Student Musicians Enjoy Butterfly-Free Recitals

Three Days of Varied Programs

Surprises Fill Performance Week

Spring recitals are a rite of passage at the close of a school year. However, this season my music students enjoyed a variation of the formal event that was almost butterfly-free and beneficial for all concerned.

When preferences for three proposed recital dates came back equally divided, I decided to combine back-to-back students into small groups, allowing each to play several pieces for their invited guests.

This was a treat especially for the pianists, who normally perform only 1-2 selections at spring recitals. The violinists usually play a solo and several songs as a group.

Students had a great time creating repertoire lists the week preceding the performance classes. Programs ranged from one to six solos. The musicians, whose ages range from 6 to 15, represent seven area schools.

Power Outage Strikes Schedule

On Monday, the first of three performance days, I was still casually drinking my morning coffee when a Wesleyan mother called to ask if the recitals were still on since a power failure had cancelled classes at the the academy.

I learned that the electricity had been restored, but school was definitely out except for high schoolers whose exam schedule was revised to start at 11. Students and parents were contacted via email or text, and our classes were back on schedule, too.

Monday's first duo partnered Payton, a freshman, and third grader Chase. Parents and an uncle completed their audience as the musicians shared everything from Bach to Joplin to the "Saints."

Like their teacher, they are avid Tar Heel basketball fans and have shared many celebrations -- and a few pity parties -- following Carolina games.

Due to the day's schedule snafu, one student, Brenda, was unable to attend the piano class. Her partner, Haley, presented a six-piece program for a family friend, her dad, and mom via video recorder.

The girls had planned an interesting program of literature, pop, Disney, hymns, and even a 12-bar blues improv.

A trio of pianists -- Miranda, her brother Mitch, and Cawyn, who studies at my home -- performed 16 songs for their families. Their teacher played the duet part for "Amazing Grace" and "Rock Song."

Violinists Invite Moms To Sing

Wednesday's sessions began with Tatum and Raegan, elementary string students who performed solos and duets for their moms. Their program featured Suzuki lit (the "Twinkle Variations" and "Andantino"), "Edelweiss," and "Love Me Tender," with some vocals from the audience.

The second group spotlighted Joseph and Caleb, two talented middle school composers. Unfortunately, their schedules only overlap for a few minutes, so they each played for family members.

Both performed compositions from this semester, Joseph's temporarily entitled "Spring" and Caleb's "The Quiet One."

Caleb also added "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho," "Scarborough Fair," "Volga Boatman," a piece he is arranging for his guitar class, and another composition, "Skeletal Waltz."

iPhone Records Student Compositions

My iPhone, a tool we have employed all semester as a tuner, a metronome, and a handy recorder of compositions and prepared pieces, wasn't even on my radar this week. It's a wonder I remembered to turn off the ringer!

Special thanks to Scarlett for converting the mp4's to mp3's and getting them into a player. From lesson recordings, the player contains the opening of Joseph's composition; a partial of Caleb's "The Quiet One" (working title); "Hope," written by Jessicca for Mother's Day. Click on each song to play.


Three cousins and their family members filled the studio for Wednesday's final group. Ora, a violinist, performed "The Two Grenadiers" by Schumann, her favorite fiddle tune, and "Over the Rainbow."

Her brother Jeremy, a pianist, played Cathedral Bells," a Bach minuet, and two piano duets with his teacher, "Crown Him with Many Crowns" and "America the Beautiful."

In addition to the special Mother's Day composition, their cousin Jessicca performed the Pachelbel Canon and "Amazing Grace."

Fiddle Tunes, Musicals, Classics

Five violinists -- Tatum, Raegan, and Ora from WCA, Erica and Anna from Our Lady of Grace (OLG) -- gathered at my home Thursday to perform solos and play as much of their ensemble literature as we could in an hour.

WCA violin solos received a second run, Erica played Bach's Minuet in G, and Anna performed Gavotte in D Major by Bach.

Repertoire for this group is varied -- fiddle tunes, selections from The Sound of Music, a Disney set, folk songs, and more. We closed with a classic and their current favorite, "Over the Rainbow."

This blog's most entertaining art will have to be in your imagination. Picture the teacher completing last minute house-cleaning -- a bum left knee, vacuum in one hand and cane in the other, chasing away dust mites in the living room.

Just because it's almost summertime the music doesn't stop.

Students will have a break next week, but many will resume lessons the following Tuesday and Thursday. Several will perform programs in area retirement homes this summer.

Have a very special Memorial Day Weekend, all!

Caro/Ms B

Trio Keyboardists Share Birthday

Adventures of The Cambiata Trio

Musical Friends Mark Birthday

Today marks the birthday of two very special people in my life. Friends and pianists, these ladies were keyboardists for the Cambiata Chamber Players, an ensemble (flute, oboe, piano) originally formed for the pleasure of making music together -- Betty on flute; Judy on piano; and yours truly playing oboe, flute, and saxophone.

