plays first chair viola in his school’s eighth-grade orchestra and in the se-lect string ensemble. When he’s not playing music, James says, “My favorite subjects in school are math and science. Outside of school, I play tennis and basketball. I also like to watch movies and play video games in my free time over the weekend. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends.”

James expects to continue play-ing with YOBC, and he plans to audition for the BCMEA county orchestra. In the future, James hopes to become an engineer.

What was all that music you heard last month? It was the sound of YOBC musicians practicing … to support YOBC! The Practice-A-Thon took place from October 5–19, and during that 15-day period, our participating students practiced for almost 40,000 minutes. The Prac-tice-A-Thon was held to support YOBC educational programs — spe-cifically this year’s master classes with Curtis Strings, a Curtis wood-wind quintet, Dr. Quincy Hilliard, and a special visit from the Flu-tronix flute duo. Every YOBC stu-dent will take part in one or more of these master classes. The Practice-A-Thon pitted en-sembles against each other as the one with the most average practice minutes will win a pizza party. The top prizes of $100 each will be given to the student who raised the most money and the student who prac-ticed the most minutes. Stay tuned, because the prize winners will be announced at the YOBC fall con-certs. Overall, $8,000 was raised for YOBC. About 80 students took part

and 200 individual spon-sors supported their ef-forts. The benefits to YOBC were not purely financial, though. Colleen Sweetsir reported on the progress of Jonathan Bywater, a mem-ber of Wind Symphony and also her private student. As he was warming up for his weekly lesson, Mrs. Sweetsir was impressed with how great he sounded. He sounded markedly stronger than he did the previous week. She told him that he sounded like he had really been practicing, and he replied that he used to practice a half hour every day, but now he practices an hour every day. “It's the Practice-A-Thon. Now it's just part of my regular practice routine. It's working really well! I'm really enjoying it!” YOBC is very grateful to all the enthusiastic musicians, parents, friends, family, and teachers who made our event a huge success. Come hear the results of all their hard work at the fall concerts.

Practice-A-Thon Yields Astonishing Results

Jonathan Bywater practicing the horn.

James Kong

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YOBC is pleased to announce that Griffin House will headline our an-nual auction and live show benefit at New Hope Winery on March 7. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter has released several al-bums since his debut in 2003. In August 2004, MTV/VH1 music jour-nalist Bill Flanagan named House to his shortlist of the best emerging songwriters in the United States. House has toured extensively, open-ing for artists such as Ron Sexsmith, Patti Scialfa, Josh Ritter, John Mellencamp, Mat Kearney, and The Cranberries. Since 2007 House has been headlin-ing his own shows. Over the past decade he has released eight al-bums, the most recent being Balls (2013). Don’t miss the opportunity to hear this exciting new artist. YOBC’s Auction and Live Show benefit takes place Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the New Hope Winery. Tickets are on sale at www.yobc.org and also in the lobby during rehearsals. Contact Dori Clough for more information or to find out how you can help: [email protected].

Benefit Artist Announcement

This year the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) All-National honor ensembles gathered in Nashville, Tennessee from Octo-ber 26–29. And YOBC was again well represented with John Wagner and Maya Hayden in the Symphony Orchestra. Before being selected as one of the nation’s 670 most elite high school musicians they were first named the “best of the best” out of approximately 2.5 million students nationwide at local, dis-trict, and state music festivals. John and Maya joined excep-tional young musicians to showcase their expert musicianship and to perform a gala concert celebrating music education and the arts. The

performance took place on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry House stage. Selected students rehearsed and performed a chal-lenging repertoire under the baton of four prominent conductors. The NAfME Symphony was conducted by Gerard Schwarz, Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival and Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Sym-phony. Mr. Schwarz has received hundreds of honors and accolades including Emmy Awards, GRAMMY nominations, ASCAP Awards, and the Ditson Conduc-tor’s Award. John reports that he had a wonderful experience in Nashville:

“Working with Gerard Schwarz was great, because he was able to raise our level of playing while still having fun. The musical selections were great, and I enjoyed working as a team with such talented musi-cians to make beautiful music.”

Two YOBC Students Selected for NAfME Nationals

The YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania (YOBC) was founded in 1991 with the sponsorship and support of Bucks

County Community College. Its mis-sion is to create opportunities for young musicians to achieve artistic ex-cellence through enriching classical musical experiences. In 23 seasons the organization has grown from a single, 60-member ensemble to 14 ensembles with over 240 young musicians.

252 Hollow Branch Lane Yardley, PA 19067

Email: [email protected]

yobc.org


Max Swan played alto saxophone as a member of YOBC’s Wind En-semble from 2005–07. He went on to graduate from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has been active in the city as a jazz saxophonist. He plays with LP Stiles, a genre-bending group of musicians who have come to-gether to create what its members hope is, and will continue to be, an original sound. Recently, as a soloist, Max was nominated for the PHL Live Center Stage festival and competed in a final round in Center City Philadel-phia. PHL Live is an initiative of Philadelphia councilman-at-large David Oh to shine a light not only on established local acts but also on breakout stars who otherwise would not have the resources to showcase their talents. Councilman Oh re-cently introduced a bill to promote Philadelphia as a live entertain-ment city. Oh said that while he is

not a music expert, he values “the importance of music and art and what it does to help develop peo-ple.” The PHL Live festival was

YOBC Alumnus Max Swan Competing in PHL Live Finals

open to musicians from a number of genres (classical, country/folk, hip-hop/rap, jazz, world, pop/ dance, R&B, rock, gospel, and DJ). A panel of judges picked the top five in each category and advanced them into the competition. Max competed as one of the five in the jazz category. The best of each category will be announced at the final show at the Trocadero, Friday, December 5 in Philadelphia. The show will in-clude performances from several of the champion musicians and bands. The winner will receive recording studio time, a $1,000 cash prize, a demo album, and a performance opportunity at the Dell Music Center which seats 6,000 people. You can listen to some of Max’s music, including “Free” — the winning submission that al-lowed him to be part of the PHL Live festival — on YouTube and on Soundcloud.

Max Swan

Documents

Keeping Tempo November 2014