The Gift of Music

Happy New Year!

Recently in the home of a good friend and wonderful musician I found this book full of quotes from famous composers, writers and poets. The book is called "The Gift of Music" and below is my favorite. Please enjoy!
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I am Music. I make the world weep and laugh, wonder and worship.

I tell the story of love, the story of hate, the story that saves and the story that destroys. I am the incense upon which prayers float to Heaven. I am the smoke which palls over the field of battle where men die with me on their lips.

I am close to the marriage altar, and when the grave opens I stand nearby. I call the wanderer home, I rescue the soul from the depths; I open the lips of lovers and through me the dead whisper to the living.

One I serve as I serve all, and the king I make my slave as easily as I subject his slave. I speak through the birds of the air, the insects of the field, the crash of waters on rock ribbed shores, the sighing of the winds in the trees, and I am even heard by the soul that knows me in the clatter of the wheels on city streets. 

-Anonymous.

Victory, Chaos, and the Marathon Mindset

Article below was originally published in The Juilliard Journal.
http://www.juilliard.edu/journal/1305/marathon-mindset?destination=node/27397

Victory, Chaos, and the Marathon Mindset

Fourth-year violist Marie Daniels poses with her boyfriend, Nate Helgeson (Graduate Diploma ’12,historical performance), after finishing the 2013 Boston Marathon—and just a few minutes before bombs exploded near the finish line. 

  

By MARIE DANIELS

May 2013

April 15, 2013. The date had been saved in my calendar for quite some time, and not just because it’s tax day. In November 2011, I had finished my first marathon (New York City) just a few minutes under the qualifying time for Boston, and it was then that I first set my sights on running in that venerable event.

That Monday morning in Boston dawned with beautiful running weather—cool, a slight breeze, and partly cloudy. A long bus ride and long lines for the portable toilets eventually led to the start of the race. And then I ran. And then I ran some more. The course was fun, passing through the small towns outside of Boston, up and down hills, with cheering spectators lining the road the whole way. Miles 16 to 20 were tough. I began repeating my favorite phrase in my head (inspired by Finding Nemo): Just keep running, just keep running. Once I made it to mile 21, I knew I could do it, the most emotional moment being when I turned the corner onto Boylston Street and could see the finish line. That was at 1:50 p.m.

I hobbled my way through the recovery stations, getting water, food, heat-wrap, and a medal. When I picked up my bag, I was happy to see many excited texts from family members congratulating me. At 2:34p.m., I called my boyfriend from the corner of Fairfield and Boylston Streets. Eventually he found me there among the crowds of people near the finish line and we started to walk back to our friend’s apartment, just a few blocks away. Strangers congratulated me as we walked—shouting, high fives, smiles. We picked up a few free samples of hummus and cheered on the runners as we walked across the overpass where Massachusetts Avenue passes over the race course on Commonwealth Avenue. Then it happened: police running, police biking, police driving, police shouting. The runners stopped running. Nobody knew what was going on, but I realized that if they had just stopped the Boston Marathon, it must be something serious.

The next hours were a bit of a daze. We continued walking back toward the apartment, which was actually toward the explosions, but heard people as they hurried past us: “gunshots,” “explosion.” We were warned by others on the street to turn around and walked down an extra block, but ultimately we had to go in that direction and were actually lucky to make it back before the police locked down our side of Commonwealth Avenue. Once back at the apartment, I immediately searched the Internet and quickly found a picture already uploaded on Twitter. Bombs. Two of them. The daze continued. Texting family, showering, packing, texting, eating, calling, worrying, sirens, texting, sirens, bomb dogs, calling. Suddenly I had so many things to do, but I couldn’t concentrate on any of them. Our main objective was to get out of the city as we’d planned, on a 6:10 p.m. Megabus back to New York. Subways closed and taxis busy, we finally walked to the bus station. Tensions were still high, an eerie feeling hung in the air as SWAT teams were standing in the streets and marathon runners and families wandered to their destinations. We made it to the bus (amazingly it was able to arrive and leave on time)—and I finally sat down for the first time since the morning. I sat and I thought.

As a musician, I struggle with the need to have more objectivity in my life. Art is so subjective, I yearn for something concrete. For me the answer is in running, particularly when training for a race. I have a schedule, I have a goal. I work my way up to the distances and I reach the finish line. Every time we practice our instrument or rehearse our art, we hope to be a little bit better each and every day. The same goes for running, but it usually comes with results that are more quickly visible.

A marathon, in particular, is a race in which there is no competitor but you. A marathon is really about finishing. Months and months of training with careful attention to one’s physical health build up to one race. A cliché that we use for life is applicable here: it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. This journey involves a lot of mental strength. The body must be trained, but it is an incredible mental exercise and challenge that requires the mind to push through pain and drive to the desired goal.

