student blog

snapped/ Anne

I was wearing a red dress with my hair delicately curled.  I brushed my bangs from my eye and gazed across the table.  He was not interested in dinner or the wine; instead he grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor. 

Then, I embarrassingly snapped out of my daydream I was having during the Kurt Elling concert.

The show was “Dedicated to You” and you couldn’t help flirting with the idea that he was singing only to you.  Kurt Elling has an intoxicating stage presence and a captivating voice that can span over four octaves seemingly with ease.    

Following the performance I immediately went home and downloaded his Nightmoves album.   If you are interested in hearing Kurt Elling's music, you can listen to his music for free here.  Once you fall in love with the music, you’ll want to purchase it just as quickly as I did!

However, it wasn’t all about Kurt Elling.  Has anyone heard of Ernie Watts?  He is a two-time Grammy Award winner and one of the most charismatic saxophone players I’ve seen.  For personal reasons, I would love to see Ernie Watts and Bruce Springsteen have a jam session!

If you attended the show and didn’t get the chance to read Melea’s “The Power of Vocal Jazz – an Elling Appreciation,” do so.  Melea is amazingly talented and I’m sure you will enjoy reading it.

Until next time...let’s get excited for Time for Three and check out this clip!

Anne wants to know /Anne

After reading Melea’s blog I must admit, I agree.  How do we educate our generation on the value and beauty of the arts?

Like Melea, I sat in the back of the church.  I met a student who was attending the concert to fulfill a requirement for class.  After the concert I had her send me her thoughts…

“I thought the string quartet was good but I felt like they were twitching at times and it kind of freaked me out a bit.  But overall the music was good…I’d rather listen to it than actually see it though!” ~Jenny

My musical experience started once I closed my eyes.  When I listen to classical music I let the music fill my mind with different emotions and let it paint a picture in my mind or allow my emotions to help me reflect on different aspects of my life (do you think this is strange?  What do YOU think about when you listen to classical music…comment on this blog because I would love to know!)  I believe that my generation has trouble with sitting down and reflecting because their minds are occupied with:  friends, movies, homework, video games, beer, parties, drugs, naps, boyfriends, girlfriends, success, the future, and the list goes on and on.  This is a very interesting topic so I challenge you to take a moment to think about it and state your opinions on this blog!

…and for those of you who don’t know

Recital Etiquette 101

Tip #1
Don’t clap or leave during movements

Example: 
Johannes Brahms – this is the composer
String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67 – this is the song title
Vivace – this is the first movement
Andante – second movement
Agitato:  Allegretto non troppo – third movement
Poco Allegretto con Variazioni – fourth movement
    (this is where you would leave if you had to go early) and clap here

gossiping about stuff /Anne

Kathy Griffin and I had an amazing gossip session on Saturday!  What some audience members had to say:

“Beer Anne,
The show was so funny I almost peed my pants. Can't wait to see you for the Wisconsin game. Maybe the Hawks will decide to stop sucking by then.
Love Kelly”

“It was nice to see you too. I thought the show was awesome she does a really good job and personalizing it to the venue and making it feel like I was having coffee with my friends and just gossiping about stuff. I couldn't get enough” –Ashley

“it was f***ing amazing. Lol” –Tyler

I had the joy of sitting behind an elderly couple who had no idea what they were getting themselves into, but politely sat through the entire show and left after Kathy warned the audience she was going to talk about religion.  I felt uncomfortable laughing and enjoying the filth that came out of Kathy’s mouth, it felt like I was swearing in front of my Catholic practicing grandmother. 

What did people do before the show?   Some went to dinner, some had a ladies night out, and yes some people even pre-gamed (meaning drank before the show).  However you decided to prepare for the show, I believe everyone enjoyed themselves.  I’d also like to say Happy Birthday to the poor girl who had to go to the show by herself on her birthday because he friend ditched her.  How rude! 

—Anne

grounded /Anne

I showed up to the Old Capital and took my seat on the sidewalk awaiting the performance by ScrapArtsMusic.  At an outdoor event people often forget to bring chairs, and I’m one of those people.  Once the show began my first impression was of their outfits, a combination of the Jetsons, Dr. Seuss and a hint of grunge.  However silly their outfits were, I enjoyed the overall performance.  The music was never boring and their theatrics kept me entertained. 

However, there was another element to the outdoor performance – people watching.  During the show I got to wintness children testing their parents patience as well as couples holding hands and enjoying the outdoor show.  I even got to hear a young boy being scolded by his father; he was grounded for an entire week from the computer.  Aside from the people watching, I found the performance to be very energetic  and enjoyable.

I asked some people in the audience for their opinions:

“Definitely! It was an amazing show I only wish we could've seen it in Hancher... =( The fact that they create all of their instruments all by themselves using scraps from their city just makes the music that much more cultural. They had amazing stage presence that made it possible for everyone to feel involved with the music. Awesome show!” –Molly

“Oh it was really cool. I wish it could have been at night or inside a theater but it was still amazing. And it was cute when they had the kids come up and play.” –Amanda

It was a great introduction to the Hancher season and I look forward to Kathy Griffin!

—Anne