UCI: It Starts.

So, I've had requests from many people to update on the transition - what I wind up playing, what I wind up doing with my day to day musical life now that I'm finally where I need to be, in a serious program studying the instrument that makes me truly happy. I suppose I'll do this in order of when things happened, working in my classes and repertoire along the way.

Last Monday was Convocation, which means different things at different schools.  At UCI, it means squeezing every single new student, freshman and transfer, into a stadium with the entire spirit team (pep band, cheer squad, and mascot) and the full panel of deans, where we're officially welcomed and inducted as Anteaters.  Then, after a little individual school welcome, we were done for the day.

Last Tuesday I took my placement test for music theory, and it was the most test anxiety I've ever had - an entire extra year of UC tuition ($14,000 and rising!) was at stake. I needed to place into Theory D (of an A-B-C-D sequence), since Theory C is a prerequisite for many upper-division classes, including full-year sequences, and is only offered in the Spring (A-B-C-D = Fall-Winter-Spring-Fall). I aced every section but the last, which placed me solidly in Theory D, so I am set!  The musicianship (the aural part of music theory - sight singing, dictation (writing down what you hear), etc.) professor waived me completely due to my past experience without even testing me, which saved me another year-long (3 quarter) class.

Last Thursday was the first day of classes.  I won't keep doing this in chronological order with painstaking daily detail at this point, I'll just tell you about what I'm taking:

1. Music Theory D (4th quarter tonal theory): This is the class most of the rest of my schedule was contingent upon.  I've already learned most of what will be in the class, so it'll be academically boring, but I didn't quite know enough to completely test out of the course. It was just a relief to know I was done with everything else so I could take my other upper-division classes and not have to wait another year! For musicians who are curious, the class covers the rest of chromatic harmony (augmented / diminished fifth chords, common tone chords, etc.), longer-form analysis (dominant prolongation, etc.), and larger forms (sonata allegro, sonata rondo, fugue, etc.) Like I said, I know most of this stuff already... but at least it gives me a lighter load my first quarter.

2. Music History B (Josquin to Bach - 1450-1750): the first of a year-long (3-quarter) music history sequence dependent on my theory placement.  I'm going to love this class - at one point I thought I wanted music history to be my major (that was before I re-discovered piano). The class includes instrumental dance music, vocal music, and secular and religious music from the renaissance leading up to the start of the Baroque period, and requires knowledge of chronology, concurrent events in history, writing assignments, and ability to identify composers and pieces by listening.

3. Piano Literature A: the first of a year-long (3-quarter) piano-specific class, also dependent on the theory placement. The class outlines the history and evolution of piano music, starting in the early Baroque (late 1600s). Each person in the class must present on a composer once in the quarter, timing of which depends on which composer chosen, and I jumped on it and did mine FIRST - today, I gave a 20-minute presentation on Francois Couperin le Grand. At first the assignment terrified me (full researched presentation at a "real" university in front of a tight-knit group of upper division pianists that all knew each other but not myself, who has moderately strong phobias of public speaking), but I did it! And it went well! And now I can focus on the rest of the class and my other classes without that looming over me! We will also get to play examples from topics week to week in the class - next week we're all playing samples of early Baroque period pieces for each other on a harpsichord, which I'm very geekily excited for (I've never actually gotten to play one) - I'll be playing the Cat Fugue by Scarlatti.

4. Word and Music: essentially, learning how to accompany singers. It's actually a very involved class, in which we pianists learn all the challenges and tendencies a singer brings to the collaboration, and how to not merely accompany, but contribute musically to and fully support the performance and be sensitive to the exact nuances and challenges the singer faces. This quarter is just pianists, and we will be studying diction, breath, balance, translation, etc., and actually trading off singing and playing for/with each other. Next quarter, we will be working with actual vocalists.

5. Advanced Piano: the masterclass setting my private lessons are also attached to. Each week will be discussions and opportunities to play for the entire piano studio (20ish students? and 2 professors) on the concert grand in the recital hall.

6. Private lessons: Nina Scolnik. The reason I came to UCI in the first place (she's my lifelong teacher's former teacher). This quarter we will be disassembling my technique and rebuilding my skills, filling in all the holes and quirks I've developed over the years (especially during my 5-year break before my one year back at the piano), so we'll be taking a step back from the "impressive" or "big" works.  I have a feeling my repertoire for the quarter (through December) will change once I have my full official first lesson Monday (we had a brief meeting this week to set the stage for my time at UCI - goals, etc.), but for now, it is:

• Moszkowski: Etude in F Major
• J.S. Bach: Prelude & Fugue in e minor, BWV 855
• (maybe) Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 15 ("Raindrop" prelude)
• (maybe) the last couple movements of my Beethoven sonata - already learned, but she might work with them and my technique... but she also wants to start with a "blank slate," so maybe not.

