Guys, I just submitted my last assignment for the semester!
This is a short post of happiness.
Hope everyone's assignments are now completed, or close to it, and they have been relatively enjoyable, despite being work (and stressful), haha!
I've found it challenging and interesting tackling the university assignment as a First Year. Definitely still navigating my way through it all, but I'm hoping by the end of next semester, I'll be an old pro ;)
Best of luck for exams, and rug up, because I've heard it gets cold in the building!
Can't wait until Winter Break.
Bella :)
"It's that time of the semester, annnddddd I'm feel that I'm struggling and stressing with uni, or basically with everything else."
On Thursday, I felt a sense of relief - I finally survived uni for this week. Next day (Friday), problems from uni, and rejection of jobs and scholarships started to slap me, and I crawled into bed in a foetal position, shedding a few tears, taking deep breaths until I feel somewhat better.
To be honest, I haven't told my friends that I was stressing with uni, or something at the moment. I simply held back my worrying thoughts, and focused on getting through my day. I think I had told them few worried thoughts, but my tone that seemed it wasn't a big deal. Usually, I keep things to myself when stress comes along into my consciousness. I know, it's a horrible thing to do to yourself when times like these is killing your mental health, but I couldn't confess my true thoughts in my mind towards my friends this week. The reason why I always hesitate is because I assume that they're also stressing too, or simply feeling them saying "deal with it". Therefore, I don't say anything. Stress is like a virus. If you tell someone you're stress, or showing that you're stress, it spreads like fire, and that's scary to me. I don't really want them to worry about uni, or anything else that relates to music studies.
Frustration started last Saturday - I injured my wrist from Netball.
Don't worry, it's a minor injury. I managed to break my ganglion cyst in my wrist, and now it's gone really flat! I would usually celebrate when this happens, but not in this case. I have to fix up a lot of technical things at the moment, and that my wrist was being 'bleh'. Usually when you break your ganglion cyst in your wrist, it tends to get sore. It wasn't a great feeling for the first few days. I'm still surprised that I, myself wasn't the cause of my broken cyst. It was the opposition player for once. It was interesting, as I'm usually the one who breaks it myself towards another player, or just a simple fall to the ground.
My broken cyst made my practising this week was very unorganised, and sort of difficult.
I had a lot to work on, as I'm juggling with my semester two pieces and my technical exam pieces. It was messy at first, as I had a lot of things swirling around in my mind. But oh well. That's my excuse for this week, but that doesn't stop me from practising 3 hours a day. Sure, it was a little sore when I was playing my pieces, or doing some scales. But it's okay. It happens.
Throughout the week, I've been getting comments on how "Netball is one dangerous sport", but that doesn't really change my opinion about Netball. I am aware it is one of the most prone injury sports ever, but that doesn't stop me from playing Netball as a musician. I love Netball, it's my life!
You know what? Sports shouldn't be a barrier with musicians. If you're worried about getting injured from sports, I think you need to reevaluate all the things you can get injured from. You can get injured from ANYTHING, even from practising your instrument. Heck, for pianists, you can get RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury), and that's scary as breaking your ganglion cyst.
Gloomy days and having a full on day affected my day in general.
This is self-explanatory. I went back home feeling like my day was like 'eh' or 'whatever' day. Hahaha.
Expectations, external and internal pressure is slowly creeping up onto me
I feel it, and it's somewhat bothering me. Heck, it has been bothering me ever since the middle of the semester. But it's okay, you tend to forget it, and keep on doing your thing. However, this week is has been bothering me. I want to get my scales and arpeggios ready before my technical exam, and it has not been pleasant with my piano teacher. All I could feel is that sense of dissapointment. It makes me feel that I'm not working hard on those scales and arpeggios, even though I'm already putting 100% effort in my scales, arpeggios, pieces, and everything else. Sigh. Oh well.
I simply smiled and giggled my day like nothing happened
I didn't want to look like I feel gloomy and not satisfied with my day around my friends. So, I had to put in extra effort, or just simply forgetting my worried thoughts and enjoyed living the moment. You probably saw me having a good day. But actually, I went back home feeling gloomy, tired and sad.
