Sonatic

TOP 10 MOVIE SCORESsee pg. 32

The Musician’s Experiencesee pg. 14

A Visual Guide to the Symphony Orchestrasee pg. 26

How Music Impacts Childrensee pg. 20

Issue 1 May 2016

S natic

TABLE OF CONTENTS

6 20

12

268

3214

28

3518

THE MUSICIAN’S EXPERIENCE

MUSIC AND CHILDREN

AUSTIN: THE CENTER OF MUSIC

CINEMATIC MAGIC

THE MUSIC BEHIND FILM

TOP 8 MOST MEMORABLE MOVIE SCORES

2 MOST POPULAR INSTRUMENTS

A HISTORY OF THE ORCHESTRA

A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

TOP SONGS OF 2015

Music is a part of everyone’s life. But how does music influence those who dedicate their lives to it?

The most popular instruments and what you know them for!

Some of the defining historical moments that shaped the orchestra.

We all know Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World. But what’s the musicians’ life in Austin like?

The many instruments of the symphony orchestra explained

simply with fascinating graphics!

Music is a an integral part of movies. Here, we’ve found the 8

scores we remembered most.

Some think that music makes babies smarter. Read all about the many ways music can influence children!

2015 was a year of music highs and lows. Which songs were the cream of the crop?

Movie music is a masterpiece in and of itself, as the Austin

Cinematic Symphony is showing.

Movies wouldn’t be the same without their music. Here we go

behind the scenes with film music.

2

LETTER FROM THE Editor

When I was appointed as the editor of this magazine, I was very nervous. First off, working on a music maga-zine sounded like Mission Impossible to me. You can’t see music; how will we make an entire magazine based on something we can’t see? But our group was able to work together and use our dif-ferent experiences with music to build a magazine from nothing. In the end, I never really felt like I was the boss. I had lots of help from all the members of my group and ended up having more fun than I thought I would. This magazine was able to bring five very differ-ent kids together. When we first met we didn’t seem to have anything in common, apart from choosing “music” as our top interest in the survey in which we chose our top picks for magazine topics. And even when the subject was music we were divided; we played different instruments, we didn’t listen to the same genre of music, and overall we each had different backgrounds. This

difference is what gave Sonatic the diversity in content you will be able

to see while reading it. Making a magazine on a topic so broad is not something that was easy, actually creating this maga-zine was far from easy. It was hard to find topics that not only would interest me, but would also appeal to

our audience. Furthermore, after coming up with ideas, making these layouts was even harder, but seeing the finished product today makes all that hard work feel worthwhile.Sonatic was created to help our readers understand the impact that music has on our world today. Even though people might not enjoy it as much as others do, music is a part of everyone’s life. We hope you enjoy reading this magazine as much as we enjoyed making it.

Sincerely,

“This magazine was able tobring five very different kidstogether.”

Tania Rives

Dear Reader,

3

Jenny has grown up with music revolving around her. She started playing the piano in

kindergarten, and participated in competitions for eight years. The summer before she started middle school, she began to play the cello, and

has been playing for almost four years now. Apart from music, she also enjoys swimming, hiking, and spending time with friends. She is

grateful for all the opportunities that music has provided, and looks forward to attending more

concerts and music festivals.

Tania’s dad was the lead guitarist in a band called Triptic, he played piano as a hobby so she was introduced to music at a young age.

She started playing piano at age 7 but stopped after 4 years of lessons. In 5th grade she

started with flute and has been playing since. Tania enjoys drawing, biking and listening to music 24/7. Her favorite bands include Pink

Floyd, The Cure, Radio Head, Arcade fire, and Smashing Pumpkins. In the future she hopes

to learn the drums and finally go to ACL.

Tania Rives

Jenny Lu

Photo by: Clara Morse

Phot

o by

: Rac

hel M

oon

4


Meet the

Sanjay Pandiri

Ryan Edgar

Clara Morse

Sanjay is a music enthusiast and has been interested in music ever since he started piano,

at the age of eight. Sanjay loves listening to classic orchestral music, and looks forward

to going to concerts from the local group, the Austin Symphony Orchestra. He is also a per-

cussionist in the LBJ symphonic band, does pit percussion in the LBJ Marching Band, and he is part of the varsity tennis team. In his free time,

Sanjay enjoys composing music and solving rather large Rubik’s cubes.

Ryan plays the piano and violin. He enjoys pop, classic rock, and occasionally orchestral music. At the age of 12, Ryan figured out that

he had an interest in music. The following year, he learned about different musical

cultures and groups and began to learn about photoshop and other adobe programs. For fun, Ryan usually listens to music or plays

games, or explores new songs. He very much enjoys to play and listen to music, and hopes

to continue his work to the future.



Photo by: Jenny Lu

5

Clara was introduced to music as a child and has loved it ever since her first piano lesson.

She has sung in many different choirs, including church choirs, jazz panaches, and a capella groups, and is also an avid music

listener and lover. She enjoys alternative and rock music, as well as musical soundtracks,

and listens to bands like Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, and Tonight Alive. In her free time, Clara

enjoys photo-editing, solving puzzles, and volunteering at her local library.

Contributors

1.2.

3.4.

Schindler’s ListDirector:

Steven Spielberg

Composer: Howard Shore

Composer: John Williams

Lord of the Rings “The Two Towers”

Director: Peter Jackson

E.T. Extra-TerrestrialDirector:

Steven Spielberg


Pirates of the Caribbean

“At World’s End”Director:

Gore Verbinski

Composer: Hans Zimmer

6

Music scores on top charts in several websites and have won several awards! These are the movies with best soundtracks

Top 8 Most Memorable Music Scores by Tania Rives

5.6.

7.8.

