We wish you...

...a Merry Christmas!! :)

I LOVE Christmas time! The Wilson family has a lot of traditions and I love that now I have my own home to carry out some of those. The day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday for some) is our day to decorate the house. My mom has a million and has been passing them down to my sister and I over the past couple years. It's so fun to see decorations that I loved as a child now in my own home. My favorite is the nativity pop-up book. I'll have to take some pictures and post them. This Saturday, my brother's boy scout troop is selling Christmas trees, so we will go and get one to put up. Derek is excited because Philips has come out with new LED lights, so we can be more energy efficient, while having "better looking lights". I love my husband. :)

On that note, it's hard to believe that we have been married 8 months. Now we are helping my sister plan her wedding. Her and Matt are going to be married on July 23, 2010 which is my parents anniversary. I am so excited to be her matron of honor/wedding planner. It has been a ton of fun so far.

In other news, Derek has received a promotion and is now going to be a shift manager at Arbys. While he wishes he could find a job in his field, he is very excited about the steady hours they will offer him and the pay raise. The job market is not good here in Binghamton. All the companies that Derek would be applying for are currently laying off workers. We keep hoping the economy will turn around but it's not looking up here.

I have a week and a half left of classes and then one final to take. I'm really looking forward to next semester. I am going to be conducting Liszt's Les Preludes and the Overture from Don Giovanni by Mozart. (See below to listen to Don Giovanni) It's going to be an amazing semester!

Keep an eye out for a Christmas card from us, they should be going out soon!

Tis the season...

...for concerts!

Last weekend was the concert I've been talking about for months with the Paul Taylor Dance company from NYC. It was amazing. With all the rehearsals, I think I saw the ballet a total of 4 times and it was amazing every time! The fantastic news is that they were so excited to work with us that they're trying to get a grant to become the dance company in-residence at Binghamton University. This would be amazing for the University and is a huge confidence boost for the orchestra which is made up of mostly non-music majors!

Yesterday was the family weekend concert and I was asked to play the Eb clarinet with the wind ensemble. It was quite the experience...let's just put it that way! :) Eb is always an adventure.

Upcoming events include, the Madrigal concert, Faculty concerto concert and the concerto competition. It's going to be a very busy fall!

Derek has been quite busy as well working two jobs (still Uno's and Arby's). He's desperately trying to find work somewhere else and has been filling out job applications right and left. He did hear back from Best Buy and we're hoping that that might lead to a full time job!

In other news, it's about time for us to invest in a car. The focus is on it's last leg and really is making us nervous to drive. We took it to the shop and was told that it would be a waste of money to start fixing things because there is so much wrong with it. :( That's never a good sign. So we're hoping that maybe by Christmas or the New Year to be able to get a car. We'll see...

Other than that, not much is new. We're just trying to stay afloat in these busy times. Graduate school is a lot busier than we anticipated and so there's not a lot of time to spend together. Especially since Derek works the most on weekends. But we're doing well. How are all of you? We hope well as we begin into the holiday season!

Update!

Wow, I'm sorry that this hasn't been updated in awhile! Sometimes it seems like it has been forever since September 3rd (the last post) and other times, it seems like yesterday. It's hard to believe that I'm a month through graduate school!

It has been very intense, but I am learning so much! I just got done with English diction class, where I had to act out a dialogue (with a friend) from a Gilbert and Sullivan show; in a British accent none the less. It was very interesting. I have to give Alicia credit, this IPA/diction stuff is a lot more tricky than I thought it would be! I'm also working on a research paper for my music history class. I don't think I have ever spent so much time in the library! The library here is huge!! Anna, you would love it! As graduate students, we get to keep books for a year, which is awesome since I am horrible with library due dates!