The events that took place in Boston a few weeks ago were terrible and will not be soon forgotten. But here I find that the marathon mindset is what gets us through. When you hit the wall, take a deep breath and then keep going, stronger than before. This perseverance is exactly what characterizes my experience at the 2013 Boston Marathon and what will help shape the recovery of that city. Just keep running.

I will never forget April 15, 2013, neither for what I accomplished nor for the horrible thing that happened that day. Rather, I’ll remember it because on that day I was greatly touched by the many texts, calls, and messages from my friends and family reaching out to me, asking if I was O.K., and sending their condolences. Great accomplishments are reduced and pushed aside when you recognize the fortune to be alive and full of love from friends and family. May I never forget the most important things in life.

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year! 2013 will be a good one!
Here's a little sticker I made to celebrate: It's the year of the viola! (no matter that we aren't the only ones who use alto clef ;) You can buy one here: 2013 Viola Sticker

This spring, I will graduate (hopefully :) from Juilliard with my Bachelor's degree and who knows where I will be in the fall! I currently hope to stay at Juilliard for my Masters, but I am also applying to Yale and Rice Universities.

2012 treated me well. I started a new series of videos featuring "Viola Tips" and I've launched my Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/MarieDanielsviolamad. Like it if you like viola :)

I also had my graduation recital on December 7th, and it was successful :) I'm really enjoying playing the baroque viola. The most fun part of my recital was performing Brandenburg 6 with some wonderful friends. Maybe that will provide a new path for my future?

Best wishes to you in the new year. May you find more happiness and success!

Love,
Violamad

Introducing...The AVS Pedagogy Blog!

Clearly I do not have the most active blog, namely because these days, I rarely get around to posting. But here's the good news: when I do post something, it's bound to be something really exciting!

The good news:
This year my viola studio at Juilliard has been chosen to start a new American Viola Society Pedagogy Blog. It was launched last month and, I must say, has proved itself to be an incredible resource for all musicians. There are 5 posts a week, each under a different general topic. The posts are written by Juilliard students, alum, and faculty. You can imagine that in combining brains of 40 violists, you can get a lot of information, tips and ideas. (Did that sound like a viola joke?- well it's not! It's true!)

I recently posted a video which answers my assigned question for the Teaching section: "How do you know what you're teaching is actually helping the student?". View it by clicking here:

However, I encourage you to check out all of it! www.americanviolasociety.org/studio

Below I've also posted my interview which was a part of my introduction to the "Cast" of the ACHT viola studio.

Introducing Marie Daniels!

The Cast Comments Off

What’s your name?

My name’s Marie. My internet alias is “violamad”. My full name is Marie Alise Daniels. That means my initials spell “mad”. Get it?

Where are you from?

In New York, I tell everybody that I’m from Houston, Texas. This is *mostly* true. However, I was born in College Station, TX, a college town home to Texas A&M University. Then I moved to a northern suburb of Houston when I was eleven, The Woodlands. And that’s where I fell in love with viola. 

How did you come to the viola?

Sometimes I like to call myself a “pure violist”. Yep, I started on viola in the 5th grade. Basically, we had to choose to take orchestra or art, and seeing that I liked to draw stick figures, I found orchestra to be a more appealing choice. Not such a romantic story. However, the way the story goes, when we had to choose between violin, viola, cello and bass, I decided on the viola, because I liked the way it sounded. Marie, had you ever heard a viola before? No, I liked the way it sounds: “vee-oh-la”. (source: my grandfather)

If you could perform any viola piece, what would it be?

This is a really tough question…because I have so many answers. Well, I can say that I’m very much looking forward to performing Brandenburg 6 with the wonderful Baroque violist Kyle Miller and a band of low strings!

If you could play any non-viola piece, what would it be?

I want to play all of the Vivaldi concerti for the Viola d’amore! (I’m kinda into that historical performance thing…GUT STRINGS!)

Who made your viola and how did you get to be the one playing it?

My viola is from the Robertson and Sons Violin shop, made by S.J Pique. I don’t know him, but he definitely made a pretty sounding viola 

Do you have any secret skills?

I’m not sure if this is the right kind of answer, but I just wanted to say, I LOVE food. Share recipes with me!

You are forced by the United States Government to not practice for a day.  What do you do with yourself?

Bike around New York City! All.The.Way.Around.

Do you have a website?

Good thing nobody else famous shares my name!
www.mariedaniels.com

I also have a fun shop where you can buy some viola products that I designed!
www.cafepress.com/4theloveofviola

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

I am in Japan. I have never been to Japan. But now I am here, eight days now. I am participating in the Pacific Music Festival  and will be ending my time in Asia with a brief orchestra tour to Tokyo, Shenyang and Bejing, China.

What is Sapporo like? Well, I'm sure everybody will tell you different things, but here I will give a brief summary of things that I have noticed and discussed with others.

