Spectrums of Music

 

A lot of people say that our musical tastes define us. I don’t believe that’s at all true. Our favorite musical genres do not define our personalities or our actions, but they do give insight into our lives and the people who influence it.

I grew up with music being played around the house constantly. Whether my dad was playing his guitar or we were listening to one of my mom’s CD’s, my parents always had us musically involved. When my brother and I were little, my mom would play one of her salsa cd’s and have us dance all around the living room. At garage sales and swap meets my dad taught me how to look patiently through the never-ending racks of cds and vinyl records lined up in numerous rows. I learned that you can almost always find unexpected gems if you search closely. Throughout my childhood, my parents always played all sorts of different music and  encouraged my brother  and I to take up an instrument that seemed interesting. My brother started with the saxaphone and later took up the flute and the piano. My first instrument was the trumpet and I enjoyed the fact that there were technically only three keys available to play. I used to think emptying the spit valve was the funnest thing in the world. During my trumpet days I tried out the flute, but had no interest. When I stopped playing the trumpet my parents pushed me to join piano with my brother. I reproachfully agreed to a one week trial and ended have well exceeded my trial with six and a half years under my belt. I fell in love with everything about it.

When I first started playing piano, classical music didn’t interest me. My dad used to frequently play Rachmaninoff, Mozart or a Beethoven cds while we were eating breakfast. They were pretty-sounding but even when I was became more advanced and was capable of playing classical music, hearing it wasn’t anything I would listen to if I had a choice. This all changed when a new classmate joined our piano group at the studio. She would bring up all these composers I had never heard of. She would talk about how each composer articulated their pieces and how beautiful it was to listen to. I became intrigued by this so called “beauty” and started looking up all these acclaimed composers she spoke of. These composers, Scriabin, Bartok, Schumann and others were completely outside the realm of my knowledge. When I thought of classicaI music I was so narrow-minded and always thought of the typical composers (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven), but I had never explored outside of what I knew. My classmate and I  became really good friends and now, we  have a tradition where we share our classical finds.

I don’t like the idea of generalizing music tastes through the way people dress or act. Judging on my appearance people are always surprising to learn I listen to classical music. I listen and enjoy a lot of different genres. We shouldn’t be stuck on the idea that we can only have one favorite genre. I like to listen to rap too. In my perspective there are two different types of rap: 1. Strict beat poppin, songs or artist  that focus on the beat and getting their music to the top of the charts. 2. (My Favorite) Lyrical based raps. There’s nothing more powerful than sending a hard hitting message to the public.

People influence each other in powerful ways, and music is a huge one. Whether it’s an artist or a friend telling you to checkout a sing you’ll like, all sorts of music can touch you. I have another close friend who manages to send me links to her newest indie song addictions. I have another friend who keeps me updated on the pop charts. My mom has kept me in touch with her favorite spanish rock songs. Everything has its grace. It’s just about finding it.

Nothing beats a Chopin Nocturne, John Lennon belting “Mother,” a Mac Miller verse on one of his mixtapes, or  Ed Sheeran playing his guitar while singing a rendition of a popular cover. I laugh when people think someone’s intelligence is based on what they listen to. We never know what we like until we go out and explore for ourselves.

 

–Laura

San Diego Beatles Fair

Mural at Queen Bees in San Diego

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of accompanying my father to the Beatles Fair in San Diego. It was held at The Queen Bee cultural center and was an all-day event. I had a spectacular time hanging out and listening to the music of my favorite band of all time.

Underrated Animated Disney Movies

I have been a fan of Disney films all my life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen The Little Mermaid or Snow White. But to me, there are so many more animated Disney movies that most people take for granted. Here are some of my favorites that don’t seem to get as much recognition:

Unexpected Love.

Music is definitely a huge defining factor in my life. I recently wrote a blog post about playing the piano, and how much it has impacted my life. This week I decided I wanted to talk more about this huge part of my life. All this in honor of Certificate of Merit Testing these next two weeks. If you don’t know what Certificate of Merit Testing is,  It’s a theory and performance evaluation test issued by the Music Teacher’s Association of California. It’s pretty much as fancy as it sounds. The first week is a theory exam based on chords, scales, and ear evaluation. The second week is a judged scheduled performance that must be completed in 20 minutes. This includes the required technique and four pieces from different eras of music. This is my first year officially taking this test and I couldn’t be more of a nervous wreck.

I started taking piano lessons about 6/7 years ago. I never intended on joining any of the classes, let alone staying for such a long duration. My older brother was the interested musical sibling and of course I always wanted to copy him. I can recall sitting in my first few classes, having no idea on what was going on. I couldn’t read simple spaced out notes and I had such a hard time paying attention. I was always scared of getting yelled at for not playing the right notes, so sometimes I wouldn’t even play! I was placed in group lessons, because my parents didn’t believe I was completely dialed in on this new hobby. Eventually, I learned the notes. It wasn’t easy, and I struggled for the longest time. I started playing  three lined simple songs from a course book and worked my way up through the rest of the colored course books.

