Yes its late but I mean I am like 75.5% sure I am nocturnal
So WISE is over for young Mr. Williamson and I have to say it is kind of bittersweet. As frustrating and difficult as this class has been for me, I wouldn't have wanted it another way. I have become a completely diferent person because of WISE, something that makes me incredibly proud. I have found a new niche that I feel comfortable in and am very glad to have had the opportunity to make this change in myself.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about WISE and I have realized something. It really doesn't matter whether you finish your big project like a barn or a movie because what really counts is the journey that you had to take all semester. The problems and tribulations that I had to face that may have not allowed me to complete all that I had initially planned to do made me into a much stronger individual. This class is not about the finished product it is about having to experience life and give you a brief snapshot of what the "real world" looks like. I think it has been incredibly meaningful to me and I am glad I took it and met all the people that I did because of it.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Reviews Out the WAZZOOOOO
So this week I saw a number of performances that really had an impact on me. I saw this IHS Choir Concert, The Armstrong School of Dance Recital, and "Rounding Third" at the hangar.
I will begin with the choir concert.
It is always nice to see your peers perform and this was no exception. I came into the concert pretty exhausted hoping for a nice relaxing time but by the end of the concert I was on the edge of my seat belting out the songs looking like a complete fool and loving it. When a performance has this kind of effect of you, you know they are doing something right.
The concert began with a solo by the choir president. Breathtaking, simply breathtaking. There is no better way to describe the way this piece by Mozart was sung. I was on the verge of tears as I was hit with beautiful and striking high notes that made the entire auditorium get an exhilarating shiver. It was lovely.
Afterwards there were various ballads I do wish that they hadn't explained each and every one because I felt that it became a little monotonous after a while seeing as it was a minute of song and then two to three minutes of explanation. I still thought that the songs that were song acapela were extremely well done, but that may just be because I am a sucker for the naturalness of acapela singing.
Afterwards were a few performances that were good but really didn't stick out to me and I started to lull back into my exhausted state. That was until the full concert choir sang the song, Africa. The song is below this paragraph. The choir simulated a rainstorm just like the video. I was out of my seat. It was a song that the entire choir got into which was great to see. Previously, the choir had been relatively stagnant with a few exceptions who were very engaging because of their movements. Sometimes you can even trick the audience into thinking that you are better than you are by keeping up movement and keep the audience engaged. I understand that it may be embarrassing but it would have added to the whole performance. In conclusion I had a great time at the performance and thought it was well done and am continually amazed by the talent at this school.
Next up was the Armstrong Dance:
Now I may have been a little impartial to this because my sister was in it but I thought that all in all it was just good not great. I think this is to be expected at a recital because the girls of all talents dance. I thought that some of the dancers lost their place and one of the more experienced dancers even fell in one of the harder dances. My only real problem is I thought that the music choice in some cases was not right for the dance. The theme for the recital was movie related but still there were ballet dances done to Michael Jackson's more upbeat songs. I think that with so many choices out there, there could have been better fitting music.
I thought the recital was extremely entertaining and of course was impressed and proud of my sister who was performing on her birthday. When she was out there I felt like she lit up the stage.
Some Armstrong Dancers ( I couldn't take my own picture, not allowed)
Finally we have Rounding Third at the Hangar:
Of the three performances I have seen over the past few days this one struck me most. It is entirely done by only two men and I thought they were nothing short of brilliant. In this comedy, there is an ultra competitive little league baseball coach and his new, lax assistant. In this play we watch as an entire season unfolds and these two characters butt heads. What really stuck out at me was how pertinent this was to my project. This was a play about sports, the best of both worlds. Maybe this is why I enjoyed it so much. As i sat with my dad, brother, and our two friends laughing our heads off I almost forgot that I was supposed to be reviewing this. So I tried to focus on one actor, his name escapes me, bu he played the competitive coach. I could tell that he was a fun loving guy but he stayed in his stubborn character like a champ. When the other actor wold tell a joke I would only see a little twinge as he tried to contain his own laughter. This guy aws good I know that I would have cracked very early on. To summarize I was perplexed and laughing the entire time during this play and would recommend it to any who loves either sports or the arts.
I will begin with the choir concert.
It is always nice to see your peers perform and this was no exception. I came into the concert pretty exhausted hoping for a nice relaxing time but by the end of the concert I was on the edge of my seat belting out the songs looking like a complete fool and loving it. When a performance has this kind of effect of you, you know they are doing something right.
The concert began with a solo by the choir president. Breathtaking, simply breathtaking. There is no better way to describe the way this piece by Mozart was sung. I was on the verge of tears as I was hit with beautiful and striking high notes that made the entire auditorium get an exhilarating shiver. It was lovely.
Afterwards there were various ballads I do wish that they hadn't explained each and every one because I felt that it became a little monotonous after a while seeing as it was a minute of song and then two to three minutes of explanation. I still thought that the songs that were song acapela were extremely well done, but that may just be because I am a sucker for the naturalness of acapela singing.
Afterwards were a few performances that were good but really didn't stick out to me and I started to lull back into my exhausted state. That was until the full concert choir sang the song, Africa. The song is below this paragraph. The choir simulated a rainstorm just like the video. I was out of my seat. It was a song that the entire choir got into which was great to see. Previously, the choir had been relatively stagnant with a few exceptions who were very engaging because of their movements. Sometimes you can even trick the audience into thinking that you are better than you are by keeping up movement and keep the audience engaged. I understand that it may be embarrassing but it would have added to the whole performance. In conclusion I had a great time at the performance and thought it was well done and am continually amazed by the talent at this school.
Next up was the Armstrong Dance:
Now I may have been a little impartial to this because my sister was in it but I thought that all in all it was just good not great. I think this is to be expected at a recital because the girls of all talents dance. I thought that some of the dancers lost their place and one of the more experienced dancers even fell in one of the harder dances. My only real problem is I thought that the music choice in some cases was not right for the dance. The theme for the recital was movie related but still there were ballet dances done to Michael Jackson's more upbeat songs. I think that with so many choices out there, there could have been better fitting music.
I thought the recital was extremely entertaining and of course was impressed and proud of my sister who was performing on her birthday. When she was out there I felt like she lit up the stage.
Some Armstrong Dancers ( I couldn't take my own picture, not allowed)
Finally we have Rounding Third at the Hangar:
Of the three performances I have seen over the past few days this one struck me most. It is entirely done by only two men and I thought they were nothing short of brilliant. In this comedy, there is an ultra competitive little league baseball coach and his new, lax assistant. In this play we watch as an entire season unfolds and these two characters butt heads. What really stuck out at me was how pertinent this was to my project. This was a play about sports, the best of both worlds. Maybe this is why I enjoyed it so much. As i sat with my dad, brother, and our two friends laughing our heads off I almost forgot that I was supposed to be reviewing this. So I tried to focus on one actor, his name escapes me, bu he played the competitive coach. I could tell that he was a fun loving guy but he stayed in his stubborn character like a champ. When the other actor wold tell a joke I would only see a little twinge as he tried to contain his own laughter. This guy aws good I know that I would have cracked very early on. To summarize I was perplexed and laughing the entire time during this play and would recommend it to any who loves either sports or the arts.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Mrs. Sadusky
So as this project draws to a close, I would like to give a shout out to my mentor who has been with me throughout it all, Mrs. Sadusky.
She has been everything and more that I could ever ask for. I needed someone who I could get along with but would kick me in the pants when needed and get this slob organized. She did both of these and more. She kept me organize by having a list so that we went over what exactly I did over that week. This was also incredibly helpful and although the copies got lighter and lighter, I was still able to use them to benefit my project. In addition she was someone who I felt comfortable around and could talk about some problems I was having or even something great that happened. She was always there to talk to me about my WISE project or life in general.
When I was searching for a mentor I was incredibly nervous about who to ask and one day when passing by Mrs. Sadusky's class it hit me. WHY NOT HER??? She had been one of my favorite teachers and was an awesome person. I am so glad that I asked her.
What makes her an exemplary mentor is her ability to reassure me even when my life not just my WISE project seemed messed up. She was always there with helpful words and told me that I would be able to work through the stress that felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
So in conclusion I want to say thank you Mrs. Sadusky, it has been a great ride and I am glad that I had you to guide me along the way.
-Casey
She has been everything and more that I could ever ask for. I needed someone who I could get along with but would kick me in the pants when needed and get this slob organized. She did both of these and more. She kept me organize by having a list so that we went over what exactly I did over that week. This was also incredibly helpful and although the copies got lighter and lighter, I was still able to use them to benefit my project. In addition she was someone who I felt comfortable around and could talk about some problems I was having or even something great that happened. She was always there to talk to me about my WISE project or life in general.
