Allan.

"I have honestly studied this music and have tried to understand it in its historical, intellectual,..."

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:14:49 -0700

“I have honestly studied this music and have tried to understand it in its historical, intellectual, and emotional contexts. I recognize that I cannot totally comprehend what the composer has expressed through his symbols of musical notation. Nevertheless, with what knowledge and sensitivity I currently possess, I will put aside analysis and intellectual concerns and will give total attention to the musical realization of the work as I perceive it. I will use all of the skills available to me through my training and will explore all valid emotional possibilities to the end that I may illuminate this message which, without me and my co-performers, would remain shrouded in darkness.”

- Allen Lannom

not the time

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:41:44 -0700

this game told me everything i didn’t want to know. the celtics are just the better team right now. lakers made the same type of comeback (down 24) in game 2, but couldn’t get over the hump. the celtics came back from 24 and took the game. the lakers showed their inexperience (because for some reason, Phil kept Farmar & Radmanovic in until the lead was already gone).

again, Phil proved my theory that his weakness is end of game plays. it’s always so obvious! kobe starts out near the paint, runs by a few weak picks and the ball never gets to him. we end up with sasha trying to get his own shot.

lakers have to win 3 straight. it’s never been done before, and everything i’ve seen tells me it’s not happening this time either. i’ll still root for the guys, but i’ve already thrown in the towel. bring on Beijing!

game 2

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:23:26 -0700

the refs definitely had an impact on the game….true, the lakers still didn’t play well and there are other reasons for the loss, but man. when a game goes down to the wire like that, just ONE foul call changes everything.

what the heck happened when kobe didn’t even touch the ball at that critical play near the end. phil is a great coach and he does so many great things, but i think one of his biggest weaknesses is drawing up specific and effective under-10-second plays.

lastly, i really hate to even mention conspiracy theories, but i’ve been hearing about how the nba is trying to ensure that this series goes 7 games. if the officiating becomes lopsided in favor of the lakers these next 3 games, i’d have to believe that theory. on the other hand, did you notice how they did NOT fine phil after he blasted the officiating? was that the nba’s way of admitting the lakers got jipped?

wow, i wrote more on this entry than i have yet to write for my final analysis paper.

lakers celtics

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:06:22 -0700

i would’ve written this earlier, but i’ve been in Bakersfield for some choir stuff. fun times.

before the playoffs started i said it was such a great feeling to expect la to meet boston in the finals. but i have to admit, once the playoffs started, i started doubting. even though they were both the #1 seeds, i kept thinking, somehow, something was gonna screw up this storybook ending. after the first round, i was thinking…yea the lakers played really well, but utah is much better than denver…next round i was thinking, utah was tough, but here come the champs (spurs). and on the other side, celtics struggled against the HAWKS…then went another 7 against the cavs. up until friday night, i had my doubts, but the celtics finally took care of business. dream come true. for the first time in my life, i’ll witness, imo, sports’ greatest rivalry first hand (i was only 3 when they last met in the finals).

again, those negative thoughts are starting to haunt me…will the lakers’ youth finally show their inexperience?. what if lamar doesn’t show up. what if ray allen does show up. what if pau really is too soft. the celtics haven’t been good in the playoffs, but they seemed to get it together that last game…

but no, this time, i think i’m feeling more excited than doubtful. excitement has finally taken over after seeing what the lakers done. sweeping the nuggets, closing out utah in utah, the toughest place to win, and beating the spurs in 5. they’ve clearly played the best basketball against the best teams. on top of it, their fearless leader is finally reaching his full potential as a player and teammate. say what you will about his past *ahem* hartmansimersplaschke. in this moment, he is doing/saying all the right things and playing the right way.

i’m probably going to write more on this very topic, especially since they don’t even start playing for another 3 days. tentatively, i’ll say Lakers in 6.

Game 1

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:44:00 -0700

I can’t believe I’m gonna post something by Plaschke, but this was pretty good.

”The Lakers didn’t just come back from a 20-point deficit to steal an 89-85 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference finals opener Wednesday.

They turned basketball’s smartest crunch-time team into dummies.

They turned basketball’s toughest veterans into twitching rookies.

They stole a victory from a team that was doing everything right, and they stole it after doing everything wrong.

In the end, after another Spur had bricked and another Laker had dived and wonderful spring chaos had once again returned to 11th and Figueroa, both locker rooms were quiet.

The Spurs, because they were trying to leave.

“We’re supposed to be smarter than this,” said Robert Horry, rushing into the hallway.

The Lakers, because they were trying not to laugh.”

Read.

Photo

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:17:05 -0700

Epic Opera

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:23:53 -0700

i listened to a podcast on Wagner’s Ring Cycle for a homework assignment. the Ring Cycle is a cycle of 4 operas that add up to around 15 hours of drama & music. performances usually take 4 days, one opera per day. i highly recommend the podcast….it’s very well made, and geared toward the average listener, not music or drama experts.

a few interesting facts & observations from the podcast:

- Wagner worked on this for 26 years, writing both the libretto and the music.

- the work changed the landscape of music history, opera, theatre and philosophies of art.