Pirates of the Caribbean

“At World’s End”Director:

Gore Verbinski

Star Wars“A New Hope”

Director: George Lucas


Composer:Simon

& Garfunkel Dave Grusin

Last of the Mohicans

Director: Michael Mann

Composer:Trevor Jones

Randy Edelman

How to Train Your Dragon

Director: Dean DeBloisChris Sanders

Composer: John Powell

7

Photo credit: Google Images

“I want to write and feel the drama.Music is essentially an emotional language”

-Howard Shore

The GraduateDirector:

Mike Nichols

John Williams has won 5 Academy Awards, 17 Grammys, 3 Golden Globes, 2 Emmys and 5 awards from the British Academy of Film

and Television Arts!

Music Behind Film

are created to help the film come to life. Composers use different instru-ments, notes, and rhythms to arise a certain emotion in the audience. Rick DeJonge is the owner of Dream Notes Music, a music writ-ing and publishing company. In the past, DeJonge has composed music for several movies, among them are “Made in America”, “Beau Brummel” and “Hungry Hearts”. Music is a complicated puzzle, so many small pieces are used to make a big picture in the end. All the elements in music are used in differ-ent ways depending on the feeling wanted. Instruments are the most basic element. According to DeJonge, 80 percent of film music instruments are brass and string and the other 20 percent are woodwinds. Brass in-struments, such as the trumpet and french horn will typically be used in a heroic scene or a scene with high drama, woodwinds will be mostly used as ornaments. Percussion is a very strong element in film music, the rhythm section (percussion) will help create the feeling of intensity. “The use of repetitive rhythm creates forward momentum,” says

Entering the movie theater, you have allowed the composer to twist and play with your emo-

tions. Film music is used to intensify the emotions the audience is feeling toward a movie. Composers are hired to create music that will intensify the feelings in the movie. Music has evolved greatly over the years. Today it is part of our ev-eryday lives, although you might not realize it. Music is played in super-markets, cafes, the famous elevator music, restaurants and movies. Movie scores

By Tania Rives

The complicated elements of music that make a film come to life

8

LASA/ LBJ high school symphonic band score “Khan,” by Julie Giroux Photo credit: Tania Rives

Ponder East, band director at the Lib-eral Arts and Science Academy and the Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School. The french horn has a romantic and noble sound to it, it is used in sev-eral movie scores for hero’s entrance or an important scene. John Williams used the french horn in Luke’s theme when he composed the Star Wars soundtrack. Leia’s theme in Star Wars is composed of mostly woodwinds -- the woodwind color is often used for a strong female lead. John Williams’s score is an example of what a lot of films tend to do, which is called motif. “Motif is a short melody with just a few notes or beats that related to a character,” East says. The concept of motif was start-

ed by a German composer named Richard Wagner. Wagner composed music for opera and theater plays. Most movie music today is based off of older composers such as Gustav Holst and Hector Berlioz. These composers wrote several operas and melodies that have been very popu-lar to soundtrack composers today. Apart from instruments, chords, rhythms and the use of consonance and dissonance create a big impact on the music. A chord is a set of three or more notes played together. There are several types of chords, the main chords are the ma-jor and minor chords. Major chords are chords that are composed of notes in the same major scale. While minor are composed of notes in a minor scale, a minor chord tends to

9

Music ScorePhoto credit: Pixaboy

composer is not necessarily to have the audience listen to the music they have composed. Most audience members don’t listen to the music behind the movie they’re watching. Typically, people who are involved in music somehow tend to listen to the music more often than not. Others only listen to the soundtrack when it is very prominent. “The one thing I like about [my favorite] movies is they have excellent sound tracks.” Srivastava says. The music for the movie is usually composed after the film is made. In the rare occasions that the score is made before, it is harder to compose. Having the scene al-

Rick DeJonge, composer Photo credit: The Sessions website

10

RIC

K D

EJO

NG

E

have a sad sound to it. The use of consonance and dissonance is very common in music due to the effect it has on a person. Consonance, is when two sounds played together and are harmonious, this means they complement each other and sound good. Dissonance is when the two sounds played clash with each other and create a tense sound. Ev-ery tool a composer uses to make a soundtrack is chosen carefully based off the impact it has on an audience emotions. “The way I appreciate music,” DeJonge says. “It’s something you feel, not something you hear.” The music in a movie is only there to help add feeling to the primary element. The goal of a soundtrack

“Sometimes complete silence will make a scene a lot more intense than if there was even

any other type of sound”-Anushka Srivastava

ready made gives the emotion wanted to be created or emphasized. Also, the tempo of the music is set to the scenes of the movie, having the movie done before sets the tempo and time of the soundtrack. When the movie is done, it’s called the final cut. The final cut is what the com-poser receives and applies music to. Composers are able to use something that thousands have used before and create something unique. “No matter if you’re read-ing the same notes on the page that every other person has played before you,” East says, “There is something about your sound that is unique to you.” Music has been a way to express yourself throughout many years. The emotional element it brings out is used today as a way to make something on a screen come to life. ♪

11

1. Anushka Srivastva playing in the School of Rock Pink Floyd show Photo credit: Sharmila Mehta

2 . Pflugerville high School Band hallPhoto credit: Braun and Butler construction website.

3. Ponder East posing for the LASA websitePhoto credit: LASA.

1.

3.

2.

1500 1607 1750

Orchestral music is a large part of life today for many musicians, and has been an extremely popular form of professional music in Europe for

hundreds of years. Below we’ve put together a time line of some of the most important events in orchestra’s history.

In the 1700s, instruments used in orchestras changed. The clarinet,

flute, French horn, and trumpet became full time members of these small orches-tras, normally under 30 people. The wind and string instruments started to carry

the melody in this time.

THE HISTORY OF

Since music has been around,

groups of musicians have been playing in small groups, called consorts in Renaissance music. Normally, these groups of musicians were very small- under 10 people- and the instruments they used

were interchangeable.

Orchestras as we know them began around here. In 1607, the first composer specified

which instruments he wanted to play his opera: Claudio Monteverdi. This marked a shift from the earlier times, and the rest of that time’s composers followed Monteverdi’s

example.