Derek has been incredibly busy working 2 jobs. Most days he works from 8:30am until 5pm at Uno's and then from 6 or 7pm until Midnight at Arbys. I feel awful that he is working so much at jobs that he doesn't really enjoy! He did put in an application for an audio/visual job at the local community college and we're really hoping that he'll hear back soon! It would be perfect for him and it's something that he really enjoys to do!

In other news, we just purchased our first bed! :) We bought a Sealy Pillowtop mattress, which is incredible! The mattress forms around your body when you lay down, which is very comfy! We love it and are sleeping much better than when we were on a blow up mattress!

As far as concerts go, the first concert for the orchestra is on October 17th. We are performing with a ballet company (Paul Taylor) from New York City. The concert is coming together well and today is our first rehearsal in the concert hall. After that we don't have a concert until Christmas time. I am conducting the String Orchestra right now and hopefully will start working with the Symphony Orchestra in late October or early November.

Well, I better go get some work done. I will try to update this more regularly from now on!

Oh boy...

this semester is going to be crazy! Between 18 hours of graduate assistant work, 12 credit hours, orchestra and practicing, I'm going to be running quite a bit. I'm taking:

Private Conducting lessons

English Diction/IPA

Music History and Research

Independent Study: Orchestral Repertoire

My graduate assistantship is in the following:

6 hours - Theory III (This is very ironic, but basically I grade homework/tests, tutor and set up the class room)

6 hours - Orchestra (Setting up the orchestra seats, taking care of the music library and conducting)

3 hours - Basic Conducting (Co-teaching and also help with set-up)

2 hours - Music Office (working in the music office, answering phones, etc.)

1 hour - House Manager (working at recitals/concerts where I set up the hall, turn on lights, set out programs, watch the door so no one is walking around while people are playing, etc.)

So yeah, it's a bit insane. I like it so far. All the professors and staff are really nice! I can tell that I'm going to learn a lot here. The only thing I'm bummed about now is the conducting lesson I just came from. I know I'm here to learn, but I have this awful need for perfection and it really gets me down sometimes. I love conducting so much and I really just want to get up there and do it, but there is a lot to learn first. Hopefully, I will be on the podium soon.

For something to listen to, here is one of Beethoven's symphonies. Symphony No. 1. This piece is different because it is Symphony No.1 in C minor, but instead of starting the first movement on a C minor chord, he starts it on a V7 chord. This was very unusual for the time! Beethoven truly was an innovator and I'm sure this made just a few people upset. :) Enjoy!

And so it begins...

Tomorrow is my first day of graduate school!! :) After months of preparation, I'm finally going to school. I'm still nervous about the tests (these are on Wednesday) but I'm doing some last minute work now and should be ok. I'm just saying lots of prayers that I don't freak myself out. I tend to be a bad test taker because I second guess myself. 

Derek had his first work day alone on the line today at Unos. He was nervous that he would forget recipes, but he did just fine. He really is enjoying that job but still wishes he could find something in his field. Hopefully something will come up soon!

Not much else is new, but I will write again after my tests on Wednesday. :)

Updated checklist...

So, I thought since I wrote so many posts about things I had to do, I would let you know how much has been done. :) Thankfully, I've gotten quite a bit accomplished!

1. Read Teaching Your First College Class - check

2. BU online classes for GA's - check

3. Submit all paperwork for admission - check

4. Review 500+ years of Music History for exam - I'm up to the Classical period (only 2 left)

Still left to complete:

5. Music Theory review

So, all in all, it has been a productive few weeks. I'm starting to get really excited about the classes I will be taking! Finally, classes specific to my interests!!!

I also made a photo book of all our wedding photos. It is so beautiful and I can't wait for it to get here!! I also helped my mom make one. It's so fun...and easy! If you still want wedding pictures, they will be up on Mary's website through tomorrow. If you don't get them from there in time, just send me an email (or leave a comment) and I can send you some copies. :) 

Here's something for you to listen to. One of my favorite musicals is The Lion King. It is fabulous! I've seen it twice and would love to go again. Derek hasn't seen it, so hopefully we'll be able to go sometime. Here is one of my favorite songs for the musical, He Lives in You. Enjoy!

