Happy New Years everyone. Last night I performed at first night Worcester with worcester youth orchestra. We sounded great. After the concert I was asked to become a member of the baroque orchestra. The baroque orchestra meets on Tuesday nights and is for elite members of the orchestra. Also in the baroque orchestra I would be a first violin. The bad thing is that Clark sinfonia also meets on Tuesday nights so I am either going to have to choose or practice the Clark music on my own.  

I just wanted to let you guys know that there was an article in the newspaper about Worcester Youth Orchestra. Here is a link to the article and I hope you enjoy http://m.telegram.com/article/20151226/NEWS/151229367

   Hi again I have been uploading all my videos from all concerts on my favorite freshman year recordings page. You also can find all my videos on YouTube when you search pinkpagannini or under my mom’s channel jamhoward1. Hopefully you enjoy all the music I performed as much as I did making it.
   On Monday I had a lesson at my teacher’s Peter Sulski’s house and we went out to lunch after. My lesson was fun. We worked on rotating through my books which I enjoy working on.
    On Tuesday I had a lesson with my practice buddy Miranda. We worked on an elude and concerto in a minor by Bach.

Until later
Angelina

    Sorry I haven’t been able to post in a long time. I have been super busy. I had district auditions, hearings for WYSO, finals, school volunteer concerts, WYO holiday concert, and the holidays.
    Right before district auditions my violin broke and had to get fixed so we drove to Johnson strings to rent a violin. I picked out a really nice violin. It sounds just as good as my violin.
    District auditions went great. It was so fun seeing and meeting lots of high school violinists and other string players that are very talented. It was a great experience that I auditioned. I didn’t get in but at least I tried. I was so proud of how I played and that’s all that matters. Next year hopefully when I audition I improve a lot and even get in. But until then I have to keep on practicing.
    Right after districts my mom got an email from the  conductor of WYSO. He called hearings for all the violins. We had to prepare an excerpt from Mahler’s symphony No.1 and  Wagner’s Ride of the Valkeries. Both pieces are really fast with lots of shifting into different positions. I was so prepared for the hearing and so proud of myself I really thought I moved up to first. Jonathan told my mom in an email that I improved leaps and bounds. I was so thrilled. My mom got an email from Jonathan and I found out that I am still in the second violin section. I have no clue where I sit now but I hope I moved up. I might find out my seat on Saturday when we have sectionals. Until then I am hoping for the best.
      Right before Thanksgiving break I had my first set of finals and projects. It was so stressful and I was so glad they were over after I came back from break. I had a huge paper in English that I had to write, a big project in math on marketing tents, I had to build a car out of paper,paperclips and elastic bands in intro to physical science, and math finals. I am in a new trimester right now and I love all my classes and teachers. For school orchestra we had a concert at the end of the trimester which went very well. Right now in orchestra we are working in chamber groups which is very fun and I enjoy it very much.
    My school orchestra teacher selected a few kids to perform two concerts and I was one he selected. We performed a Schubert mass one night and another night we performed Christmas cantatas at a local church. Both concerts sounded great.
   The WYO family holiday concert was spectacular. Every group that performed sounded wonderful. The concert was so long. I love the Worcester Youth family and I am so glad that I take part in this amazing orchestra and I can’t wait to see everyone during sectionals.
      The holidays this year were the best when I woke up Christmas morning there were so many presents underneath the Christmas tree. I got everything I wanted and more. I got new rising and a lot of vintage violin music.  I hope everyone had a nice holiday season and Happy New Year.
Until later,
Angelina

On Friday I had my neighborhood strings concert. It was so fun. The kids sounded great. I have had lots of fun working with all of them after school on Fridays and some at the café afterwards for NS club. NS club is where the older kids in the group go to the café and play chamber music. I can’t wait until I see them next time to see how they liked the concert. I will post the videos of the concert in a separate post.  

Until next time… Angelina 

       Me with two of the kids I work with 

 The group rehearsing 

Hi guys sorry it has been a while I have been very busy lately. Guess what districts are just around the corner. I am so pumped and so nervous. I really want to sound like this http://youtu.be/5n0qXSO7Z-Q 

Today I had my invitational cross country meet. 🏃 it was really fun. I came in last but who cares I had a blast with all my teamates. 

Until later… Angelina

As you guys know I joined cross country we had our first meet Tuesday🏃 against Naragansat and we won🏆I got 34th place. 