Credit: nyphilkids.org; infoplease.com; theater-seatstore.com

12

by Clara Morse

1820 1875 1950

OrchestralMUSIC

In the 1900s, orchestras are more modestly sized, but

instruments are being rearranged in increasingly diverse and different ways

and new combinations of instruments and explorations of instruments’ capabilities

are popular.

In the late 1800s, orchestras grew in size, from 40 to 100 to one piece by

Hector Berlioz that called for an orchestra of 465, and experimenta-tion with instruments was common. There also was a marked increase in the number of composers who

conducted.

In the early 1800s, composers such as Felix Mendelsson began to stand upon a podium

in front of the orchestra and lead the orchestra with gestures, or con-duct, instead of the first violinist. The baton was also introduced at

this time.

13

photo by:pexels.com

The Musician'sExperience

anxiety and stress levels sig-nificantly, increase memory, and decrease physical pain, accord-ing to a 2013 Huffington Post article. Many other studies have shown that musicians and those

involved directly with mu-sic have greater scores on standardized tests and can learn new informa-tion more quickly than those who are not. Music can, scientifi-cally, change lives. LBJ Assistant Band Director and Jazz Director Ponder East was involved in music from a young age, he says. When he was 5 years old, he be-gan classical piano lessons. However, he became involved in a different type of music, jazz, soon after, which he says was

Music is a part of all of our lives, in different ways and genres. As you

walk through the grocery store, you might hear a Top 40 hit blar-ing through the speakers. You may turn on classical music to read, or upbeat rap when work-ing out. You may be into indie rock, bubble gum pop or EDM. And the many people who are involved in making music inter-act with music in wildly varying ways, from being a conductor to a composer to (of course) a musi-cian. However, many parts of the experience of music remain the same or similar across different people with life experiences and genres. And the facts agree. Lis-tening to music can help lower

influenced by his stepfather and his friend, a musician, both of whom enjoyed jazz music. “Some of my earliest memories of jazz specifically are those of my stepfather and John… listening to [jazz] and just

sitting around the house and hanging out,” East says. “For me [jazz has] been compelling because I found that out at a pretty early age, that people wanted it to sound good and it’s supposed to sound good and when it sounds good, it’s fun to play.”

Music was

14

by Clara Morse

“I think [music] gave me a purpose to be a human being, and to love other people as well as myself.”

The experience of creating and performing music can be magical.

Conducting orchestras, bands, or choirs is one of the many ways people interact with music.

photo by: boards.

theforce.net

photo by:pexels.com

“Whatever value we have for ourselves or the life that we’re liv-ing can be expressed through our art.”

not the first interest of UT Aus-tin Orchestra Director Gerhardt Zimmerman-- he says his first love was baseball. However, at age 7 he contracted polio, and with baseball no longer an option he went into music. He says that music was one thing that helped him to become more present in his daily life and have a pur-pose. Zimmerman also says that for him, music had a large social aspect. He says it helped him open up to other people, remark-ing that classical music was one thing that can help autistic children communicate with oth-ers, and that it also helped him to open up to other people. “I think [music] gave me a purpose to be a human being, and to love other people as well as myself, and not to be just a narcissistic person that was only

to a song that has emotions in it where you can listen to the lyr-ics and be like ‘oh, I know what this person is going through’ and I know I’m not alone in how I’m feeling right now.” East says he feels similarly about jazz. He says that one of the things that makes it so special to him,is that every jazz musician must take full responsibility for the music they make with their

instrument. Although he says he enjoys and respects the art of making music using a computer, he says he has a special affin-

ity for primarily instrumental music.

“When you are solely responsible for the sound coming out of your in-strument, [when] you’re the drummer, you’re the bass player… then there’s something a little bit dif-ferent about that,” East

says. “For me that’s why it’s compelling, because

we’re all directly responsible for how good it sounds… if

art can continue to teach us one thing, it can at least teach us that whatever value we have for our-selves or the life that we’re living can be expressed through our art.” Zimmerman, who enjoys musicals and instrumental acid rock in addition to classical mu-sic, says that music is one thing

interested in themselves,” Zim-merman says. “I was always shy

when I was young and that sort of opened the doors

up for me. I wasn’t so closed in emotionally

as I was before I met classical music.” Natalie Dez-so, LASA freshman and member of both marching and con-

cert band, has been involved in band for

four years now. Out-side of band, she says she

enjoys alternative artists like “Bastille” and “Hozier” and pop

rock bands such as “Fall Out Boy”. She says that for her, music is something she can relate to and a way to know that others share her emotions.

“Music is just something that I lis-ten to and that I can relate to and it’s just something that’s always there for me,” Dezso says. “When-ever I’m sad, I always just listen

photo by:pexels.com

Mixing engineers are responsible for combining vocals, instrumentals, and other effects into the final version of a recorded song.

photo by:pexels.com

Many people listen to music daily, and for some, such as Zimmerman, it can be something that saves lives.

15

photo by:lbjband.com

16

that helps him to improve his re-lationship with himself. He says that music helped to give him a sense of purpose. “Music re-ally saved my life, because of the polio,” Zimmer-man says. “It would have been easy for me to kind of give up and become… a hood; some[one] like that, that lived off welfare, and didn’t have a job, or played in pool tables all night long and things like that. But music really

saved my life.” For East, he has a passion for jazz bands

and played both jazz piano and jazz

saxophone in high school;

during and after col-lege, he worked and played with many differ-ent types of bands,

from jazz bands to

Top-40 Pop cover bands.

However, he always knew he wanted to become a band teach-er. “I went to school know-ing that I wanted to learn how to play jazz better once I got there, but I also knew that I wanted to learn how to teach,” East says. “My parents and mentors told me, ‘Well, I would pick what you would want to do even if it didn’t necessarily pay a lot of money,’ and teaching music was that for me.” In Zimmerman’s case, he did not originally realize that he wanted to be an orchestra conductor. He was originally planning to be a music teacher, but then in college he experi-enced something which he says changed his life. “My trumpet teacher [in

Natalie Dezso, a LASA freshman, avid music-

listener, and member of the LBJ band, enjoys the sun at Thundercloud Subs.

photo by: Clara Morse

college] told me that I should audition for the orchestra, which I didn‘t particularly want to do but I did anyway,” Zimmerman says with a nostalgic and dreamy tone. “And I got in… I had never heard an orchestra before in my

Students eat lunch and talk in the LBJ band hall. Mu-sic can often bring people together, East says.

photo by:lbjband.com

“Musicians care abouteach other, they careabout playing it well every time, they careabout improvingwhat’s going on.”