August =

busy!

 It's hard to believe that it's already August 6th! (My brother's birthday!) These next few days are sooo busy...

Today (6th) is Tim's birthday

9th - Derek's birthday

15th - last day of full time work at Target

16th - 24th - last minute preparations for Graduate school

25th - first day of orientation/testing

It's scary to think that I'm even old enough to be taking graduate classes! I'm very excited but also nervous!

In other news, Derek has started work at the restaurant and is loving it! He really likes cooking and they already moved him from where he thought he was going to be. He also had a phone call from Best Buy today about working with in their audio/speaker department. He would really like that, but there have been a ton of other applicants, so we'll just have to wait and see. 

I haven't posted any music in awhile, so I think that I will do that now. Today's listening not only great to listen to, but it's also fun to watch this excerpt because of Bernstein's conducting/dancing on the podium. I hope that you enjoy, The Candide Overture by Leonard Bernstein!

Life is hard...

This statement probably seems obvious, but lately, there are so many things that just came crashing down at the same time. It's been really hard for Derek and I to juggle everything with coming down from the wedding and the move, getting ready for school, finding jobs, etc. It just seems like one thing after another.

A few weeks after the wedding, Derek's grandfather passed away. This was really hard for Derek and I felt awful because I couldn't go to the funeral, it was my first day of work. :( Yesterday we found out that Derek's grandma (well, our sister-in-law's grandma that everyone called grandma) passed away. We were devastated! Grandma used to come into the campus store all the time to see me and pick up some things. We would see her on campus walking her dog and would go over to visit her from time to time. It's just so hard to believe that she's gone! We really want to be able to go up for the funeral, but with money being so tight, we're not sure what's going to happen. 

Getting old is so difficult. It's hard to see the people that you've looked up to for so long get old, get sick and pass away. I'm not so sure I like this part of growing up...

News...

Derek got the job that I was talking about in the last post! :) He's very excited! He will be working as a cook at a local restaurant. Those of you that don't know Derek very well, he loves to cook! So it's perfect. Best Buy will start hiring on August 1st, so we're still waiting to hear about that one. If he got the job there, he would be working with their Home Theater & Audio department, installing systems in people's homes. It's pretty close to his dream job. He loves putting together new systems. I'm so excited that he is finally going to be doing work that he enjoys!!!

If you didn't look at the wedding pictures on Mary's website that I led you to in an earlier post, they are now also on facebook. :)

Checklist...

So, I like to make lists. They're all over. I have a list on the fridge with chores and another for shopping. I have one in my calender of bills. I have another in my school notebook of things that have to be done. They keep me organized and from forgetting things...which thankfully doesn't happen too often. I also really enjoy crossing things off when they get done. :) One of my longest lists right now is things that I need to do to get ready for school.

1. Read Teaching Your First College Class (yuck)

2. Take 5 online classes about teaching college classes.

3. Study 500+ years of Music History to prepare for entrance exam.

4. Study Music Theory for entrance exam.

Yikes. I've got to have it all done by August 21st. That's my first day of orientation/testing. I think I can get it done...I just have to be really proactive about it (I tend to procrastinate).

Anyways, Derek has a job interview today at 3:15, we're hoping and praying that that will go well! While he's doing that I'm going to go shopping at Target. :) Even though it's just for the essentials (toothpaste, soap, cleaning supplies, etc), I'm still excited. I like shopping! :) It's also cool because of my team discount which really helps!

In stressful times, I like to listen to soothing music with lots of rich chords. This would be one of those times (refer to list above). :) A piece that fits that bill is:

Tchaikovsky - String Quartet No. 1 mvmt II - Andante Cantabile

It's so beautiful! Enjoy!

My apologies...

