Reflection Time

Hello guys! This is the last official blog, as our 20-Time Project is winding down with the end of the year. Now is the time to reflect on the process that I went through...

My original goal was to be able to play marching band songs by the end of 20-Time. My project took a slight shift in direction. Towards the end of 20-Time, I focused more on concert pieces like Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls" from Pirates of the Caribbean. Although I did not learn all of the marching band songs this year, I am satisfied with how I progressed.

One of the biggest difficulties I have had is  the change in embouchure from the trombone to the saxophone. With the trombone, I blow air into a mouthpiece outside of my mouth, but for the saxophone the mouthpiece is inside the mouth. This variance caused me to have difficulties playing some of the high notes for saxophone. This was also one of the reasons that I switched to concert music; it has less high notes.

What I enjoyed most about the project is how it allowed us to explore a topic that interested us, and explore it without limits. I was able to move at my own pace and control my project, rather than follow a set of guidelines. Learning to play saxophone has allowed me to improve my skills on the trombone, such as articulation and timekeeping. I am glad that I got the chance to explore on my own, and I hope I can apply what I have learned to my musical knowledge.

If I were to give advice to other students planning on doing 20-Time, it would be to choose something that interests you, something that is new, and something that you think you'll love. This will make it a lot easier to stay motivated when the project reaches an obstacle. It will also make the project mean more to you. I am glad that I chose to play saxophone, and it has opened my eyes to the challenges of different types of instruments. I believe that I am a better musician because I now understand how each instrument fits into the band to make one amazing sound.

I believe that I will continue to learn saxophone throughout the summer. As of now I am planning to work more on concert pieces instead of marching band pieces. The reason for this is that I can play the concert songs with a better tone because I do not have to strain to hit high notes.Although I will be busy during the summer, I hope I can find the time to improve myself as a saxophone player and a musician.

I would like to thank anyone that followed me on my journey, and I hope to post during the summer, but with less regularity due to summer activities.

A Slight Shift in Direction

Hello again! Luckily I have found more time to practice saxophone over the past two weeks than I have had in previous weeks. I worked some more on the fight song and September. I have improved on both pieces, however I have experienced a little bit of difficulty articulating the fight song when I try to play it quickly.

When playing the saxophone, the tongue is supposed to touch the edge of the mouthpiece. Usually I have to remind myself to do this because I am used to articulating by my teeth (for trombone), not further back in my mouth. This occasionally slows me down, but not too much.

Because I forgot to post this last time, here is a photo of me at the project fair:

This past week we had a band concert, and one of our bands, Gold Band, played Phantom of the Opera. This reminded me of when I played the song in 8th grade. I still remembered the trombone part, but I wanted to try the saxophone part for the song. The part I am playing has a flat, but I am not too worried about missing any notes.

Here is a link to a version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMNC4jqwJUc

I also remembered a part from Pirates of the Caribbean called "Medallion Calls". We played this last year in symphonic band, and it was one of my favorite parts in the spring concert.

Here is a link to the sheet music I will be using: http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0138030

On top of practicing the marching music, I would like to play these two songs because I enjoyed playing them on trombone, and want to give them a try on saxophone. I will continue to work on some of our marching band music, but I would really love to be able to play Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls".

Unfortunately I only have one in-class day of 20-Time left. I am glad to have had the opportunity to learn the saxophone, and am currently deciding whether or not to continue playing it over the summer. My goal for next week is to continue to play the fight song as well as Phantom of the Opera and "Medallion Calls". I hope I can finish learning them before the end of 20-Time.

Moving Closer...Somewhat

Hello! I'll have to admit, I haven't made much progress over the past week. The reason for this is that I have spent most of my time studying for the AP tests that I have both this week and the next. Although I have not practiced the saxophone very much, I did manage to get in about an hour of playing.

I was somewhat rusty after not having played for a few days, so I'll try to get some more playing in over the next couple of weeks. I worked primarily on September, one of the marching band songs that we played this year. I think I have gotten the chorus and the opening down, but I'm not sure I'll be able to play some of the high notes. Attempts to play these notes usually don't end up too well - they would be more appropriate in a guess-the-animal-sound game! In the future, I will try playing the second saxophone part, which has lower notes than the part I was playing. This should help me to play with a better tone because I will not have to struggle to play any high notes.

Here's a video of our band playing September this past year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gciPuKIcPp0

Over the next week I plan to spend some more time learning, practicing, and memorizing some more marching band songs as well as continue working on September. I'm not sure which song I will choose next, but I will do that soon. I will also review some of the sharp notes and flat notes so that I can play them without having to think of which note they are.

Hello to All Newcomers!

Hello again! This is just a short update before the project fair tonight. Our class has been preparing for this since the start of 20-Time, and is excited to share what we have done so far. Although we are still working until the end of the year, this fair is a great way to showcase how far we've already come.