17

people in their community, and that’s what I have learned… jazz musicians care about each other, they care about playing it well ev-ery time, they care about improv-ing what’s going on.” Both Dezso and Zimmer-

man say that the so-cial aspect of music was important. And although East plays primarily in smaller bands and as a music teacher, he agrees. He also says that music is a way for him to meditate and become present. “Music helps me become present in the moment of what’s happening,”

East says. “[Music] is a very connecting experience. You feel more connected to yourself, who

you are, you feel more connected to the people around you because you’re all there experiencing it at the same time. Music, for me, is one of those things that helps to connect me to the rest of the people, the rest of the planet, everything, for that matter, if it’s done right [laughs].” Dezso says that for her, music is a way to unwind after a long day. She says that it would be ‘awesome’ to be a musician, but that she probably won’t be able to. “[Playing guitar has] become like a stress reliever, re-ally,” Dezso says, laughing. “I’ll come home from school and just for 10 or 15 minutes play guitar and just relax. And then I start homework.” Zimmerman says that music in his life served many purposes, but mainly it helped him to become a better person.

“I think music has a way to open up your soul, or at

least it did mine.” Zimmerman says. “I don’t know how else

to put it, because I can’t express that feeling in

words… There’s purely instrumental music, where it’ll touch me and I’ll just weep like a baby. I don’t know why. Maybe I don’t need to know why.” ♪

life before I sat in one. And when I first heard the orchestra and all those strings I knew that I… wanted to be an orchestra con-ductor.” East says that the music of jazz has a special draw, but is not the most important thing to him. Throughout history one of the most important aspects of the music has been that of community, and it is similar for East. He says that he thinks that the jazz community is an important and special one that makes him feel at home. “[The jazz] community cares for each other and that com-munity deeply cares about the value of what they’re do-ing,” East says. “They care deeply about what they’re doing and the

Music desk

Front lid

Lid prop

Main lid

Leg

Leg ferrule

Caster

Bent sideLyre

Lyre brace

Damper pedal (sustain)

Sostenuto pedal

Soft pedal

Key slip

Keys

Fall board

Straight side

Music shelf

18

Photo provided by Google Images

Most Popular Instruments

HeadstockTuning machines

Frets

Fretboard

Sound hole

Body

Bridge

Bridge pins

Saddle

Neck

Upper bout

Lower bout

Rosette

Soundboard

19

Musical instruments are a popular way of creating music. The most common-ly played instruments are the piano and guitar, both dating back to around

the 17th century. Detailed photos of both instruments with parts labelled will give everyone, musician or not, a general idea of the two most popular instruments.

by Jenny Lu


people. Robert Duke, who is the head of the de-partment of music and human learning at the Uni-versity of Texas, director of the research center for music learning at UT, and director of a psychology of learning program at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, says that music is a universal human behavior that has not changed through the history of human evolution. “Music is a remarkable phenomenon in human culture because like many art forms, it can elicit human emotions in a way that allows people who are listeners, and even people who are per-

formers to experience human emotions that they might not oth-erwise experience in their day to day lives,” says Duke. These elicited emotions can also lead to inspiration. For Claire Rudy, a freshman at McCal-lum High School, mu-sic is a source of just that. Music incites her to feel a wide range of influential emotions, from empowered to peaceful, that shape

her personality. “Even when I play music myself, I feel as if I

Music in

Chi drenMusic is a ubiquitous presence in our lives.

If you’re watching a movie, there’s music; in a commercial, there’s music; walking

through the mall, you’ll hear music: it’s every-where. Although it can mean different things to various people, music is something that has proven to be universally impactful. Children, in particular, can be prone to be impacted by music in a distinct way that can alter the course of their futures. Stud-ies, such as the one done by Susan Hallam for the International Journal of Music Education, have shown that active engagement with music at a young age can induce cortical reorganiza-tion, which may func-tionally change the way a brain processes information. Three contrast-ing perspectives have provided insight on the implementation of music in children’s lives based on their personal experiences with music. Despite their differences, a music professor, or-chestra director, and high school student all spoke about the topic of music with passion. Music’s significance can differ between 20

by Jenny Lu

“Music is wonderful, really,

if I believed in magic, I would say it’s

magical”- Robert Duke

21

Photo provided by Robert Duke Photo provided by Claire Rudy

Robert Duke works with students both at UT Austin and the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.

High school student Claire Rudy plays both the flute and oboe.

Luzvic Backstrom has been teaching music since she was 16 years old.

Photo provided by Luzvic Backstrom


can contribute to putting art into our world,” says Rudy. Music is also a source of opportunity, ac-cording to Luzvic Backstrom, who grew up in Ven-ezuela. Growing up, economic status can often be what defines your future, but Backstrom observed that music was a source of respite from that. Music gives children everywhere the chance to become someone. “That is super huge, and has a big impact on the society back in my country because everybody’s so proud of what their kids have become thanks to music,” says Backstrom, who is the orchestra direc-tor at Lyndon Baines Johnson High School. Developing a musical skill, or any skill for that matter, can change the way a child thinks. When one learns how to refine a skill, the abil-ity to adapt and focus is honed. What’s special about music in particular is that it teaches one how to discipline oneself, and also allows one to think critically, creatively, and freely. One is given the ability to express themselves when playing music. “The fact that [the skill] happens to be something as wonderful as music makes it that much more special, but I think the thing that children have when they learn to make music, is they learn a way of focusing and paying attention and expending effort in a way that I think most activities don’t afford