...on the last post! I just now watched that clip and realized that it was not the whole 4th movement!!! I'm so sorry! It was the only clip I could find and I should have listened to it. If you would like to listen to this piece I recommend listening to the whole thing. The division of the movements is rather awkward anyways, since in some editions it is split into 2 big movements while other editions have it split in 4. 

On to new things...

Today I am working on getting prints of wedding pictures. Shutterfly has this great deal where if you sign up for an account with them you get 25 prints for free! They also have a promotion for free shipping when you purchase 30 or more prints. If you would like to look at our wedding photos, the directions on how to do that were in an earlier post, so just look below. :) I am totally in love with the wedding pictures and can't believe how well they came out! It doesn't seem like we've been married for almost 4 months already! Time is flying by so fast!

Today's music recommendation is:

Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes

I love this piece and I picked this clip by the Estonian National Music Academy because they play this piece so fabulously!! And to think that they are so young and it sounds this great!! Enjoy!

Busy day...

Sorry it's been a little while! We are having some internet difficulties, so I'm here posting at my mom and dad's house. Today was my day off from Target and it wasn't much of a day of relaxation. I have so much to do to get ready for Binghamton! I had no clue how much preparation it would be! I have to take 5 online courses on how to teach college classes, read a book about the same topic, review music history and theory and also study all the scores that Dr. Perry has given me. I'm a busy girl! So, today I tried to get a little bit done while also making a nice dinner for my husband! I made a steak dinner with peppers, mushrooms and onions, fresh corn on the cob, salad and potatoes with a chocolate mint cake for dessert. It was all fabulous, but tiring. I also cleaned the house. 

While doing all this today, I listened to a ton of music and from that I got the recommended piece for today. It is:

Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 (Organ) Movement II & IV

I couldn't decided which movement to give you because I love this whole piece so much! So, I am putting movements II and IV here for you to listen to. Movement II is so beautiful and lush and I love the low, throaty sound of the strings. Movement IV is so fun to listen to because of the great organ parts. It's so exciting! Have fun!

Movement II:

Movement IV:

Not wanting to go...

...to work. I'm sure you're had one of those days where the last thing you want to do is go to work. Well, I'm having one of those days. I really like working at Target, but sometimes, I can't stand it! Today would be one of those days. It's gorgeous out, I'm coming down with a cold (thanks to over-active air conditioning in my apartment that our landlords WON'T turn down) and I don't like closing the store. That combination is making it really hard for me to motivate myself! 

I can't wait to start school. I miss music so much!! It's also hard being away from the Houghton area because I still get all the emails from the Buffalo Philharmonic and this is going to be a GREAT season! Their Gala in the fall is featuring Beethoven's 9th!!! How amazing! Also this fall, Joanna Falletta is leading a conducting workshop. :( I won't be able to go because it's the same week that the ballet company is coming to Binghamton University. I'm sad to miss it, but at the same time, I'm really excited to be working with a ballet company!!

In the spirit of ballet, here is your music recommendation for the day:

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake 

I love the music from Swan Lake! It is so beautiful and watching the ballet along with the music just makes the music come alive even more. You can watch the whole ballet on YouTube, but I've just given you the Dance for Four Small Swans. I love this part. The dancers make it look so efforless, but you know just watching that it's got to be extremely difficult! I hope you enjoy!

Quiet...

Yesterday Matt and Amy came back from Holton Beach, NC, so we had to give Rosie back. :( She really gave us something to look forward to when we came home and now it's too quiet! After having her here for a week we really want a puppy! Hopefully we will be able to get one soon! We're thinking about rescuing one instead of buying one since there are so many unwanted pets. We would like to give one a good home!

For today's music recommendation, we have:

Schubert - Impromptu in A flat Major Op. 90 No. 4

This piece is so fun to listen to! Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as Heather does!

Wedding photos are in!!

