March 9, 2012
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1 That Thing You Do, Part 1: A Trip to the Islands: We rehearsed all the songs in the show yesterday, just to get an idea of where we are. Report card from Rachel was a C+, which I think was fairly accurate.
2 I went to the rehearsal utterly unprepared and exhausted, and knew my song fairly well, but was still reeling from exhausting meetings, long days, and short nights.
3 The entire ensemble sounds awesome on many songs, the strongest of which is We Go Together. A lot of the soloists seemed about as nervous as I, which was a good thing.
4 For a school's first musical, I thought a C+ was right about where we should be at this time. When they were good, they were awesome. There were many moments of hoots and hollers. But when they were not good (honestly, I really didn't do well yesterday at the rehearsal, but fixed it up after the rehearsal), it was exquisitly bad.
5 Fortunately, Rachel is an amazing voice coach. She has complete confidence that everyone will reach higher, and listen to CD's in order to remember some of the complex harmonies.
6 What was fun was that while working on one number, the entire ensemble moved next door and practiced We Go Together on their own. When they came back into David's room, where we were doing the tunes, they were pretty tight on that song.
7 Freddy My Love had mixed reviews. I thought they sounded wonderful, but Rachel gave that one a C+ as well. I loved it, but I did see that it had a few moments that didn't sound the way it was supposed to.
8 On my own tune, Beauty School Dropout, I realized that I had never practiced the reprise. I also had forgotten the very opening lines, so I panicked a little. Fortunately, I knew the opening quite well, but at one point, I forgot a line, and it threw off everything: pitch, breathing, lyrics. I eventually caught back up, but was pretty disappointed in myself that I had let pressures at school prevent tighter concentration.
9 I also knew that I wasn't going to leave that building until ten p.m. because I was scheduled to work lights for our music concert last night. It was to culminate in the triumphant return from Carnegie Hall of our Wind Ensemble. I wasn't about to miss that one, but still. Exhausting afternoon and evening.
10 Show biz, folks.
11 Moving on, Part the Second: Anyway, because of the professinalism of both Rachel and David, the rehearsal worked. It was a clear wake-up call that we need an A+, not a C+, and getting an A+ with a script as cheesy as Grease is a huge calling.
12 The rehearsal ended at six, so I had approximately a half hour before I needed to get up to the booth for the concert.
13 I ran into my good friend and confidant Matt Hall, a young guitar teacher from Scott's Valley. His room is right next door to David's. He has a room with around thirty guitars hanging on dandy hooks on his wall. He has Starbuck's lights, and at around six p.m. it was the perfect place to hang out. He was rocking on his drum kit when I walked in.
14 He hopped off the drums and said, "All right! Another Teen Angel!" We laughed, and then he admitted that he was lousy at getting lyrics down, and that Beauty School was somewhat of a lyrical bear. I agreed, so we both decided to figure it out.
15 He yanked out the score, and we sat down, but kept singing it in different keys. I said, "Dude, it's pretty much in A." So we kept trying it, but I decided it might be a good idea to pull a guitar off he wall. It was a Yamaha, which is my primary guitar choice. We immediately got into a mild jam, and hammered out some of the chords.
16 Within minutes, we both were spot on with voices. It was a minor miracle, because a half hour earlier I was publicly cracking on a lot of the high notes. Suddenly, both of us discussed our character, as well as when to breathe and when to do some high do-wops.
17 By six thirty, we had it going. It had a total 50's feel, which I think is important to Grease. One of my criticisms I have maintained of the film is that it is a 70's disco movie disguising itself as a 50's movie. The Broadway score says otherwise. It has wonderful moments, and Beauty School Dropout is potentially one of them. We both dedicated ourselves to keeping the purity of the 50's in the show. I personally want a sax, whether the score calls for it or not.
18 But what an afternoon! Two Teen Angels hammering it out on acoustic guitars, and nailing the high-pitched rock. Matt is a young, enthusiastic teacher, and really an inspiration. We had a blast jamming in his classroom.
19 But we had other corn to plow last night. He and I usually share the tech booth anytime Maestro Steve Barnhill brings in his troops.
20 We were both excited to see the audience respond to the Kids from Carnegie.
21 But first we got to watch and listen to a series of other outstanding musicians. Our Concert Band, made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores, was amazing. This was followed by our Orchestra, a handsome, incredible bunch. Under the subtle lighting that Kyle and I did, they looked and sounded astounding. There is something dynamically alluring about a bunch of stringed instruments bathing in subtle lighting. AND they delivered the goods. They went from around fourteen or fifteen students when I arrived at EV six years ago, and had grown to over forty.
22 After a brief intermission, our Symphonic Band came to the stage and blew all of us out of the water. They did one song that was a tribute to Aaron Copland, including a small interlude of Appalacian Spring, and then they took us to Hawaii, all through music. I wish I had my program with me; I left it in the truck, and it's too late into the five a.m. to run out and give all the artists and titles.
23 Mr. Barnhill knew what he had last night. I don't recall him ever conducting better. He gave a workout, with true passion and power. It was almost scary, and he worked for all of his students.
24 After a knockout performance by the Symphonic Band, the Wind Ensemble entered to polite applause. They entered almost too slowly. I felt that a swifter entrance might have elicited the applause that they so clearly deserve.
25 Didn't matter. They played a slight fanfare to introduce themselves as one of the best high school Wind Ensembles in the world. We all took notice. Barnhill continued to work it.
26 Every number had magical music coming from out of nowhere. The sound came from all areas of the stage, synchopating, moving, dancing, and gaping.
27 They brought Amazing Grace, but a version that had tied in to St. Paul's Church in New York, which was right behind where the World Trade Center once stood. The version sang to our hearts, and the melody disappeared for a brief time, and then was brought back. They did this for the people of New York. It worked for the home crowd as well. Absolute exquisite pain.
28 The piece they brought home was this piece called Spitfire! Steve met and talked with the composer prior to going on. He told us what it was like sitting on the stage at Carnegie, and of telling the kids to enjoy the massive intensity of the lighting, of the curtains, of the backstage, and of New York.
29 And then the Maestro told us that he was bringing Carnegie Hall to the people who supported them. That was us, the audience, and the people who support the arts.
30 That song almost couldn't be classified a song. It was sounds flying from virtually nowhere and everywhere. His percussion, which is an earmark of his style, brought so much synchopation and intensity that the room fell silent, save for the miracle happening to all of us.
31 When they abruptly finished, there was a brief second of absolute silence, followed by an immediate standing ovation. I brought the house up so that the students could see the full house standing and applauding for all the hard work, as well as for the emotional experience of throwing it all at New York.
32 Flowers. A autographed picture of the Wind Ensemble in front of Carnegie presented to the Maestro. A moment I knew was worth my exhaustion. We all were in the presence of greatness.
33 It was a moment for the ages. Our school's music program is now nationally known, and our second trip to Carnegie was historically amazing.
34 I got home late, and hit the hay late. I still managed to get six hours sleep, and what a sleep!
35 I couldn't wait to hop on the DN and share this moment of history, and this celebration of music.
36 Incredible day.
37 Hope you enjoyed this. Wish I had pics.
38 It is well into the 5 a.m. so I think I'll try to gather in at least one more hour of sleep now that I can put this amazing day to bed.
39 Have a delightful weekend. Get out and see Charlie Brown over at Indy, and Legally Blonde at the SJCMT. There is still incredible stuff going on out there in this crazy world. Embrace all of it.
40 I'm going to sleep.
41 Live life.
42 Love life.
43 Peace.
~H~
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