UIL Contest, New iPad, and other Random Topics

Hey guys,

After being MIA for a long time, I have finally returned to my blog! School has been overwhelming this entire semester and haw given me little time to breath. Luckily, we are in the last six weeks, so my workload will be much lighter (I hope). Last week was the first time I had free time, so I've been playing my sax (my Charlie Parker Omnibook arrived recently) and my new iPad.

Yup, I was fortunate enough to receive an iPad 2 the day it was released. I happily walked out of my local Best Buy with an entry-level 16 gb iPad 2 in black. I have loaded it up with tons of apps and have been playing around with GarageBand. GarageBand is really fun and easy to use. Hopefully, I can record myself playing something and add a backing track to it on GarageBand then upload it onto here. For those of you who want an iPad 2, I highly recommend it. It is a great work tool (when you find the right apps) and fun to use. Also, I'm using my iPad 2 naked right now, but I have a case heading my way. I'll review it on here to help those who are looking for an iPad case. The good thing about the iPad is that there are a ton of music apps such as GarageBand and Coda. There are also tons of metronome apps and some sheet music reader apps (I recommend Perform! because it's free and turns the page automatically)!

So back to school. Our top band (the one I'm in) is preparing for contest which is in one and a half weeks. We are playing three really cool songs: March Valdres, A Movement for Rosa by Mark Camphouse, and Finale from Symphony No. 4 by Tchaikovsky. My favorite is Finale because it is really fun and exciting to play and perform. A Movement for Rosa is my second favorite because it has a lot of contrast. There are slow, lyrical parts and fast, violent parts(Violently is actually written into the music). I suggest you look it up on YouTube, it is a great piece.

Finally, I'm looking into learning how to play jazz (hence the Charlie Parker Omnibook purchase). If you have any tips please email me using the Contact tab on the side of the page. I have no experience with the style, articulations, phrasing, etc. (since I've only been playing a year), so I could use all the help you can offer. :) I hope to start writing more frequently now that school has lightened its load. But please excuse me, I have to go practice now.

Sara