LAND

• I had heard there were mountains, but it has been a nice surprise to see such a variety in the landscape. The green mountains are not terribly tall, but have many peaks and account for a number of windy roads for the city.
• Sapporo was the host city of the winter Olympics in 1972. Because of that, there are various sites in the city that were built in this time. Across the street from our hotel is the ice skating rink and some other stadium. There are also tons of pathways that run along the Makomonai River and small but beautiful bridges that I suppose were constructed for this event.
• Cars drive on the left. If I don't come back from Sapporo, it's probably because I looked to the right before crossing the street.
• Does anybody jaywalk?

FOOD

• Whether it's fish, beef, pork, rice or noodles, you can bet that it has a fishy taste.
• With the exception of some soups, there are few hot foods. Cold meats, salads and noodles are common. 
• Melons are ridiculously expensive. But they are incredibly delicious and sweet. We get to enjoy them at our lunches at the Art Park (where we rehearse) restaurant.
• Most common vegetables of the US are rare. Instead you will mostly find cabbage and tomatoes. Egg also may top a salad. Vegetables, like fruit are very expensive.

OTHER

• Not a lot of trash cans. Not a lot of trash. Where does it disappear to?!
• Hotel keys are a bit weird. I have to share one metal key with my roommate and to keep the lights on in the room, you are supposed to put this keycard in a slot on the desk.
• The smallest bill in Yen is 1000, which is about 12 dollars. So this amounts to a lot of change in your pocket!

Life is busy here, but I'm managing to have some fun!

More about the festival itself later :)

What do I practice?

Recently I hosted my first chamber music festival, here at my home in Texas. Maybe I can talk about that later, but for now I just wanted to share a document that I made in lieu of the event- a sheet that I posted in each of the students practice rooms. After making the page, I realized- Hey! These are good reminders!

One is now hanging in my practice room.

What do I practice???

Find a problem à Determine why it happenedà Decide how/practice to prevent it from happening again

Intonation

·         If something is not in tune, check with your open strings for a centered pitch

·         If you notice a note is sharp, play it lower the next time. Or vice versa. Repeat until it is consistently in tune. (Example: practice a shift until you can get the shift in tune 7 times in a row)

Rhythm

·         Have I counted out difficult rhythms?

·         Have I used a metronome to find where I have a tendency to rush or slow down?

·         Do I know how my rhythm fits in with the other instruments?

Dynamics

·         Am I following all the printed dynamics? Do I understand their character?

·         Am I conscious of my dynamics throughout? Do I know who has the melody at any time?

Bow use / Articulation

·         Am I playing in the right part of the bow? Is my bow straight?

·         Am I using the correct bow stroke? Am I using the bow for the right kind of articulation?

Phrasing/Musical Direction

·         Where is the high point of the phrase? Am I giving the music a shape?

·         Use your most natural instrument (your voice) to sing the music to find direction. Sometimes technical difficulties limit our abilities to phrase; singing helps you find a musical line.

*No matter what you are practicing, you should always be making a beautiful sound!

*Listen to yourself! Your ear is your best friend!

*Don’t repeat something if it’s wrong. This is drilling the wrong information into your mind and body. Correct your mistakes, and then repeat the corrected version.

*Practice technical passages SLOWLY. Don’t just get the notes right.  Strive for cleanliness and evenness.  If you make a mistake most of the time, you are practicing at a tempo that is too fast.

*Make little goals at the beginning of each practice session, not unachievable ones. Practice for these goals and be happy when you do reach them. Keep a positive attitude.

Oh Coffee

To all my friends who make fun of me (and my family) for our love of coffee- I present you this:

Written in 1587 by Sheik Ansari Djezeri Hanball Abd-al-Kadir (<---what a name)

Oh coffee, you dispel the worries of the great,

you point the way to those who have wandered from

the path of knowledge. Coffee is the drink of the

friends of God, and of His servants who seek wisdom.

As coffee steeps in the cup it gives off a musky

aroma and turns the colour of ink. No one can under

stand the truth until he drinks of its frothy goodness.

Those who condemn coffee as causing man harm are

fools in the eyes of God.

Coffee is the common man's gold, and like gold it

brings to every man the feeling of luxury and nobility.

Coffee differs from pure, gentle milk only in its taste

and colour. Take time in your preparation of coffee and

God will be with you and bless you and your table.

Where coffee is served there is grace and splendour and

friendship and happiness.

All cares vanish as the coffee cup is raised to the

lips. Coffee flows through your body as freely as your

life's blood, refreshing all that it touches: look you at

the youth and vigour of those who drink it.

Whoever tastes coffee will forever forswear the liquor

of the grape. Oh drink of God's glory, your purity

brings man only well being and nobility. 