children,” says Duke. Learning to repeatedly practice something over and over builds up patience in a child. Many of Backstrom’s students have observed that the most common thing for a music teacher to say is ‘do it again,’ or some variation of that phrase. Through doing it again and again, children learn to make wiser decisions by reflecting on an action before actually doing it, says Backstrom. This is a widely applicable quality of music that Backstrom wishes more people realized. “Once you develop that sense, it’s just beau-tiful,” says Backstrom. “I’m a true believer that we would have a better world if everyone knew that.” According to Duke, whenever one works hard at something and finally accomplishes what

they have been working so hard for, it is a wonderful experience. As a young musi-cian, Duke felt a great deal of satisfaction every time he was able to accomplish something for himself. Music study is full of these experiences. Duke holds

these experiences to such a high impor-tance that for his grandchildrens’

birthdays, he asks them to learn how to play a piece for him. “That’s my gift, and it is a gift:

It’s not just something I’m doing because they’re kids and they

need some incentive, but I’m sincere about that,” says

22Photo provided by Google Images

Approximately half of surveyed parents say their children have taken music lessons in the last 12 months (Pew).

Duke. “I want them to think about being able to make music is now something that you can share with other people in a way that is rewarding to them.” Rudy, who is a young musician herself, also experiences this satisfaction. She participates in marching band, and was able to see all of her class-mates feel the joy of creating something they could be proud of at the end of the season. This beneficial aspect of music applies to instructors too. “The fact of doing music and creating things with kids has been incredibly rewarding,” says Backstrom. “Once you see the final products, the sensation, the feelings of accomplishment you see in the kids is something that is completely price-less.” These accomplishments can be shared with friends, family, and more, and can, last for a child, far into the future. According to Duke, even if a child doesn’t wish to pursue a professional career in music, music can still be a part of one’s life. Duke

does not want children to be discouraged from developing a musical skill just because it seems like there aren’t any benefits to be reaped. In anyone’s future, one can play for their children, or friends at a party: A musical skill can be a way to emotionally release oneself, or to just have fun. According to both Duke and Backstrom, music is something that resonates in life. “I think that your years of experience on your instrument is something that no one can take away from you,” says Backstrom. “That’s a part of who you are.” Music is not only about what can be ac-complished, but it is also about bringing people together. Rudy says many of her friendships and memories would not be the same if it weren’t for music. She is an example of what Duke, throughout his long career of teaching music, has seen: Many students accomplish things as young musicians, then get introduced to a whole new community of people who they can connect with, and make music

23

♪


with. “I could be in a place where I don’t even speak the language of the people that I’m spending time with, yet we can all get together and make mu-sic together,” says Duke. “I think all those human things about music that allow people to not only communicate, but actually collaborate with one another, is something quite special.” Music is a powerful presence that can shape a child’s personality and future. It is a human be-havior that has been engrained into the culture. “Music is wonderful, really, if I believed in magic, I would say it’s magical, but I don’t believe

in magic,” says Duke. And as Luzvic Backstrom says,

From an early age, music is one of the only activities that utilizes the entire brain.

Quick Fact:

Your heartbeat changes and mimics the music you listen to.

23

“

“

Austin’s place offering sales, rentals, and repairs for Violins, Violas, Cellos, and Upright basses.

24

Located at 6013 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757Open Hours:

Sunday: 12pm- 5pmMonday- Saturday: 10am- 6pm

Call at (512)452-5617

“5/5 Stars”“The staff is supremely skilled and knowledgeable, always a pleasure

to stop in and say hello. Through years of continued patronage I know they will handle every project with the utmost speed and care.”

-Bob Fitzgeald

“4/5 Stars”“This is their new location. The store looks smaller than their last

one. I went in to purchase a bow and the gentleman working there was extremely helpful! I didn’t feel like he was trying to “up sell” me and he wasn’t pushy in the least. He even let me have a great deal of time testing out different bows. Their selection of bows and violins is pretty big and they seem to cater to all levels (from kids violins to

professional).-Ben Sutton

Don’t wait! Rent or buy your own instrument today!

25

This is the 1st violin section. The violin’s lowest note is a G below the treble staff. They play the higher-ranged music and the melodies.

This is the 2nd violin section. They will sometimes play melo-dies, but will mostly harmonize the melody and play counter-melodies. Often they will play melodies an octave lower than the 1st violins.

This specific violin is the 1st chair violin, or the concertmaster. The concertmaster helps serve as the assistant to the conductor, as well as helping tune the orchestra by playing an “A (open string)” be-fore every rehearsal and concert.

The trumpet section adds to the brass section with their bright, recognizable tone, and also plays the fanfare section of many symphonic pieces.

Orchestras can have anywhere from 1 to 3 harps. The harp is usually featured in soft moments, accompanying higher strings and woodwinds, but also works at the opposite end of the spectrum. A glissando from the harp every now and then adds a special, al-most magical tone to the orches-tra.

These are the timpani, singular being timpano. Orchestras can have anywhere from 4 to 8 timpani.

While the percussion section technically includes timpani, the section contains various instru-ments that can be hit or rattled, including the bass and snare drums, cymbals, and a tambou-rine.

The symphony orchestra is one of the largest musical groups, and also one of the most respected institutions. Orchestras may not have this specific layout, as the arragements of instruments might be shifted slightly, but the general shape stays the same. Layout is from the Vi-enna Symphony Orchestra.

26

The conductor is represented with a baton, which he conducts with. She/he also selects the mu-sic that the orchestra will play in the concert, and decides how the music will be played.

These are the violas. Music for violas is written in alto clef, with means that the centerline of their staff is a C note, instead of a B with treble clef. They play lower-range melodies, countermelodies, and often are heard with mid or low level woodwinds and brass.

This is the cello section. They also play melodies and counter-melodies, beloved for their rich, mellow tone akin to a viola, but lower. Low register woodwinds such as the bass clarinet and the bassoon will often be heard with cellos.