When I was searching for a mentor I was incredibly nervous about who to ask and one day when passing by Mrs. Sadusky's class it hit me. WHY NOT HER??? She had been one of my favorite teachers and was an awesome person. I am so glad that I asked her.
What makes her an exemplary mentor is her ability to reassure me even when my life not just my WISE project seemed messed up. She was always there with helpful words and told me that I would be able to work through the stress that felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
So in conclusion I want to say thank you Mrs. Sadusky, it has been a great ride and I am glad that I had you to guide me along the way.
-Casey
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Carrie's Presentation
Last Thursday we were lucky enough to see Carrie Haase present her WISE presentation. Well let me just begin by saying that I thought she was excellent. She had outstanding presence up there and looked very confident and strong. In addition the tone of her voice really struck me as very assertive, almost as if she was saying a poem for all of her speech. In addition I loved how she was able to present to us some of her poems because at least for me, I was able to see the progression she has made. I remember the funny, somewhat quiet girl at the beginning of the year and now she has become a confident, strong young lady.
Personally this presentation kind of scared me. It was so well done that I almost felt like I had to do well because she had set the bar so high. Now this isn't a blow to her presentation because it was excellent and rightfully should have been but what really scared me was that I dont think I will be able to be as confident let alone passionate about what I am saying. I may care just as much about my topic but dont know how I will portray it.
I hope I continue with my progress and hope to have a presentation like Carrie's
Personally this presentation kind of scared me. It was so well done that I almost felt like I had to do well because she had set the bar so high. Now this isn't a blow to her presentation because it was excellent and rightfully should have been but what really scared me was that I dont think I will be able to be as confident let alone passionate about what I am saying. I may care just as much about my topic but dont know how I will portray it.
I hope I continue with my progress and hope to have a presentation like Carrie's
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Letter To Future Wise Student
I would be honored to share with you some knowledge about the WISE program and my experience in it. If you are reading this then you are already enrolled or are contemplating being enrolled in this course. My experience was that I had a tough time during the first semester because you are trying to fit in an entire year of English into one semester. this doesn't mean that you will be overloaded with work but it is a tough course.
Let me tell you though, the reward of the second semester is great. I have loved my project and have heard the same from all of my peers. The skills that you will learn whether you like it or not will help you in so many ways. You will have to learn to be organized and on task so that you can truly enjoy the second semester. If I were to pass on some knowledge I would say, things take longer to accomplish in the real world than they do in your head so don't overburden yourself. I made that mistake and it was taxing. All in all WISE is an amazing class and I would recommend it to anyone who asked.
Cheers,
Casey W
Let me tell you though, the reward of the second semester is great. I have loved my project and have heard the same from all of my peers. The skills that you will learn whether you like it or not will help you in so many ways. You will have to learn to be organized and on task so that you can truly enjoy the second semester. If I were to pass on some knowledge I would say, things take longer to accomplish in the real world than they do in your head so don't overburden yourself. I made that mistake and it was taxing. All in all WISE is an amazing class and I would recommend it to anyone who asked.
Cheers,
Casey W
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Performance Date
I have finally decided when I will do my presentation. I plan on doing it during Open Mic Night at The Shop. Although I planned on doing more than one performance, but poor planning and an extremely busy end of the year schedule has caused me to limit it to only one.At least there is Open Mic Night! Here is the description on their website:
Open mic is the first Thursday of every month. We provide the mikes, the amp, and the soundperson, you provide the instruments and the art. Sign up starts at 7:45 P.M. and performances start at 8 P.M. It's first come, first serve, with each act allowed up to 15 minutes of performance time. Please feel free to be experimental, electric instruments and performance art are as welcome as quiet acoustic music. So bring your friends and lets see what happens!"
http://theshopcafe.com/calendar
Sadly they only have this the first Thursday of the month so it is hard to be able to schedule it. The closest date would be June 2nd but I have a game that day so I guess my performance will have to be on July 7th.
Although this is way after the date of my presentation I still believe I will follow through on it. I think this means enough to me that I will want to continue to do this after the WISE project requirements are over.
Open mic is the first Thursday of every month. We provide the mikes, the amp, and the soundperson, you provide the instruments and the art. Sign up starts at 7:45 P.M. and performances start at 8 P.M. It's first come, first serve, with each act allowed up to 15 minutes of performance time. Please feel free to be experimental, electric instruments and performance art are as welcome as quiet acoustic music. So bring your friends and lets see what happens!"
http://theshopcafe.com/calendar
Sadly they only have this the first Thursday of the month so it is hard to be able to schedule it. The closest date would be June 2nd but I have a game that day so I guess my performance will have to be on July 7th.
Although this is way after the date of my presentation I still believe I will follow through on it. I think this means enough to me that I will want to continue to do this after the WISE project requirements are over.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Red Flag
How much time have you spent on your project:
Around 6 or 7 it was a slow week
What did you do hands on?
Singing, Guitar.
What did you do for research?
Youtube, Tabs
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and I am currently in red flag
Did you meet with your mentor?
Yes, last Friday
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
Yes
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I didn't fulfill my requirements very well. For some reason I was very motivated this week
What are your plans for next week?
Blog, Memorize all lyrics of songs
Around 6 or 7 it was a slow week
What did you do hands on?
Singing, Guitar.
What did you do for research?
Youtube, Tabs
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and I am currently in red flag
Did you meet with your mentor?
Yes, last Friday
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
Yes
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I didn't fulfill my requirements very well. For some reason I was very motivated this week
What are your plans for next week?
Blog, Memorize all lyrics of songs
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
In Class Entry
Today in class we finalized our presentation dates and the dates that we are evaluating our peers. It was nice to have a day when I didnt feel completely stressed out by WISE. Mrs Sadusky and I already talked about my presentation date and luckily it worked for both of us. This was an awesome thing because I didnt have to be one of those kids that changed their presentation date. I pretty much spent the period just taking a breather and socializing which was nice because in recent classes I have been very stressed. It was also cool to realize that WISE is almost over and our presentations are soon. Although I am a little scared for my presentation because 30 minutes sounds like such a long time to talk but I think that watching Carrie's sample presentation next thursday should ease my nerves. Either way I have improved my confidence immensely so this presentation should be a breeze right?
It may not have been the most productive day but it was nice to get a breather
It may not have been the most productive day but it was nice to get a breather
Monday, May 16, 2011
Reviews
So I was doing some research on http://www.hangartheatre.org/events/category/mainstage.html the hangar theatre's website to look for some possible shows I could review. Luckily there is a show called Rounding Third that I plan on reviewing. This show begins on June 2nd so I will be able to review it before the presentation. This is especially exciting because I have yet to review a real, professional production. I feel like this will be much more difficult but I hope that I will still be able to know more about the musical process and will be able to assess it well.
In addition I looked at the Kitchen Theater's website to see what shows I could review
http://www.kitchentheatre.org/mainstage.htm
It must be my lucky day because there is a show that I could possibly review. Here it is...
MARY'S WEDDING by Stephen Massicotte – June 8 - 26, 2011
In 1914, a young Canadian soldier meets a young woman just as he is about to go overseas. It is a familiar story told in a most unusual way–a dreamscape of passionate love, heart-wrenching separation, hope and survival. For those who loved Last Train to Nibroc, this will be another favorite.
I hope to make it to one of the shows so I can review it before the presentation
In addition I looked at the Kitchen Theater's website to see what shows I could review
http://www.kitchentheatre.org/mainstage.htm
It must be my lucky day because there is a show that I could possibly review. Here it is...
MARY'S WEDDING by Stephen Massicotte – June 8 - 26, 2011
In 1914, a young Canadian soldier meets a young woman just as he is about to go overseas. It is a familiar story told in a most unusual way–a dreamscape of passionate love, heart-wrenching separation, hope and survival. For those who loved Last Train to Nibroc, this will be another favorite.
I hope to make it to one of the shows so I can review it before the presentation
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Song Selection
This is a song that my mom used to sing to me before I would go to bed and I have loved it ever since.
This song is one that I will learn the guitar chords for it and the lyrics
This song is one that I will learn the guitar chords for it and the lyrics
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Red Flag
How much time have you spent on your project:
I believe I spent between around 8 hours on my project the week.
What did you do hands on?
I have been doing a lot of singing, trying to memorize and change the song to fit my voice.
What did you do for research?
