Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Ship for the Journey on the Sea!



I posted this song because I like it and because it struck a chord with me and the Night Sea Journey. The idea of traveling the sea, being immersed in the stuff where life brewed and ultimately fills us with the life essential liquid that sustains our bodies.

I also want to mentioned that my son, Bailey had auditioned for, and was selected to play in the Junior Festival Concert at the Fine Arts Center at UMASS Amherst. The event is sponsored by the Western District of the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. It was a beautiful (very spring like) and an awesome experience. I get very emotional when I hear or see excellence and hard work pay off. Bailey, as well as all the sixth through ninth graders represented the best of Western Massachusetts schools. I was moved and had a great time! The first video I am posting is the song, WINDRIDGE by David Myers in which Bailey played the snare. You can see him standing to the right of the conductor. The snare is not Bailey's best or preferred instrument, but he did have the highest percussion score in Western Mass of all that auditioned. He was very proud of this his work on this piece and worked hard with his teacher, Matt Gold at Williams College, and his former teacher at Herberg Middle School, Chris Unczur. I am very proud as well.



In the next piece, Into the Storm by Robert A. Smith, Bailey is just to the left of the conductor and he plays the xylophone, bells, and gong. Xylophone and Marimba are his instruments of choice!



One more choice (there were others) is Fantasy on Russian Air. Bailey is playing the Timpani and he is to the far right of the conductor!