Assignments this week was a little tricky
Music Language is a killer sometimes... and Writing About Music. But I tend to not complain about how bad it is. I think I don't need to remind others that it is horrible at the moment, as they dislike it too. Next week's assignment is a little tedious too. I have my three subjects (Art of Piano Teaching, Music Language and Writing About Music) assignments due throughout the week. This shall be fun.
One of my really good friends was a little sad about something, and therefore it made me sad.
Their emotions affected my day. I was so heartache and sad with my friend, that I gave my friend my chocolate waffles, which I was meant to share it with a friend after they performed at Concert Class. I had to meet my friend as soon as possible before my Music Language lecture. It made me slightly late, but it's all good. At least I know my friend is doing alright so far. I wish my friend a good mental recovery.
I got rejected from a job and scholarship
Personally, I thought I'd get that job, and turns out they rejected my application. My thoughts were exactly, "but I thought you like me. What happened with that?" Oh well. Same with my scholarship application, but I wasn't too disappointed compared with my job rejection.
Having a full on week made me crawl into bed, wishing I could have a day or night where I can really have fun, and not care about a thing.
As a musician, there's practising and studying, and that usually takes up the entire day. Therefore, I have no time to make room for more commitments. I'm already involved with Netball, this blog and uni. I wonder how am I going to cope when I have a job. Oh dear lord.
I sometimes get jealous of students from other faculties partying, or having fun in events, while there's me practising and studying away. I really wish I could have fun, like everybody does during uni. But it's okay. I came to accept the fact that I can't even go to M-ASS (Melbourne - Arts Students Society), SSS (Science Student Society), or anyone's social events. But, if there's an event for MSS (Music Student Society), I'll ditch everything and go to those events, which runs once in a while. I really do need to live out my life for once.
What really got me through my week?
- Listening to my music
- Chocolate and ice cream - my guilty pleasures
- Caffeine
- Sharing those laughs, smiles and jokes from my friends, or my lectures
- Hoping for having a good day tomorrow, or the next week
- Long, good hot showers
- My cat
- My mum
Things to take from this blog post?
- YOU'RE NOT ALONE
- It's okay if you're having a tuff time. That's just life. Life is full of ups and downs.
- Things happen for a reason
- It is not a good idea to hide your worries. But this is what I usually chose to do.
- Got a lot of stuff to work on? Plan your day and your week. It helps a lot.
- First Year for Bachelor of Music is hard in workload wise. But it's okay, it gets less as the year progresses... hopefully.
Music suggestion relating to this post? I Want To Break Free by Queen
For the past two weeks I have been on crutches, and it has forced me to consider whether getting around UniMelb is easy for physically disabled people.
The short answer is: no.
After the first Monday of hobbling back and forth across campus to classes and study areas, I realised that I very rarely see other people on crutches or in wheelchairs. As I walked into my lecture in the Sunderland Theatre, I realised that people with wheelchairs have no where to sit. By the end of the day, I had noticed that there are not many ramps at all - in fact, there is only one ramp to South Lawn.
While I have a wheelchair and crutches at home, I quickly realised that a wheelchair was not an option at Uni and that crutches also made stairs very inconvenient. Moving up and down stairs can be difficult already, let alone when trying to go down stairs, overstepping your crutches and falling over. It was humiliating. I also had to learn that floors are not your friend. Walking into Union House, I had a massive fright when the crutches slipped from under me.
At church on Sunday, I was speaking to two lovely ladies who are currently staying at a college, and they revealed that five people at their college are currently on crutches! While I am aware that there are many people at Uni, I was convinced for several days that all other crutches-users were hibernating in their rooms, not attending tutorials or lectures. But then I found a comrade in MSD and we smiled at each other, knowing that someone else was struggling as well.
I would strongly suggest looking after your legs...
Concert Class - the most intimidating experience you will ever experienced in your performance life so far. You go out on stage, and BOOM, all these people staring at your every move, every step, every action you make. It’s scary! But it’s okay! Nicole will rescue your worries!
Here’s some tips before and after you perform in Concert Class!
