Day 810: Third Time's The Charm

I like to believe that the saying "The third time's the charm" is actually true, but then again, I find I'm pretty superstitious altogether (11:11 people...it works). While THAT is a topic for another blog post, I think that the time I spent surrounded by music yesterday definitely showcases the ways the saying rings true.

I said a number of times yesterday that the Shazz Festival Day is better than Christmas, and really, it is. Not every musician has the chance to see their favorite performer, in concert, attend a workshop with them and then meet them in person...and most absolutely don't get to do it three times in a row. Amazingly enough, I am one of those lucky people.

Two years ago I attended my second Shazz Festival, although technically it was the first year I stayed for the entire experience. As a senior, I had high hopes of getting into the All Star Group, and when I did, I was thrilled. However, that definitely wasn't the best part of the day. Oh no...the best part was getting to play with professional saxophonist Eric Marienthal, a musician that eventually become my inspiration in my major. Plus, that day was the day I cite as when I decided to be a music major, and gosh it was a great choice.

And then last year I went back, not as a student, but as a musician and alumni, having the chance to meet Eric in person again, as well as the spectacular Gordon Goodwin, who has come up with some seriously great music. After all, he is an award winning composer.

But this year...this year I got to continue the tradition by meeting Eric (again) and another professional musician, Andy Martin, the lead trombonist in basically everything, including Dancing with the Stars!

And to conclude my day of music, my family, plus a friend of Jonny and my friend Ashley, attended the United States Army Field Band Concert, which was a pretty spectacular experience as well. The group is impressive, as it should be, considering it's made up of some of our country's most dedicated musicians. For some, they may have enjoyed one of the choral pieces, or the opera, or something else, but for me? Star Wars. That's right. They played the original theme from Star Wars and it was just about the greatest thing ever. My parents actually attended the Star Wars in Concert tour several years ago, and I didn't go along, simply because I didn't yet appreciate Star Wars. I kind of regret that decision. Either way...Star Wars...which also happens to work perfectly for a little way Disney has once tied into my day. 

Oh, and I know I mentioned this on the first blog post outlining my first trip to see Eric Marienthal, but Eric and Andy, as well as many of the other professional musicians I've met, actually worked at Disneyland and performed as part of the band back in the day. It certainly feels right to meet people so successful at what I work at everyday and to know that they too worked for Disney, the same place I hope to end up in my future. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on March 22).

Day 615: Spark

As you all should know quite well by this point, I am double majoring in English and Music Performance, and that means that I have my fair share of concerts throughout the year, starting with one only a few weeks into the semester. It's our family weekend concert and is paired with SNC Day, making it probably our second most popular concert throughout the year. It's a big deal. Of course, of the three wind groups, only two play, but yes, Wind Ensemble does, and that means that I was there and ready to go!

And if you've been reading since last year you'll also know that we sometimes play pieces that remind me of Disney. It doesn't happen all the time, but already this school year it's happened a few times, and I love that. It makes me excited for certain pieces, and it obviously makes them more fun to play.

This first concert was filled with great pieces, but my personal favorite was "Spark" by William Pits. It took me a while, but eventually I came up with what my mind was up to when it was like "DISNEY!" You can listen to the song itself here:

Any ideas? Honestly, my family all came up with different answers to what they were reminded of, but I finally figured out that I was thinking of Illuminations 25, specifically because of one particular chord progression. Either way, that's what it reminded me of, although just barely. Still, it was enough for me to listen to the two songs on repeat for some time until I determined if I was in my right mind or not. 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on September 18).

Day 133: Bittersweet

You know what's one of the saddest things ever?

Playing your last high school band concert.

That was my night, and honestly I'm proud that I managed to get through the entire thing without crying. There aren't many things in my life that are more important to me than Disney, but band is one of them. I've spent the last four years of my life with this group, and tonight was super bittersweet because I was honored for all my work, but now it's almost over.

Granted, really, it's not over since we still have another parade, graduation and a Disney audition to prepare for...and after that we have the band trip and then the summer stuff before I come back for next summer's trip to Disney.

This concert was probably my favorite concert I've played in high school though, because not only did I get to play my feature piece in Jazz Band, but we also chose "Brave" as our senior selection, meaning that we got to play songs from Brave at the concert! Along with this we got to play a selection called Hollywood Milestones, which had everything from Jaws to Back to the Future and Beauty and the Beast. It has 11 songs in it total, so it was pretty awesome. Especially since 80% of those songs were by John Williams.

Either way, it was a pretty sad time, but it was still amazing. And I couldn't ask for a better group to have spent my last concert with.

Here's today's Disney History: 2001: The Wonderful World of Disney airs "Child Stars: The Shirley Temple Story."

Have a magical day!

Day 76: Disney in Concert

Today I headed to a nearby city to attend a Symphony Orchestra Concert, and this time it was specifically Disney. While we've attending this particular concert before (although with a different Symphony Orchestra), it was just as magical the second time!

They played a wide variety of music, as you can see below. There was one change though...instead of the Rescuers Down Under, they performed selections from Pirates of the Caribbean, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And because of technical difficulties, we were also able to hear parts of Aladdin and Mulan twice, and the entire Little Mermaid selection a second time as well. There was also an encore of It's A Small World...and of course we all sang along!

And since I went shopping yesterday and got a few new colorful additions to my wardrobe, I decided to Disneybound as Winnie the Pooh to the concert. I was pretty excited about my new yellow converse, which I've been wanting for a while. I'm pretty sure you'll see them in many Disneybounds in the future.

The concert was a great way to spend my afternoon. Sadly, I've had to somewhat leave the magical world of Disney behind and spend the rest of my day writing essays for an application, but it was still a wonderful way to start off a busy week!

Here's today's Disney History: 1999: Test Track officially opens at Walt Disney World's Epcot. Sponsored by General Motors, the attraction is the fastest ride ever designed (At this time) by Disney Imagineers....guests can reach speeds of 65 mph! The ride has been up and running since December 1998.

Have a magical day!