In the five years we performed together, the group had two different pianists, Judy Mahone and Diane Aitken. Ironically, they share the same birthday, Feb. 19.

The night my husband walked in our rehearsal and said, "Y'all sound good enough to take on the road," the group moved from playing for our own enjoyment to performing professionally.

We printed cards and stationery, located matching dresses, and away we went. We wound up playing all over Middle Tennessee for park concerts, weddings, receptions, and fashion shows.

We became a hot ticket on the retirement home circuit, often donning concert attire, playing a luncheon gig, and rushing back to our studios to teach afternoon music lessons.

Regular at Governor's Mansion

When Judy could no longer play with the group, along came Diane, who was completing her master's degree in piano performance at Peabody. Diane and then Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander had grown up together in Maryville, studying piano with the same teacher throughout their pre-college years.

After he became governor, Diane was asked to recommend a group to play background music at a reception. This became the first of many joyous occasions the trio accompanied at the Governor's Mansion.

The most difficult gig I ever played was the morning wedding of Lamar Alexander's publicist, for which the governor served as best man. My father had died during the night, and our program included his favorite classical song, "God My Shepherd Walks Beside Me" by J.S. Bach. Our car was loaded for the 12-hour drive home, and we left the minute the wedding ceremony was over.

Still a Nashvillian, Judy, an organist, performs and teaches elementary through college-aged piano students while Diane now makes music in the Chicago area. Betty, a church organist and excellent accompanist, teaches and performs flute in Nashville.

Heavy Equipment Not a Problem

Indoors or out, in good weather and bad, we hauled Diane's Fender Rhodes electric piano to various venues throughout Middle Tennessee. Since I already had three instruments, Diane and Betty were usually in charge of finding assistance for unloading the heavy piano and speaker.

They batted their eyelashes, asked nicely, and always seemed to find a couple of guys anxious to show off their muscles by carrying the equipment.

Wedding cake taste tests were the norm at receptions, and we could have advised prospective brides on the region's best caterers.

Cambiata Describes Repertoire

Originally, we chose the name Cambiata Chamber Players because of the alliteration and the musical connotation. The name evolved into The Cambiata Trio. A cambiata ornament involves a note that skips down and resolves back up -- A to F# to G, for example.

During retirement home programs, we provided background information about the music we played. Our repertoire was a a little bit classical and a little bit rock 'n roll, meeting in the middle like the cambiata.

Trio members were always amazed at the many compliments our pop arrangements received when, in truth, they were very simple: "OK, flute takes the melody at A ... oboe the harmony ... no, this will sound better on sax ... switch on the repeat, etc."

As music majors, picking out harmony from a piano/vocal score was a snap. We just smiled and graciously thanked the guests.

Tubular Oboe Reed Misjudged

Keeping reeds wet is a priority when you rotate three instruments. Following one retirement home gig, residents had come forward to express their appreciation for our program. One woman told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to quit "that nasty, unhealthy habit."

I didn't understand at first; but Diane and Betty did, turning and hiding their giggles from the resident. The lady thought my oboe reed, constantly in and out of my mouth, was a cigarette.

During the Cambiata years, the four of us -- Judy, Diane, Betty, and I -- were raising families. We are all grandmothers now and still making music.

Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year. The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again. -- Menachem Mendel Schneerson (The Rebbe)

Happy Birthday to Judy and Diane, two very good friends with whom I have shared some very special times!

Caro

ADDENDUM: Judy, one of the birthday gals, emailed additions, inspiring others:

The trio alternated rehearsals on opposite sides of Nashville. When we practiced in Bellevue, we had to stop at a certain time so the flautist could leave for Donelson, 30 minutes away, in time to watch "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman."

Our apartment had a dryer; and the flautist, whose didn't, sometimes brought her laundry to dry while we rehearsed.

On a night Judy's childcare fell through, Mr. Caro took all the youngsters around while he ran errands. The winning stop was the car wash. "It was my kids' first ride through the car wash, and they were tickled to death," she recalls.

For a Jewish-Episcopal wedding, we played "Hava Nagilia" at the reception and all the grandmothers got up and danced. That was the same wedding we had to learn the "Yale Whiffenpoof Song" ("Baa, baa, baa").

I played oboe and flute during pre-wedding concerts and added the alto sax at receptions. One bride asked that we play "At Last" for the groom's parents to enter. This was "their song" and definitely a saxophone piece.

During the reception, the bride gushed that everyone was raving about the music.

"Not quite everyone," I told her, describing the stern woman who had made faces at me throughout "At Last" from the bride's side of the aisle.

"Oh, that's Aunt Trudy. She never likes anything!"