NIGHT BEFORE CONCERT CLASS
GET A GOOD NIGHT SLEEP (at least 8 hours of sleep)
I sleep in usually whenever I have a Concert Class performance, as I wake up at 6AM to practise at the basement (the con) at 8AM every weekdays. So therefore, I wake up at 7AM, which is 8 to 9 hours of sleep.
PACK WHAT YOU NEED FOR THE NEXT DAY
That means your ML/WAM assignment in your bag, and other necessary things.
DAY OF CONCERT CLASS PERFORMANCE
PRACTISE/WARM UP BEFORE HAND
This is so crucial and important for any other performances in general. I usually practise from 9AM to 10:30AM, because you wouldn’t want to tire yourself out. In that one and a half hour of practising, I do my normal routine of practising (warm up [scales, arpeggios, contrary motion, hanon, double octaves], and my technical exam pieces).
Here’s my usual rehearsal (in my perspective, as a pianist) before my Concert Class performance:
9AM - 9:15AM
Warming Up
Scales (major, minor, harmonic, melodic), contrary motion and Hanon
9:15AM - 9:45AM
Working one of my technical pieces
*NOT on the piece that I’m going to perform today*
For example, I'm going to perform my Étude by Chopin today, therefore, I shall work on it last in my session.
5 minute break
9:50 - 10AM
More warming up
Arpeggios (major and minor with inversions, dominant sevenths and diminished sevenths) and more Hanon exercises
10AM - 10:30AM
Preparing for my performance up hand (Trios Nouvelle Étude by Chopin)
So firstly, I start with going through my piece by myself, following by, fixing some phrases, pedalling, and what so that I need to do. THEN, you do your one last performance practise in front of an audience. Luckily, I know a whole lot of people at the con, ranging from first year to even master degree students. So, it wasn't hard finding someone who was practising at the basement. Haha.
From 10:30AM
The waiting game
This is the most daunting part. I mostly relax, trying to calm the heck out of myself. I remember my first solo performance, which was last week, and I was trying not to freak out in general backstage. HAHAHA.
This week was the worst round of waiting; I was three-quarters into the set list. It wasn't that bad in general, as I'm usually last in past performances. During my time waiting, I finished my Music Language assignment, had a nice snack, and chatted with this week's Concert Class performers. It was nice, but I felt so sleepy before my performance. It wasn't a good feeling in general. During when I played, 'the waiting game', I assumed that my adrenaline would wake me up. It didn't really. Oops. I think that's probably why I couldn't concentrate during my performance. :|
DURING YOUR PERFORMANCE...
Remember to...
- Keep yourself collected and calm
- Don't worry about anything in general (memory lapses, mistakes, audience, etc.)
- Take deep breaths
- Imagine yourself somewhere in an auditorium where you feel so comfortable.
"For instance, your high school's auditorium, a stage you frequently performed at. It calms your nerves down by heaps. You tend to feel more comfortable performing in a new environment!"
- Take your time to collect yourself before playing!
"It's okay to sit there for a few seconds, but not really forever. HAHAHA."
- Remind yourself of what you're going to play
- Go with the flow
- Believe in yourself that YOU CAN DO IT!
- annddd most importantly, HAVE FUN!
AFTER YOUR PERFORMANCE?
CELEBRATE
What is done is done, there's nothing you can change about it. You did your very best, and it's okay if you made mistakes. Not one performance can be perfect. Go have that hot chocolate. Go party with your muso friends. Just make sure you're not partying TOO hard before your classes though. HAHAHA.
Here were my thoughts before, during and after my Concert Class performance this week, just to make your day/week?
NIGHT BEFORE MY CONCERT CLASS PERFORMANCE
"GO TO SLEEP NICOLE! MY GOD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!?!?!"
*Spider Pig Theme Song tune* "Pack your bag, pack your stuff, everything goes in me bag"
"Got my ML, WAM assignment, anddddd BAAMMMM in you go, bag."
DAY OF MY CONCERT CLASS PERFORMANCE
BEFORE
"I need to practise, I need to do my ML assignment, so many things. Help."
