Rachel Pegelow
December 2, 2014
WindSymphony Written Assignment
This is my second semester taking the WindSymphony class offered at Longwood University. I very much enjoyed being a part of WindSymphony in the spring and I was excited to see what the fall semester would entail because I knew we had different types of performance than the spring. It is very comforting to play in a Wind ensemble after high school even though I am not a music major. Playing music has been part of my life for seven years before college and I am grateful to continue the experience at Longwood and gain new experiences by being a part of a bigger and more skilled ensemble. I have enjoyed this fall semester as I expected to.
This semester I felt more confident than I did last semester. I had already done this once and I knew the procedure. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out how the WindSymphony is run because it seems that everyone but you knows what to do. It is also overwhelming to non-music majors the first time they are in WindSymphony because the music majors are also a part of the ensemble. It is great to play with everyone in WindSymphony because the level of ability is so high compared to what I am used to and we have a much bigger and fuller sound than my high school band. This semester I enjoyed getting to explain and make friends with a few freshman who needed guidance like I did my first few classes last semester. I also enjoyed getting to know more people in WindSymphony this year that I did not get know last semester. There is a genuine camaraderie among the students in WindSymphony and it is very enjoyable to be a part of that camaraderie.
The first performance we had was the Senior Convocation ceremony. We played for the processional and the recessional. For the processional we played Academic Procession by Clifton Williams and for the recessional we playedPomp and Circumstance No. 4 by Edward Elgar. The day of the Convocation ceremony was impossibly hot and having to play in our concert attire only added to the heat. We stuck through it and we were able to play for the length of the ceremony. It had been a while since I played for a ceremony of that kind; it is always good to stay in practice.
For our fall concert we played five different pieces, including Light Cavalry Overture by Franz von Suppe, Variations on a Motive of Beethoven by Dr. Ring, Fantasia for Alto Saxophone by Claude T. Smith, Scenes from the Louvre by Norman Dello Joio, and Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa. I enjoyed Light Cavalry, there was a complicated clarinet part in the middle of the piece, but with some practice it was manageable. We played the world premiere of Variations by our own Dr. Ring. I very much enjoyed this piece. I felt that the clarinet had a prominent part in this piece and it always feel special to play a never-before-played piece. Fantasia was fantastic because we had Dr. Kinzer as our saxophone accompanist. He is a brilliant saxophone player and it was an honor to play with Dr. Kinzer and also listen to him play this piece. It was nice to celebrate Adolph Sax’s 200th birthday. I also enjoyed playing the Louvre. I really liked the slideshow that went along with the different movements in the piece. That was a great touch and the audience really enjoyed it a well. Lastly Stars and Stripes was our finale and the audience loved it. We celebrated John Philip Sousa’s 160th birthday. It is such a recognizable tune and with us standing it felt a great way to finish the concert and honor John Philip Sousa and the United States.
The WindSymphony and the Jazz A ensemble also put on a run-out concert the Monday after our fall concert in Jarman. We performed at L.C Bird high school in the morning. The band students at that high school came to watch us and it was gratifying to see their reactions and to know that they enjoyed the concert. I also enjoyed getting to watch the Jazz A ensemble perform. In the afternoon we played at Goochland high school. Members of the community and younger students came to watch us. We played the same concert and stood with the finale. Jazz A ensemble also played at Goochland as well. The audience very much enjoyed the concert. I even saw a young boy have one of our trombonists sign his program!
We are now in the process of practicing for our Holiday Dinner Concert. We are going to be playing in the Grand Dining Hall while people who purchased a ticket eat their meal. I have never done something like this before so I am excited to experience it. I love playing Christmas music, which adds to the excitement. We are playing A Winter Flurry by J. Scott McKenzie, Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson, Cantique de Noel by Adolphe Adam, arranged by Dr. Ring, Christmas March by Edwin Franko Goldman and Pacem by Robert Spittal. There will be an accompanying vocalist for Cantique de Noel.So far I am really enjoying Sleigh Ride it is a classic Christmas song and it is very fun to play on the clarinet.
This semester has been very fun and a great experience in Wind Symphony. I genuinely enjoyed playing the songs we performed. I appreciated being able to experience the differences between a spring and fall semester because they include different types and amounts of performances. I am planning to come back to Wind Symphony next semester and hopefully as long as my schedule allows. I get such satisfaction by being a part of the Wind Symphony at Longwood and I look forward to see what we do in the future as an ensemble.