Music is Hope...

I've been debating whether to post this here or on the Loopy Library since it involves slam poetry, a cello, and mention of a book we've discussed at Senior Book Club. Fiddlesticks wins, since I just posted on the library blog yesterday! Quinn had the amazing experience of attending a slam poetry workshop with Nathaniel Larochette at Encounters With Canada last week and his poetry and personality had a huge impact on her. She came home with his book and we have been watching more of his performances - I cannot believe how moving his words are! So watch, listen and then maybe look him up and enjoy more!

A New Year of Great Music Ahead!

Welcome back to all students returning to the orchestra program and to those of you just starting out! We are truly fortunate to be one of the few schools in the country able to offer this program to our students, so take advantage of this great opportunity and you will be able to leave your Rivier experience having learned how to play a stringed instrument!

Those of you who have put in a few years with the Rivier Strings may be interested in joining the Prince Albert Strings Orchestra. The registration evening is tonight, September 13, beginning at 6:45 p.m. Mr. Bernier can fill you in on the costs of membership. All practices are on Thursday evenings.

Finally, Nina Di Gregorio, the lead violin in this quartet was featured in the June edition of International Musician magazine and Mr. B thought you might be interested in seeing some of their work. Here is the promo video for Bella. They look a little familiar - we may have blogged about them before!

Awesome Bass!

I thought I would share this clip today along with next week's strings schedule. Remember to STAY HOME Monday :)

For all of the orchestra bass players - even if you just watch a few minutes, I think he is great! He starts bowing after about 2 minutes or so. Worth watching!

May 15: Period 3 - 30, Period 4, 10
May 16: Period 3 - 20
May 17: Period 3 - 20
May 18: Period 1 - 10, Period 3 - 30

Have a great weekend!

May is Underway!

The new issue of Strings magazine arrived today and as I flipped through I was captured by a photo of Ann Marie Calhoun. (Actually it was her shoes - what a surprise.) When I investigated her online I discovered that she worked on the soundtrack for the Sherlock Holmes movie, along with Tina Guo and several other great musicians. The video is kind of fun, so I'm posting it to remind you of the great things that can happen when you pursue your musical dreams - hanging out with Robert Downey Jr., for instance :).

Also this month, there's an article about an eighteen-year-old cellist, relatively unknown but promising, who had his cello replaced by one worth over 6 million dollars by an "unnamed wealthy patroness. So there you go: practice, be good, and good things can happen to you!

April Schedule

Today I thought I would post another video by "The Piano Guys" even though this one features only one of the guys. I just love this one and hope you enjoy it too - not too long either.


Finally, you probably know that a few of the girls in the strings program also play with the Prince Albert String Orchestra and you may be interested in attending their concert here at Rivier in the auditorium on Sunday, April 29 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from any of the students in the orchestra - just ask Mr. Bernier. Miss Campbell will be making a special guest appearance with Arthur, and Quinn will be singing (if she's not still jet-lagged!)

Here's the upcoming schedule for the end of April:
Monday, April 16: Period 2- V10
Period 3 - V20
Tuesday, April 17 Period 3 - V30
Period 4 - CB10
Wednesday, Apr.18 Period 3 - C30
Thursday, April 19 Period 3 - 30
Friday, April 20 Period 1 - 10
Period 3 - 20
Monday, April 23 Period 1 - 30
Tuesday, April24 Period 2 - 20
Period 3 - 30
Period 4 - 10
Wed. April 25 - No Classes: Inservice Day
Thursday, April 26 Period 3 - 20
Friday, April 27 Period 3 - 10
Monday, April 30 Period 3 - C30

Congratulations on an amazing festival!

Thank you to all of you who performed in the music festival this year!  It was a real treat to hear your performances and all of you represented Rivier so well!  Great job!

On to the Orchestra Schedule for the rest of the week and that one awkward day next week:
March 12   Period 1 - V30
March 13   Period 1 - 20
                  Period 3 - V10
                  Period 4 - C30
March 14   Period 3 - CB10
March 15   Period 3 - 20
March 16   Period 2 - 30
                  Period 3 - 10

March 21   Period 3 - 30
No orchestra March 22 & 23

And finally, as I was browsing through the April issue of Strings magazine, I noticed Charles Yang featured in an ad for NS violins and thought I would have a look at their website since the instruments looked kind of weird.  Here is one of the videos they have featured:

Remainder of February's Orchestra Schedule

After much frustration, I cannot get this month's schedule to scan into a blog post, so here it is old school, just in case you lose your paper copies over the break:
Monday, February 27:  Period 1 - V10
                                    Period 3 - V30
Tuesday, February 28:  Period 1 - C30
                                    Period 4 - 20
Wed., February 29:      Period 2 - 30
                                    Period 3 - C10
Thursday, March 1:      Period 3 - 20
Friday,     March 2:      Period 3 - 10

Now, for some fun - and to remind you that there are all kinds of ways to make music - an amazing video from OK Go (you may remember them from the treadmill dance). Enjoy!

My New Favourite Group!

I'm not even sure how I came across these guys, but they are AMAZING! Have a look and tell me you don't agree!


And this just makes me happy:


Find out more about these talented guys on their website at thepianoguys.com.  If you love their music, they tell you how to buy it there!