"ML , DONE. WAM, DONE. In yah go" *Slots my assignments in one of the boxes*
"Can somebody please be my audience in my last performance practise? Plz?"
"THAT PHRASE. MY GOD. I better get that right in my performance."
"Shoot, was that a memory lapse. Oops. Better fix that bar."
"Oohhh. I'm going to perform soon."
"Just shake it off. Shake it off."
"BRRRR. It's cold in here! There must be something in the atmosphere."
"I'm getting sleepy."
"I'm getting hungry."
*Eats fruits and muesli bar* "FOODD GLORIOUS FOOODDDDD."
"How long is this performer?"
"What time is my performance?"
"Where's everybody?"
"Hmm... I should've came later."
*sings tune of my Étude continuously*
*reads my score continuously*
DURING
"Remember, you're playing your Étude."
"Ohhhh... which inversion is the first bar. Oh crap."
"WOAAAAHHH! I'm on the second page now? That was fast. HAHAHA."
"I'm not sure whether I'm going too fast, or too slow."
"Hit that note. Why am I not playing that bass note? :("
"Oh my god. I had a memory lapse... QUICKK play the next bar so no one notices!!!"
"Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be that good pianist, you always need to be. Conceal don't show, don't let them know. Well, now they know! LETTT IT GOOOO!"
"Rubato. Rubato. Do your rubato."
"I slowed down a tad too much. HAHAHA"
"I'm not sure whether my pedalling is good enough, but it sounds good?"
"I'm ready to get off stage now. Hahahaha"
AFTER
"That was a horrible performance I did."
"I think I'm done with performing for now."
"I'M HUNGRY!"
"That was probably one of the crappiest performance I've ever had."
"Hey, it wasn't so bad. Don't be that hard on yourself."
"I'M NOT LETTING THIS PIECE GET AWAY! I need to perform this piece again soon. I want to walk out of stage like I owned that piece."
"Better luck next time."
"Steinways - your enemy when playing a piece from the Romantic period? No, just any piece that involves heavily on the pedal. AHAHAA. Ha..."
"Whatever, today is Thursday. I SHALL MAKE IT A GOOD DAY!"
Yeap.
Music suggestion for this post? I feel guilty for this, but I'm going to suggest 'Shake It Off' by TSwift, because why not?
I'm joking. This week's music suggestion is 'Nothing's As It Seems' by Gordi. It's a good artist to listen to.
ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!
-Nic
So... you might be wondering: what is it like being a first year BA student!? Well, wonder no more, as I am here to tell you! It took me a while to adjust to a new routine at uni. I start and finish at different times each day, and the travel is 6 times longer than it took to get to high school. I am now well-acquainted with the sorts of people you can find on the trains and trams... from the nice people who let you have a seat and move their bags for you, to the not-so-nice ones who cough with their mouth open... *shudders*
I go to uni four days a week, and three of those days I start at 10am. I wake up at about 7, and get ready and get the train just before 8am. I get a tram after the train and can arrive at uni anywhere between 9 and 9:15.
I like arriving early, so I can go to my favourite coffee shop, Chill Out, and grab a coffee before class. I use this time to finish off homework, notes and readings.
Every time I start at 10am, I have something MBB (Mind, Brain and Behaviour) related - either a lecture (1 hr) or a tute (2 hrs).
If I get a break during the day, I like grabbing a coffee with friends, studying in the library, or eating lunch on a lawn. On Wednesdays, I like checking out the Farmer's Market.
I usually have 2-3 lectures/tutes per day, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, I get to finish at 2pm! If there isn't a uni event on those nights, I'll head home, sometimes stopping for a chai latte... as you can see, I really appreciate a good latte. My wallet does not...
When I get home, I'll go to dance class, or go to teach a dance class, work on assignments, readings etc. and get ready for the next day :)
Hope everyone's having a good semester - we're almost done!
- Bella
Some days, it becomes glaringly obvious how much my mother and I differ in our opinions.
Okay, a bit of a background: imagine a traditional, almost stereotypical Chinese mother. That means, H1s and nothing less, no dating till after I graduate (which would be, like, after I turn 30 considering I'm planning on doing med school), no going out with friends when it's not the holidays and all that.
