Blog

Zoom Story Concert May 2nd!

Thursday, April 9, 2020 by Rylin Erickson | Uncategorized

Dear Students,

[NEW: for those of you who prefer to listen rather than read, I am starting to make audio versions of my lengthier emails. See the file attached to the email that was sent today 4/9/20!]

One of my favorite times of the year is our Story Concert in early May, and I know it's something many of you look forward to as well. I have come up with a good way we can still "gather" together (virtually) on Saturday May 2nd, as originally planned, for music tied together by a collaborative story!

First, let me say participation is *optional* -- as is attendence -- and if you choose not to participate you can definitely still come watch (or even participate but not actually attend the live show if that's what works best for you).

Any students who want to participate will choose a piece they are comfortable performing as a solo. I'd like it to be fairly recent but not a current work-in-progress unless it is already in final polishing stages. Let me know your choice so I can give it the official seal of approval! Then I can put together a program order so we can get started on the story.

Those students who are participating will each make a video of them playing their piece. (Think about lighting, camera angle, using the device that gets the best sound quality, maybe even fun costumes or props, though you'll probably want to wait until the collaborative story reaches you before committing to any elaborate extras.)

Collaborative story? Yes! Just like in our live concerts, the performers will each write a sentence or short paragraph connecting their piece to the rest of the program. We'll write it in program order as usual and record videos of the story, too, so no one needs to perform or read live. Pre-recording should give us better AV quality. It also makes for a more relaxing experience! Under the circumstances, I didn't think anyone would mind skipping the stress of live performance this spring.

On May 2nd, time TBD by those performing, we'll meet on Zoom using an event-specific password protected link (NOT the same one we use for lessons/classes; please keep that one private) that you can share with friends and family. You can post publicly in general about this concert and ask people to contact you directly for the link; only share that info in private message form with those you know and trust.

On Zoom I will play the students' performance and story videos in program order. We will all sit back, enjoy, eat snacks, applaud one another, and speak or type our congratulations to each performer! If possible, this Zoom concert will stream to YouTube and/or Facebook as long as I can do so in a non-public way (into an unlisted YouTube video, into our private Facebook group, etc.) to make it easier for you to share with those who could not attend on Zoom.

Let me know if you would like to participate and if so, any time constraints/preferences you have for Saturday May 2nd. I can't wait to see your faces, hear your beautiful music, and enjoy what is always an epic story!

Cheers,
Elizabeth