Photography Feature

Hello All!

I'm back from my hiatus to hopefully post more consistently now. 

This past autumn I had some photos taken by my favorite photographer in town (check him out on FaceBook here or on his website here). I was in desperate need of some new headshots to send with my grad school applications (the last one's I had taken were my high school Senior pictures . . . 5 years ago) and Christian did a fantastic job. Check out his work and, if you're in the Indianapolis area, maybe book a shoot!

The thing I love about these photos is that they have an editorial edge to them. A lot of headshots turn out stuffy and posed looking and I love that these look classic and professional but simultaneously look like art! Also, I happened to have these pics taken at a time when I was being loaned a fantastic 1760 Landolfi cello so I love that I will always have these pictures to commemorate an exciting year of playing a beautiful instrument. 

5 Tips on Summer Practicing

School's out. The sun is shining. The pool is open. 

And yet, you need to practice. 

So the question is: How can you use this new-found free time wisely in order to progress on your instrument while still making time for fun and rest!

Here are my tips!

1. Make a Schedule

The beginning of my summer was a mess. While I had plenty of things to get done, I had no organization to my day and this made me much less productive. Organizing the rest of my activities allows me to be more reliable in my practicing - forcing me not to delay it until later. Below is a sample of how I like to organize my schedule.

2. Choose a Time

Whether we like it or not, it has been proven that humans are creatures of habit. Frankly, it helps us maintain our sanity when we can rely on things like schedules and regularity from day-to-day. Applying this to music: regularity and order can help maintain your practicing when you choose a specific time to practice and stick to it! Mine is in the early afternoon.

3. Designate a Practice Place

I am lazy. I detest moving my cello, books and stand around. Sometimes my laziness affects me so strongly that I neglect my practicing simply because I don't want to move all those things to a different location. SO (!!!!) instead of having to move things I have a designated corner in my apartment that is Cello Central. I give myself permission to leave books out, a mug of tea on the floor, and my cello unpacked. In this way I've created an environment that a) encourages me to focus (the same effect that a practice room might have) and b) feels inviting and thus makes me excited to practice (not at all the effect that a practice room has)!

I use this memory board to hold notes with my goals, technique reminders, and pictures of inspiring performers.

Cello Central! 

4. Find a Friend

Practicing on your own is very difficult. But unfortunately, as a university musician, this is the gist of summer life - no one's around! So instead of losing steam from the lack of motivation, contact a friend near or far away and ask them to be your practice buddy. Exchange practice times at the end of the day, send recordings to one another and text them for motivation when you need an extra push.

5. Make Lists

When I was struggling to make it through all my repertoire, my amazing sister (also a musician) told me  that I needed to have a more organized practice schedule. She (or rather, her teacher) suggested that I split my repertoire into two different plans - Plan A and Plan B. Half of the movements of my concerto go on Plan A, the other half on Plan B. Etude #1 goes on Plan A, while Etude #2 goes on Plan B. I've written out both plans and taped them to my stand so that I have a structured method of getting through material. Otherwise, your practice sessions goes something like "uhhhh, what should I practice today? I guess I'll practice the piece that's fun and easy . . ." and that's NEVER a good idea. ;)

The index card on the left side of my stand has my practice schedule for the day written on it!

Well, I hope these 5 points encourage you in your summer practicing and help you stay motivated! 

Shout out to all my awesome friends (and Jordan) for pushing me in my own practicing and occassionally yelling at me through text messages when I watch one too many episodes of Portlandia....

Brooklyn Rider at Clowe's Hall

This past month or so I have been doing "educational gigs" with a string quartet and a banjo player in the area. We've gone to several different locations around Indy advertising Bela Fleck and Brooklyn Rider's upcoming concert at Clowe's Hall and introducing people to the sound of a string quartet and banjo performing together. Pretty cool . . .

Well a few weeks ago my trio was offered the awesome opportunity to actually perform in a masterclass for Brooklyn Rider [for those of you who don't know: a masterclass is actually very similar to a music lesson. One person - or an ensemble in this case - listens to performers play their piece in front of an audience. Then, in front of the audience, they proceed to critique you and instruct you on how to play the piece properly. It sounds humiliating, but it's simply part of the classical music scene and you get used to it ;)]. So today, we did! Yikes. We performed the first two movements of the Dohnanyi trio for them and it was a blast.