Me, on the other hand? Compared to her, I guess I'm much more liberal and "Westernized", one could say. I don't agree with everything she says, but I do my best to obey (or at least disobey without her knowing - yes, that's very bad, I know, but come on! How else am I supposed to react when she tells me not to befriend this girl just because she has pink hair and multiple tats?!?).
Anyway, I made the mistake of telling her I went to my male friend's flat to borrow a textbook I needed. She went absolutely berserk. Complete with shouts. Why? Because I'm a girl and he's a guy, and we're all alone in his flat. And insert paranoia about date rape drugs etc. And because I didn't tell her I was going to go there beforehand, even though I came home at 5pm and am 20 years old, thank you very much. When I tried to defend myself ("I've been friends with the guy for months, mom! It's not like I just picked some random stranger off the street!" or "I didn't even go on a date! It was purely academic!" and the ever famous "Nothing happened!"), she started saying things like, "Well, why don't you just go over to his place now and sleep with him!" and "What would other people say if they knew you went to a guy's house when it was just the two of you over there?" And then she goes on threatening to tell my dad and see how he'd react.
I've lived with my mother for 20 years, so I know she can be a bit... conservative, for lack of a better word. But seriously, I can't for the life of me determine what part of what I did was morally incorrect. Did I really deserve all that drama just for doing something that was perfectly innocent?!?! Yes, maybe I should've told her, but really, I didn't want to cause I guessed she'd say no, or insist on coming with. Because this is the 1800s and ladies needed a chaperone.
This would be a perfect moment to say the three-letter acronym that's read as "eff-em-el".
Hello? Can anyone hear me? I'm over here, underneath all the research for the Power essay which is due tomorrow and I haven't started yet. Thank goodness for extensions, hey? My children were all sick last week (nothing serious, just colds, but it meant they needed to be home) which has set off a chain reaction of assignment extension requests as, if you read my last post you'll know, no work is getting done when they're around! I actually managed to organise with some friends that I could study at their house while they were at work, but after three days of being home with snotty, sniffly, whingy children it's entirely possible that I had a nap on their couch and played with their cat...
It has been a hectic couple of weeks though, with essays coming out of my ears - well, I WISH they would come out so easily, rather than spending hours staring at a blank screen with not a single decent paragraph or even sentence coming to mind.
Thank goodness my tutors have been very understanding and more than happy to grant a few extra days to the tasks.
The other day I was remembering how I felt when I first started at the University of Melbourne. I was so thrilled to have been accepted, but as the beginning of the academic year drew closer I started to get nervous. Specifically, I was nervous about tutorials. You see, I was sure that once I attended my first tutorial, everyone would realise that a mistake had been made, and I'm actually not smart enough to be here. It seems silly now because of course that didn't happen, but it's truly how I felt. Sometimes we really are our own worst enemies, convincing ourselves that somehow we are undeserving, or not good enough.
A couple of lessons I have learned in the past week:
1. If you decide to live dangerously and watch a lecture online on the train on the way to the relevant tutorial, make sure you actually download the correct lecture, and not last weeks.
2. When you haven't heard the lecture due to the issue mentioned in point 1, you can type on your laptop during the tutorial with a thoughtful frown on your face - this way you look too busy for the tutor to call on you when you have no idea what they are talking about.
I hope everyone is managing to stay on top of it all!
Don't judge me just yet.
I have showered at Uni Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, and as I walked in yesterday and reveled in the luxury of having all of the showers to choose from, I began to wonder why the University Sports Centre showers are hardly ever used?
I play futsal at Uni and football in South Melbourne, and consequently, I have found myself showering on campus quite a lot this semester, and I would highly recommend it! I imagine most people would not consider this because they do not believe the facilities are clean, or they would be too disgusted at the idea of washing in a public shower. However, I can confirm that the showers in the sports centre are very clean, quite spacious and the water pressure is not bad either! Furthermore, the women's toilets have a hairdryer for our convenience (sorry men, I am unsure whether you have this luxury).
