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Studio Classes

During the month of May 2020, PYSO will have scheduled studio classes for our violin, viola, cello, bass, woodwind and brass sections which will be facilitated by PYSO coaches.  These one-hour classes begin on April 26 and continue May 3, May 17 and May 24.  Specific assignments for each section are below: 

VIOLIN 1 
Mr. Black would like members of the Violin I section to prepare and be able to play through all the excerpts, but you will be expected to focus on and play in one of the classes.
For each excerpt (even on weeks when you are not performing). please:
1) Find two recordings of professional orchestras playing the excerpt and mark down metronome markings.  Follow along through the entire excerpt and note any fluctuations in tempo and any other musical features that would inform your performance. 
2) Find William Preucil’s “Orchestral Excerpts for Violin” CD (you may find this on Spotify) and listen to the tracks pertaining to each excerpt. 
3) practice each excerpt every day for at least 20 minutes (on top of the above preparation work). 
April 26th – Brahms Symphony No. 2, 1st movement, bars 118 – 156  
May 3rd – Beethoven Symphony No. 9, 3rd movement, bars 99 – 114  
May 17th – Mozart Symphony No. 39, 1st movement, bars 1 – 142  
May 24th – Strauss Don Juan, bars 1-62   

VIOLIN 2
Mr. Snitkovsky will focus on the following excerpts for the weekly studio classes. All excerpts are 2nd violin parts except for the Schumann Symphony No. 2 which is 1st Violin.   
Mr. Snitkovsky will ask for volunteers at each studio class to play the assigned excerpt. Even if you do not play in a class you are expected to “attend.” 
April 26th – #1 Mozart Symp. #40 1st movement, beginning to A (PDF attached)  May 3rd  – #2 Brahms #2 – E to F 
May 17th – Schumann Symp. #2 – 1st Violins part Scherzo beginning to 54 with repeat 
May 24th – Dvorak Carnival Overture beginning to 3 before C  

VIOLA 
Ms. Gingras-Roy would like you to prepare the following excerpts for your weekly studio class: 
April 26th – Beethoven #5, 2nd Movement, Beginning to the end of the 6th variation:  

• Beginning to measure 58  
• Measures 72-86  
• Measures 99-106  

May 3rd -Last movement of Mozart’s Symphony #35 – Measures 134-181  
May 17th – Brahms Symphony no 4 last mvmt – Letter B to one measure before D
May 24th – Strauss Don Juan – First page  

CELLO
Mr. Premo would like you to prepare excerpts from Beethoven Symphony #5 as well as an excerpt from the 2nd movement of Brahms Symphony #2 (most of these excerpts are on all symphony auditions):  

April 26th 

1. Movement #2 – opening to the downbeat of bar #10.  

1. Movement #2(1st Variation) – Start at bar #49 and stop on the downbeat of bar #59.  

May 3rd:   

1. Movement #2(2nd Variation) – Start at bar #98 and stop on the downbeat of bar #106.  

1. Movement #3(Allegro) – Start at the opening and stop on bar #18(the fermata bar).  

May 17th:  

1. Movement #3 – Start with the pickup to bar #53 and stop at bar #78.  

1. Movement #3(Trio) – Start with the pickup to bar #141 and stop at bar #218 (with repeat).    

May 24th:   

1. Brahms Symphony #2, Movement 2(Adagio non troppo) – Opening to the end of bar #17.  

Mr. Premo would like every student to play the excerpt(s) for their colleagues during the class. He will invite students to offer a few short comments about their colleagues’ playing but he will give most of the feedback that will help students improve their approach to practicing and improving their technique(s).     

BASS
Mr. Moore will be focusing on the following items for the studio classes:
April 26 – Shostakovich 5th Symphony first movement
May 3 – Beethoven 5th symphony 3rd movement
May 17 – Brahms 2nd symphony 1st and 4th movements
May 24 – Mozart 35 1st movement.    

WOODWIND 
For the first studio class on April 26th Mr. Howell plans to explore Marcel Tabuteau’s “singing interval” concept of legato and Marcel Moyse’s concept of tone study from his book “Tone Development through Interpretation.” He would like each student to choose a simple, slow, legato melody that he or she considers to be exceptionally beautiful and practice it in several keys. He will use these melodies as examples for discussion in the class.  

The remaining three classes on May 3rd, 17th and 24th will focus on:  

1. Rhythm lives in your hands: finger accuracy and discipline as a habit, not a special effort 
2. The heterodyne is your friend: developing locked-in intonation 
3. Articulation: must be fast occasionally, must be beautiful ALWAYS 

BRASS
Mr. Vosburgh would like brass section members to prepare an etude and a couple of excerpts that you are currently working on. He will have one or two students play per class and discuss different aspects of playing (and practicing) that are universal to all brass playing.