Let me just say that they are some of the coolest, most laid back professional musicians I have ever met. All four of them attended the Ivy Leagues of Music Schools (Curtis Institute or Juilliard) and still are so humble and kind. The three of us definitely learned a lot and really enjoyed ourselves. Now to work even more diligently on it! ;)

Science and Music - Music's Effect on the Brain

Hello all!

I'm here again and busy as ever! Tomorrow I get to perform again but this time in front of a large group of cellists at an event Butler has started called Cello Day! Every year my professor has hosted this event and invited both of his studios and many other cellists in the surrounding area to particpate in a cello-filled day. Usually there is a recital, a masterclass, a cello ensemble where we all get together and sight read cello choir repertoire, an informational documentary and a time to try out cellos from a local luthier. I am so excited! (If you are interested in participating next year just click here to register)!

And now to address my topic:

Recently in a class of mine we were discussing music's effect on the brain. My classmates (and the professor) began to name all of the different ways that music is impacting brain funciton - developmental growth, slowing down the impact of dementia and altering psychological moods to name just a few. I was amazed. Music is, yes, an artistic passion of mine, but I am realizing more and more each day that it is a necessity - science can prove it!

Journals and articles from around the world:

CNN: This is Your Brain on Music

Oxford Journals: The Power of Music

Live Science: Music's Effect on the Mind Remains Mysterious

New York Academy of Sciences: Effects of Music Training on the Child's Brain and Cognitive Development

Science Direct: Music and Emotion

Oxford Journals: Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke

These articles are simply the tip of the iceberg. It seems like each day scientists are discovering new ways that music is vital to a society's success. This gives me faith in the ability of classical music to thrive in this fast-paced world we live in. 

Science and Music - The Physics Behind a String

Hello all! 

Things are busy here at school. Busy but wonderful. I just finished playing in a cello masterclass with Michael Haber - a former member of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra who has served as a faculty member at Oberlin College, Indiana University, New England Conservatory, Eastman School of Music and University of Akron. It was such a pleasure to play for him and recieve helpful comments. 

Anyhow, recently I was sitting in my Digital Arts course listening to one of my fellow students present and was amazed to hear about how the Fibonacci Sequence (click here for an explanation) plays out in music and the arts.

In fact, it is amazing how much overlap there is between science and music. Music is not simply emotions and feeling, but also technique and mathematics. I am not much of a scientist (not at all, in fact) but I always find it interesting to view my career choice from someone else's perspective. 

Slow Motion String

Isn't it so intriguing how volatile the movement of the string actually is? From my perspective everything seems quite placid and smooth!

A Word from the Front

Hello all! Greetings from the presitigious Jordan College of the Arts!

I am now in my third week of studying at Butler University and am loving it! I have delved headfirst into being a student which means staying up extremely late, continuing to get up early, reading until my eyes water and refuse to stay open and eating an exorbitant amount of unhealthy food e.g. Chips Ahoy cookies. Other than my unhealthy work habits, everything is going quite well here! I am starting to get into a routine (for instance, I am now attending a regular yoga class at the HRC. Woot!) and I think after this week finishes up I will feel partially sane.

One thing that I am absolutely LOVING is my major change. What?! You're probably asking. No, I didn't change out of music. Instead, I changed my major from a B.A. in Cello Performance to a B.M. What's the difference? The difference is that a Bachelor of Arts is more general - you take more liberal arts electives rather than music courses. A Bachelor of Music translates to taking a lot more music courses. Which is what I came for, right?! So far I'm loving it.

I ran into a friend from high school youth symphony the other day and couldn't stop gushing to her about my classes. Just this semester I am taking Fundamentals of Chamber Music, Introduction to Digital Arts, World Music and Pedagogy! And that's excluding my symphony, chamber ensemble and private instruction credits! It's fantastic! It feels completely unreal to me to be attending classes where I'm learning things like how to mark scores, transpose parts for different instruments, analyze performances and make my own professional website - which I will be sharing on the blog once I complete it.

Yet while it has been so much fun to be so connected and involved, it can also completely overtake my schedule. This week and next I am going to do my best to really focus my energy on my work so that I can relax away from the computer and textbooks.

Have a fantastic week!
Ellie