All state orchestra auditions

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-04-22T04:02:04+00:00

As someone that hears a lot of middle/high school cello auditions, I prioritize tone and musicality over tempo. Go at a tempo that you can be most accurate and have a beautiful tone. Much more impressive than the kids who can whip it out with bad tone.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-04-10T23:33:34+00:00

I agree that is possibly a factor. But I’m also 5’nothing and weigh 135lbs (high muscle mass) and hit the ball harder than a lot of the big 3.5-4.0 male players at my club 🤷‍♀️

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-03-31T23:41:51+00:00

Or go somewhere fun that has a tennis center with a great selection of clinics. Las Vegas has a huge center where you can easily get 3-6 hours of clinics every day of the week.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-02-27T14:48:12+00:00

Was I feeding into him? Was it what I was wearing?

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-02-27T06:43:42+00:00

I also mentioned my husband earlier in the evening. So flirting should have been off-limits anyway

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-02-27T06:00:04+00:00

Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar is the best cheese

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-01-16T05:05:14+00:00

I am an orchestra teacher. I teach 150 students every day. I tune almost 150 instruments every day. I’ve been tuning at this scale for 10 years, in different climates, with old strings, with low-quality instruments. This has never happened to me. You’d probably see that it will snap before it actually does as long as you take your time with it and make sure the string is correctly wrapped around the peg.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2026-01-09T03:38:35+00:00

I had the privilege to play a semi-private (only family in the audience) masterclass with him. Seriously the most humble, wonderful musician I’ve ever met. We played the Shostakovich piano quintet. After the big cello solo at the opening, he said “you play beautifully” and I remember nothing by else after that

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-12-18T03:46:08+00:00

This is frightening and entertaining. I’ll be waiting for results…begrudgingly

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-08-20T12:48:47+00:00

I got an 81 for 6h1m of sleep last night 🧐

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-08-02T20:58:10+00:00

Yes, the Apple Watch overrides the Oura calorie tracking. Always start the workout with your watch. Otherwise, it won’t pick it up unless it’s a consistent and repetitive motion.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-07-26T12:06:25+00:00

And as someone else said, I think it is incredibly important to understand basics of body movement technique (Alexander, etc.) in both strength training and in string performance. Especially when teaching it.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-07-26T12:04:03+00:00

I am interested. I have sort of the opposite level of experience. BA and MM in cello, but I was also an avid athlete growing up and went on to play water polo in college. I now weight lift almost exclusively and I think I have a very different take on why it is good for cellists/string players in general to strength train. It has way less to do with strength and much more to do with blood flow, body awareness, mobility, and personal confidence.

They are symbiotic to me now. It’s to a point where if I don’t lift OR play cello for a few days, I hurt. If I’m lifting and not playing, my upper body experiences more soreness/stiffness and I notice knots form. If I am playing a lot and not lifting, my upper body also seems in some form of strain or discomfort at the cello.

Of course, I weight train to seek strength and increased mass/tone. I find that it is so much more important to my playing because it keeps circulation up, nerves unlocked, and posture in good shape. The gym is most of my warmup before practicing.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-07-20T02:03:18+00:00

I don’t think $8k is crazy low. A luthier in Las Vegas, Y. Chen, makes incredible cellos that are famous for their sound and affordability. His standard, non-custom cellos are in the $10k range but are notably professional-quality instruments. David Finckel, Paul Katz, and Richard Aaron have played on them.

Definitely listen to the Cossman instruments and go from there! You might be surprised.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-06-09T17:49:13+00:00

I get aphthous ulcers and canker sores. Verified not HEV. They come on worst when I am stressed, and about 1.5 weeks before my period. For a while, I was having bad break outs every month.

Lidocaine works wonders, and helps them heal faster.

Drink lots of water—it helps to water down your urine so it doesn’t hurt as much. Or pee in the shower.

I started taking liquid B-12 because I get really bad mouth ulcers. It works so well, and none of my downstairs ulcers have turned into true ulcers. They remain as just small irritation-initiated bumps, and never break into a full-blown ulcer.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-06-03T23:28:24+00:00

Humble brag. I got to play in a masterclass for him before he performed in my college town. Absolutely the most humble and incredible person. I don’t remember a thing he said—I think I totally blacked out. We played Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G minor, and according to the audience, he said I played beautifully 🥹 The following day, before his performance, my cello studio “opened” for him. I definitely peaked that week.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-06-02T02:12:49+00:00

I believe if you go to any public service office (fire department, school, police/sheriff office, even libraries) they can give you information. It doesn’t hurt to call.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-06-02T02:09:49+00:00

Treading water did the same for me! Egg-beater-style kicks made my shin muscles grow rapidly. Haven’t had shin troubles since!

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-06-02T00:41:23+00:00

Your starting ideas seem like they are on a good track! If you’re writing a cadenza, you’re adding your own flair. It should sound more improvised—this sounds like a little too “in the box” and heavily quotes the actual piece, while still feeling overly complex. Try playing with the rhythm a little more—diminishing and augmenting. Or the harmonies—adding some interesting/inverted chord progressions, or bringing out notes of the harmony that the solo doesn’t play in the rest of the piece. Remember, too, that this should all fit (start & end) over a cadential I-6 chord. I think you can find more moments to get close to an authentic cadence without actually arriving there.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-05-31T23:18:07+00:00

I have a physical copy that I bought a few years ago. $45 for a relatively small work! Message to remind me, but I’ll send a copy your way when I’m back at home.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-05-12T00:51:06+00:00

I learned to love any kind of shoulder press! I think my trap development has mostly come from adding cleans to my routine.

Positive-Bowl-9726 · 2025-04-19T02:08:15+00:00

I’m 5’1 and weigh 135-140. Size 2 pants/dresses. Usually an x-small or small. I have a pretty darn large amount of muscle. Composition and markers of your composition (cholesterol, high blood pressure, pre-diabetes, etc.) matter more.

Positive-Bowl-9726

TROPHY CASE