7. Yoga at the ARC: I've been wanting to take a yoga class for months, and the Anteater Rec Center has registered weekly classes.  I signed up for one on Wednesday nights.  It's absolutely perfect - starts from the beginning, gets me to the rec center (opposite side of campus from the arts department) at least once a week, gives me "me" time to just breath, emotionally reflect, de-stress, etc.... I'm so happy with it. The class seems to be mostly comprised of older students (grads and PhD candidates), which is a nice break for me (as a 22 year old undergraduate who has always looked/acted older than my age, I feel too old to completely fit in socially with my classmates... and was even called old twice in my first week by fellow students!)

The ARC is absolutely beautiful, and I'm going to try to get to campus early every day to get some exercise in and stay healthy.

I think I've taken care of just about everything I need to in order to consider myself an "official" anteater.  I've been to each of my classes, checked out and returned books from the library, studied in several locations on campus, reserved my practice room times for the quarter, had a preliminary meeting/lesson, been to a department concert, seen the spirit team in action, been to the registrar's, counseling, and music offices, purchased food on campus, gotten phone numbers of fellow piano majors, given a class presentation, gotten a round of drinks at the campus pub...

...and there is still more to come! Next week I'll add: perform for a class, play a harpsichord, ride the campus shuttle, and have my first lesson!

My first few days were long and full of anxiousness, but I'm starting to settle in and come into my own now.  I'm so excited for the next two years!

World, watch out for Kelsea Rae Little.

Over the last couple days (Monday-Tuesday), I took a little self-retreat down to San Diego.  During my trip I hiked, got lost in works of art, caught up with old friends, and explored beaches and cities.  I have an entire two entries on my travel blog describing the trip experience (Day 1 and Day 2), but this entry in this blog is for something special I did while down there.

I met Kelsea Little at the music camp we both grew up attending, Arrowbear Music Camp.  She was a harpist, I a saxophonist.  At this camp, we grew musically, emotionally, spiritually, personally.

Then we lost touch for a couple years, but through the magic that is modern social media discovered we would both be attending the Coachella Valley Music & Arts festival, and together with another camp friend Emily (who I attend with every year) decided to find a time and place to meet.  We did that a couple years in a row, and then finally our camp circle of friends started mingling again and visiting each other.

Throughout this entire time, neither of us gave up music.  While I have taken the more academic, classical approach, she has been actively performing and collaborating.  She played harp and sang for a while in her band called The Wrong Trousers, and now has been picked up by a record label to record her own solo album!

I went down to San Diego to give what I could to her project.  I wound up laying down four saxophone parts on her single - one each of bari / tenor / alto / soprano sax - in essence contributing a horn section.  It was amazing to hear each part added to the next, on top of the scratch track that gave us a rough idea of what the final track might sound like once each part has been recorded and mixed properly.

So, sometime in October, expect her album (Personal Myth) to come out, hopefully with the horn parts still intact! Even if for whatever reason something comes out wonky and she can't use them, I'm so glad for the experience and for being able to help her as she embarks on this amazing opportunity.

And everyone, when Personal Myth comes out, GET IT. I heard a bit of some of the other stuff, it's absolutely beautiful.

I'll leave this entry with a couple photos from the session, and a couple videos of Kelsea.

Getting ready to lay down the bari tracks.

 Meet my bari, Vince.

Communicating to a camera in a soundproof room is a strange experience.

 Kelsea, accompanying a candlelit restorative yoga class we went to after the recording session.

 This is Kelsea. She's wonderful.

Kelsea recording a beautiful track in the studio - this is what she sounds like with no studio magic, can you just imagine what's coming?

Kelsea playing "Thunderstorms Bring Broken Hands" in 2010.

Kelsea being interviewed by Aural Gravy Records, explaining her album.

To The Future! Zot! Zot! Zot!

As I mentioned in my first post of this blog, I am now concentrating primarily on piano.  I had just auditioned and was awaiting results to find out what the future holds for me and my musical education.

Throughout February, I auditioned at four schools, and was awaiting all of the results in order to make my final decision.

(In order from last to first choice):
CSU Northridge: accepted to the classical piano major
CSU Fullerton: accepted to the classical piano major, with a $1500 scholarship (total, not annual) and free lessons ($1000-ish value yearly)
CSU Long Beach: accepted to the classical piano major, with free lessons ($1000-ish value yearly)
UC Irvine: accepted to the classical piano major!

So, I got in everywhere I auditioned, and even got some scholarship offers based on my auditions.  Interestingly, I felt I did best at my Northridge and Fullerton auditions, felt so-so about my UCI audition, and absolutely terrible about my CSULB audition.  You never know how it's going to go.

Despite the scholarship offers, my first choice was so far in front of the other three that I'd made up my mind well before that if I were accepted, I was going, no matter what loans etc. would be needed.

The professor at UCI, Nina Scolnik, is incredible: she is a Julliard grad, whose students go on to the top graduate schools such as USC and Manhattan School of Music and Julliard, and was my own lifelong teacher's teacher!