Shivering Strings

Mr. B. has asked me to share some information with you about a workshop he attended and is quite excited about! He considers it to be one of the best he has been to (and he has been to A LOT.) He was one of the excellent instructors brought in for the weekend to teach violin, mandolin, banjo, guitar, and piano. The program is called "Shivering Strings" and you can find out more about it on their website here:  Shivering Strings West.
From what I read, it seems like a bargain at $75 for participants 18 and under.    If you would like to find out more about it, ask Mr. Bernier!

Take a breath before exams!

I came across this reminder to slow down and appreciate life on my sister's facebook tonight. I've read it before, but since it applies to the strings program, I thought I would share it here. It was originally an article in The Washington Post, but this version is summarized by "The Joyful Mother."
 THE SITUATION 
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule. 

About 4 minutes later: 
The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 

At 6 minutes: 
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 

At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour: 
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all. 

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. 

This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? 
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it? 
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . .. .. 

How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?

And here's a brief video of that morning in the metro:

Here's an idea...

So now that we have more aspiring bass players...



I'm just sayin' ;)

Some Cool Artists to Watch!

The new issue of Strings magazine arrived today and as I browsed through I notice an article on page 41 entitled "6 Essential Effects: from Metal to Magic" which mentioned electric cellist Tina Guo. Have a look at her playing:

She was playing for a group of children and actually let the kids come up and try playing her cello afterwards!

And just because I have to...

Have a great day!

January Orchestra Schedule and It's Time To Shine!

Happy New Year Musicians! I'm trying something a little different with the orchestra schedule this time. The new format causes me some frustration, so I am scanning into this post and hoping that it works for everyone! I find that if I double-click on it the calendar enlarges and I can easily read everything. Let me know if it doesn't work that way for everyone!

Remember to be choosing your pieces for Music Festival - registration day is approaching quickly! Every year the adjudicators give such wonderful feedback and tips to all who perform; it is truly a great experience for all performers. I know it can be an anxiety-ridden experience to get up there on stage (I still remember!) but you really, really should consider it.

Better than a rock star...

So I'm checking my facebook and Caitlin (graduated last year) had posted this full-length video of one of Alexander Rybak's songs. So cool - and he sings. I think most of you will really enjoy it - see what you think!




See? Approaching 5 1/2 million views on youtube. You don't have to be a classical musician - there's a world of possibilities out there! You may remember Alexander from my October 13th post this year. Check out that one for a completely different experience of his playing!

Who Knew?

So apparently hair care is an issue for string players in more ways than one.  The things I learn when I browse through Strings magazine.   Not only that, but you can't even wash your hair because you might get your frog wet - crazy!  Anyway, if you want to learn more about how to maintain a proper relationship between your frog and your stick, check out page 57 of the January issue!
And for some Christmas fun, here's a video of one of my favourites, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, performing The Nutcracker Suite.  They seem to like waving their frogs in the air - practice AND showmanship is what I always say!

Get yourself to the Rawlinson!

Once again we are fortunate enough to have an amazing group visiting Prince Albert and all orchestra players should be pestering their parents to take them to see Barrage on Thursday, November 24. I'm going to copy what the Rawlinson has posted in their publicity and just let you know that last time I checked they had an internet special on tickets for about $32.00, which is pretty great for a performance like this! And they still had seats right near the front!
From the Rawlinson:
Barrage is a high-energy fiddle fest, weaving together extraordinary musicianship and dance with traces of everything from country to heavy metal music. Five violinists are backed up with wild and interesting percussions, strong vocals, guitar, bagpipes and expertly executed choreography. The result is a show that blows the doors off “Stomp” and “Riverdance” alike.

“Barrage is too wow for words!” says
The Denver Post.

Created in Calgary, Canada in 1997, this violin-based, world-beat ensemble tours more than 40 weeks a year and has released 7 albums, 4 DVDs and 5 Television Specials to date. Barrage recently celebrated its milestone 2500th international performance. Over the past 15 years the group has entertained millions of concert goers and performed to sold out houses in over 27 countries. Hand-picked performers -- young prodigies who can play, sing and dance with enthusiasm and endless energy -- make up the group. Five performers are violinists supported superbly by a rock n’ roll engine room featuring drums, bass and guitars.

"Too wow for words!" - do you really want to miss that?  Pop over to the website or go in person and get your tickets and let's see what other kind of exciting career opportunites await in the world of strings!

Aliens and Violins?!

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to share a video of a couple of musicians
I stumbled upon thanks to Brigid's mom who shared this sample of their music:

I think they're pretty awesome and prove once again how amazingly cool you can be with your violin! Keep practicing and remember that EVERY song can be "strung" up. (or out - whatever.)

An interesting career combination...

From this month's Strings Magazine, a young British model/violinist - how's that for a combo?

Have a look at this video and if you're interested, he's featured on page 15 of the December issue of the magazine.

Just For Fun

Here's a little clip to give you some options to explore if you don't practice your conventional instruments....

Mr. Bernier Actually Watched A YouTube Video!

So obviously I have to post it! Mr. B is almost always too busy to venture out onto the worldwide web, so when he finds something that he feels is blog-worthy you should definitely have a look! Here it is:

And another video Mr. Bernier likes by the same artist with a very cool "watch me play all four instruments by myself" effect:

And as I was searching out those clips I came across what we will call Mrs. C's "pick of the week" for Fiddlesticks - I just adore the enthusiasm of this young man (from Norway I think.) You can do some extra googling if you are interested. The video title claims he's playing "Pump it Up" by the Black Eyed Peas, but it kind of sounds like "Pulp Fiction." Whatever it is, he's pretty amazing.