I did my typical youtube-ing and looking at guitar tabs
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week but I missed red flag due to a physical therapist appointment. I should check in with Mrs. Lord soon about that
Did you meet with your mentor?
Mrs. Sadusky and I met last Friday
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
Yes
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think I did a pretty good job on WISE. Problem Alert: I have been losing a lot of my drive to work on my project and stay focused, hopefully this will turn around soon.
What are your plans for next week?
Blog, Pick the rest of my songs, Memorize a song or two.
I believe I spent between around 8 hours on my project the week.
What did you do hands on?
I have been doing a lot of singing, trying to memorize and change the song to fit my voice.
What did you do for research?
I did my typical youtube-ing and looking at guitar tabs
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week but I missed red flag due to a physical therapist appointment. I should check in with Mrs. Lord soon about that
Did you meet with your mentor?
Mrs. Sadusky and I met last Friday
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
Yes
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think I did a pretty good job on WISE. Problem Alert: I have been losing a lot of my drive to work on my project and stay focused, hopefully this will turn around soon.
What are your plans for next week?
Blog, Pick the rest of my songs, Memorize a song or two.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
In Class Entry
Today in class we chose our presentation dates. So we got our numbers and I got 1 so I was pretty jazzed up about getting to choose first. But wait, what is this? Curveball! We started with the highest number so I had to be the last one to choose, major bummer. I had wanted to do my project during the second week of presentations so I could get it done because I feel like it will be a big contributor to my stress levels and I don't want it to stress me out the last week of presentations. But because I had last pick, there were no open slots during that week. Now my presentation is the last possible day at 9 am which has its draws but isn't what I was looking for before. On the plus side I was the first to choose which presentations I wanted to evaluate so I chose two presentations on the 17th which is the day I am presenting just so I wont have to keep driving down to the school and can get all WISE things done in a day. Luckily this turns out to be a good day for my mentor Mrs. Sadusky, so it seems that my presentation date is finally set.
June 17th at 9 am
Be there or be square
June 17th at 9 am
Be there or be square
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Venues
So as I have said before the two places that I hope to perform at are The Shop in Ithaca and the Blue Frog Cafe. So I did some research by going to each website. What I found was pretty helpful. The Shop seems to have some open mic nights during which I could have my performance in what seems to be a pretty low key venue. Their calendar was incredibly helpful.y ( http://theshopcafe.com/calendar )
On the other hand the Blue Frog Cafe's calendar was completely blank and no help at all but I hope that I will still be able to get a time to schedule my performance there.
Hopefully I will be able to make contact with them this week or next week.
The Shop: musicattheshop@gmail.com
Blue Frog: Karina 607-758-7989
On the other hand the Blue Frog Cafe's calendar was completely blank and no help at all but I hope that I will still be able to get a time to schedule my performance there.
Hopefully I will be able to make contact with them this week or next week.
The Shop: musicattheshop@gmail.com
Blue Frog: Karina 607-758-7989
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Red Flag
How much time have you spent on your project:
I believe I spent between 6 to 7 hours on my project the week. This is because I have been studying for AP Spanish and Calculus Exams, which have pretty much taken over my life.What did you do hands on?
I have been working on actually playing guitar. Normally I have tried to play specific songs, but during this week I have been going through this DVD I have to learn some chords and plucking.
What did you do for research?
In terms of research I did a bunch of research that helped me pick my first song. Imagine by John Lennon. I know I have hinted at it but now its definite. In addition I did a little research on guitar playing.
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and am currently in red flag class.
Did you meet with your mentor?
I forgot to meet with Mrs. Sadusky this Monday, so we are scheduled to meet this Friday.
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
Not so much. AP's took over
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I didn't do a very good job on WISE this week just because I have been stressed with tests but I hope to get the train back on the tracks next week
What are your plans for next week?
Blog, Call venues for sure, Pick the rest of my songs, Memorize a song or two.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
In Class Entry
In class today I had an eye-opening experience. There are only four or five weeks left until presentations start. AHHHHH! Well I feel pretty comfortable about the first half of my project but I have yet to make a lot of headway on the second half. I think that this is what scared me most. I have to pick up the pace! But anyways so during class we talked about singing up for the presentation days and attending the practice presentation by our very own, Carrie Haase. I think it is awesome that we will be able to see a presentation so we know what we have to do. In addition we took some notes and recorded some dates on the following topics:
-mid MP4 student progress form (mon 5/9)
-presentation sign ups: (5/10) and (5/17)
-creative assignment (5/17)
-figure out availability for presentations (next mentor meeting)
All in all a pretty productive class period.
-mid MP4 student progress form (mon 5/9)
-presentation sign ups: (5/10) and (5/17)
-creative assignment (5/17)
-figure out availability for presentations (next mentor meeting)
All in all a pretty productive class period.
Lack of Posts
Over the next week or so I will have very few blog posts because I need to study for AP's. Fun timez!!! I will try to keep up with my progress but if not then it is because I am studying.
This week I do plan to finally choose all my songs and practice some guitar, and hopefully get in contact with The Shop and The Blue Frog Cafe
Cheers!
This week I do plan to finally choose all my songs and practice some guitar, and hopefully get in contact with The Shop and The Blue Frog Cafe
Cheers!
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Song Choice
After weeks of searching I have finally picked out and began to learn how to play and sing a song.
I plan on singing Imagine by John Lennon
I chose this for a variety of reasons:
First off its an awesome song. Second off it works really well with my voice and there are a ton of covers of it. Hopefully I can work some of their ideas into my own performance. Finally I saw it on Glee a little bit ago and have been obsessed with it ever since.
I am very excited to have made progress on this part.
Here it is!!!!!
I plan on singing Imagine by John Lennon
I chose this for a variety of reasons:
First off its an awesome song. Second off it works really well with my voice and there are a ton of covers of it. Hopefully I can work some of their ideas into my own performance. Finally I saw it on Glee a little bit ago and have been obsessed with it ever since.
I am very excited to have made progress on this part.
Here it is!!!!!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Red Flag!
How much time have you spent on your project:
I believe I spent between 14 and 15 hours on my project the past two weeks because we had spring break. Although this seems like a lot, I really had to make a conscious effort to make some time for WISE which was difficult
What did you do hands on?
I practiced a lot of guitar for instance I am trying to learn how to play Imagine by John Lennon for my performances. This has been much harder than I previously had thought. In addition I did a lot of singing, trying to figure out how to change songs so they fit my voice and have my own flare to them.
What did you do for research?
In terms of research I looked a lot at covers of songs and originals on youtube. I am trying so hard to try and find a song that fits my voice and that I like.
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and am currently in red flag class.
Did you meet with your mentor?
I met with Mrs. Sadusky this Monday so that we could catch up on how my project has been progressing. We talked about the break and how I have officially started working on the second half of my project. In addition we talked about getting more community contacts and calling the venues that I want to play at.
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
No. But I am working on a few so I should have three by saturday
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think that I did a decent amount of work this week. It was especially hard because of the break and I did a lot of sleeping and studying for my AP's. Even with all this though I still made some progress.
What are your plans for next week?
A) BLOG!
B) I plan on calling the owners of the venues I will play at. This is a necesity because without a venue, I wont be able to play the songs I have been working on. In addition this may be a tough goal but I would love to have all my songs picked out and maybe memorized but I wouldnt count on that.
I believe I spent between 14 and 15 hours on my project the past two weeks because we had spring break. Although this seems like a lot, I really had to make a conscious effort to make some time for WISE which was difficult
What did you do hands on?
I practiced a lot of guitar for instance I am trying to learn how to play Imagine by John Lennon for my performances. This has been much harder than I previously had thought. In addition I did a lot of singing, trying to figure out how to change songs so they fit my voice and have my own flare to them.
What did you do for research?
In terms of research I looked a lot at covers of songs and originals on youtube. I am trying so hard to try and find a song that fits my voice and that I like.
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and am currently in red flag class.
Did you meet with your mentor?
I met with Mrs. Sadusky this Monday so that we could catch up on how my project has been progressing. We talked about the break and how I have officially started working on the second half of my project. In addition we talked about getting more community contacts and calling the venues that I want to play at.
Do you have at least 3 journal entries?
No. But I am working on a few so I should have three by saturday
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think that I did a decent amount of work this week. It was especially hard because of the break and I did a lot of sleeping and studying for my AP's. Even with all this though I still made some progress.
What are your plans for next week?
A) BLOG!
