Good quote

"We have to touch someone with our sound," Marcus Eley explains. "The moment you do that, you know you are a musician." (professional clarinetist from LA)

Studio Class

Just a reminder that studio class will be held October 24 at 1:30 pm (time change) at the Community Music School. Our accompanist will be Erin Wyman. Please be prepared to pay her $5 - $10 (depending on difficulty) for her efforts.

What is studio class? A chance to perform in front of the other students I teach (and their parents) in a low stress environment. Casual clothes, no need for memorization, pieces don't need to be perfect. Please be prepared to introduce yourself and the title and composer of your piece when you perform then sit back and enjoy the other students' music and share supportive comments!

Directions to CMS - 95S to Rte. 9. Take Exit 3. Turn left off exit ramp. Continue straight through 2 traffic lights. Spencerbrook Corner will be on your first left. The Community Music School is on your left in the first group of buildings.

I look forward to seeing you all there!

October Listening Guide

Here are my suggestions for this month:
Week of Oct 12 - Tchaikovsky
Week of Oct 19 - Bach
Week of Oct 26 - Mendelssohn

Listening Guide

Here are my suggestions for listening for the month of September:
Week of 9/7 - Beethoven
Week of 9/14 - Copland
Week of 9/21 - Mozart
Week of 9/ 28 - Brahms

Fall Performances

Saturday, September 5 at 7:30 pm - Guitar Under the Stars 2009 presents Spanish guitar with Latin rhythms featuring Daniel Salazar and his Ensemble, accompanied by The Hartford Festival Orchestra at the Riverfront Plaza, Hartford. FREE ADMISSION.
*I did this gig last year and absolutely loved this guitarist!

Saturday, September 26 at 8 pm - The Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra presents Smith - The Star Spangled Banner; Rossini - Overture to William Tell; Schubert - Symphony No. 7 in B Minor (Unfinished); Bernstein - Candide Overture; Copland - Rodeo; Gershwin - Rhaposody in Blue featuring guest soloist Jeffrey Biegel, Piano at the Garde Arts Center in New London.
*We have a new conductor: Toshiyuki Shimada. We look forward to a good year!

Saturday, October 17 at 8 pm - The Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra presents Takemitsu - Star-Isle; Mozart - Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major; Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5 featuring guest soloist Stephan Tieszen (our concertmaster) at the Garde Arts Center in New London.

Things to learn

Would you know what to do if someone gives you a basic melody that may not even be written down and then asks you to make up a part to play along with that?

Thoughts on practicing

Good practicing has less to do with the amount of time you spend playing your instrument and more to do with how well you focus and concentrate on the details (ex. intonation, quality of your sound, bowings, rhythm) during the time that you play. You can have a 15 minute practice session of concentrated listening and self critique that is more effective than a 30 minute session of mindless playing through of your piece.

SAMS Festival

This Saturday July 11, I am playing at the 3rd Annual Shoreline Acoustic Music Festival at the Hygenic Art Park in New London from 12:30 - 12:45 pm. Amy Martin on harp and I on violin will be playing songs from her CD she created last year - Wings of Light. I was happy to be a part of her work on the CD. For more information, check out the website: www.shorelineacousticmusic. org. For info on Amy's CD, check this out:

Wings of Light - Amy G Martin

Source: www.digstation.com

Welcome to DigStation, the leading mp3 site dedicated to providing mp3 downloads by indie musicians and only indie musicians. Discover the future of music. Discover DigStation.

Come and listen to my new CD and download it onto your computer...or if you want the real thing, go to: http://cdbaby.com/cd/agmartin

Student Recitals

Saturday, May 2 at 10 am - joint recital with students of Erin Wyman at Noank Baptist Church in Noank, CT. Our dress rehearsal with the pianist is Saturday, April 25 at 10 am at my house.

Saturday, June 13 will be the Community Music School student recital.

Upcoming Performances for April - May

Saturday, April 4 at 8 pm - Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra presents Ginastera: Danzas del ballet "Estancia", Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5, Orff: Carmina Burana, featuring the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Chorus and The Mystic River Chorale and Guest Soloists: Diana McVey, Brian Cheney, James Rollins at the Garde Arts Center in New London, CT.

Saturday, April 18 at 4 pm - Wedding at Coast Guard Chapel in New London, Ct.

Sunday, April 26 at 4 pm - Con Brio presents Haydn Harmoniemesse, Ives' Circus Band at Christ the King Catholic Church in Old Lyme, CT.

Saturday, May 2 at 8 pm - Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra presents Borodin: Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, Prokofiev: Piano Concert No. 3, featuring guest soloist Andrius Zlabys, Tchaikovsky: Polonaise and Waltz from Eugene Onegin, Stravinsky: Firebird Suite (1919) at the Garde Arts Center in New London, CT.

Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm - Stonington Choral Society presents Faure's Requiem and Vivaldi's Gloria at St. James Church in New London, CT.