| Author |
Subject |
JanJan
Registered
User
(8/28/00 10:44:41 am)
Reply |
Just
back from Summerkeys
Had a BLAST! There were 11 cellists
there for the first week (don't know how many are there this week).
It never ceases to amaze me, at our morning group lessons which
review basics (sitting, scales, bowing, hand position, etc.) how you
can *always* stand to review the basics.
I ended up playing
from the Vaughn Williams Studies on English Folksongs (just played
#1) and I also performed The Swan. Both had their moments of poor
intonation and reversed bowings, but they also had moments of strong
tone and well-shaped phrases. I was *extremely* pleased! I also got
to play in my first string quartet - we performed the first movement
of an early Mozart quartet - what fun!! 
On
Friday, while everybody was exchanging e-mails, etc. I put in a plug
for ICS. Not many folks were familiar with it. I told them all about
the different boards, especially CBN...so maybe we'll have some new
friends hereabouts!
And to top it all off, the weather was
just astoundingly cooperative - it was a wonderful week on the Maine
coast. Wish I was still there...
Ah, now I must get to work
(ughh).
Janet 
PS
Dorie - I didn't see your post til just now, so I didn't say hi
to Peter. He's a great teacher, you're lucky to have him.
Edited by JanJan
at: 8/28/00 10:44:41 am
|
TerryM
Registered
User
(8/28/00 7:09:22 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Just back from Summerkeys
Hi Janet, it sounds like it was lots
of fun. What sort of levels of playing ability did you encounter?
How do they decide who plays with whom and all that? What sort of
activities make up a day and the week? Sorry for all the questions
but I have thought of going to something like this, but I am never
sure what they are about.
Terry
|
Ellen
G 
Registered User
(8/28/00 9:53:11 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Just back from Summerkeys
My questions precisely. I eagerly
await the answers.
|
lblake
Registered
User
(8/28/00 10:41:18 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Just back from Summerkeys
...on the Maine
coast?
*sigh*
No, I don't think we were separated at
birth. I think you are just the alternate universe (BETTER UNIVERSE)
version of me!!!!!
Thanks for the review... gives those of us
in much weaker universes something to daydream about, at least! 
hmm.... or, maybe were WERE separated at birth, and you were
switched with my "twin brother," and sent to live with a GOOD
family, and .... ooops... I do get carried away
sometimes.......
|
JanJan
Registered
User
(8/29/00 10:00:20 am)
Reply |
Re:
Just back from Summerkeys
<<What sort of levels of
playing ability did you encounter?>>
Summerkeys is ideal
for beginners and intermediate players. I've been there before when
somebody was attending who was having their very first cello
lessons! Most attendees have been playing from 1 to 5 years. So you
have a mix of abilities. Last week's recital ran the gamut from "The
Happy Farmer" to "The Swan."
<< How do they decide who
plays with whom and all that?>>
Well, as far as the chamber
music goes, pretty much the teachers arrange all that, and strive to
pair people up according to ability. So you may have an intermediate
pianist accompanying a beginning cellist, or a trio of beginning
cellos, or even a string quartet. It all depends on what's available
that week as far as instruments and playing
levels.
<<What sort of activities make up a day and the
week?>>
Well, it all begins on Sunday night with a casual
get together. Everybody gets their weekly schedule at that time.
Each day there is an hour group lesson with both cello instructors.
And each day you have a 45-minute private lesson, usually
alternating with the teachers on a daily basis (one day Peter, next
day Yari, next day Peter...). And everyone is assigned a "practice
studio" for 2 hours daily. The practice studios are really just
rooms within the different houses that comprise Summerkeys. Since
most rooms are not soundproofed, you hear what everybody else is
practicing. This can be a tad distracting, so if the weather's nice,
I opt to take my cello out to a beautiful lighthouse, a wooded area,
or even the town bandstand to practice. The evenings are used for
chamber music rehearsal.
Other things throughout the week
include a dutch treat dinner at a local restaurant, a Wednesday
night faculty concert, and performance class (aka recital) Friday
night (and Thursday night if there are too many performing.) Nobody
is forced to perform if they don't want to. It's all very laid back
and is only intended as an instructional opportunity. In fact the
Friday night performance class began with a brief (but very helpful)
discussion about performance anxiety.
On a typical day you
have 2-3 hours of free time to explore the local area. There's not a
TON of stuff to do, only because it's a fairly remote place and it
takes forever to get to anyplace different. But there are several
lighthouses to visit and lots of beautiful scenery to drink
in.
I've never been to any other music camp, so I have
nothing to compare it to. All I can say is that Summerkeys is the
most encouraging, supportive, friendly atmosphere you could hope
for. Not only do you learn about the cello, but you often establish
lasting friendships with musicians from all over the country.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have other questions or want
to know more about Summerkeys. Especially if you are seriously
considering attending Summerkeys next year - they can only
accomodate about a dozen cellists each week, and there are only 2
weeks. I've already sent my deposit for next year, 'cuz the spaces
fill up fast.
Janet
Edited by JanJan
at: 8/29/00 10:00:20 am
|
Ellen
G
Registered User
(8/29/00 8:44:06 am)
Reply |
Re:
Just back from Summerkeys
Bert Phillips (from Phila Orchestra)
said he used to run an adult camp here in upstate NY and has been
considering doing it again. Currently his energies go into Luzerne
Music Camp in the summers with junior and senior sessions of kids. I
should check in with him and see if he's given it any more thought.
Bert had mentioned the fall, I think, and upstate NY would be
pretty. Sometime in the future, perhaps. Sure would be fun to get
together with some of you people.
|
JanJan
Registered
User
(8/29/00 9:38:00 am)
Reply |
Re:
Just back from Summerkeys
<<Sure would be fun to get
together with some of you people.>>
That it would. Count me
in if this thing gets off the ground!
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