A conductor who keeps his word

Donuts. Krispy Kreme donuts were waiting for the Juilliard orchestra after their concert on Friday night. Why? Well, it actually goes back to November, when the orchestra had the very first reading of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.  The first time through, the Danse Sacrale provoked a series of giggles as one person after another committed the ultimate crime: playing during a rest. Though it is far from the most difficult aspect of the work, it is definitely a tricky spot and requires a high level of focus. On our second try through the section, Mr. Gilbert said “If we can get through this section without anybody playing in a rest, I’ll give the orchestra a treat…I’ll buy donuts for everyone!” Unfortunately, within a few measures, all hope was lost with an unmistakable wrong entrance from a horn. Giggles burst out again.

Laughter was not uncommon during the series of rehearsals with Mr. Gilbert, rehearsals for a program that also included Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin and Christopher Rouse’s Violin Concerto, performed by Fabiola Kim. This being my first time playing under his baton, I was pleasantly surprised with the high level of respect that he treated to us as students. I equally enjoyed the surprise visits of members of the New York Philharmonic to join in our rehearsals. I could tell from the very beginning that he expected a good concert and I felt that the orchestra wished for the same.

About a week before the concert I remember distinctly when Mr. Gilbert described feeling that the orchestra was viewing the Rite of Spring “as a mountain”. Yes, we could play the music, but rather than stare up in awe of difficulty (or awesomeness) we needed to feel as if we were sitting on top of that Rite-of-spring-mountain, conquering it. However, it would take a lot of work to get to that point. Yes, we could play the music, but it just didn’t feel quite right. Transitions were shaky and tempos were uncomfortably falling behind or forward.

I’ve always been impressed by the way that Mr. Gilbert can carry the music through his whole body, and this concert was no exception. The Ravel created a magical beginning and the Rouse was a powerful and thrilling end to the first half, with an excellent solo performance from Fabiola Kim. Then it came—Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. The first kiss of the Earth by the solo bassoon found me holding my breath. However, as principal bassoonist Brent Foster beautifully ended his first phrase, I realized we had climbed the mountain. For the next half hour, I experienced one of the most special musical moments of my life. The orchestra had finally come together to be one living, breathing organism. And that feeling is something extraordinary.

To be honest, even in the dress rehearsal I was nervous for our success. But I knew Mr. Gilbert had faith in us, and that is what brought us to the place we were at on Friday night’s concert. He treated us as true collaborators and inspired us to be great. I am so incredibly grateful to Mr. Gilbert and to my fellow colleagues at Juilliard for taking part in this concert and making this experience possible. May we all be better for it.

And then there were donuts. 

It's TAPER TIME

SOOOOOO, Saturday morning I ran the second 20 mile run of my training and it was great! Here's a clip from it:

Unfortunately, as you can see, the wind was blowing from the southwest. And...the last 6 miles of my run were also, southwest.

YES, HEAD WIND.

I had noticed before I left that it was going to be very windy, but I had already planned out where I was going to run and decided to just face the WIND. I knew that the course on marathon day won't be changing so this could be good preparation! (Though I really hope it won't be quite so windy!) The wind was at a pretty steady 12-15mph by the end of my run, which made it pretty rough! Actually, while I was on the bridge the wind was so strong I could feel it blowing me to the side and it was difficult to run in a straight line. Psh, well straight lines are overrated! It was fun!..... (in that little bit masochist sense that pain is gratifying!)
(and I forgot to mention that the miles with the tailwind were great! :)
3 weeks from TODAY- ING MARATHON SUNDAY! I'm so excited! I hope that my body won't feel too sluggy as I start tapering down to race day.

Please continue to submit your daily votes for me in the ING Featured Runner contest!
Vote Here on Facebook
YAY

Thanks!
Love,
Violamad

Why we train

On Saturday morning I ran twelve miles. Since I had run 20 miles on the previous Saturday morning, in my head, this 12 miles seemed like nothing. I didn't wake up early, I hadn't hydrated well the day before and I ate part of a bagel just 15 minutes before I left to go run. And then I ran, pretty fast. Too fast. I ran the first 6 miles in 43min, and suddenly I realized I was only half-way done.

Needless to say, by the time I got to 8 miles, I was in a lot of pain. I just simply had not properly prepared myself for this run, mentally and nutritionally.

Later that day I was having coffee with a friend and we started talking about my training and he asked about my run. So honestly, I had to say, it was a bad 12 miles. He asked me if I had learned anything. Well, yes, I shouldn't have started out so fast, I need to better monitor my pace, I should have prepared more mentally, slept more during the week...etc. But he didn't leave it at that. He didn't just mean if I had learned about my running training, but if I had learned something about myself. These mistakes that I made with training- were they the same kind of mistakes that I make in the rest of my day to day life?

Woah.

I had really yet to consider this. I've been training for months, for this thing called a marathon. But have I not also been training for life?

Well, now that I think about it, yeah, I often start out too quickly in a lot of things. Sometimes I decide to take on more things that I can handle. Sometimes I start practicing viola, just playing notes, before I'm mentally prepared. My mind isn't ready to really think about the music and what I'm trying to express through it. Sometimes I forget to drink enough water, and forget take care of myself before helping others. 