After my Third year of playing simple songs, I received my first classical piece. (J.S Bach’s Minuet in G) I played it endlessly. It was the only “classical” piece I knew and I worshipped it. After the Minuet in G, my group started receiving more classical pieces, A Sonatina from Mozart or an easy two pager Chopin piece. At this point, I decided to stay in group lessons. I enjoyed the environment and it helped getting everybody’s perspective on pieces. I would think it’s lonely having no one to talk to in privates. Plus, There’’s more socializing that a group can do together. After each classical piece, I would add it to my piano repertoire and replay it every once in a while to keep it fresh in my mind. After a while, I would just spend my free time practicing all my pieces. Even though it was very repetitive, I loved knowing what notes came next, how I had to move my hand to catch the beat on time.

Throughout the years, my piano studio holds annual season recitals for family and friends and ever since I can remember, they’ve been some of the most nerve wrecking times of my life. Playing in front of numerous amounts of people has never been my forte, and I tend to always make a few mistakes while playing. If you’re shy and don’t like being in the middle of big crowds, you know this horrible feeling. Before I went on, and still to this day, my hands get very sweating, my heart starts beating uncontrollably and my legs are almost impossible to control. Performing in front of crowds has always been a weakness, I was never too sure if people would pay attention. Even though it’s crazy nervous, it’s also  so exciting and these performances have taught me so much about myself. If you make a mistake, you just keep one going.

I have been playing piano for a long time. Yes, I still make  mistakes when I play, and sometimes I still struggle with notes. Sometimes I forget the rhythm and sometimes I simply don’t know where we are in the music, but the one thing i’m certain of, is my love for the piano. I used to hide the fact that I played. I thought it was embarrassing and outdated. I recall begging my parents not to sign me up for the talent show, because I didn’t want anyone to know I played. Ironically, I got second place. I never planned on taking The Certificate of Merit Testing. My teacher never used to believe in competitions because he believed that took away from the art. I completely agree, but I’m taking this test as a challenge. (To try something new!) I’m aware that I might possibly crack under pressure and I might give a  performance that isn’t my best, but the most important thing I want to commit to is the fact of remembering not to crack under pressure. Knowing what you’re capable of and retaining that thought when doing sports and activities is the most important part to exceling.

 

Fingers Crossed Thank You,

Laura

I’m Only Human

A few weeks ago, I decided to audition for a new singing competition my high school hosted called “The Voice of Fountain Valley,” which was supposed to be similar to the television shows “The Voice” and “American Idol.” I am not a part of my school’s choir, but I do take vocal lessons off campus. I submitted my track and hoped for the best, but didn’t know what to expect, since I was auditioning against my school’s most experienced choir students.

Postcards from Paradise

In honor of Ringo Starr’s new album, “Postcards from Paradise,” that is set to be released on March 31st of this year, I thought that it would be fitting to write about a few of the places I’ve traveled to and want to visit someday in the future.

My Crazy Obessions

After stumbling upon an episode of TLC’s My Crazy Obsession, I began thinking about all the things I’m obsessed with. It turns out there is a bunch of random stuff that I am passionate for and can’t stop talking about.

Old Soul

I always questioned my decision to stick with piano after all these years, let alone the reason to why I even started. I used to play trumpet in middle school and I was quite fond of the idea of three valves producing such rigorous melodies. I chose eighty eight keys instead of three, quite ironic for such a simple minded child.

I can’t recall the exact moment I fell in love, but it might have been after I played my first classical piece. It was an easy thirty second minuet composed by Bach. I’ll never forget the smile I held when I was able to play both pages perfectly memorized. I played that damn piece for months, I can promise you it has become my parents least favorite piece.

I hardly took the music Into actual consideration. For the longest time  I had always solemnly focused on the purpose of finishing the nearest song and moving on, hoping for the continuously harder pieces to make my way. I will never forget the amount of times I would repeat a line just so I could play it fluently, but that’s every instrument. It’s the amount of dedication poured into something you love and enjoy. Soon after I began playing classical, the pieces meant more. I found myself exploring and diving into new pieces on my own free time.

You can often tell the difference from a cliché to a devotion. A typical student will call out the “big heads” of each period: Bach, Beethoven, and  Mozart. Yes, these were some composers who have left us with tremendous amounts of impact and beauty, but in my opinion there are many who deserve much more attention. Have we easily forgotten Brahms? Chopin? Schubert, Scriabin, or Bartok? There is so much in the world of piano to explore.

In my personal opinion there is a special delicacy to the keys found in no other instrument. The piano is soft, loud. It’s just about everything. It is left to it’s own interpretation and has continued to mesmerize and entertain all sorts of people. For this it’s true luck to find such a passion in this world.

The Year of the Beatle

Anyone who know me knows I am a Beatles fan. As a matter of fact, many would consider me a huge Beatles geek. Any true fan of the band knows that 2014 marked the 50th anniversary of the Beatles coming to America and performing on the Ed Sullivan Show. I’d consider 2014 as a great year for Beatles fans.

How to Win the Fight Against Writer’s Block

Sometimes it can be very challenging to come up with ideas on the spot. Even if you have time to come up with an idea, that can also be difficult. How are you supposed to write something meaningful when you have no clue what to focus your piece on? I can tell you this–having writer’s block is one of the worst feelings in the world. However, I have certain tricks that I use to help myself think up ideas.