Over the Hills and Far Away...

Last night I was having trouble practicing. I was not motivated. I was sick of all the pieces I'm working on. I just couldn't take it. So I did what I usually do when I'm feeling like nothing is worth my time or effort; I watched Youtube videos of music that inspires me. After the Saint Saens Organ Symphony (no.3) (which you may recognize if you've ever seen Babe), the finale from Stravinsky's The Firebird, and a little Andre Rieu (even if you don't know anything about music, you should find this funny. Where else in the history of the world can you find an orchestra full of middle-aged women in prom dresses complete with backup dancers?) I realized something about myself.

Lately I've found myself facing the reality that my life is not a fairytale. I read enough Jane Austen and listen to enough Strauss Waltzes to convince myself otherwise, but when push comes to shove I live in Minnesota (or Ohio, depending on the month). I have to practice flute to get better, and just like everyone else on Earth, I worry about paying for everything from my internet bill to a meal at Buffalo Wild Wings. And that is why I play music. Because when I play a piece I experience a story, almost another world. It goes beyond hearing the notes or even hearing changes in color or character. When I hear or perform the right piece, I get so involved in the characters and the story and the place where it's taking place that I actually feel like I'm in a different world. Take for example Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring (granted this is only the most familiar chunk, but it's just an example). Without looking at the slideshow that goes along with the video, just close your eyes and see where the music takes you! I believe more than anything that music is the most powerful imagery device in the world. Not everyone has to see the same scene, but it is near impossible to hear this piece and not feel...something! I am so passionate about music because even in the world of the 21st century, I get to live a fairytale.

Anyway enough of that. I am spending the day getting ready (packing, practicing, you know...) to go to Malibu tomorrow bright and early! In addition to making life-altering breakthroughs in my flute playing, I will be looking fabulous every day. A new section, 'What Hannah Wears' will be added to the blog after this week!

Finally, here are the next ten books on my list!

41. I, Claudius-Robert Graves

42. Invisible Man-Ralph Ellison

43. Jane Eyre-Charlotte Bronte

44. Light in August-William Faulkner

45. Lolita-Vladimir Nabokov

46. Lord of the Flies-William Goldring

47. The Lord of the Rings series-J.R.R. Tolkien

48. Madam Bovary-Gustave Flaubert

49. The Maltese Falcon-Dashiell Hammett

50. Middlemarch-George Eliot

Happy Fathers Day!

This weekend has been a wonderful reminder of why I love the Twin Cities so much! Of course I don't think I could live without the people I've grown so close to in Cincinnati, but there is something so charming, cozy, yet classy about Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Yesterday I wandered around the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts with three of my good friends from high school where I was reminded of how fond I am of indie pop/rock. And hipsters. Gotta love drunk hipsters. As a disciple of classical music, I only hear top 40s hits at parties and the orchestral and jazz repertoire that I perform and attend concerts to hear. It was good to hear something new, and of course the people-watching was incredible! We especially liked Joey Ryan & the Inks, Eliza Blue, and Me & My Arrow. Walking around the St Anthony Main and Gold Medal Park area reminded me that Minneapolis is indeed a 'real' city and that there is plenty to do especially in the summertime in the Twin Cities!
Today my family ventured down to Northfield for an extended family fathers day brunch and to drop my brother of at St. Olaf for music camp. It was wonderful to see my grandparents and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins that I haven't really seen since the holidays, and being once again on campus at St. Olaf brought back many memories (mostly fond, although somehow there always seemed to be boy drama of some sort) of my own years at the camp. My favorite memory was probably the year we shared a dorm with a fat camp; there was something so wrong about piling four plates of food and ice cream when these other kids were forced calorie limits and had to check in to make sure they were allowed to eat everything on their plates! This of course fueled an animated discussion about the lifestyle choices musicians make, cumulating in renaming St. Olaf Music Camp "Bigger Than Big Ole: Get Fat Camp!" (Big Ole is a fond nickname the St. Olaf students have bestowed upon their windmill that is visible for miles). Those were the days...
I will be leaving for California in one week! I suppose that means that I really need to get a-practicing so as not to disappoint Dr. G when I get out there...in the meantime, here is the next installment of my top 100 books!
11. Anna Karenina-Leo Tolstoy
12. As I Lay Dying-William Faulkner (check!-already read this one)
13. The Bell Jar-Sylvia Plath
14. Beloved-Toni Morrison
15. The Big Sleep-Raymond Chandler
16. Blood Meridian-Cormac McCarthy
17. Brave New World-Aldous Huxley
18. Brideshead Revisited-Evelyn Waugh
19. The Brothers Karamazov-Fyodor Dostoyevsky
20. The Call of the Wild-Jack London