So, should you ever find yourself playing sport or even feeling a bit hot and smelly after riding to Uni or running from the Spot to the MSD, I would highly recommend trying the showers. I also have a locker in Union House which makes this even more convenient as I can stash clothes, a towel and toiletries there when I know I will be needing a shower. I would recommend this if you bring a lot to Uni, however, I am sure adding a few items to your backpack will not ruin your day!
Be adventurous! You're all missing out...
P.S. Tall people may need to bend a tad when washing their hair
P.P.S. Just in case there are some of your who are wondering where this Sports Centre is...
Hey there!
Transitioning from High School to Uni life has been a huge part of my first year and after Week 8, I feel like I'm really settling into this new world. So I thought I'd share 3 little insights into what I've learned so far.
1. Getting into a routine.
Uni is a bit different to High School; and not just because you’re not required to wear an itchy uniform everyday.
“I don’t have to wear plaid today.”
For all of my subjects, I’ve got lectures, tutes and readings. For me, it’s important to do these in a certain way so that I’m maximising what I get out of that subject. For example, for Power I’ll do my readings before the lectures so I head into them with a bit of background knowledge. Tutes for this subject then serve as a forum to go into more depth and refresh what I learnt the week before. On the other hand, for Crim I like to do my readings after the lectures, because they expand on what was introduced in lectures and give me more of a grounding for tutes in the following week.
2. Free food.
I have a confession to make, I am a serial free food scavenger and Unimelb is like a cornucopia of sausages in bread. I don’t even like sausages that much, I just really appreciate free goods and services. So free BBQs and meetings with food and I are a match made in Parkville heaven.
"I didn't have to pay for this."
Heaps of clubs have weekly/fortnightly free meetings where food is often served, or just a good old BBQ with sausages, veggie burgers and drinks. So I would recommend signing up for those that pique your fancy. So far I've only joined two, but I will be signing up for the coffee and Italian clubs and the film society ASAP!
3. Making friends.
I’ll admit that when I didn’t immediately make heaps of awesome new friends, I was a little disappointed. So when my friend Claire sent me a reading from her sociology subject that said it’s difficult to make friends at uni, given that we’re all on different schedules, I felt a bit better. Even though it can be intimidating, if you want to put yourself out there and make some new friends, do it! Strike up conversation with the person next to you in a tute or lecture, or join a club to meet a heap of people with similar interests!
*Side note: The rule of silence in “silent study spaces” is strictly enforced by the students who inhabit them. Even the quickest whisper or request to borrow a pen from your friend will be met with disdainful side-eye and a dominant “shhhh” from the student opposite you.
“I have neither a pen nor patience for your rule-breaking”.
Until next time,
Katherine Olivia
Performing in Concert Class can be intimidating, but everything is going to be okay! Yesterday, I had my first solo performance in Concert Class, and all I could say is that it was a good one! I had a few mistakes on articulation and memory lapse in a few bars on my Scarlatti Sonata, but it’s all good! Usually, no one notices, unless you show it on your face, play the same bar again, or stopped playing your piece.
Here's how I worked up towards performing in Concert Class:
1. I worked out when I wanted to memorise my pieces, or to perform
I had a goal, an achievement in order to get my pieces ready. So, I made a prediction that I could be prepared by Week 8, and would be performing without my score by then.
It wasn’t a good goal in general, performing at Week 8. So, I suggest to give yourself until Week 9 to perform for first years. But nevertheless, if you feel that you’re ready, then go for it! Again, I highly suggest for future first years in first year to perform at Week 9. That way you feel like you’re ready, feeling secure about your piece, and etc.
Having a goal is important, as it really motivates you to achieve something for music, or any thing in general. But knowing how to achieve that goal is what truly sets the bar of your expectations and priorities.
2. A week before my performance in Concert Class, I invited/asked my friends, teacher, family to hear my piece
Performing in front of your peers, teacher and family sets up a bar of how ready you are. I started asking my friends to come in my practise sessions, and listen to my pieces multiple times. Once or twice a day of performing in front of your friends/family is more than enough.
