Exciting news: I got into the University of Colorado at Boulder! I feel like some really awesome doors are going to be opened very soon, and it is extremely exciting! There's still a lot of work left for me to do (I'm already preparing for the entrance exams), but it's definitely an accomplishment I'll remember for many years. I'm already wanting to go haha.
-J
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Monday, December 15, 2008
Funny Quote
Since the successful recital I gave a month and a half ago, I have not touched my marimba. I have however, finished my finals for the semester and come that much closer to graduating and getting out of Weatherford FOREVER!! Thank God...seriously. I'm getting very tired of this place.
So pretty much all I've done since the semester ended is play video games. Yep. That's it. And it is wonderful. Oh wait...I have selected the pieces I'll be doing for the spring. I'll talk about those as the spring semester comes up.
Anyway, this post was completely pointless. But it's 3 in the morning, and I'm bored haha. I now leave you with a quote from my one of my favorite media personalities, Neal Boortz.
"There is nothing quite so depressing as waking up to face a day when you know that you are going to have to deal with a government office or bureaucrat."
True that.
-J
So pretty much all I've done since the semester ended is play video games. Yep. That's it. And it is wonderful. Oh wait...I have selected the pieces I'll be doing for the spring. I'll talk about those as the spring semester comes up.
Anyway, this post was completely pointless. But it's 3 in the morning, and I'm bored haha. I now leave you with a quote from my one of my favorite media personalities, Neal Boortz.
"There is nothing quite so depressing as waking up to face a day when you know that you are going to have to deal with a government office or bureaucrat."
True that.
-J
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thank You!
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came to my recital. It was really awesome to play for such a wonderful and encouraging audience. Again, thank you!!
-J
-J
Thursday, November 6, 2008
The Eternal Debate
This a post about John Cage. If you don't know who he is, check out this video. Then read on...
This post is about a strong debate among musicians of whether or not John Cage is a "good" composer (or a composer at all), or if he is just someone who does "weird" things and calls them artistic. I will offer my opinions here (it is my blog after all haha).
Every now and then I run across a youtube video or overhear a conversation about John Cage and his compositions, and many people are often very critical of him. I don't understand this at all. How a musician can criticize a composer by calling his works "garbage, shit, no-talent, etc." (I have heard or read these things personally) is completely beyond me. I consider John Cage not so much as a composer, but as an individual looking to push the boundries of life--in other words, an ARTIST.
For example, think about Cage's 4'33''. For those not familiar with it, the piece is 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. The performer simply sits at the piano bench, and doesn't play a note. The music are the sounds that occur in the 4 minute and 33 second window. For those who are interested, time yourself and just sit for that amount of time. You'll be surprised at what you experience.
Many people have commented on this piece negatively, saying things like "how can this be music" or "anyone could compose this". I will address those two statements.
1. Whether or not this is music could be entirely debatable. Unfortunately, that's not the point of the piece. Cage wasn't trying to do anything except bring sound (which would be the interruption of silence) into the forefront of peoples' thinking--at least for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. That's it.
2. For the people who say that "anyone could compose this", I completely agree with you. But here's the thing: yes, anyone has the possibility of composing this. However, you didn't. The other great composers in the world didn't either. John Cage did, and I believe it was a very courageous thing to do.
This post may seem a little odd to some of the people who read this blog. Some may be thinking "why is this such a big deal?" I believe it is a big deal because some of the greatest inventions, artistic contributions, etc., come from the simplest ideas, such as 4'33''. Many of Cage's pieces are very simple, and that's the incredible beauty of them.
-J
This post is about a strong debate among musicians of whether or not John Cage is a "good" composer (or a composer at all), or if he is just someone who does "weird" things and calls them artistic. I will offer my opinions here (it is my blog after all haha).
Every now and then I run across a youtube video or overhear a conversation about John Cage and his compositions, and many people are often very critical of him. I don't understand this at all. How a musician can criticize a composer by calling his works "garbage, shit, no-talent, etc." (I have heard or read these things personally) is completely beyond me. I consider John Cage not so much as a composer, but as an individual looking to push the boundries of life--in other words, an ARTIST.
For example, think about Cage's 4'33''. For those not familiar with it, the piece is 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. The performer simply sits at the piano bench, and doesn't play a note. The music are the sounds that occur in the 4 minute and 33 second window. For those who are interested, time yourself and just sit for that amount of time. You'll be surprised at what you experience.
Many people have commented on this piece negatively, saying things like "how can this be music" or "anyone could compose this". I will address those two statements.
1. Whether or not this is music could be entirely debatable. Unfortunately, that's not the point of the piece. Cage wasn't trying to do anything except bring sound (which would be the interruption of silence) into the forefront of peoples' thinking--at least for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. That's it.
2. For the people who say that "anyone could compose this", I completely agree with you. But here's the thing: yes, anyone has the possibility of composing this. However, you didn't. The other great composers in the world didn't either. John Cage did, and I believe it was a very courageous thing to do.
This post may seem a little odd to some of the people who read this blog. Some may be thinking "why is this such a big deal?" I believe it is a big deal because some of the greatest inventions, artistic contributions, etc., come from the simplest ideas, such as 4'33''. Many of Cage's pieces are very simple, and that's the incredible beauty of them.
-J
Friday, October 31, 2008
Small Update
I have just passed my hearing for my senior recital! It will be on November 21 at 8:15pm.
The end.
-J
The end.
-J
Thursday, October 23, 2008
New Pics and Video
I recently uploaded some new pictures to my myspace. I also uploaded a new video to it as well, but as you can see, the video is on this website as well. Check it out! Beware though, the audio is horrible on it. Anyone want to buy me a new camera?? Please hahaha.
-J
-J
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