Saturday, August 25, 2012

Goombay Festival 2012


  

        "Every year, the streets of downtown Asheville NC rumble with the beating of West African drums, ring with the harmonic horn lines of funk, groove with the rhythmic sounds of reggae and the melodic voices of soul." Goombay! Asheville is celebration of both African and Caribbean culture which occurs annually at what is know as "block" in beautiful Asheville, NC. "The block" is located at Historic Eagle Street and Market Street.

This is also where you will find the YMI Center. The YMI is a community based organization that provides various programs, events, opportunities and more for those in and around the community and throughout the city of Asheville. This year the YMI has partnered with Powerhaus Productions to manage the event.

I will attend Goombay! Asheville on tomorrow; August 26, hopefully it will be as much as I'm looking forward to.

Thanks for reading!
Bryant Belin

Quote and Photo taken from: www.goombayavl.com


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Know Your Performance!


**NOTE: The following subject will focus on vocalists; however, the same concepts can be applied to any musician.

When rehearsing/practicing for any performance, many do not understand that the majority of the time will not be spent singing. Most of the time will be spent actually studying the history, background, etc of the composition; after which you will apply that knowledge to how you sing. Whether you’ve received new music in the vocal studio with your teacher/coach or on your own accord, there are a few things (this list is not exhaustive) that you must not neglect to do in order to present an efficient and artistically masterful performance. Or at least this should be attempted to the best of your ability.

·      Identify the language.
o   Is it English, French, German, Italian, Polish, etc? Before attempting any foreign language in public be sure to study the diction of the language. Ask native speakers to assist you if you are not taking any classes through school, etc. What qualities are present based on the language? What should you do and not do as far as vocal and textual stress?
o   Read the text over and over and over until it is second nature, even if the composition is in English. You will be surprised how difficult it is to sing properly in English, so take time and be efficient by preparing the text. Be expressive even as you speak the text.
·      Research the composer.
o   What is the stylistic approach and intentions of the composer? What time frame is he or she from? What are the stylistic qualities and requirements of the time period? How can and will you implement these in your performance?
·      Study the rhythm and tempo markings.
o   How difficult is the meter? Does it change often? How fast or slow is the tempo? Will the tempo create any artistic changes or occurrences such as portamento, subito, rubato, etc? Are you quickly able to familiarize yourself with it? If not, lots of time should be devoted to this.
·      Study melody.
o   This is probably one of the most important steps to consider.  There will be more on this in the next blog.

For now you can begin applying the above steps into your performance study. You will notice this takes quite a while to do and should not be rushed in any way. So until the next post get to know your performance.

Thanks for reading,
Bryant Belin

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Learn to express

Emotions are shared by each of us. Even if we are not aware of our own actions, we are clearly aware of those by others. What I find interesting is we still appear surprised or even caught off guard, either because of our own emotions or those expressed by someone else. Some of these are being happy, sad, exited, depressed, surprised, disgusted, loving, hateful, etc. The list continues and we either accept or disapprove of what we see and experience.
Our methods of expressing and reasons for publicly sharing our emotions vary. However, despite this diversity, there is one method in which many of us can relate; that method is music. Music is the most effective method of communicating we possess. And because of that, it is our duty to protect it. Better yet, enjoy it!
Vocalists can be described as individuals who use their skill/gift of singing to empower others (their audience). However, musicians in general also have a voice, and a very effective one. Many of them understand the term voice is not just referring to a person’s ability to produce speech patterns; it is also the power to connect. How you choose to connect defines your style, which ultimately is an outward expression of your individuality.
This process takes time for each of us, so in the meantime we learn from others. In our quest to find our style or method of expression, we become attached to the expression of others. Their style becomes an influence upon our own. Regardless of this, we can continue to know and believe our voice reflects who we are as individuals.
Being able to comfortably express personal thoughts and feelings are not a naturally embedded skill for everyone; music helps to bridge that gap. There are some who may not feel or think they can do things as well as others; music changes that. A few individuals may want to accomplish a goal or check something off their list of things to do before they reach a certain age; music makes it possible.


Wednesday, August 1, 2012

So what did I think about Bele Chere?

As promised, I'm here to post about my Bele Chere experience.

I spent about 4 hours perusing the packed streets and shops in Asheville, NC during this past weekend during the annual event - Bele Chere. As a newcomer to this event, I must say I was disappointed with the outcome. There are the usual activities which can be found at any festival, such as vendors, street art, tent shows, food (lots and lots of food!) and more. The activities were geared towards an older age group. I did not see too much for younger kids. Regardless, there was something offered for everyone during the event. My main interest was the selection of music that would be offered. Did I mention I was disappointed.

Was a great line-up available as far as musicians are concerned? It sure looked that way via the website; however, when you get there the wait is much longer than expected. You must plan well in order to see/hear the musicians/bands you're interested in. Most of the time was spent walking and occasionally coming across a few street musicians or small bands. In my opinion the selection of music was extremely thin; considering the amount of time between each major performance. The down time was a little extreme for me.

For Asheville to be as eclectic as it is, there was no reason why more music could not have been offered. The performances do not have to take place via the main stages either. If the issue is funding, I'm sure more musicians and bands would not mind the opportunity to set up where ever allowed and grace us with their talent.

Still...this was a great event and it couldn't occur in a better place than in the beautiful city of Asheville.  I do plan to go next year also. Maybe by then a few of my suggestions will reach attentive ears.

Thanks for reading!
Bryant Belin