B) I plan on calling the owners of the venues I will play at. This is a necesity because without a venue, I wont be able to play the songs I have been working on. In addition this may be a tough goal but I would love to have all my songs picked out and maybe memorized but I wouldnt count on that.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
In Class
So in class today we started off by talking a little about our future presentations. This was kind of nerve wracking for me because it dawned on me that they really arent that far away. This year and especially this WISE project has been flying by faster than I would have ever thought. Talking about the projects made me realize that I have a lot to do in a short amount of time. In addition we got our task force reviews. These are reviews of our projects by people or parents from the community. At first I was a little nervous because I know my blog is lacking and I was nervous about the feedback I would get on it. But all this worrying was for nothing. Jordan's mom was the person who reviewed it and luckily she was very nice in her commentary, while providing me with some great constructive criticism. I really liked her comments about the humor and personal reflection attributes of my blog because those are what I have worked hardest on. In addition I think that her comment about the lack of solid goals is a good one and I think I have to focus my project more. I will be posting about the article we read in class.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Spring Showcase
So to start my break off on the right track for WISE, I attended my first performance that I was going to review, the spring showcase at the Hangar by the Running to Places group. I was particularly drawn to it because many of my friends from The Wiz were going to either be in it or attend. I thought this was a nice way to connect with them now that the performance is over.
So here we go.
The performance started out with a full cast performance of the dance to Thriller by Michael Jackson. I thought that this was done incredibly well. I think that they used the elevated central platform very well on top of which the lead male dancer was dancing. In addition their costume and make up was astounding and to be honest I was a little frightened at first. They looked like real zombies! Performance-wise I think that their dancing was very strong and was pretty in-sync. The only thing is that I wish that they had a little more movement because at times it seemed a little stagnant. This could have been easily corrected with a few changing of position by the dancers. I feel like I missed part of the dance because only one third of the dancers were facing me the entire time. All in all, I think it was an incredibly well done dance and was one of the highlights of the showcase. After there were a few singing performances by individuals that although they were good, they didn't really stick out to me. I think that some of the vocals were a little shaky and in some cases there wasn't enough energy in their performances. This all changed though with the performance of In His Eyes from Jekyll and Hyde. This was sung by two of the girls from The Wiz and they were two who I hadn't heard sing a lot. I was astounded the song is a beautiful one but the two of them made it their own. Their vocals were impeccable and I can honestly say that I was either tearing up a little bit or there was a big bug in my eyes. I am guessing it was the first one. The did it as a duet with each of them singing a verse and harmonized during the refrain. At the end of the song I couldnt help but stand up and clap like a fool. After that there were a few more relatively so-so performances in which the vocals didn't blow me away. There were no major errors but I just felt that the energy levels could have been much better. The finale was a full cast performance of one of my favorite songs Seasons of Love from Rent. I may be a little biased in my review because I was pretty much standing up in my seat singing like a crazy person. This was an awesome song because they featured some really incredible voices while showing the talent of the entire troup. This was one of my favorite songs of the performance and the dancing wasn't too shabby either.
All in all I think that this was a pretty good show. I think that some of the performances were a little shaky and from what I have heard, the past showcases have been much better. Either way I think that it was entertaining and in my opinion the bright spots covered up some of the less spectacular parts.
So here we go.
The performance started out with a full cast performance of the dance to Thriller by Michael Jackson. I thought that this was done incredibly well. I think that they used the elevated central platform very well on top of which the lead male dancer was dancing. In addition their costume and make up was astounding and to be honest I was a little frightened at first. They looked like real zombies! Performance-wise I think that their dancing was very strong and was pretty in-sync. The only thing is that I wish that they had a little more movement because at times it seemed a little stagnant. This could have been easily corrected with a few changing of position by the dancers. I feel like I missed part of the dance because only one third of the dancers were facing me the entire time. All in all, I think it was an incredibly well done dance and was one of the highlights of the showcase. After there were a few singing performances by individuals that although they were good, they didn't really stick out to me. I think that some of the vocals were a little shaky and in some cases there wasn't enough energy in their performances. This all changed though with the performance of In His Eyes from Jekyll and Hyde. This was sung by two of the girls from The Wiz and they were two who I hadn't heard sing a lot. I was astounded the song is a beautiful one but the two of them made it their own. Their vocals were impeccable and I can honestly say that I was either tearing up a little bit or there was a big bug in my eyes. I am guessing it was the first one. The did it as a duet with each of them singing a verse and harmonized during the refrain. At the end of the song I couldnt help but stand up and clap like a fool. After that there were a few more relatively so-so performances in which the vocals didn't blow me away. There were no major errors but I just felt that the energy levels could have been much better. The finale was a full cast performance of one of my favorite songs Seasons of Love from Rent. I may be a little biased in my review because I was pretty much standing up in my seat singing like a crazy person. This was an awesome song because they featured some really incredible voices while showing the talent of the entire troup. This was one of my favorite songs of the performance and the dancing wasn't too shabby either.
All in all I think that this was a pretty good show. I think that some of the performances were a little shaky and from what I have heard, the past showcases have been much better. Either way I think that it was entertaining and in my opinion the bright spots covered up some of the less spectacular parts.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Second Half Time!
So now that The Wiz is over in all of its greatness, it is time for me to start the second half of my project.
This is a much more individual part of the project.
To review what I will be doing:
This is a much more individual part of the project.
To review what I will be doing:
- Performing some songs at local coffee shops such as the Blue Frog Cafe in Cortland and The Shop in downtown Ithaca. My venues dont have to just be coffee shops so maybe I could broaden the spectrum of venues. I hope to perform twice and more would be awesome if time permits. I will have to learn some basic guitar to do this part of the project because I have decided it will make it sound much better and improve my performance
- In addition I will be using the new knowledge I have acquired from being in The Wiz to review some performances. I was hoping I could do some Hangar Theater Performances and maybe some Running To Places performances. I am hoping to do around 3 or 4 long reviews about different performances.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Red Flag Entry
Hi everyone,
Nice to see you today.
So its red flag time again, so here we go...
How much time have you spent on your project:
This week I spent probably around 12 to 15 hours. This is since the last red flag class. I had my PERFORMANCES THIS WEEKEND! They were awesome! So each was around 3 to 3.5 hours including the preparation time and I loved every second of it. This was pretty much all I did in terms of my project because I have been pretty wiped out after the performances.
What did you do hands on?
Well like I said before, my week was primarily the shows. This was a lot of work put into a small slot of time. I was surprised how tired I was after the shows, both physically and even mentally. It was much harder than I thought it would be to keep in character for four shows in a row.
What did you do for research?
So for this week I didn't do too much research, but that doesn't mean I didn't make any progress. I made some headway in my second half of the project. There is a local theater company called Running to Places and they are having a spring showcase this weekend. I think this would be a great first production to review. In addition i spent some time looking up how to calm my nerves because I was really nervous before my production.
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and am currently in red flag class. Yippee!
Did you meet with your mentor?
I meet with Mrs. Sadusky every Friday so last week I met with her. This was awesome because it happened to be cultural food day so i got to try all the foods. It was also cool to have someone to talk to about some of the nervousness i had been feeling about the performance and reflect on the opening night show.
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think that I did a lot of work for WISE this week. For what seems like the past billion weeks, I am behind in journaling but I hope to try and improve this fault by the end of spring break. I think that with the extra time, I will be able to journal about my experiences more.
What are your plans for next week?
First off I plan on reviewing the spring showcase so I can make some progress on the second half of my project. In addition I plan on doing some journaling and research, two things that I have been lacking for quite some time. Finally I will try to send an email to Mrs. Sadusky so we can still kind of have a meeting and stay current on the project. Oh and I am definitely going to get some sleep!!!
Cheers,
Frogger :p
Nice to see you today.
So its red flag time again, so here we go...
How much time have you spent on your project:
This week I spent probably around 12 to 15 hours. This is since the last red flag class. I had my PERFORMANCES THIS WEEKEND! They were awesome! So each was around 3 to 3.5 hours including the preparation time and I loved every second of it. This was pretty much all I did in terms of my project because I have been pretty wiped out after the performances.
What did you do hands on?
Well like I said before, my week was primarily the shows. This was a lot of work put into a small slot of time. I was surprised how tired I was after the shows, both physically and even mentally. It was much harder than I thought it would be to keep in character for four shows in a row.
What did you do for research?
So for this week I didn't do too much research, but that doesn't mean I didn't make any progress. I made some headway in my second half of the project. There is a local theater company called Running to Places and they are having a spring showcase this weekend. I think this would be a great first production to review. In addition i spent some time looking up how to calm my nerves because I was really nervous before my production.