Every kind of training we do is an opportunity to learn. Every opportunity is a choice. Every choice is your future.

What did you learn today?

Love, Violamad

How did I get here?! ING NYC Marathon 2011

Since I got into running in high school, I've always wanted to run a marathon. It was a goal to accomplish, some time in my life.
I remember distincting during my freshman year of Juilliard, after living in NY for only a few months, I was walking down Columbus Ave near 85th Street, and suddenly I realized it was the day of the marathon. Hundreds of runners were crowding the street, trying to catch cabs, eating at cafes, walking (some barely) around with these finisher blankets, hugging family and friends. It was so incredibly inspiring, I started to cry! There in front of me were people, ordinary people, who had just accomplished something really great.
This is when I first considered running the ING NYC Marathon. But of course, I had never run more than 6 miles! So I decided to run a half marathon first. In the fall of 2010, I signed up for Grete's Great Gallop as part of the Norwegian Festival. I downloaded some training guide off the internet, and I was off! I've never really had a training partner, not even an iPod, and yet I've been fortunate to be crazy enough to train even in the summer heat! I really surprised myself when I crossed the finish line of 13.1 miles in 95min. It's quite a mind game, these long races. Additionally, I was suprised to imagine running another 13.1 miles, were I to be doing a full marathon. It seemed IMPOSSIBLE.
So I went back to my regular, every day running schedule of about 4 miles, 6 days a week. Then, in the spring of 2011, I got an email.
It was from the NYRR saying that I was a time qualifier and was eligible for guaranteed entry to the 2011 ING NYC marathon. :-O And, well, I thought, this must be it. Though I knew it would heavily impact my schedule with school, I figured there may not be any other chance for such a lifetime experience! So I did it. I signed up and was never more proud when I saw that "confirmation" message pop up on my screen. I'm IN!

I began my 18-week training schedule this summer and things have been going pretty smoothly. I'm very thankful, and incredibly excited to be living my dream. And there is absolutely NO other marathon that I would rather be running! (but I'll explain more of that later ;)

I've also been selected as an ING Runners Nation Featured Runner. To help me to win the grand prize, please vote for me (you can once a day, until November 3rd)by this link: https://www.facebook.com/INGRunnersNation?sk=app_262425550462242 (Click on view featured runners and then the "thumbs up" by my profile to vote)
Thank you for your support!
Love,
Violamad

Not about Italy

Ciao! Hallo!

My two week vacation in Europe has finally come to a close. I write this as I am on the plane to New York. My tv is not working :( I had become very excited  upon seeing that they had Don Giovanni available for viewing as well as a documentary about marathons!

However, I have been listening for the past hour to some wonderful music on a variety of 4 classical stations. It provides me with quite an amazing experience, for it is almost without distraction that I can listen, and my love for music has never throbbed stronger in my heart. I find myself so privileged to be capable of such a joy. My neighbors may think I am crazy because I sit here staring at the wall, smiling, tearing and bouncing my foot....

Such moments as these give me hope for the future. Such moments remind me that my future is more than a successful audition, more than a paycheck and more than a seat in an orchestra. I know not which direction my future may take, but as such a passion stirs my soul, I have no doubt where comfort may be found. I do not boast that this is where all consolation resides. Yet, I am appeased by the recognition of this part of me and earnestly pray that it may never be neglected.

I seem to have gone far off the topic which I first intended to discuss, but it may be better to save it for another day and continue listening on....

Love,
Violamad

-Marie Daniels

Germany!

How beautiful it is to be in a small village in the Bavarian Alps of Germany. Every kind of weather holds its own beauty: morning rain showers, sunny afternoon s or a gray evenings with low clouds hugging the mountain tops.

How pleasant it is to hear the gentle tinkling sounds of bells through the hills as the cows graze and the goats mingle through the grass.

Ok, enough poetry, let's get to the point- this place is really cool! All that I've seen actually has been really nice. Today, August 7th, has been quite rainy so there's little to do besides cook and read a book. I started reading Pride and Prejudice on the plane. It was free in the iTunes bookstore and I figured it was about time I read what almost every girl my age has already read. It's quite entertaining, predictable but yet so well written the eloquent use of language makes it quite pleasant.

My first day in Germany was spent relaxing with Isabel's family and touring Basel. Her home is only about 10min from the border. Basel is a very cute town, looks just like the pictures you see of old European towns. :)

Now, we are so blessed to be able to stay in this nice condo in the small village of Obermaiselstein. Our first day we decided to do what all the tourists in the area do- visit a very famous castle "Schloss Neuschwanstein", which literally translates to mean "New swan-stone". It is relatively "new" for a castle, built for Kind Ludwig II in 1866, and was never completed after Ludwig unexpectedly died in 1879 (no guarantee on that date). The castle is high in the mountains (you have to walk a mile uphill from the closest parking) and looks like such a fairy tale castle. Unfortunately we had to wait 4 hours for the next tour, which then only lasted about 20min, but the breathtaking views made up for it.

