Judging for Alameda's Got Talent
Alameda's Got Talent! Does it? It was fun judging for this competition. I was on the highly esteemed panel with Drew Harrison, the John Lennon guy from the Alameda Beatles imitaters group called "The Sun Kings," and Abra Rudisill, the founder and head teacher of the Alameda Ballet Academy on Park Street. I had already known these two a bit, as Drew had been talking to me about possibly putting the string parts behind some Beatles songs for some shows of his, and Abra was my little five year old daughter's ballet teacher this summer.
So anyway, when I got to the competition in Alameda's Town Center, the judges table was all set up nicely, with complimentary wine glasses holding little chocolates and bottles of water for us. I felt very special! (This was the work of Natasha Miller, who was putting the event on, I think.)
Judging a competition is not so easy. This one included kids between the ages of 5 and 16. There were singers, dancers, and pianists. How to compare the 12 year old boy who played a Bach Minuet to the 8 year old who was doing hip-hop dancing? What about comparing the 7 year old twins who sang little songs with no musical accompaniment to the 13 year old girl who seemed to be a good singer and had great attitude, but who for the most part, was lip syncing to a seemingly karoake track?
Yes, it was nuts. But I enjoyed the judging. It really reminded me that there all all kinds of factors going on in a competition of any kind. And it also convinced me not to let my five year old cello playing daughter get lost in any of these kinds of contests. People and their talants can't really be fairly compared. Better to just let her perform and allow everyone to appreciate what she can do!
Speaking of performing, the Enchante' String Quartet had our first concert in a long time on Saturday night. It was at the Crosstown Coffeehouse here in Alameda. I think we all had alot of fun and we played quite well. I really enjoyed the different Alameda folks coming out to support us. It was nice to see them all in one spot.
When we finished the concert we got some dinner and then we hopped on over to KPFA, where we were interviewed by Doug Edwards and we played a few numbers on his late night show "Ear Tyme." We played the Bachiannis Brasilieras #5, and we played Manha de Carnival. But we didn't play until about 12:15, so we were al trying to stay awake. I am not sure how we sounded there, but I'll let you know when I get the CD this week.
The Enchante' String Quartet's next concert is this Friday night, August 31st, at the Pro Arts Gallery in Jack London Square, at 7:30. We will be performing Beethoven Opus18 #4, Bachiannis Brasilieras #5, and a wonderful new piece by a good friend of ours, Durwynne Hsieh, his String Quartet #1.
So anyway, when I got to the competition in Alameda's Town Center, the judges table was all set up nicely, with complimentary wine glasses holding little chocolates and bottles of water for us. I felt very special! (This was the work of Natasha Miller, who was putting the event on, I think.)
Judging a competition is not so easy. This one included kids between the ages of 5 and 16. There were singers, dancers, and pianists. How to compare the 12 year old boy who played a Bach Minuet to the 8 year old who was doing hip-hop dancing? What about comparing the 7 year old twins who sang little songs with no musical accompaniment to the 13 year old girl who seemed to be a good singer and had great attitude, but who for the most part, was lip syncing to a seemingly karoake track?
Yes, it was nuts. But I enjoyed the judging. It really reminded me that there all all kinds of factors going on in a competition of any kind. And it also convinced me not to let my five year old cello playing daughter get lost in any of these kinds of contests. People and their talants can't really be fairly compared. Better to just let her perform and allow everyone to appreciate what she can do!
Speaking of performing, the Enchante' String Quartet had our first concert in a long time on Saturday night. It was at the Crosstown Coffeehouse here in Alameda. I think we all had alot of fun and we played quite well. I really enjoyed the different Alameda folks coming out to support us. It was nice to see them all in one spot.
When we finished the concert we got some dinner and then we hopped on over to KPFA, where we were interviewed by Doug Edwards and we played a few numbers on his late night show "Ear Tyme." We played the Bachiannis Brasilieras #5, and we played Manha de Carnival. But we didn't play until about 12:15, so we were al trying to stay awake. I am not sure how we sounded there, but I'll let you know when I get the CD this week.
The Enchante' String Quartet's next concert is this Friday night, August 31st, at the Pro Arts Gallery in Jack London Square, at 7:30. We will be performing Beethoven Opus18 #4, Bachiannis Brasilieras #5, and a wonderful new piece by a good friend of ours, Durwynne Hsieh, his String Quartet #1.
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posted by Marcie Brown | 4:23 PM
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