About Me

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Illinois, United States
I am a band director at five private schools in Kankakee. Music is a big part of my life, but knitting and crafting are right up there too. I own a ridiculous stash of yarn, which I am slowly using... and replacing with better yarn... I tend to knit and crochet a lot, in class, out of class, while watching tv, while driving, pretty much constantly. I have been involved with crochet romantically for 15 years, and involved with knitting for 11 years. They sometimes get jealous of each other. I think its funny. Along with knitting and crocheting, I quilt, spin (drop spindle) and design patterns!!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Recital and then some!

I finally received the pictures from my recital! I want to boast about how great my photographer is. His name is Jim Campbell, (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001013361061) and he has done the pictures for our last two recitals. I can tell he came far from last years photo shoot because these pictures came out great! (Mind you.... pictures are great, cant do anything about how "too long" my dress is... sighhhhh) Check out his stuff! Photosand Framesbyjc on face book!


I am so relieved to be done with this recital! And with college life! Student teaching here I come!


Mind you some of these pictures were taken by my mom, but its all good. (you can tell the difference between moms pics and Jim's pics for sure.




This first photo is from the marimba solo Torse III by Akira Miyoshi (b. 1933) movements I. These and III. Commentaire. It is a very atonal piece, which I at first did not want to do at all. In the end, I think it was my favorite piece because even if I hit a wrong note, no on in the audience except my instructor would know about it!!!



This next one if from my Vibraphone solo Three Songs for Vibraphone by Eckhard Kopetzki (b. 1956) movements I. Evening Song, II. Morning Sunbeam, and III. Summer Fantasy. I found this piece to be pretty simple, with tons of repeats. But I really liked how melodic it was, and I didnt give my percussion instructor a chance to say no!



This picture was from our multi percussion solos, Six Ideas for Snare, Bass, and Cymbal by Dave Hollinden (b. 1958)
Movement I or movement V. (played both, not sure which one this is a picture of!)
Michelle and I would switch off in between each big piece to play the multi solos, just because we felt the audience would get bored with so much drum all at once!



Next up is Moods by Pete Zambito (b. 1975). I loved this piece. It kicked my butt at some points, but I loved it all the same. Now I love that I am done with it!!!!



The last note in my solos from this recital! Best feeling ever! Just a duet left, which was terrifying but I was happy to have made it through all my solos!



In Tandem by Josh Gottry (b. 1974). Awesome duet. Just so cool. Multi percussion with marimba duet. It is a newer piece, and is so kickass that when I heard it I knew we were going to do it on the recital. Best choice ever!


Next up some pictures of friends and family that came out to see the recital! Some even traveling from New Jersey! (I have the best cousin, aunt, and uncle ever!)



^ Liz and Sarah, my besties from my hometown!



My family (minus my brother... dont ask, I am bitter about him not showing up!)


Me and the lovely Michelle! She is my roomate, my fellow female percussionist, and the girl that I did my junior and senior recital with! I would put up pictures from her piece, but then that would be another full long blog post! She did a great job too!



Michelle and I with Jim Campbell, our photographer! He did an awesome job!



Lastly, me putting my mallets away for good. (jk, at least until I have to use them again.) But I felt like it was a good way to sum up everything! I am so glad its over, so glad all I have to do is student teaching (and my diversity section of ST in Germany!!!!)

I am almost a college graduate.

And now I am on Christmas break, so I am knitting my butt off! I will also have a bunch of purses made up, and hopefully an awesome intense cross stitch for the boyfriend!

4 comments:

Susie said...

I love that you're a female percussionist! All the percussionists I went to school with, many years ago, were boys so it's wonderful to see a woman doing this. Great photos too!

luganknitter said...

Thanks Susie! I am one out of two female percussionists at EIU. And the other female was the one I paired this recital with! Its rough living in a mans world!

Josh Gottry said...

Thanks for playing my piece - glad you liked it. I'd love to get more information about the performance or even a program so I could list it on my website.

JG

luganknitter said...

Mr. Gottry,
What an honor it is to have you post on my blog! I would love to send you a recording of us playing your piece and the program!

I just fell in love with your piece as soon as I heard it, and I wanted to play it so badly. I offered the recording of it to my roommate and she agreed with me.

It was a show stopper for sure!

I will email you the information.

Thanks again!
Vanessa