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and am currently in red flag class. Yippee!
Did you meet with your mentor?
I meet with Mrs. Sadusky every Friday so last week I met with her. This was awesome because it happened to be cultural food day so i got to try all the foods. It was also cool to have someone to talk to about some of the nervousness i had been feeling about the performance and reflect on the opening night show.
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think that I did a lot of work for WISE this week. For what seems like the past billion weeks, I am behind in journaling but I hope to try and improve this fault by the end of spring break. I think that with the extra time, I will be able to journal about my experiences more.
What are your plans for next week?
First off I plan on reviewing the spring showcase so I can make some progress on the second half of my project. In addition I plan on doing some journaling and research, two things that I have been lacking for quite some time. Finally I will try to send an email to Mrs. Sadusky so we can still kind of have a meeting and stay current on the project. Oh and I am definitely going to get some sleep!!!
Cheers,
Frogger :p
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
PPD Research
Why Am I So Tired??
This was the question I have been asking myself for the past few days since our amazing performance of The Wiz. If you missed it, you missed one of the most amazing shows since Wicked! I can't say enough how amazing it was to be on that stage showing that over the past three months I have learned so much. It was an experience that I wouldnt trade for the world. But I could go on for years about that. What I am really here to tell you about is part of a cycle that every actor or performer goes through, PPD also known POST-PERFORMANCE DEPRESSION! I made it capital for emphasis.
You may be asking yourself what that is, well I was in the same boat as you are until I found this website
http://blog.chambermagic.com/how-the-world-works/lonely-court-jester
It is a man by the name of Steven Cohen's blog. This was helpful in two ways. First it gave me a chance to see how this habitual blogger works his magic (Pun intended he is a magician). It was cool to see how he expressed himself so freely and I was able to feel all the emotions that were flowing through him when he wrote this post. Secondly, it gave me some insight as to what Post Performance Depression was and it felt good knowing that I was just going through a cycle that all performers have. After the show, performers tend to have some tired or, in severe cases, depressive moods. I have been feeling this same feeling in many ways. First and foremost I am overcome with joy at how well the performance went and the relationships I created through this process. I think it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. This feeling is being battled against by the feeling of emptiness now that The Wiz is out of my life. Although I had such a great time doing the play, I am worried about whether or not I will be able to maintain connections with my new friends and continue to appreciate and act upon the musical part of who I am. I can already feel myself starting to slip back into the old mold and as much as I dont want to, pushing the musical side that I have built over the past three months away and returning to jock status. This is a terrifying feeling and I hope to try and eradicate it sooner rather than later. And so PPD, you have afflicted another performer.
-Frogger
This was the question I have been asking myself for the past few days since our amazing performance of The Wiz. If you missed it, you missed one of the most amazing shows since Wicked! I can't say enough how amazing it was to be on that stage showing that over the past three months I have learned so much. It was an experience that I wouldnt trade for the world. But I could go on for years about that. What I am really here to tell you about is part of a cycle that every actor or performer goes through, PPD also known POST-PERFORMANCE DEPRESSION! I made it capital for emphasis.
You may be asking yourself what that is, well I was in the same boat as you are until I found this website
http://blog.chambermagic.com/how-the-world-works/lonely-court-jester
It is a man by the name of Steven Cohen's blog. This was helpful in two ways. First it gave me a chance to see how this habitual blogger works his magic (Pun intended he is a magician). It was cool to see how he expressed himself so freely and I was able to feel all the emotions that were flowing through him when he wrote this post. Secondly, it gave me some insight as to what Post Performance Depression was and it felt good knowing that I was just going through a cycle that all performers have. After the show, performers tend to have some tired or, in severe cases, depressive moods. I have been feeling this same feeling in many ways. First and foremost I am overcome with joy at how well the performance went and the relationships I created through this process. I think it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. This feeling is being battled against by the feeling of emptiness now that The Wiz is out of my life. Although I had such a great time doing the play, I am worried about whether or not I will be able to maintain connections with my new friends and continue to appreciate and act upon the musical part of who I am. I can already feel myself starting to slip back into the old mold and as much as I dont want to, pushing the musical side that I have built over the past three months away and returning to jock status. This is a terrifying feeling and I hope to try and eradicate it sooner rather than later. And so PPD, you have afflicted another performer.
-Frogger
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Weekly Class
Today in class, we went to the library to look at and review our classmate's blogs. I was lucky enough to have Natanya as a partner. This was a really great experience for me because she is, at least in comparison to my lackluster blogging ability, an avid blogger. It was really cool to be able to see her process of thinking throughout the project and that is something I would like to bring to me blogging. I think that this was a real eye-opener as to how sparse and erratic my journaling has been. I feel that if I was a reader who had no knowledge of my project or progress, I would have no idea what this guy was doing. This was especially tough because I have done so much but because of lack of documentation, it doesn't really exist in terms of my project.
So yeah... although it was a slightly depressing day, it was also a huge help
Peace Out Cub Scout,
Frogger
So yeah... although it was a slightly depressing day, it was also a huge help
Peace Out Cub Scout,
Frogger
Out of the Rut Assignment
So we were given a list of things to keep us on track so here we go...
5 things I should talk to about my project
5 things I should talk to about my project
- Blue frog cafe owner
- The Shop owner to check availability, times
- Owner of Hickeys music for guitar lesson availability
- Directors of The Wiz
- Owner of McNeal's Music to tune my guitar
- I have wanted to learn some guitar to accompany my songs
- I have done much more dancing than I thought I would
- I have found groups other than the hangar theater to review their performances
- I have wanted to incorporate some larger cause into my project
- Loss of playing time on the lacrosse team due to missing practices
- Discomfort at first opening up to people in the Wiz
- Very little singing improvement
- More Blogging!!!!
- Gone out into the community and made contacts more
- Planned my time better
- Performing on stage in front of an audience
- Sing more in public, not as reserved
- Opened up to the people in the musical
Monday, April 11, 2011
THHHHEEEE WIIIIIIZZZZZZ
So I have just come off one of the toughest, yet most rewarding weeks of my life. It was the week that everything pulls together and just looks outstanding.
The week began with Hell Week because of the crazy amount of work we had put into this musical but I felt like I was in heaven after our last performance this past Sunday.
On Thursday it was opening night and I was more nervous than I have been in an extremely long time. As everyone else kind of sat around and chatted and did their own traditions, I just couldn't stay still I kept walking around and I am pretty sure that people thought I was pretty damn crazy. These nerves continued until we played this awesome game called the ball of sound and it is where each person sings at a certain pitch that they can change whenever they want but the point of the game is to just feel the vibrations from the voices and it really helped me calm down.
During the performance on Thursday I only had one mishap which was that on one of my jumps, I wasn't able to clear her and had to kind of sloppily land. Other than that I thought that Thursday was a complete success.
On Friday I still had problems with nerves except for this time it was not because I thought I was going to mess up but it was about how man people were there. On Thursday there had been a lot of people but the house was supposed to be even more full on Friday. This scared me a lot because I had never performed in front of a full house or even close to full house, heck this was only my second time performing, give me a break!
Ball of sound helped me to calm down and I had a much stronger show than I did on Thursday.
Saturday was relatively uneventful in terms of stress, I felt very cool and composed even though the entire auditorium was packed. I thought that Saturday was easily our best show. We all seemed to be clicking on all cylinders which was awesome to see.
On Sunday I felt like a seasoned veteran. I had no work and had a pretty strong show. What made this show special was that my aunt from North Carolina had come all the way up to see me perform.
All in all this was a magical experience and I feel so great right now and wish that I could still be on that stage performing with my peers.
The week began with Hell Week because of the crazy amount of work we had put into this musical but I felt like I was in heaven after our last performance this past Sunday.
On Thursday it was opening night and I was more nervous than I have been in an extremely long time. As everyone else kind of sat around and chatted and did their own traditions, I just couldn't stay still I kept walking around and I am pretty sure that people thought I was pretty damn crazy. These nerves continued until we played this awesome game called the ball of sound and it is where each person sings at a certain pitch that they can change whenever they want but the point of the game is to just feel the vibrations from the voices and it really helped me calm down.
During the performance on Thursday I only had one mishap which was that on one of my jumps, I wasn't able to clear her and had to kind of sloppily land. Other than that I thought that Thursday was a complete success.
On Friday I still had problems with nerves except for this time it was not because I thought I was going to mess up but it was about how man people were there. On Thursday there had been a lot of people but the house was supposed to be even more full on Friday. This scared me a lot because I had never performed in front of a full house or even close to full house, heck this was only my second time performing, give me a break!