Yesterday the morning was sunny and beautiful so I took it upon me to do some exploring on a long run. I ran up the nearest path up a mountain and somehow ended up at this cave. The gate was open so I went in, but not for very far because the passage was so small and it was so dark and scary! But the smell was so fresh and wonderful :) I then ran on a sidewalk on the street but it was so flat (I felt lazy!) so the next path I found was a bike path up to some lookout. This is where I found a beautiful waterfall, though not without consequence, for in doing so I also "found" some stinging weeds that made my leg burn for the next hour. After 10min of running up this 20 degree incline I finally went back down and though I was tired I felt so refreshed. After breakfast I was delighted to hear we were going to take a lift up a nearby mountain and hike to a peak. That was quite fun, with beautiful views. We hiked the closet peak, Weiherkopf, which was at 1665m. Being the adventurous person I am, instead of taking the lift back down with Isabel and Christoph, I decided that, despite my attire, my running shoes were calling for me to run back down the mountain. It was so much fun, especially the looks I got from people. Needless to say, however, I am quite sore...it's kinda funny, because I've never been so sore in EVERY muscle of my legs, front, back and butt. Woohoo!

Tomorrow it's supposed to rain as we drive through Austria and Switzerland to Milano, ITALIA! Nevertheless, I'm sure we'll still have some nice views as we drive :)

I don't have my computer, so I can't upload any pictures except those from my phone, but I promise, there will be plenty later on Facebook!

Love,
Violamad

The Middle

Sometimes it seems like the middle is a very good place to be. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck.

Sometimes, in an argument or disagreement, the middle means a compromise. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, an argument you didn’t want to even be involved in.

Sometimes, when you are playing fast triplets with lots of string crossings, the middle of the bow is a very good place to be. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, when you’re not really sure what kind of articulation you are supposed to be doing.

Sometimes, the middle is the goal, the bullseye of a target. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, when you didn’t lose the race, yet you didn’t win.

Sometimes, the middle means maximizing space and opportunity. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, when you don’t know which opportunity to take.

Sometimes, the middle means lots of friends and fun. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck, where you have to conform to fit in and don’t know who you can trust.

Sometimes the middle means balance, a very good state to be in. Other times, the middle is that awful place you get stuck—in mediocrity.

How can the middle be sometimes so right, yet other times so wrong?

Maybe the middle is not an answer of where to be but rather a question of how to live.

How to know when the middle is the place to be?

How do you use the middle?

One time at music camp...

As we are now approaching the half-way point at the Round Top Orchestra festival, I found it was time to give an update on what has been going on here. (Also, it happens that my internet is actually working right now *cross fingers*)

Round Top....Oh Round Top. This area never ceases to surprise me with its peculiarities. The campus is full of strange things: sculptures of faces, seashell covered ceilings, elfish pictures, botanical gardens, ornate fixtures and locked doors that lead to who knows where....

The food is quite good, so that makes meal time ever more exciting (and I’m always so hungry!) However, this cafeteria would have no place in New York. Fried fried fried things are coupled with butter soaked everything, and the vegetarian options consist of either tofu or a veggie burger. Pork quesadillas for dinner? Let's just plop a veggie burger on a tortilla and say it's like the same. There is a lovely bumper sticker posted in the kitchen which says "Save a cow, eat a vegetarian"....Last I checked, there were plenty of cows in Round Top.

Coffee...well, let's not talk about it. I usually just tell myself "It could be worse..." The nearest Starbucks is 30min away...Are you coming to a concert? Please deliver!

The orchestra is getting better, especially as we get to know each other better. In the first week I had a lot of fun playing the name game: "Oh you go to Eastman/Rice/UT/etc? Do you know ____?" And as usual between musicians, it only takes one degree of separation to have a mutual friend.

We come from a wide range of places and it's very interesting working with a new conductor each week. Needless to say, it seems that the cafeteria conversations almost always inevitably touch on imitating the conductor/praising him/complaining about him. It seems like every musician has something to say about that person on the podium. I really hope that conductors also get together sometimes and get to rant about "those musicians..."

Tonight is "Ladies' night" at the only bar in town. I've gone the past two weeks as a designated driver. It's usually a lot of fun, loud talking and dancing around the jukebox. This night I decided to stay in. I'm pretty tired from these days of 4 hours of Mahler 9 rehearsals and I am enjoying the peace and quiet of my room. I'm also looking forward to going home this weekend with a couple of friends--a chance to get away from the bugs, from the dirt, from the drama of new festival-relationships and the craziness of musicians after a Saturday concert.