The largest stringed instruments in the orchestra, the bass section plays the bass line and ostinatos (repeated figures), keeping time in the large ensemble.

A very unique instrument, the french horn (or just horn) com-plements the brass section by adding a natural, mellow sound. The horn’s bell faces away from the audience, often making it more difficult for the instrument to be heard, but professional mu-sicians have no problem making it around this disadvantage.

Trombones and tubas will often have similar parts, and thus are grouped together. Since the trombone has a slide mechanism, the instrument is capable of producing glis-sandos. Otherwise, the trom-bone usually accompanies the strings and winds and sounds an octave below the trumpet. The tuba, famous for being one of the lowest instruments in the orchestra, plays bass lines.

This is the entire woodwind section, consisting of bassoons, clarinets, flutes, and oboes. Hav-ing a more “thin” sound than the brass section, their sound fits well into the higher-stringed instru-ments and adds a lighter tone to the orchestra.

27

CINEMATIC MAGIC

Based in Austin, the Cinematic Symphony explores movie music’s impact on the masses and on the members.

28

It’s a fairly warm Tuesday evening outside of a small middle school band hall. People trickle through faded blue double doors into the space. As the doors swing open, sounds of saxophones, flutes, trumpets, and horns are briefly at prominence, before becoming muted along with the closing of the doors. One might associate this atmosphere with your typical, run-

of-the-mill middle school band. But members of this particular group would say that this ensemble is far from ordinary, even in Austin terms. The Austin Cinematic Sym-phony (which will be abbreviated as the ACS) is a volunteer-driven per-forming ensemble in Austin, Texas. As per their title, the group only plays movie scores, as well as televi-sion show and video game scores.

Rehearsals are from 7:30 to 9:30 on Tuesday evenings as mentioned earlier, which prepare them for con-certs, given three to five times a year in differing venues. Members of this ensemble arenot paid, but do have to pay a fifteen dollar membership fee in order to help pay for concerts. “I always used to listen to movie scores,” says Claire Trow-

by Sanjay Pandiri

“It’s movie music, it’s video game music, it’s the type of music you get really excited about,” -Claire Trowbridge

29

by Sanjay Pandiri

People featured- Na-than Foxley, euphonium player, Shelly Eager, clarinet player,

Jesus Torres, conductor. bridge, assistant band director at Kealing Middle School (in Austin) and clarinet player in the ACS. “I would get the soundtrack to Star Wars, or the next John Williams soundtrack.” Trowbridge joined the group while she was still in college, and kept performing with them after she graduated. “I chose clarinet because my name’s Claire, so it wasn’t that much of a noble musical reason,” Trow-bridge said. “I really liked singing in elementary school, and all that.” In their most recent concert, the symphony performed music from Star Wars. Members of the group generally agree that it was their hardest concert, and the most challenging music yet. According to Trowbridge, concerts are usually given in the performing arts centers of various high schools, such as An-derson High School or Austin High. The performances can typically draw audiences of over a hundred people, at the most. “I think it’s very, like, remi-

niscing, like people are like, ‘Oh yeah, I remember that movie, it was great!’, Trowbridge said when asked about what she thought about when performing a concert. “Band pieces are really exciting pieces and really awesome, but they don’t have the same, like, ‘I saw that movie! I love that movie!,’ you know, they don’t have the same emotional connec-tion.” The symphony will often also rehearse pieces that aren’t as mainstream as say, Jurassic Park or Jaws. An example is American Tail, which is a movie about a Rus-sian mouse that moves to America. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Man, this movie is awesome, I’m going to go see this movie now,’” Trowbridge says. “It’s usually the movies I’ve al-ready seen, so like Jaws, or like Star Wars or Jurassic Park that I realize more of the genius of the score.” Jesus Torres is the artistic director of the Cinematic Symphony, and is also a band director at East

View High School in Georgetown. He first heard about the symphony about six years ago in 2010, when they were in need of a conductor. “I came and I auditioned, and they asked me to stick around,” Torres said. “The audition process is just to make sure that you can actu-ally play your instrument. There are people in the world who, you know, think they can just join a band.” According to Torres, one of his goals is to grow an audience, which they can only do through memorable performances of good music. He says that he wants for the audience to want to come back and hear them again, which is something most local Austin bands would wish for their audiences to do. Most people in this group did not know each other before they joined the group, which is

30

The Cinematic Symphony rehearses at Fulmore Middle School in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of timpanist, and of the

Cinematic Symphony Facebook Page.

typical of most large concert bands or orchestras. After rehearsals or concerts, members of the band will often socialize, and by social-ize, according to Trowbridge, is to share little anecdotes of what happened during their band classes, or what kids were troublemakers. Since many of the members of the symphony are band directors or private lesson teachers or just music majors, many of them will be in-clined to take something away from performing or rehearsing with the symphony and apply that to their own teaching. “We’ll often go out afterward and just talk band, be-cause that’s really all band directors do. Trowbridge said. “Sometimes I don’t talk about band, sometimes.” The music that is performed in the symphony could very well be a piece that is performed for a concert in a high school band or orchestra, the only difference being in the time that is needed to prepare the pieces. This has impacted both Trowbridge and Torres, as they are both band direc-tors. “I really hope that [the kids] will find their way of continuing to do music in some way, Trowbridge says. “Whether it’s singing in a church choir, or just doing some-thing. Or just listening to music all the time.” The Austin Cinematic Sym-

phony is an example of the di-versity of the music scene in Austin. While other cities boast flute choirs, brass quartets, and percussion duos, a cinematic symphony of this caliber is difficult to find elsewhere. “I had been living in Texas for a couple of months and was looking for an opportunity to keep playing in a band,” says Nathan Foxley, a web developer and eu-phonium player in the Cinematic Symphony. “After I went, the direc-tor was fantastic, the group sounded good, and I enjoyed it, so I kept going.” Foxley grew up outside of Austin, in Idaho. He went to college in Idaho and moved to the Univer-

sity of Cincinnati for his master’s degree in music theory. “I think that Aus-tin is really unique in that there’s live music, and bands will come