On Friday I had my first neighborhood strings rehearsal. It was so fun working with all the kids and being a good role model for all the kids to look up too. 

After WYO orchestra today I went to the BigE with my family. It was so fun. I got an airbrushed sweatshirt and it is so cool.  

 I have had a wonderful week and hope you did too. Have a good Sunday.  

Until Later… Angelina🎻🎼

It was so nice to see all of my old friends in the orchestra again after the long Summer. I’m so excited to start off the season right by my seat moving up one and all really fun repituaur. We are playing lord of the rings, Star Wars, ride of the Valykries, and Night on Bald Mountain. Our concert is going to be on Halloween and we get to wear our costumes for a contest. I still don’t know what I want to be but it is going to be awesome. My favorite song is either ride of the Valykries by Wagner or lord of the ring fellowship of the ring symphonic suite.  

Until later…. Angelina 

My concert went very well. I was so proud of myself. I performed bolero composed by Willem Ten Have and Gigue by E. Dall Abaco. Both songs sounded great. I really enjoyed making music with all the instructors and campers. In my camp recording section there are links for my performance. Hope you enjoy.

I am preparing for seating auditions and my audition for the honors chamber group. I will keep you guys posted.

Until  later…. Angelina 

I told the coaches that my pieces weren’t challenging me. I am not performing the Bach but I am going to play Bolero by William Ten Have Op. 11 Allegro. Bolero is a pretty tough song with lots of shifting and harmonics. I am also playing one of the prices she assigned me triple the speed now. I am enjoying camp a lot more now.

Today I found out that there are 7 different kinds of arpeggios to learn per key. They are very challenging but I am going to tackle them just like I did to my 3 octave scales

Until next time… Angelina 

Yesterday was my first day at my last music camp and the last full week of summer then school starts back up again. The camp I am participating in is an intensive practice camp. I was excited to see all the coaches and meet new people but, my pieces are too easy for me. My pieces don’t show what I can do as a well trained growing musician. I plan on talking to them tonight and see if I can play Bachs cello suite No. 1 prelude and corrente. We shall see, I always try to challenge myself to improve my skills and these two pieces don’t seem to do that.  

On a more exciting note I got excepted to the Musician as Citizen (MAC) program. The MAC program is a volunteer program that helps with Neighborhood Strings. Neighborhood strings is a program that gives inner city kids the opportunity to learn a string instrument. WCMS puts on the program and gives each neighborhood strings kid an instrument of their choice a teacher and lessons.WCMS only picks two teens to participate in the MAC program each year. I will not only help with the participating kids but I will also get additional couching  on giving presentations and improving my communication skills. I will be helping the kids and the program every week! I am so excited for this opportunity. I will share my essay below. Also I sent in my honors chamber essay and will share it with you too. Hope you enjoy.

Here was my essay I wrote for the MAC program: 

Musician as Citizen

The Musician as Citizen Program interests me in many ways. Some ways it interests me are that I love helping others and my community, I am interested to work with kids who don’t have the same privileges I have, and I love music and I love my community and I think I will have lots of fun.

One way the Musician as Citizen Program interest me is that I love helping others and my community. Helping your community become stronger can be fun and simple. I am in my schools National Junior Honors Society and at the end of the year there was locker clean out. You might think it sounds useless but it was really fun and it gave back to the community. We get bins for trash which we threw away, bins for recycling which we recycled to prevent overfilling landfills and pollution, and a bin for things we could donate to people who can’t afford new school supplies and other items like sweatshirts that are in good condition. I know that’s not the same as this program but it has the same point which is giving back to the community and helping others who don’t have the same privileges I have which brings me to the next reason why this program interest me.
Some kids don’t have the same tools I have had to become a better musician. I have a wonderful teacher who teaches me once a week on an above par violin with a great selection of repertoire. I am not a prodigy and not every kid is, but, every kid big or small, rich or poor has some hidden talent musically inside them but they need the right tools to find it; an instrument, a teacher, determination and a fun environment. I know I will be able to help the kids of Neighborhood Strings find their inner musician.
One last reason the MAC Program interests me is that I love music and I love my community and I think I will have lots of fun mentoring and helping other kids who enjoy playing music.
If I am chosen to participate in this program my goals would be to teach kids to enjoy making music, become more grateful of what I have, and have fun making a difference in my community.
Until tomorrow….