If you’re nearby and not too busy, please come to a concert! The next two weekends have 3pm orchestra concerts, with chamber concerts at 7:30pm. I’m playing in two quartets on the July 9^th concert at 7:30pm. The closing concert is on July 16^th at 7:30pm, and there’s a big reception afterwards (free food/wine, anyone?)! The schedule with program information can be found here: http://festivalhill.org/schedule-of-events/2011-summer-festival/

So that's about how things "roll" here in Round Top, just like that one time at music camp...

Love,

Violamad

NYC-The Woodlands-Round Top

So when I heard Round Top was a small town, I thought, ok, there's a few little shops in the center. Wrong, there is no center, there is not much of a town at all. I don't really know what else to call Round Top except for "land". However, the Round Top Festival is on a special piece of land, decorated by a wide variety of buildings, each of which is elaborately furnished with antiques and consists of many ornate, hand-carved wooden structures. Nevertheless, I'm still in the middle of nowhere.

Rewind a bit.

In the past month, I have experienced a wide variety of company and scenery. The first two weeks of May were crazy- juries, final exams (meanwhile the weather in New York was gorgeous!) Then the third week, which I had kinda free, it rained almost every day. But there were plenty of highlights to end the year. This semester particularly I have had the blessing of being surrounded by this loving and supportive group of friends and I enjoyed spending time with them as we all prepared our goodbyes--running with Avigail, walking with Santi, biking with Fernando, shopping with Isabel, dutying with Adarsh, hugging Justyna in her Snuggie and wandering with dinosaurs with Lena. (and of course any other time we spent together!)

I was sad to leave New York on May 21st. I was in denial for a few days when I came home, missing my friends and the city which has taught me so much. Nevertheless, it only took one obnoxious text from my friend Trey to remind me what I should be doing instead of moping at home for two weeks- planning a friend get-together!

Morning runs with Tara were re-initiated by the end of the first week I managed to bribe my friends to come over! It was a fun night of crazy fajita cooking (a wonderful group effort I might add...) and ended with cookies. I got to see a few more friends over the weekend, my former teacher, Joan, and her family as well as Daniel, who I see on too rare of an occasion. Unfortunately me + Daniel + fish for dinner did not go so well and Memorial Day was celebrated with me and the toilet. (Oh, and Trey came over to veg with me on the couch while I watched more TV in one day that I ever have in my life). And actually, that day started a new addiction for Trey and I- it's called Firefly. Fortunately, it only had one season, otherwise we could've been watching those episodes nightly for two months!

I got most things done on my to-do list for my two weeks at home. Got a bow rehair, bought new running shoes, planned out (most) of my trip to Italy in August and found a good 18-week marathon training schedule. Oh, and PRACTICING. That kinda took up my day hours. Which is good :)

So, now I'm back to where I started. Round Top. I've only been here a couple hours now, so I'm sure I will have much more to say later, but here are my first observations:

-It's hot, there's a lot of dirt and not enough trees

-There are lots of bugs. Ew.

-Air conditioning is abundant. Good.

-Food...seems good.

-Roommates...pretty chill :)

-Practice rooms too resonant

-Night-life. HA!

-Nearest Starbucks- 30min.

-Coffee in dining hall...ehhhhh

-People: too many Americans ;)

If only the Blue Bell factory in Brenham was open on Sunday...

Orchestra auditions tomorrow morning and rehearsal on Bartok Concerto for Orchestra tomorrow night! Wooo!

Love,

Violamad

Words for Thought

Needless to say I've been extremely busy this spring semester. So many things have been going on that I don't even know where to start. So I won't. For now.

I do, however, want to share something that I've been reading recently, an excerpt from the book "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Please enjoy :)

"The river flowed toward the goal; Siddhartha saw it hastening--the river consisting of him and his near and dear and all the people he had ever seen; all the waves and the waters hastened, suffering, toward goals, many goals; the waterfall, the lake, the rapids, the sea, and all goals were attained; and each goal was followed by another, and the water became vapor and rose to the sky, became rain and plunged down from the sky, became a source, became a brook, became a river, strove anew, flowed anew. But the ardent voice had changed. It still resounded, sorrowful, seeking, but other voices joined in, voices of joy and sorrow, good and evil voices, laughing and grieving, a hundred voices, a thousand voices."

"Siddhartha listened. He was now all ears, utterly engrossed in listening, utterly empty, utterly absorbing. He felt he had now learned all there was to know about listening. He had often heard all these things, these many voices in the river, but today it all sounded new. He could no longer distinguish the many voices, the cheerful from the weeping, the children's from the men's; they all belonged together. The lament of the knower's yearning and laughing, the screaming of the angry, the moaning of the dying--everything was one, everything was entwined and entwisted, was interwoven a thousandfold. And all of it together, all voices, all goals, all yearnings, all sufferings, all pleasures, all good and evil--the world was everything together. Everything together was the river of events, the music of life."