through,” says Foxley. “I did go to college in Idaho. I think that there’s a strong classical scheme there, but not many bands come through.” Also mentioned earlier, the Cin-ematic Symphony is an entirely profit-driven ensemble. Donations and fundraisingevents will often be held at concerts, in order to help pay for music. According to Trowbridge, fundraiser events will also be held at random times, with proceeds going towards the ensemble. In order to obtain the rights to play original John Williams or James Horner

music, the ensemble must pay a fairly sizeable amount, according to Trowbridge. She also says that other community groups don’t have to go through this process, which is another fact that makes the symphony unique. Sometimes, an arrangement of a piece will simply not exist. Ei-ther only the audio will exist, or it is arranged for maybe a string orches-tra, or a solo piano, or something else that is not in a concert band format. Therefore, donations will also go towards paying an arranger, that will arrange the music for the ensemble. According to Torres, they will have often have different arrangers depending on the type of piece or the situation that other arrangers are in. Torres says that this is another situation that makes the symphony unique, because they have a vast pool of resources to find music, but it all must be created for them ahead of time by the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) which does many arrangements of popu-lar movie music, or on the spot by their personal arranger. Many other ensembles cannot claim that they must do this as well. As mentioned earlier by Tor-res, the audition process is extreme-ly minimal. Many members of the symphony did not major in music in college, and are graphic design-

as it’s, you know, around, and con-venient enough,” Trowbridge said. “I like going, and I’m pretty sure the director would kill me if I quit. I’m pretty sure that would happen.”

Photo from Cinematic Symphony Face-book Page. Cinematic Symphony clarinet section rehearses for an upcoming concert.

31

Cinematic Symphony LogoCourtesy of Cinematic Symphony Website

♪

ers, web developers, architects, or teachers of other subjects. “I think that this particular symphony calls out to people, because it’s really, like really fun music,” says Trow-bridge. “It’s movie music, it’s video game music, it’s kind of the music that you get really excited about.” Currently, the Symphony has about fifty-two members, which is the high-est that the member count has ever been according to Torres. The amount of dedication that the members of the symphony have to the symphony is apparent in how far some people travel to

rehearse. While Trowbridge lives rather close to Lamar Middle School, many members do not. According to her, some group members come from as far as San Antonio. “It’s kind of a unique group.

There’s no other group that really does that, which is why people travel from so far

away,” Trowbridge says. Like all conductors, Torres is always search-ing for opportunities

to help propel their group. Better resources, more mu-sic, and, stated bluntly, just more money in general, can help a band spread their influence around Austin to

a greater extent. Some examples of some things that Torres would like to do are performing with a choir, hiring professional musicians to play with them, or give a concert in the Long Center, where the Austin Sym-phony plays. “The sky’s the limit, if you dream big,” Torres said. Although the Cinematic Symphony won’t be featured at say, ACL or SXSW, there are still ways to exert a powerful force on the Austin com-munity, like what the Austin Sym-phony Orchestra or other popular bands have done. According to Torres, improving the musicianship, the technical accuracy, and achieving the most expressive playing of play-

ers is something that will drive up

the audience’s opinion of the ensemble. “It’s fun to be good at stuff,” Torres said. “When you really start to chase excellence in one thing, it becomes really easy to do it in another thing, and then it becomes easier to do it in another thing, and then eventually you just want to be great at everything.” The Symphony has had a

profound impact on most of the people who are in the symphony, including the conductor Jesus Tor-res as well. In the grand scheme of things, the symphony, albeit a large group, will be alongside the rest of the bands vying for attention, or us. The decisions that are made by the growing Austin music enthusiast population directly impact the fate of every band. But, in the end, the current members of the symphony couldn’t care less about the numbers. “I’ll stay in this group as long

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.Name: CheerleaderArtist: OMI

Name: SugarArtist: Maroon 5

Name: HelloArtist: Adele

Name: Stressed OutArtist: Twenty One Pilots

Name: Watch MeArtist: Silento

Our music has changed dramatically and branched out over the generations of people who

listen to the radio or go to concerts. Of course, we’ve had our fair share of bad songs or a long

period where no good songs would be played, or even mentioned. I’ve listed some of the best songs

of 2015.

Top 10 Songs of

2015 “Stressed Out” by Twenty- One pilots is a song describing

how life used to be without stress or worries, but now

their lives only consist of work and school and other activi-

tys that are time- consuming. People enjoy this song be-cause, at least once in our

lives, we have experienced this kind of lifestyle.

Adele’s “Hello” has made it to one of the greatest songs

of 2015, and the music video hs reached over 1 bil-lion views. It is described by many people as “the

greatest song of 2015” or they say “I can’t stop lis-

tening to this song!” It is a great song, but could still use some work, or there

could be some better songs she could make.

Well known by most peo-ple, “Watch Me” by “Silen-to” is a song with a popu-lar dance, similar to the

“Cupid Shuffle.” Its music video has over 795 million

views, and almost every time it is played at a dance or club it is guaranteed that

someone can imitate the dance (commonly called

“Whip/ Nae Nae”).

Though the Trumpet play-ing in the entire course of the song is catchy, “Cheer-

leader” by OMI is not a good a song as it may seem.

Its chorus is somewhat good, but it could still use some work due to it being very repetitive. This song also keeps a low tone and

uses a small range of notes. Even with these reasons, Cheerleader is one of the best songs that was made

in 2015 because of its catchy tune.

“Sugar” by the band “Maroon 5” is a love song

that was extremely popular in the beginning of 2015,

mostly because of the mu-sic video that was made for it, where Maroon 5 made its way to different wed-dings and did a surprise

performance of the song as a congratulations.