Ball of sound helped me to calm down and I had a much stronger show than I did on Thursday.
Saturday was relatively uneventful in terms of stress, I felt very cool and composed even though the entire auditorium was packed. I thought that Saturday was easily our best show. We all seemed to be clicking on all cylinders which was awesome to see.
On Sunday I felt like a seasoned veteran. I had no work and had a pretty strong show. What made this show special was that my aunt from North Carolina had come all the way up to see me perform.
All in all this was a magical experience and I feel so great right now and wish that I could still be on that stage performing with my peers.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Red Flag
How much time have you spent on your project:
This week I spent around 24 hours. Wow! A whole day of my life was dedicated to WISE this week! Nice! This is because this week we had our dress rehearsal and what is commonly called, excuse my french, HELL WEEK! This name comes from the feeling that the actors feel afterwards. I am pretty exhausted to be honest because I have pretty much had my week completely devoted to WISE and The Wiz.
What did you do hands on?
Well we had our dress rehearsal and hell week so I was doing a lot for WISE. We had a seven hour rehearsal on Sunday which pretty much was the most tiring experience of my life. Then we have had rehearsal every day since then from 5 to 10 and well by then I am about to pass out. Although it has been a lot of work, it is also a lot of fun and I wouldn't have it any other way.
What did you do for research?
This week I looked up some tips on how to calm your nerves because I was feeling super nervous about my very first performance. This was a lot of help and allowed me to stop freaking out about how I was going to ruin the entire show
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and in red flag class. Good times.
Did you meet with your mentor?
I did meet with my mentor. Mrs Sadusky and I met last Friday and like always she was a huge help. We talked a lot about my ensuing performance and about some of the stress I have been feeling due to an overall lack in time.
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think that my commitment to WISE has been awesome at least in terms of hands-on activities. I will improve my journal assignments when there is more time in my schedule because right now I feel that my hands-on is dominating my project and probably will continue to for the next week or so.
What are your plans for next week?
Well I have my next three performances this week so I look forward to enjoying those. After that I am sure that there will be a fair amount of sleeping and/ or resting because I feel exhausted. I will try to do some journaling and prepare for the second half of my project.
This week I spent around 24 hours. Wow! A whole day of my life was dedicated to WISE this week! Nice! This is because this week we had our dress rehearsal and what is commonly called, excuse my french, HELL WEEK! This name comes from the feeling that the actors feel afterwards. I am pretty exhausted to be honest because I have pretty much had my week completely devoted to WISE and The Wiz.
What did you do hands on?
Well we had our dress rehearsal and hell week so I was doing a lot for WISE. We had a seven hour rehearsal on Sunday which pretty much was the most tiring experience of my life. Then we have had rehearsal every day since then from 5 to 10 and well by then I am about to pass out. Although it has been a lot of work, it is also a lot of fun and I wouldn't have it any other way.
What did you do for research?
This week I looked up some tips on how to calm your nerves because I was feeling super nervous about my very first performance. This was a lot of help and allowed me to stop freaking out about how I was going to ruin the entire show
Were you in class this week?
Yes I was in class this week and in red flag class. Good times.
Did you meet with your mentor?
I did meet with my mentor. Mrs Sadusky and I met last Friday and like always she was a huge help. We talked a lot about my ensuing performance and about some of the stress I have been feeling due to an overall lack in time.
What do you think your fulfillment of WISE requirements was?
I think that my commitment to WISE has been awesome at least in terms of hands-on activities. I will improve my journal assignments when there is more time in my schedule because right now I feel that my hands-on is dominating my project and probably will continue to for the next week or so.
What are your plans for next week?
Well I have my next three performances this week so I look forward to enjoying those. After that I am sure that there will be a fair amount of sleeping and/ or resting because I feel exhausted. I will try to do some journaling and prepare for the second half of my project.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Rehearsal Research
So I have been feeling really nervous about the performances and really needed some help calming my nerves. This website was a huge help and has helped me feel a lot more confident about the upcoming performances of the Wiz.
http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/copingwithsad/a/musicbefore.htm
What was most helpful was the checklist it told you to do to reassure yourself
http://socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/copingwithsad/a/musicbefore.htm
What was most helpful was the checklist it told you to do to reassure yourself
- Rehearsal: Try to fit in at least three to four rehearsals prior to the actual performance. If possible, rehearse in the location where you will perform; this is especially important for piano players in order to get comfortable with the instrument. In addition to actual rehearsals, visualizing a successful performance is a good way to mentally prepare yourself to succeed
- Preparation: Being prepared as a musician means more than being ready to perform. Make sure that you have taken care of all loose ends so that you are not scrambling at the last minute and feeling anxious. Do you need a page-turner? Make sure to arrange one ahead of time. Have you chosen your wardrobe? Be sure to have an outfit that you are comfortable in chosen well in advance of the performance.
- Relaxation: There are a variety of relaxation techniques that you can use to help keep anxiety symptoms under control prior to a performance. Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, meditation, yoga, and other eastern disciplines will help to keep you focused and calm.
- Memorization: Choose several sections of a piece as designated "memory stations" that you can jump to if you are in trouble. Sometimes simply knowing that you have memory stations makes it easier to relax and worry less about making mistakes.
- Assessment: Assess your abilities as a performer, and be realistic in terms of your choice of music. Do not choose a piece that is beyond your skill level or that you do not have enough time to learn. It is better to perform well within your comfort zone than to fail because you chose a piece that was too difficult.
Friday, April 1, 2011
My Helpers
I would like to give a shout out to Todd, our dance instructor. Before I joined the Wiz I dreaded dancing but Todd really helped me get my groove on. He told me that he likes nothing more than athletes because they do exactly what he says and I was no exception. I am so glad I had him to work with becuase he has helped me boost my talents immensely.
In addition Ms. Tino: She gave me a ton of help on what I was most uncomfortable with, acting. I had no idea how to act but she just told me I was over thinking it and shouldn't be so concerned about what Brad Pitt is doing because each actor has his own style. She has helped me improve both my stage presence and my confidence through her guidance.
In addition Ms. Tino: She gave me a ton of help on what I was most uncomfortable with, acting. I had no idea how to act but she just told me I was over thinking it and shouldn't be so concerned about what Brad Pitt is doing because each actor has his own style. She has helped me improve both my stage presence and my confidence through her guidance.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
First Act Run-Through
Hello all,
So today was a huge step in the improvement of our production of the Wiz. We had our first "run through". Previously, we had been doing walk throughs, which is where Ms Tino and the other directors stop the show so that they can fix things that they don't like. A run through though is going all the way through without any stops. To be honest I was pretty nervous because at least in my opinion, it felt like my first performance. I had to remember when I came in and the dance steps. Although I had some jitters, I think that in the end I overcame them. I think that this is primarily because I feel that I have improved my stage presence and feel much more comfortable than I did in the past. I think that this was an important realization for me because now I can continue to improve and grow as an actor, singer, and dancer.
The production is in a week, so from here on we will really be putting the pedal to the metal.
April 7th-10th at 8 or April 11th at 2. BE THERE!!!
Yours truly,
Casey
So today was a huge step in the improvement of our production of the Wiz. We had our first "run through". Previously, we had been doing walk throughs, which is where Ms Tino and the other directors stop the show so that they can fix things that they don't like. A run through though is going all the way through without any stops. To be honest I was pretty nervous because at least in my opinion, it felt like my first performance. I had to remember when I came in and the dance steps. Although I had some jitters, I think that in the end I overcame them. I think that this is primarily because I feel that I have improved my stage presence and feel much more comfortable than I did in the past. I think that this was an important realization for me because now I can continue to improve and grow as an actor, singer, and dancer.
The production is in a week, so from here on we will really be putting the pedal to the metal.
April 7th-10th at 8 or April 11th at 2. BE THERE!!!