Teachers

While procrastinating a reading I must complete for my liberal arts class, I thought I could take a moment to sit and write a blog that I've been meaning to write for some time...

Recently, I noticed quite a few students who were talking about their plans for the break mentioned how they were excited to see their former teacher when they returned home. I realized that when I'm home, I too am always trying to set up lessons with my former teacher, Joan or visit some of my school orchestra teachers.

And it's not just because I REALLY need/want a lesson.

I want to see my teachers because they were, and are, and will continue to be a major influence in my life!

Joan not only taught me *how* to play viola. She taught me how to be a good musician, she inspired me to always want it better and she was/is the perfect role model of a great orchestral musician and mother. She showed it was possible and gave me the confidence to pursue a career in music!

Other teachers who I like to visit are Ms. Ellis and Dr. Kempter. Ms. Ellis was my orchestra teacher in the 6th grade. Of course when she was teaching me, I had NO idea then that I wanted to study music to be my career, but if she had not inspired me and made me LIKE orchestra, I may not have continued through the next few years. Dr. Kempter was my high school orchestra director. In addition to being an excellent musician and person, honestly, if he had not cut me so much slack about skipping rehearsal to go practice, I may not have made it through my senior year auditions!

Basically, what I'm trying to say is this: we ALL have teachers. Maybe there is one, maybe there are a few that have greatly influenced or changed your life!

So why not take the time to tell them these two special words that can mean a lot if you say it like you mean it:

THANK YOU!

I would not be anywhere without them :)

Love,

Violamad

The ACHT Viola Studio

I would just like to take a moment to brag about the wonderful ACHT viola studio here at The Juilliard School. Heidi Castleman, who primarily is in charge of this massive viola universe, is one of the wisest and organized persons I know. (*Note: I don't mean to imply that other studios aren't great as well :)

Let me begin by describing how everything works:

-ACHT stands for the last names of all the teachers who comprise the studio (in alphabetical order): Misha Amory, Heidi Castleman, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Steve Tenenbom. Most of the violists in our studio study with two teachers, often a combination of Ms. Castleman and another teacher, since the other three teachers are active performers and travel frequently. For example, I study with Mr. Amory and Ms. Castleman. Since Misha is often traveling with the Brentano Quartet, I will have lessons with him when he's in town and lessons with Heidi when he's gone. For me, this combination works out great because I am always able to have technique lessons with Heidi whenever I feel like I need it and can usually start new pieces with her and then take more polished works to Misha. They are both FANTASTIC, inspiring teachers who have already taught me so much!

Because there are approximately 25-30 violists in our studio, organization is key. Ms. Castleman is a big Google fan (me too!) so our studio uses it's resources extensively. How do we use it?

• Scheduling: All of the teachers have a special Google calendar where they invite all their students to use it, and post lesson schedules there. That way, all the students have access to view when their lessons will be and know who to ask if they need to switch lessons. There's also a "combined student calendar" which lists all the students who are busy at a certain time (based on their school schedule), so you know who you can't ask to switch.
• Studio class: The ACHT viola studio class spans up to three hours, however each students is require to only attend the first two or the last two hours, with the middle hour overlapping. This gives us one hour every week to all be together and usually this hour is not just used for more student performances, but rather is used for different kinds of presentations (Technique class demonstrations, listening to famous recordings and analyzing them, having a guest speaker on a wide range of topics like how to build a website or how to be a better public speaker)
• If you wish to play in studio class, there is a sign up sheet that you fill out and submit online. First you must play in "play-through" class, which is a small group comprised of the other violists playing that week in class. This gives everyone a chance to practice performing in a more intimate space, a smaller audience, and gives the option of choosing not to play in studio class if it doesn't go so well.
• Recordings: Another great resource has recently been added by one of our own students, AJ. Our new recording engineer records all studio classes and studio recitals then posts the recordings on a webpage so that the players and the teachers can listen afterwards (and download the recording) of the performance!
• On that performance note, I have to mention that Ms. Castleman has a knack for getting everybody to perform a lot. She arranges studio recitals every two months for people to have the chance to perform for public short works or parts of works, and makes sure that everybody gives at least one half or full recital every year. (and if you never sign up for a studio recital, she might just sign you up anyways ;)
• ACHT Viola site: Our viola studio also has it's own webpage! Here you can find a wide range of incredibly valuable resources. There are pages with notes on collaborative playing, public speaking, lists of summer festivals, instrument shops and contacts for the studio, jury requirements, forms for recommendation requests and a schedule of upcoming performances by the teachers.

Have I bragged enough? Well, mostly I just want to say how much I love my studio and everyone in it. Maybe this set up is a little overwhelming for some people, but I think it's great and encourage you to spread these ideas and use any resources available to you in the world!

Amar

I love Juilliard. I love New York City. I love the people in my life. I am so happy that I am here.

Thank you, God.

That is all (for now).

:)

Love,

Violamad