Plus, the degree offered at UCI is a B.M., not a B.A., which holds slightly more prestige (not a factor that would have ultimately mattered, but an added perk), as does a degree from a UC over a CSU.  The program at UCI is smaller than the CSU's, which will give me many more performance opportunities, individual attention from faculty, and closer connections with other music majors.  The most important factor, though, is that I will be studying with Nina Scolnik.

So, it's really happening!  I am on-track to graduate from LBCC with my A.A. in music on May 25th, and am headed to UCI as a junior in the Fall!  I've sent in my acceptance of their offer of admission, and have begun the preliminary slew of paperwork required... I'm on my way!

And to explain the title of this post... UCI's mascot is the Anteater, and the Anteater cheer is ZOT ZOT ZOT!

I'll make another post sometime around graduation, about my teachers at city and elsewhere that have made this possible and supported me etc. etc., but right now... you know... FINALS/STUDYING/PAPERS/CRAZINESS.

House of Blues: check.

An unofficial contender for my "bucket list" of things to accomplish in my lifetime has been to perform a show at the House of Blues, and now, I can proudly say, "been there, done that!"

My band, Elviss Simmons and the Memphis Strutters, performed at the Anaheim (Downtown Disney) House of Blues last Wednesday, March 16th.  It was exciting because it was our first "real" venue (our 2 regular haunts, the BriXton in Redondo Beach and the Galaxy in Santa Ana, are closer aligned to the local act / bar scene, though that's not to say they aren't legitimate concert venues with good shows that come through) - this was the next tier up.

It was primarily a show to get publicity (we weren't paid), and it worked - we've already been asked back (though we're unfortunately unavailable on that particular date), and got a huge outpouring of people contacting us for shirts and wanting to see future shows.

So, I can say, at this time in my young life, that I have performed at the House of Blues!

Here are some photos and other media (since I know pictures are way more fun than anything I can type):

In case you didn't gather, it's a KISS/Elvis comedy/tribute act.  To fully understand us, you'll have to see us in person.  We are currently working on an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) and music video, which I will be sure to post here when it's done.  For now, you can Visit The Web Site and look us up on YouTube :)

First Post

Hello everybody,

I thought it would be a good idea to have a blog to keep my friends and family updated on my musical endeavors. So, here it is!

To sum up in a nutshell how I got to where I am now, here is a timeline:

1995: I started playing the piano with Linda Mazich (now Dr. Mazich-Govel) and loved it. Throughout my elementary and middle school (and early high school) life I performed in recitals, competitions, etc. My dream was to be a concert pianist.
1999: I started playing the saxophone and quickly excelled.
2003-2007: Throughout high school I had much success with saxophone, performing in honor groups at the local, regional, state, and even national level. At the same time, piano faded away as I got burned out and found I enjoyed playing an instrument that naturally lead to social interaction rather than isolation.
2007-2008: I attended NYU for gender studies, had a blast in NYC, discovered I was empty without music and wasn't that serious about college, and came home.
2008-2010: I tried out being a saxophone major at Long Beach City College, since I'd had so much success with it in high school, and studied with Roger Przytulski. I'm graduating in May with an A.A. in music, and just put on a saxophone recital in January to culminate my experience here. I've also assisted with the theory classes, lead sectionals at different schools, etc.

However, I discovered through my intense work as a saxophone major that though I progressed rapidly at first with the saxophone, it never became a passion - it's always been a chore to work with. Early last summer I began taking piano lessons again, and suddenly all of that passion was re-awakened and I realized that this is what has been missing from my life all this time. I love to play, I love to practice, I love everything about it. And so, I decided to audition on the piano to transfer and pursue my Bachelor's degree in performance.

I just finished all of my auditions a week ago, and am waiting to hear back this month or sometime in April.

So, I will be updating this from time to time, be sure to check in and see what I'm up to musically! I have a few things coming up, so this blog will never be latent for too long!

I will end this post with some saxophone stuff.

This is a duet I did last May with Andy Kreysa, a fabulous percussionist who is also transferring to a university from LBCC this semester.  It's in two parts.

And, lastly, here is the link to my sophomore saxophone recital (my last hurrah as a classical saxophone major). I couldn't embed it because the HTML was being wonky, but here is the link to the recorded live stream:

Tasha's Sophomore Recital

It's about an hour long. Here is the program:

Tableaux de Provence - Paule Maurice (1910-1967)
I. Farandoulo di chatouno (Farandole of young women)
II. Cansoun per ma mio (Song for my love/mother)
III. La boumiano (The Bohemian woman)
IV. Dis alyscamps l’amo souspire (A Sigh of the soul for the Alyscamps)
V. Lou cabridan (The Bumblebee)


Sonata, Op. 19 for Eb Alto Saxophone - Paul Creston (1906-1985)
I. With Vigor
II. With Tranquility
III. With Gaiety


Sonata for Soprano Saxophone and Piano, Op. 37 (Alpine) - Lawson Lunde (1935- )
I. Allegro moderato
II. Presto


Then the encore piece was Aria by Eugene Bozza, with Jewel, who did the first half of the concert (her link should be in the bottom right).