Yours truly,
Casey
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Weekly Rehearsal Schedule
Now that we are getting closer and closer to the production, the rehearsals are getting longer and more frequent for young Mr. Williamson. I will be at every one of these and involved in pretty much all of them except for the rehearsals from 8 to 9:30 on Tuesday which I will most likely sit in on and observe the actors so I can improve my own acting
Sun. 3/27
6:30 to 9:30
Act II work through Company
Mon. 3/28
6:30 to 9:00
Sing through with Pit Orchestra Company
Tues. 3/29
6:30 to 7:30
Everybody Rejoice Company
7:30 to 8:00
Tornado Ballet Company
8:00 – 8:30
Emerald City Ballet Friends, Emerald City Citizens
8:30 – 9:00
He's the Wiz Dorothy, Addaperle, Munchkins
9 – 9:30
The Feeling We Once Had Dorothy, Aunt Em
Wed. 3/30
6:30 – 9:30
Act I Work Through Company
Thurs 3/31
6:30 – 9:30
Act II Work Through Company
Rehearsal Schedule
[updated 3/26/2011 listserve posting by Director Tino - kevanoski 3/26/2011
Sun. 3/27
6:30 to 9:30
Act II work through Company
Mon. 3/28
6:30 to 9:00
Sing through with Pit Orchestra Company
Tues. 3/29
6:30 to 7:30
Everybody Rejoice Company
7:30 to 8:00
Tornado Ballet Company
8:00 – 8:30
Emerald City Ballet Friends, Emerald City Citizens
8:30 – 9:00
He's the Wiz Dorothy, Addaperle, Munchkins
9 – 9:30
The Feeling We Once Had Dorothy, Aunt Em
Wed. 3/30
6:30 – 9:30
Act I Work Through Company
Thurs 3/31
6:30 – 9:30
Act II Work Through Company
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
In Class Project Share
Today we had Ms. Gergely, I hope that's spelled right, sit in on our class because Ms. Lord was out sick. I think it was very interesting to see the different ideas that she brings from her WISE class and learn from what they have been struggling with. Because of today part of me wishes that we had more interaction with the other WISE class. I think that if we were able to have some sort of time when both classes could convene that would be awesome. This was also apparent to me when Ms. Gergely recommended that Chelsea talk to one of her students because she thinks that she could really help her. I think that this shows how much could be gained if the new knowledge and even connections of the two classes were pooled together and used. I know that I would love to be able to work in coalition with someone or even share contacts with someone. This would be very helpful in securing some much needed contacts. The WISE program is created so that we go out and create new connections with people in the community but I think it would be awesome if we could build connections with students with similar projects and have that connection assist us in our progress.
In class we also talked about how to get funding for your project. I personally need no money at all but many of the other students who are making things such as jewelery, clothes, and pretty much any finished product are in dire need of funds. I hope that the WISE program's limited amount of funds doesn't hinder their progress.
Finally we did sharing:
Chesna kicked us off by sharing about her cooking project. The things that she has been making sound delicious and really complicated, but mostly delicious. She seemed very happy about her progress as a cook and the way her project is turning out.
Next was Chelsea's jewelry. She passed around this really cool ring that she had made herself and although I couldn't fit it on my stubby little fingers, it looked awesome. I think that when she said that everything takes longer than she thought it would that really struck me. I think that I completely agree with that and know that many other WISE students share my sentiments.
Tomer- Nice Goggles Dude! But he seemed to be happy with his progress too.
Kyle- So Kyle needs actors... But wait haven't I been working on my acting? Could this be my big break that gets me to Hollywood? Probably not but I would still like to be in his movie because it sounds great, filled with suspense, soft drugs, and comedy. What a great combo!
In class we also talked about how to get funding for your project. I personally need no money at all but many of the other students who are making things such as jewelery, clothes, and pretty much any finished product are in dire need of funds. I hope that the WISE program's limited amount of funds doesn't hinder their progress.
Finally we did sharing:
Chesna kicked us off by sharing about her cooking project. The things that she has been making sound delicious and really complicated, but mostly delicious. She seemed very happy about her progress as a cook and the way her project is turning out.
Next was Chelsea's jewelry. She passed around this really cool ring that she had made herself and although I couldn't fit it on my stubby little fingers, it looked awesome. I think that when she said that everything takes longer than she thought it would that really struck me. I think that I completely agree with that and know that many other WISE students share my sentiments.
Tomer- Nice Goggles Dude! But he seemed to be happy with his progress too.
Kyle- So Kyle needs actors... But wait haven't I been working on my acting? Could this be my big break that gets me to Hollywood? Probably not but I would still like to be in his movie because it sounds great, filled with suspense, soft drugs, and comedy. What a great combo!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Weekly Rehearsal Schedule
So this week will be a busy one, I have rehearsal every day so I will have to try to miss as few lacrosse practices as possible unless I want some angry coaches.
| Rehearsal Calls | |||
| Time | What’s Being Worked | With | Who’s Called |
| Sunday, March 20 | |||
| 7-8p | Everybody Rejoice | Todd & Tino | Full Company |
| 8-9:30p | Act 2, Scene 7 | Tino | Friends, Addaperle, Glinda, Glinda’s Escorts, Quadlings |
| Monday, March 21 | |||
| 7-8p | Pgs 30-31, 33-35 | Tino | Friends |
| 7-9p | A Rested Body | Todd & Tino | Glinda, Glinda’s Escorts |
| Tuesday, March 22 | |||
| 7-8p | No Bad News | Tino & Todd | Evillene, Singing Winkies |
| 8-9p | Everybody Rejoice | Tino & Todd | Company |
| Wednesday, March 23 | |||
| 7-9:30p | Act 1 Work Through | All | Full Company |
| Thursday, March 24 | |||
| 7-9:30p | Act 2 Work Through | All | Full Company |
Friday, March 18, 2011
Mentor Meeting
Today I had my meeting with Mrs. Sadusky.
I just want to start off by saying that she is awesome as a mentor and is just as excited as my project as I am. We talked a good amount about my progress with the second part of my project and how I had been learning a lot of guitar for my upcoming events that are yet to be decided. In addition we talked about some problems I have been having such as scheduling conflicts and she gave me some reassuring words and ideas. I know that because of this meeting, my planning will improve and hopefully I will be able to balance lacrosse, the wiz, school, and college stuff. It is becoming stressful with all these things going on at one time but I think that with Mrs. Sadusky's help i can make it through.
After this meeting i had decided that by the next meeting I will have:
Picked out some of the pieces I will be performing.
Perfect the dance moves i have been having trouble with
Find one or two plays to review in the future
Improve my schedule/ utilize my google calendar for once
Oh and of course do more journal entries and catch up with everyone else
If I complete all these things, I will be happy with my state in my project
I just want to start off by saying that she is awesome as a mentor and is just as excited as my project as I am. We talked a good amount about my progress with the second part of my project and how I had been learning a lot of guitar for my upcoming events that are yet to be decided. In addition we talked about some problems I have been having such as scheduling conflicts and she gave me some reassuring words and ideas. I know that because of this meeting, my planning will improve and hopefully I will be able to balance lacrosse, the wiz, school, and college stuff. It is becoming stressful with all these things going on at one time but I think that with Mrs. Sadusky's help i can make it through.
After this meeting i had decided that by the next meeting I will have:
Picked out some of the pieces I will be performing.
Perfect the dance moves i have been having trouble with
Find one or two plays to review in the future
Improve my schedule/ utilize my google calendar for once
Oh and of course do more journal entries and catch up with everyone else
If I complete all these things, I will be happy with my state in my project
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
In Class Project Share
Today in class we had a very fun yet very informative day of class. Many of my classmates shared the progress that they had made on their projects. To my surprise, everyone had made immense strides toward their goals. This was both exhilarating and somewhat depressing because although I was excited to see how much my classmates had accomplished, it made me think about how I could be putting in more effort and time into my WISE project.
Here is how class went:
Natanya shared first and gave everyone a chocolate chip cookie which were pretty darn good. So tasty that I may have taken more than one, but if you told anyone I would deny it. She also had a bunch of stories of her baking woes and successes. Great Job!
Jimmy followed and talked about his training in mixed martial arts. He put me in some weird chokehold to show his progress which i guess was cool at first but then just turned painful. I will no longer be volunteering to be his practice dummy
Carrie shocked me in a good way with her presentation of her slam poetry progress. This girl had some soul! She read one of her slam poems but she didn't just read it, she READ it. She put so much emotion and I can see that she has made great strides.
Then Mary came up and talked about her progression as a clown and the carnival and how that had been a huge success. It was awesome to watch as she juggled AND talked to us at the same time, now that is some talent! What made it most memorable was that she gave me the orange giraffe that she made from balloon animals.
Jordan came afterwards and talked about how he had finally found a producer from his history of the galaxy book. Me being a star wars fan, I cant wait to see how his book turns out and I hope he continues to progress through his project.
Dylan's project? Well Dylan made something that had to do with physics and although during his explanation my mind may have wandered just a wee bit, it was awesome to see how he had already finished his project. I wonder what will come next for him.