Here's a quick recap of what I have done so far:

1). Setting Goals - By the end of 20-Time I want to be able to play the marching band music we played this year - and play it on saxophone. When I was in fourth grade, we had to decide which instruments we wanted to play in middle school and high school. It was difficult to choose between the trombone, saxophone, and trumpet; I eventually chose the trumpet. After a short while, I switched to the trombone, but the interest to play saxophone still existed. This 20-Time project has allowed me to fulfill that desire. 

2). Planning and Starting to Play - I worked out a schedule for each week and my focus for that week. At first, what came out of my horn was nothing but a series of bird-squawks and high-pitched squeals, but over the span of a few days I was able to produce a decent tone. Since the initial what-have-I-gotten-myself-into feeling has gone away, the saxophone has been a lot of fun. 

3). Beginning to Play Actual Songs - Let's face it: almost anyone can play "Hot-Cross-Buns" (just ask a fifth grader)! I wanted to be able to play some challenging music. So far I have worked on "When the Saints Come Marching In", our school fight song, "September", "Auld Lang Syne", and a few other pieces. I have to admit: my range isn't very good yet, so "September" has been troublesome, but I can play the chorus fairly easily.

4). Coming Soon! - I'm still learning some of the marching band music and am hoping to increase my range so I can play all of "September" (Check my last blog for the sheet music). After I get most of "September" down I will move on to the next song.

Rather than post a video of myself playing, I encourage you to come to the NADA Center at Northwood tonight between 6:30 - 8:00 in order to see all of the 20-Time projects in person! We have been working tirelessly to prepare for the fair!

One Step Closer!

 Hello! Unfortunately I did not find the time to record myself, however I definitely plan to do that in my next blog. I feel as if I have improved over the last couple of weeks, but I still have a long way to go.  This week I experienced my first chipped reed, so I will have to start using a different one. Although it is only a small chip, the reed must be symmetrical to produce the best sound quality. Along with replacing my reed I will research proper care and maintenance to make sure it doesn't happen again.

I have finally moved on to learning some of the marching band music! I have focused primarily on two different pieces: our school fight song and "September".

 This is the saxophone part for the fight song:

The song is fairly easy to learn, however I have not yet attempted to play it at the speed at which the band does. Before I do this, I want to be sure I can play the right notes the whole way through. There is an occasional sharp or flat that may throw me off, but this is the easier of the two songs.

Here is the sheet music for "September":

If this looks harder than the fight song, you're right! I have only practiced the opening and the chorus so far, and some of the notes are too high for me to play right now. This piece, however, is the one I want to be able to play, so I will continue to work on it until it sounds good. We played this for marching band band this year, but I was on the trombone. The parts are similar, but the saxophones have the melody more than the trombone, so I enjoy playing the saxophone part.

In the upcoming weeks I will continue to work on these two pieces as well as one or two other marching band songs. I'm excited to be a step closer to my goal and am looking forward to playing more music!

Week 2

Hello! This week I decided to research some of the greatest saxophone players. What I found was impressive:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryNtmkfeJk4

• Charlie Parker is known for his fast tempo and great improvisation skills. Although he lived until only the age of 34, he contributed a lot to American jazz.

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKH33E7zJM

• Lester Young is a tenor saxophonist known for his "free-floating" style and relaxed tone.

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiI2ZHmxPPo

• In my opinion, this is the most impressive; he can play two saxophones at once! Roland Kirk was known for his improvisation and being able to play two instruments at the same time.

Jazz is by far my favorite type of music to play in band. I love its unique style and rhythms, and above all: improvisations. Although I play in the jazz band as a trombone, I want to learn how to play some solos on saxophone. 

I've also encountered some online quizzes to test how well I've learned the fingerings for different notes. I aced the first couple, but I may need to review my flats and sharps. Other than those, I have most of the notes memorized, which definitely will help me to start to play some of the marching band songs we've performed this year. 

This week I started trying to play some of the basic tunes. So far I've leaned to play Hot Cross Buns (Band kids remember!), Jingle Bells, and a couple of other songs. I think I am progressing well, and will start playing harder songs in the upcoming weeks. In my next post I hope to include a video of myself on the saxophone.

1st Week

The first week was a success (somewhat)! My first couple attempts to play a note on the saxophone went horribly wrong, and involved many high pitched squeaks. However, after several tries I was able to play a note! Although I cannot consistently play without squeaking, I have improved a lot and can now get it right most of the time.

I have also learned several different notes so far on the saxophone. At first it was difficult for me to read treble clef, a certain notation music, because I read the bass clef when I play trombone. After a bit of memorizing, I am now able to recognize which note corresponds to which location on the clef.

When I was able to memorize the notes, I tried to put the fingerings to them. It took a while, but I can now play the seven basic notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. They don't sound the best right now, but over the next few weeks I will work on my intonation in order to get a better sound.

Over the next few weeks I will also learn to play flat notes, which will complete the set notes I will need to know in order to play marching band music. One of the differences between saxophone and trombone is that in order to play higher notes on a saxophone, you have the same fingering and you only have to add one key. I think that this will be helpful for me in the upcoming weeks as I attempt to master the saxophone, because it will be easier for me to remember each note.