Sing Play Survive

sound ideas to help make it through music school

Posts Tagged students

Friday Fun: A cappella hits network TV

Dec 18

Posted by Bryan W in Free Time, Friday Fun, Music Schools, Wow! | No Comments

I have to say, I’m not a big a cappella fan, and I rarely watch TV. I just came across some of the videos from The Singoff, a new reality-contest-show-whatever on NBC. Unfortunately, most of them solidified my dislike for a cappella AND TV.

However, a link to “Come Sail Away” by the Tufts University Beelzebubs popped up. Styx performed by an a cappella group? I’m in! I didn’t like the fact that they had to trim the arrangement for the show, but I had a good time watching the clip. Like all of the videos I watched, the Bubs have some pitch problems, but I suspect that it has to do more with the monitoring situation than it does their skill (And I’m pointing this out so I don’t get any hate mail about not choosing a perfect performance). Here they are having a ton of fun on national TV.

And since TV is a bad way to REALLY know what someone can do, I also found a video from a non-televised ‘Bubs performance… It’s much better.

If you like what you see, you can vote for them on December 21st, using the instructions in the above video. You can also find them at www.bubs.com

Friday Fun is a weekly feature at singplaysurvive.com that hilights fun and distracting performances by college students and independent artists. If you’d like to suggest a group or a video, please email me at contact@bryanwegman.com.

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Friday Fun: a lil’ something for everyone

Dec 11

Posted by Bryan W in Free Time, Music Schools, Wow! | 1 Comment

Happy Friday. I hope you enjoy a nice weekend. Need to unwind tonight? This video is not for you. Want to broaden your horizons and peek at a little excerpt from the wildest performance of Rite of Spring you’ll probably ever see? Here’s something you might enjoy:

Dolls On Parade from Tyler Jensen on Vimeo.

I had the bright idea of taking my girlfriend to that for one of our first dates. I promise that it was as wild (or wilder) in person than what the video can even begin to show (and lucky for me, we’re now engaged).

Now, if you feel a need to cleanse yourself of that, or just  to just watch some students play their beeehinds off, you can have a look at this:

Enjoy the weekend. Don’t study too hard!

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Celebrate the Small Milestones

Nov 17

Posted by Bryan W in Health and Wellness, Practice | No Comments

I was looking at my blog stats, and noticed a couple of cool things. I just had my 50th visitor to the site, this is my tenth post, and I’m going to announce it with my 100th tweet (that’s Twitter-speak for an update, if anyone’s been under a rock for the last year).

Are these small numbers even worth celebrating? Of course they are! I know that there are blogs who get that many visitors every 60 seconds, and I know ten posts isn’t much. But guess what, it’s ten more posts than I had two weeks ago, and it’s 50 people who had never seen my blog before.

But why am I sharing this here? Because it’s a great reminder of how everyone should treat their practice time. Don’t wait for your next great performance to give yourself a pat on the back. Instead, celebrate the little things. Whether you just memorized another eight bars, or sped up the metronome by a few clicks, you should be proud of your accomplishment, because it’s something you couldn’t do yesterday.

This is one of the best tips I can offer to help yourself stay motivated and avoid burnout. What’s your latest practice-room accomplishment? Let me know in the comments.

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Trouble Making School Work for You? Maybe this is why.

Nov 14

Posted by Bryan W in Frustrations, Surroundings | No Comments

This video speaks to some of the issues that college’s need to address if they’d like to stay relevant in the coming years. The issues seem especially true of music schools, so many of which are more concerned with preserving music than they are with taking it further. If you’re in school now, don’t be discouraged–just remember that music schools aren’t perfect institutions, and that there’s still a lot of great things about them. I’m NOT posting this to discredit all of the hard-working people who have dedicated there lives to making music schools what they are today.

This video was released in 2007, so you may have seen it before. If you haven’t seen it in a while, it’s worth watching again. If you’ve never seen it…

I noticed that a lot of people commenting on YouTube were confused by the video. They weren’t sure if the “blame” should be put on the students or on the system. Let’s forget about blame, and instead think creatively about how to use all of this technology in new and constructive ways. Professors, there’s more to “technology integration” than having your students email their papers to you. In the right hands, a blackboard or a piece of paper can be more engaging to students than Facebook or Twitter ever could.

Students, you are experts with this technology. Prove that it can be used creatively and constructively, and not just for socializing (although there’s nothing wrong with that).

What do you think? What are your schools doing to “keep up with the times”? How do you/they do it while still respecting our musical past? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Take the Stairs (and nine other ways to stay healthy in music school)

Nov 7

Posted by Bryan W in Health and Wellness | 1 Comment

Sitting on the StairsNow before anyone tries to label me a health nut, or thinks that I want the whole world to be skinny, please hear these words: If you want to play your best, you have to stay healthy. I mean it. You’ll never have the mental focus or the physical stamina to endure a rigorous class and practice schedule if you don’t eat right and stay in shape. And during flu-season, it may just keep you from getting sick.

One night at the all-you-can-eat dining hall, my friend Matt Dintrone remarked that I “eat like a saint.” Well I can tell you that’s not always true, but I do try to be conscious about what foods I put in my body. So am I asking you to eat like a saint, or try to get the physique of a supermodel or bodybuilder? Of course not! Here are some simple tips you can start using today to improve your physical health–and keep the freshman fifteen far far away.

  1. Exercise Regularly: You don’t have to be an “exercise nut” to stay in shape. If you’re walking to class and have an extra minute, take the long way. Join an intramural sports team, or do a simple circuit routine at the athletic center. Exercise can be great fun once you find something that works for you. Get out of the practice room and try something new! Not only will your body be in better shape, but your brain will work more efficiently. That should make it easier to focus during long practice sessions. Read the rest of this entry »

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Attention All Music Students: A Blog for You

Nov 5

Posted by Bryan W in Uncategorized | No Comments

Hi Everyone, and welcome to Sing.Play.Survive–the only (as far as I know) blog dedicated to helping you make it through music school. If your music school experience is anything like mine was, you’re probably cramming your brain full of information, practicing your butt off, and having the time of your life. But, at the same time, you might feel overworked, under appreciated, and stretched to the point where you feel like you could break at any second.

Chances are, unless your friends and family have gone through music school themselves, they have NO IDEA how strenuous it can be. Even though you’re busy, and constantly surrounded by other brilliant, talented  people, it can still be a lonely, stressful way to spend four years of your life. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had someone cheering you on, offering advice, and sharing hints to help you work smarter, play harder, and get more out of your time as a student? Read the rest of this entry »

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