3. Ask your friends, family and teacher for feedback, always!
If it’s good feedback, keep at it. If it’s feedback about improvements, work on it hard. Feedback on improving whatever you need to do is important. You got to make it right, in order to sound good and perfect prior to your performance.
4. I video recorded myself
It's good to hear back on how you played your pieces, and looking back on how you expressed your performance/piece. Try it. It's not so bad actually. Video recording yourself counts as a 'performance practise' actually. :D
5. I worked hard on fixing those troubled phrases/touch/technique etc.
That tip self explanatory. I sometimes spend around 5 to 7 minutes repeating the same bar, over and over again to get it perfect. Nek minute, when I perform in front of my friends on the day of my performance, THE PROBLEM STILL HAPPENS, AND IT'S TOO LATE TO CHANGE THE FINGERING ON MY TRILLS ON MY SCARLATTI PIECE! UGHHHH!!!! But it's all good. I changed my fingering for my trills in my Scarlatti Sonata today, and it sounds better now. Hahaha. Why didn't I change it earlier?!?!!
6. I played the ‘memory game’
A way to test your memory is to play from backwards, working towards the beginning without your score. So, you start from the last line, following by adding more lines.
For example,
Last line to the end
Second last line to the end
Third last line to the end
ect.
It’s a little tuff. But hey, that’s a faster, challenging way to memorise, or even test your memory.
This will always help out with securing your piece a lot.
7. I understood what was going on in my piece
So, what I mean by this is memorising left hand and right hand notes, followed by memorising the melody.
A way to memorise everything is to hum or sing the notes/melody in each hand, or annotating the chords or parts.
For instance, in my Scarlatti Sonata, I had reoccurring motifs, imitation, parts, etc. So, it was easy to recall whenever I performed. Same with my Chopin Etude, the form of my Etude is Ternary form (A B A), there were simple chords, and nice arpeggios, octave leaps and nice pattern of phrases.
Knowing your piece really well (chords, motifs, phrasing, form and etc.) is very handy during your performance, especially, when you accidentally had a memory lapse! You could simply either make up something, or play what was the chord originally? Well, all you can do (if you had a memory lapse) is just keep going if that happens. Hahaha.
8. BELIEVE AND HAVE FAITH IN YOURSELF!
Having confidence and faith in yourself is the most important thing psychologically.
9 days before my concert class performance, I had a good feeling that I'm all set for next week's Concert Class performance (yesterday's performance). However, my confidence shot down in the drain after I had memory lapses in my piano lesson; I tried too hard in getting my pieces 'perfect', and it turned into a forced performance (notes were played REALLY heavy). After my piano lesson, I was being so hard on myself, that I made a stupid decision of deferring my performance (which you're not allowed to - it's against the terms and conditions, unless you have a medical reason).
I changed my mind on deferring my performance, because...
- I'll be not able to perform in Concert Class for the entire year
- It would be illogical deferring my performance, just because I had a bad lesson.
I know, it's silly of me making that decision. I had a tuff, long day, and I was making irrational decisions on that day when I was being emotional, and mentally tired. Silly Past Nicole.
*Present Nicole smacks Past Nicole's head from behind*
Anyways, when I got over it those sad, depressing thoughts, I picked myself up, and worked my hardest for my goal to be a reality. When I worked on those problems/issues, my piece became better, and better, but with a few technical difficulties in a few bars. Same goes to performing in front of my friends/family/teacher - I felt more confident and comfortable performing my Scarlatti piece in front of an audience.
Before I finish my blog post, I'd like to wish all the best for those first years in my cohort, who is going to perform in future Concert Classes! We'll be there to support you, if you let any one of us (first years) know!
Also, thank you all for supporting prior to my Concert Class performance, and on the day of my performance! It really means so much to me. I would've done it without your unconditional support/feedback! I'll be looking forward to be performing in next week's Concert Class!
Music suggestion for this post? 'Thank You by Jason Chen'
I'll catch yah later!
PS: I'll be writing weekly! So, my blog posts will be publishing between Fridays and Sundays. So watch out for my blog posts in the future! :)
- Nic
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