32

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. Name: Uptown FunkArtist: Mark Ronson

Name: Trap QueenArtist: Fetty Wap

Name: See You AgainArtist: Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth

Name: Ex’s and Oh’sArtist: Elle King

Name: Like I’m Gonna Lose YouArtist: Meghan Trainor

In the top 30 most viewed music videos on YouTube, “Uptown Funk” by Mark

Ronson is one of the most popular songs in 2015. It is more of a throwback to the 70’s, but it still manages to keep up with its pop cate-

gory. Most adults enjoy this song, even though it is not a part of their generation!

As one of the best rap songs of 2015, “Trap Queen” by

Fetty Wap comes in on number 4 because of its catchy tune and rhymes. It is well known among

teenagers, and occasionally adults. It is still listened to by people today, but it isn’t as common as other popu-

lar rap songs.

As a part of the soundtrack for the movie “Furious 7” “See You Again” by Wiz

Khalifa and Charlie Puth is a roller coaster ride

between rap and R&B. It has been heard and sung by many people and still

continues to touch people’s hearts today.

“ Ex’s and Oh’s” by Elle King is part break- up song, part love song. It tells about how she has

dated many men, and how her relationships do not

last long. The song is well known for its tune and its

popularity among most people, and is sung or

hummed by many people since the song came out.

Being the best song con-sidered on this list, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by

Meghan Trainor and John Legend is A love song that

has struck the hearts of millions of people and

makes a perfect mood for a love song. Its melody

is brilliant, the lyrics are brilliant, and the song

overall is amazing. That is why this song comes in

first on this list.

With these great songs that came out in 2015 and our current year of 2016, this shows that our shows aren’t getting worse, they’re getting better, and we can only and only improve from there. I hope that we do not plateau as we have in the past with our

music, and that we make more and more songs that are similar to the ones shown on this list.

By: Ryan Edgar

33

34

Helping Texans and Austinites make

quality music since 1963

The premier selection of pianos and instruments in

Austin

Austin: The Center of Music

Poster from the 2010 South by Southwest music festival. Credit to cargocollective.com

35

by Ryan Edgar

The Foo fighters album: Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace. Credit to www.musiclipse.com.

from all over!”Bands originate from Austin a lot more than most places. Austin is known as the Live Music capital of the world because many bands who play blues, indies rock, and pop got their start there such as Willie Nelson and Janis Jo-plin. Austin is a hub for both pop and country which have a huge amount of variations and creates a large number of opportunities for indie bands(1). Most people are experienced with instruments by their adulthood because of their lessons and experience as a child. Lots of bands are

formed by interests among 3 to 5 people “The Ugly Beats.” Many musical events take place in Austin. Some of these include SXSW (South by Southwest) is one of the greatest Austin events of of any musical in America. It started in 1987 by Louis Black and Ronald Swenson because of another popular music festival that took place in New York. Performances during this festival this year consisted of Azul, April Red, and TEEN. President Obama was also a Keystone Speaker During SXSW. Woodstock is another Austin Concert that

3636

It’s a sunny afternoon in Aus-tin, also known as the Live Music Capital of the World, and citizens begin to line up in front of a local concert hall. Some are talking with their friends, others are chanting or holding signs. When they are finally let in, fans file into seats or stand near the stage and jam out to their favorite artist live!Incoming citizens are com-mon-- its population is al-most 2 million people, and is still growing every day. Some come for tours of their favorite pop stars or country bands, such as the Randy Rogers band and Kevin Fowl-er (2). Others come to pursue a career leading a band or writing music at UT Austin. Events Are very popular for newcomers from other towns like south by southwest ot austin city limits. One of the many bands that played during south by Southwest, “The Ugly beats,” is a band that still plays music today. One member of the band, Janine Attaway, has been in the band for years and personally enjoys the ex-perience Attaway also teaches children to play the piano while holding practice for the Ugly Beats at her house. “It has always been consuming-- I teach so its my job,” Says Attaway. “I learn more every year about all different kinds of music from my students! I also play in the band which is super duper fun because I get to travel to different states and countries and hear bands

This is a poster for the band, “The Arctic Monkeys”, a band that played during SXSW. Credit to www.flickr.com.

This is the Mueller dome, in Austin. Credit to en.wikipedia.org.

37

is the most famous concert ever but in 2015, only 400,000 people attended it. Attendance has ranged from 400,000 to almost 800,000.Another event that takes place in Austin is called Austin City Limits. ACL started in 2002 and takes place annually in Zilker park. The festival began from the creators of the PBS show of the same name and has been on for more than 10 years. Celebri-ties that have attended this event consist of the “Foo Fighters,” “The Weekend,” Royal Blood,” Drake, and many more. In 2015, 122 bands and artists performed in Austin City Limits, and more than 450,000 people attended the event. Basic Concerts and tours for rock stars, pop art-ists and more are also popular events for the people in Austin.Austin also has many places where bands perform at bars and restaurants. In fact it is common to get live music with your meal at area restaurants. A few examples include Antone’s Nightclub, where Stevie Ray Vaughn played, Threadgills, made famous by Janis Joplin, the Broken Spoke and the Backyard, where Willie Nelson played, and many others. And though It is a popular thing to do as a band, and ultimately makes a band more noticeable to other people.John Carpenter, a member of the band “Turn About,” comes every week to Fast Eddie’s , a restaurant in Round Rock, to

perform with his band.“I don’t officially play at one restaurant, I play at multiple bars as well,” says John, “it’s been much more convenient.”Austin’s musical culture is noted by many people today, and it is what causes the rise in population. Austin will to grow and produce new events and new incoming citizens, and more and more people will enjoy the uniqueness of the Austin area and its many places to see and enjoy. Aus-tin will forever be known as the live music capital of the world, and no other places on Earth can compare.

This is the Paramount Theatre, a old theatre where plays, musicals, movies, and concertsd are performed. Credit to www.flickr.com

Austin’s capital building. Credit to stewart-steve.devanart.com.

This is an Austin City Limits enterance, in southern Austin. credit to no.wikipedia.org

38

BlackerbyViolinS h o p

Austin’s leading resource for elite stringed players and

beginners alike.

1111 West Anderson LaneAustin, TX 78759

39

Sonatic

Documents