November 28, 2020 - December 19, 2020 - Rounding Out the Orchestra - Hee Jin Yoon (Harp), Brad Dutz (Percussion), George Ko (Piano), (And as a Special Treat) 4 Part Harmony

Virtual had allowed us to properly plan. Creativity and storytelling, leading to strings, to winds, to brass, and now we landed on the rest of the orchestra.

I really didn't know how a virtual session with harp would go. But, of course with Hee Jin, it was smooth sailing. Though we could not feel the vibrations of her harp, she brilliant demoed it and all the effects. It always amazes me how this unassuming harpist can produce such a dynamic and rich sound. Always hire.

Black and white publicity format Instagram with Brad Dutz in a bouree and round rim glasses. Percussion instruments are lined up behind him. His name and Decembere 12, 2020, are in blue bars at the bottom.

This would be the first of many sessions with Brad Dutz. Karen brought him aboard. Our advantage here is that Brad is a composer as well as a percussionist. And while he was able to demonstrate the many instruments in his shop, the real reward was hearing how he thought about composition. He talked about shaping percussion and how he strategized around ranges when orchestrated. And whenever he is mentoring directly on a composer's piece, he adds so much thoughtfulness to it. Karen and Brad would record the Bach Cello Suites as an improvised viola/percussion duet as a pandemic project.

I should have done the piano session. It's not because George Ko was bad. He wasn't. In fact, he was loaded with stories. But I knew what I wanted the kids to see. Strumming, harmonics, dropping a chain on the strings, playing it with a thimble. George is a Steinway artist with a piano provided by Steinway, and there was no way any of that was happening. I was smart and had gone to my parents' house with their beat up baby grand and did the demonstrations that pretty much ran the gamut of George Crumb's "Makrokosmos" effects.

Instragram square pub. At the top in blue letters over black, it reads "What is wrong with this picture?" Below it are four bars of notated music with chord analysis underneath, except the stems are going the wrong way. The text invites student to join at the 4 part Harmony Extravaganza. Session 19.5.- Optional.

Four Part Harmony was done during Thanksgiving week as an optional session. 2/3's of the kids showed up. I taught Four Part Harmony the way I knew how, which was supposed to appeal to youngsters more than the typical music analysis. In fact, it seemed a lot like sudoku.

Composer Cadence got mad at me because I started the tradition of pulling up a slide with her picture on it every time I mentioned cadences. (At least she learned what they were.)

And that, my friends, was the end of 2020. We were only half way through.

Next - Ear Training & Peer Mentoring

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