 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-04-30 01:54
We had State today and here's how it went:
Clarinet Solo (Concertino by Weber): Got a I. I forgot my music and had to borrow music from my friend's teacher (scary!). I played very musically, but my nerves made my technicality not as good. I WISH I WOULDN'T GET SO NERVOUS! I love playing the clarinet and it makes me so sad and frustrated when I get nervous!
Clarinet Trio (Grand Trio by Bouffil): Got a I. We did very good and the judge cut us off because he didn't need to hear anymore to tell that it was good. That was kind of neat.
Vocal Solo (Voi Che Sapete by Mozart and Dream Valley by Quilter): Got a I. This was the highlight of my day-I sang the best that I ever have! It's weird because I don't get nervous for vocals, but I do for clarinet and I love my clarinet 100 times more than singing.
Vocal Sextet (Miserere Mei by Lotti and Mother I Will Have a Husband): Got a I. We sang really well and were very musical. I have had this trio since freshman year and we have gotten I's every year-We've al grown really close.
Vocal Trio (Though Philomela Lost Her Love by Moreley and In the Woods by Butler): Got a I. Kind of stressful since it was just one on each part. It was the first time that I took a vocal trio. It was a neat experience!
Well... I am really happy with what I accomplished today. I was suprised that I got all I's, but at the same time I just had a really good day! Anyone else have State Contest and how did it go?
Thank you to everyone who helped me get through some of my glissing problems before State and to Ken Shaw for the great interpretation of Concertino!
Wow, isn't music great?
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Author: Igloo Bob
Date: 2005-04-30 02:04
Congrats. My state S&E is next thursday, I'll post about it here after it happens. Actually, I played the Weber Concertino for district s&e as well, though I played it on bass clarinet. My experience was about the same as yours. I played musically, but was nervous to the point of shaking and definitely rushed the 16th note passages. Well, at least in the slow sections we can pretend our nervousness is vibrato!
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Author: Tyler
Date: 2005-04-30 03:22
Congrats!
Your vocal solo DID sound very good. The upper notes were very clear and just 'popped' right out--smoothly, I mean.
But this is a clarinet bboard.
I wish I could have heard your solo. I'll hear you perform on clarinet some day (not just play). Although, I must admit, you may never hear ME s-i-n-g!
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Author: rc_clarinetlady
Date: 2005-04-30 06:55
Carrie,
It was a great day today at state contest even though it rained all day here in Mo. I wish I could have been there early enough to have heard the Weber as it is one of my all time favorites but I'll hear you some day. Alex, my trumpet playing son, ( I know........ boo hiss) played so late in the day and we didn't want to get to Columbia quite so early. For what it's worth, on a clarinet BB, he got a I rating on his trumpet solo playing Bride of the Waves. Great trumpet piece. But I regress.
Here's something to think about.........
I'm 45 years old and my kids participate in all the district and state competitions every year. They consitently get superior ratings of I's on their solos. I think back to when I was in high school and of course we went to the very same contests but it seems like kids today are a lot better at playing their instruments than we were at the same age. We are in an exceptional school district for music education but I don't think that's even it. All the kids seem to be better across the board from any district. Do more kids take private lessons today than they used to? Do they have better equipment than we did? Do they practice more or are they more focused or more dedicated? I don't think the latter is true but it is interesting to go in to these rooms at contest and hear some of these high school kids rip off these solos like it's nothing and it may just be a solo I had played my last year in college!! There are still the ones that are typical high school fare but some of these kids are amazing. I was really good in high school but I was the exception. Now it seems like everyone, at contest anyway, is that good. I've been wondering about that lately. Anyone have any thoughts about why this is happening?
Rebecca
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-04-30 16:34
It must be the water! j/k
Well, I think 95% of the kids at my school that went to State take lessons so that could be a lot of that. Of course technology has changed quite a bit in the last 30 years, BUT that still doesn't make kids better players.
I know I practiced A LOT for State. I went to school before it started and stayed after it ended for ensemble practices.
Actually, I have a theory:
Now days everyone seems to be getting to be better players and so the level of competition is more fierce. So, in order to do well one must practice all the time, which if everyone is practicing then everyone's levels of playing levels of playing will rise.
That is how it is at my school in the 1st clarinet section. We were all very very close in points for chairs and we all just practice all the time so we can beat each other out, which in turn makes us practice and that makes us better players. So usually chairs for us three at least are determined by who can control their nerves and who can just put it on the line.
This is just what I've noticed... but I don't know... any other people experience the same thing?
Oh yeah... Congratulations Alex and Tyler!
Post Edited (2005-04-30 16:39)
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Author: bflatclarinetist
Date: 2005-05-01 02:26
Wish I had competitions like those where I live. I can't seem to find any "woodwind/clarinet" competitions near me.
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2005-05-01 08:12
yea its not really a competetion, you go and play and get a I, nobody "wins", or rather everyone does
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Author: Buster Brown
Date: 2005-05-01 13:08
What state? Years ago we had to memorize our solo's. Is that not the case any more?
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-05-01 17:46
Yeah we do have to memorize, unless it's a multi movement piece. At least this is the case is Missouri. In Kansas they changed the rule that it doesn't have to be memorized-what wimps!
You compete against yourself in this "competition", you're not put against other people and competing to be the best. Yeah.......
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2005-05-01 17:52
I compete against myself every day.
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-05-01 18:00
Good, that's what we all should be doing. State is just to get used to the idea of performing and soloing while getting feedback from a "hopefully" experienced judge. 99% of judges are good.
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2005-05-02 02:06
Yuck...I remember a contest where the judge for the clarinetists was a euphonium player...I was very confused.
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Author: presto214
Date: 2005-05-03 22:56
I played at state solo & ensemble(in Alabama). I played the 1st and 4th movements of the Saint-Saens Sonata. I got 6th in the overall competion with a 97/100. An alto sax player won with her amazing performance of prelude, cadence and finale by des-something(dont remember the composer). The other 2 woodwinds who made finals were clarinet players and one played the Weber Concerto #2 and the other played the 3rd movement of the Weber Grand Duo.
AAHHH!
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