Finally Tara brought in her sketch book and talked about her project and working with sew green, which i would assume is a sewing company. Although her project sounded kind of expensive it was awesome seeing all the types of clothes she was going to try to make.
This whole day was awesome and really got me thinking about ways i could present my project and improve my work ethic and scheduling
Here is how class went:
Natanya shared first and gave everyone a chocolate chip cookie which were pretty darn good. So tasty that I may have taken more than one, but if you told anyone I would deny it. She also had a bunch of stories of her baking woes and successes. Great Job!
Jimmy followed and talked about his training in mixed martial arts. He put me in some weird chokehold to show his progress which i guess was cool at first but then just turned painful. I will no longer be volunteering to be his practice dummy
Carrie shocked me in a good way with her presentation of her slam poetry progress. This girl had some soul! She read one of her slam poems but she didn't just read it, she READ it. She put so much emotion and I can see that she has made great strides.
Then Mary came up and talked about her progression as a clown and the carnival and how that had been a huge success. It was awesome to watch as she juggled AND talked to us at the same time, now that is some talent! What made it most memorable was that she gave me the orange giraffe that she made from balloon animals.
Jordan came afterwards and talked about how he had finally found a producer from his history of the galaxy book. Me being a star wars fan, I cant wait to see how his book turns out and I hope he continues to progress through his project.
Dylan's project? Well Dylan made something that had to do with physics and although during his explanation my mind may have wandered just a wee bit, it was awesome to see how he had already finished his project. I wonder what will come next for him.
Finally Tara brought in her sketch book and talked about her project and working with sew green, which i would assume is a sewing company. Although her project sounded kind of expensive it was awesome seeing all the types of clothes she was going to try to make.
This whole day was awesome and really got me thinking about ways i could present my project and improve my work ethic and scheduling
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Hero Enrique Iglesias
So I looked up "easy songs on guitar" and this was a song that I like and didnt force me to play too many chords. I know it pretty well and may be putting up a video of it if I can figure out how to do that. This was awesome because it has helped me improve my chords.
This youtube video helped with the strumming and chords
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asqLhOOyISw&feature=related
and this is is the real video for your viewing pleasure. The video is a little weird maybe creepy but i mean, it happens.
Hopefully I improve playing this song and will post it up for you guys
Cheers,
Casey
This youtube video helped with the strumming and chords
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asqLhOOyISw&feature=related
and this is is the real video for your viewing pleasure. The video is a little weird maybe creepy but i mean, it happens.
Hopefully I improve playing this song and will post it up for you guys
Cheers,
Casey
Weekly Rehearsal Schedule
I have decided to start putting up my rehearsal schedules up for two reasons. First off, to keep my trusted followers up to date as to what I am doing for my project. Second off, it also causes me to look at the schedule and gives me that extra reminder to check the schedule for the week.
I think that this week I only have rehearsal Sunday and Monday so I will sit in on one of the other rehearsals depending on how my lacrosse schedule looks
My Parts are:
I think that this week I only have rehearsal Sunday and Monday so I will sit in on one of the other rehearsals depending on how my lacrosse schedule looks
My Parts are:
- Tornado Ballet
- Poppy Dance
- Singing Winkie
- Glinda's Escort
- Everybody Rejoice (Full Cast)
| Rehearsal Calls | |||
| Time | What’s Being Worked | With | Who’s Called |
| Sunday, March 13 | |||
| 7-8p | Tornado Ballet | Todd | Friends, Tornado Dancers |
| 8-9p | Ease on Down | Todd | Friends, The Road |
| Monday, March 14 | |||
| 7-8p | Y’all Got It | Parker | Wiz, Pit Singers, Emerald Citizens |
| 8-9p | Everybody Rejoice | Parker | Full Company |
| Tuesday, March 15 | |||
| 7-9p | Funky Monkeys | Todd | Friends, Monkeys |
| Wednesday, March 16th | |||
| 7-8p | Who Do You Think? | Parker | Friends, Wiz |
| 8-9p | Act 2, Scene 5 | Tino | Friends, Wiz |
| Thursday, March 17 | |||
| 7-8p | Glinda Music | Parker | Glinda |
| 8-9p | Act 2, Scene 6 | Tino & Todd | Friends, Glinda, Wiz, Emerald Citizens |
Friday, March 11, 2011
Guitar Day
Today I accidentally missed my mentor meeting due to a test I had to make up so to make up for it I was set on getting on the guitar and really buckled down and learned a bunch of chords. I used the aforementioned Complete Guitar DVD and I was on my way. By the end of the session I learned the E Major C Major and since I am lazy, I will summarize by saying I learned all the major chords. In addition I tried doing some minor chords, which are the "sad" chords but they depressed me so I stopped. All in all it was a pretty productive day
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
In Class Peer Share
In class we worked more on the projects that we had been grading and learning from. First in class we talked a little bit about blogs/journals and Ms Lord collected the hard copy of journals later in class. What really stuck with me is the six parts of journaling. I have primarily been writing about what I have been doing and my reactions to those things but have been lacking especially in planning and could probably do more research. I think that breaking the daunting task of journaling into much smaller, more manageable pieces is a great way to tackle this project. Now that I know more about what the six components are, I think that I will try and add some variety to my posts.
The majority of class was spent on the sharing of projects though. The projects that we were given in class last week were supposed to read over, commented on, and graded by today. My project was that of a former IHS soccer player and after reading over his project I was amazed by how much he learned throughout the WISE project. I am hoping that I can have the same amount or even more growth by the end of the year. In addition the time we spent sharing information about the old projects was well spent and really helped me see how regularity of entries enhance your project immensely and was also impressed by the amount of learning that each of these former WISE students encountered during their project progression.
The majority of class was spent on the sharing of projects though. The projects that we were given in class last week were supposed to read over, commented on, and graded by today. My project was that of a former IHS soccer player and after reading over his project I was amazed by how much he learned throughout the WISE project. I am hoping that I can have the same amount or even more growth by the end of the year. In addition the time we spent sharing information about the old projects was well spent and really helped me see how regularity of entries enhance your project immensely and was also impressed by the amount of learning that each of these former WISE students encountered during their project progression.
Problems...
So today was, to be concise and to the point, bad at least in terms of my WISE project and scheduling. This is primarily due to the fact that as we progress further and further into our production of The Wiz, I have more and more time commitments. This includes the beginning of the Varsity Lacrosse season, the beginning of spring soccer season, and a plethora of college overnights that I have to plan and attend now that I have been accepted. Today is the first time that I saw how prioritizing is going to be a big deal. I was supposed to have a dance rehearsal for a scene in which I both sing and dance, cool right. Well, it turned out that our dance teacher had an emergency and could not come to the rehearsal. So instead our head coach? instructor? leader? I am not totally sure what to call her but she decided that we should have a shortened practice. I was ecstatic because I had planned on having to miss our entire practice for rehearsal. Yet when I sprinted over to the locker room and informed my coaches that I would now be able to make half of the practice, they were not as pleased as I was. After a short lecture about my commitment to the team, I left, feeling pretty dejected about my current situation. This feeling continued through rehearsal and the second half of lacrosse practice and threw me off my game. I have made a commitment to both my lacrosse team and the musical and I foresee some or, if worst comes to worse, many conflicts between the two . I will definitely have to think about this debacle and figure out a medium at which both sides are content.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
"Complete Guitar" by Steve Mackay, Research
Due to the recent closing of Borders, a nearby bookstore, I have been able to get a bunch of new reading material and research for my WISE project at a cheap rate. One of these that I am excited to learn from is called Complete Guitar. This is a book and DVD set that gives the reader a basic overview of guitar playing such as chords, tuning, and actually playing it. With my mom's old guitar being currently tuned and fixed at a music shop by our house, whose name eludes me, I am ready to begin work on the second part of my project, the half that includes the performances at local coffee shops and/or talent shows. I feel that if I am able to learn at least the basics of an instrument, it will make my shows in the future much better because it won't be just me singing. In addition I feel that because of my inevitable nerves, my hands would fidget and a guitar will fix that problem. After going through this book and DVD I hope to have a basic understanding of how to play the guitar and will be able to learn the chords of the soon to be determined songs I will perform. I have wanted to try my hand at guitar for a while so this is an especially exciting time for me.
Here is a picture of the set
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Complete-Guitar/Steve-MacKay/e/9781741823905
Wish me luck and come to the performances of the Wiz (April 7th to 10th),
Casey
Here is a picture of the set
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Complete-Guitar/Steve-MacKay/e/9781741823905
Wish me luck and come to the performances of the Wiz (April 7th to 10th),
Casey
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