- film scoring is a direct descendent of his compositional style (see leitmotif)

- Tolkien borrowed the idea of the Ring of Might from the Ring Cycle

Video

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:03:23 -0700

i’m so proud of the 6 that represented kaba modern on Randy Whackson’s America’s...

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:47:43 -0700

i’m so proud of the 6 that represented kaba modern on Randy Whackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew. they consistently had the most versatile choreography and the most intricate formations. but what i appreciated even more was their humbleness, comradery, class, and the fact that every time i watched them, it was obvious that they were having fun. i think it’s messed up that they didn’t make it to the end, but for some reason, tv producers don’t believe in letting the most deserving win their competitions.

"Stop teaching music to people and start teaching people through music."

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:18:39 -0800

“Stop teaching music to people and start teaching people through music.”

- Eph Ehly

healthy singing

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:32:59 -0800

i wish more people would appreciate good healthy singing. i’m not saying that only classical/operatic singing is acceptable because it’s possible to sing all styles of music with good vocal production. i guess more than anything else, i’m trying to say that i have a problem with people mistaking tense and strained singing for amazing vocal ability. it’s like people only perceive intense emotion when singers struggle to hit their high notes and overwork their vocal cords. but i don’t blame the singer, listener or anyone in particular. that’s just the normal perception. that’s what the average person hears in most music. anyway, i don’t have a solution, i just thought i’d share my thoughts.

"The making of music is the everlasting and inescapable act of creation. With the visual arts a work..."

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:31:01 -0800

“The making of music is the everlasting and inescapable act of creation. With the visual arts a work is completed. It may be viewed by men of succeeding generations, usually singly. But the life of music is reborn at every singing. It has existed in the composer’s spirit - but at each singing it seeks a new life. And the performer, though his craft is that of representation and his proper approach that of humility, cannot escape the responsibilities of creation.”

- Robert Shaw

i’m glad the pats didn’t pull off their “perfect” season. i’m also...

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:38:00 -0800

i’m glad the pats didn’t pull off their “perfect” season. i’m also happy for eli, especially since he’s been criticized and compared to his brother for so long.

isn’t it a great feeling to expect the lakers and celtics to meet in the finals? i take back every bad thing i ever said or thought about mitch kupchak.

visit to claremont

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 01:35:33 -0800

yesterday, i drove to claremont college to do some research for a project i’m working on. i’ve been trying to locate a manuscript or facsimile of a work by Marenzio, a 16th century composer. i managed to contact Roland Jackson, an expert on Marenzio who has published many editions of his works, and he told me the original sources were on microfilm at a claremont library.

i enjoyed wandering around the campus because it had the aura of an east coast university. once i got to the library, i got even more excited because it was pretty big, at least compared to the uci lib. sadly, i spent the next hour just trying to find the microfilm section in the library. it wasn’t where the map said it would be, and there weren’t any librarians in yet to help. i was on my own, in an unfamiliar place, searching for rare documents. it kinda felt like an adventure, in a weird scholarly way.

after finally finding the microforms, i spent another hour fumbling with the scanning machine. eventually, i got the hang of it, there was a moment when i was scrolling through the manuscripts and it finally hit me that i was a graduate student (as if the teaching and sleepless nights didn’t do it). there’s something special about getting off the computer to search through a collection in person.

Job

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:54:09 -0800

I have a job interview tomorrow! …well, in 10 hours. It’s for an after school program called Musical Minds that holds group keyboard lessons for elementary school students. Wish me luck! I need the money…but also, it would be good teaching experience, even if it’s not choral or vocal.

I don’t wanna be a teacher of songs. I’d rather be a teacher of music. It’s got to...

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:49:16 -0800

I don’t wanna be a teacher of songs. I’d rather be a teacher of music. It’s got to be more than playing their notes on a piano, giving proper diction, saying, “Louder!” or, “Softer!” or telling them when they are out of tune.

stef likes beating me

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:15:08 -0800

stef likes beating me

Disneyland

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:08:32 -0800

went to Disneyland on Friday with Stef & her parents. we were there to watch her bro (RJ) perform in his high school jazz band.

space mountain was really really fun, even though i’d ridden it at least 10 times before. maybe because it’s been a while since the last time i rode it, but it also seemed much darker than the last time.

the fireworks show is the best fireworks show i’ve ever seen. and i didn’t even get to see the whole thing! they stopped it in the middle because of “high winds.”

Our choir director, Joseph Huszti, is a special conductor, which is why I chose to come back to UCI...

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 12:04:59 -0800

Our choir director, Joseph Huszti, is a special conductor, which is why I chose to come back to UCI for grad school. He has experience, has worked with the great teachers of the 20th century, has the knowledge, and communicates vividly with his hands and body, but so many conductors throughout the world share these same traits. The thing that makes him special is his natural ability to inspire and transform a large group of young people who can sing the right word on the right pitch at the right time into a choir that makes beautiful music.

There have been several times when I was leading a rehearsal or sectional by myself, and once Prof. Huszti took over and stepped in front of the group, the entire room was suddenly filled with energy, passion, and excitement. I hope that’s something I can learn to develop because it doesn’t come naturally for me. If there are 2 things I could learn from Prof. Huszti before I graduate next Spring, they would be his use of imagination and humor in rehearsals.

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere."

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:04:23 -0800

“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.”

- Frank A. Clark