Project Title: Audition Preparation
Project Description
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What topic do you want to know more about? I want to know more about tone production and phrasing, and being able to do this while sight reading.
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What information is relevant to what you want to know? How to produce a perfect tone, and guidelines/hints to phrasing would be useful information.
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What information is irrelevant to what you want to know? Jazz embouchure/ stylistic techniques would not help me.
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How will you know the difference? My main goal is to perfect my tone and phrasing to make up for any missed notes due to stress. Jazz techniques will not be helpful in this journey even though one day I will dive into them, and it's quite easy to see when I'm deviating from the classical style.
Step 3
Project Rationale
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Why did you choose this particular topic? I need to get into college and putting all my efforts towards North Western is the only way to get in.
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How will this topic strengthen your goals as a musician? Constant practice towards perfect tone can only help. I feel like I have improved so greatly in playing fast paced music with my hands but saxophone playing is 90% face and 10% hands. Also, if I can phrase on instinct, my skills as a player will greatly improve.
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Do you anticipate Project A & Project B to be related or separate? Related in some ways. I hope that after I improve my technical skills and attend my auditions I can finally move into improvisation.
Resources
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What kinds of places might hold interesting knowledge about your questions? Books, the internet, college resource sites. I have a massive pile already.
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Whom might you want to access to better understand your interests? Johnathan Hulting Cohen at UMASS is just an email away, and Neil and David are always willing to help.
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Provide 3 preliminary resources you have discovered through initial exploration
- The Art of Playing the Saxophone by Larry Teal
- Voicing by Donald Sintra
- online movie "The Master has Spoken" by Joe Allard
Process
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Fill in specific goals to accomplish by creating a weekly timeline using the following the Proposal Dates(i.e. memorize five major scales, create lyrics to original composition, memorize the bridge to Tears in Heaven, etc.)
Nov. 16 is the first audition...
September 19 is wisdom tooth surgery
October 4: have all major and minor scales learned in full range
October 8: have TP movements 2-5 learned and thoroughly rehearsed
October 12: have four Ferling Etudes prepared and rehearsed; have Creston movement 2 learned
October 22: Have Creston movement 1 learned
October 30: begin practicing piano skills, aural assessments, sight reading
November 10: Prepare BW materials and pieces, practice these for the next few days
November 16: learn something
December 1: have all interview materials, piano excerpts, aural assessments, etc. prepared; have all audition pieces including the six movements and two etudes (and all major/harmonic minor/ natural minor scales) under my fingers
December 1: Regular Decision for NW prescreening due
December 15: have Creston movements 1 and 2 recorded and submitted with accompaniment to NASA
TBD In December: UMASS competition submission
Step 6
Creative Work and Presentation
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Describe how you are going to present your project (oral, written, multimedia presentation, artifacts, performance, etc.) I could perform an audition piece for my final project, or I could give a written account of my actual auditions.
Step 7
Evaluation
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What specifically will make your project a success? If we are going to be honest here, complete and utter stress. I desire so desperately to get in to NorthWestern's School of Music it almost hurts and I know I'm not where I need to be yet. The (scary) impending deadlines will definitely get me off my butt and working hard.
Step 8