Our wedding photos are done! We are so excited! They look fantastic! If you would like to see them for yourself...head to, 

http://marydougherty.nextproof.com/ 

Once you get there, pick a user name and password and then you will need the gallery page which is our last name, all lower case letters. You can order pictures right on there. There are a lot, so you might want to make sure you have some time. :)

On to other things, Heather had a meeting today at Binghamton with her advisor. She is so excited to start school and they seem very excited to have her. Dr. Perry already wants to set up some times to meet with her before school! The first concert of the year is going to be a pairing of the orchestra and a ballet company from NYC!! How exciting! Heather probably won't be conducting on the actual concert, but will be leading a lot of the rehearsals. :)

Derek is still looking for some jobs. He is heading out this weekend to 2 different sound gigs and is looking forward to those!

Lastly, today's music recommendation from Heather:

My sister-in-law requested some good violin music. I was going to put up a violin concerto, but instead decided to put up:

Spring  from The Four Seasons - Vivaldi

This piece has some great violin features, but also has the chamber orchestra there to add lots of color. Part of why I love orchestral music so much is because of the different colors you get from the instruments when they are put together. It is amazing to me the variety of sounds that can come out of them! This video is of Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. I love this one because von Karajan is playing right along with them! So, here is Spring. Enjoy!

Thunderstorms = evil

I am terrified of thunderstorms!! In my apartment in Nunda, I could hide in the bathroom since there were no windows. But here, there are windows everywhere! I'm better when Derek's with me, but he isn't here right now...of course! So I am hiding in the stair well and writing this blog on my laptop to try and take my mind off of the severe thunderstorm that's taking place outside.

While thinking about what to write and what today's recommended music was going to be, I spent some time listening through a bunch of music in my Itunes. So far I have given you all orchestral music and I thought maybe it's time to give you something else to listen to! One of my favorite new composers is Eric Whitacre. He is an amazing composer that uses lots of interesting chords to create the sound he wants to emphasize the text. He does this a lot in his piece, When David Heard. It is a hauntingly beautiful piece! When listening to it you can hear the angst and weeping that is being described in the text. This piece can be hard to find, so I am going to put a link to it here for you. It is on the long side, but it is so worth listening to the whole thing! The end is just glorious. Enjoy!

10. When David Heard - Eric Whitacre

Today's music recommendation and more...

So, the economic situation that our country is in has really started to hit home for us. When we first started making plans to come down here to Binghamton, we began searching for jobs. We decided it would be best for Heather to substitute teach but she also applied at Target just in case. Thank goodness she did! The job that Derek applied for ending up not working out (since most companies have been laying off or been put on a hiring freeze) and this was one of those companies. Needless to say it has been very hard with Heather working two jobs (now one since school is over) and Derek endlessly searching for one. In the Sunday edition of the paper they do a huge classified section with employment opportunities in it. In this edition, there were 5 jobs. 5!!! It's scary how many people are being laid off and are looking for jobs at the same time! We are so thankful that Heather has a job and will start teaching at Binghamton University very soon!

Anyways...enough of our woes and on to music!! :) Today's music recommendation is by one of Heather's favorite composers....Beethoven!!!! This piece is so fun to listen to because of all of the changes in texture. One minute it will be forte (loud) and in your face and the next it will be piano (soft) and lyrical. It will really keep you entertained. This time we am embedding a video from YouTube so you can watch it right here! Heather loves the Vienna Philharmonic and Bernstein, so it's a great combination. While watching the video take a look at the orchestra...notice anything interesting? 

They're all men! Even today the Vienna Philharmonic is all men. It is one of the only ones left. Interesting, huh?! 

Today's music recommendation

I've been thinking about today's music recommendation a lot. There are just so many great pieces to listen to!! In the end, I decided to go with another programmatic piece, 

Mars from The Planets by Holst

While you listen to this, see if it reminds you of anything else you have heard. Leave me comments about what you think it sounds like! I'll be interested to hear...

(Also...there are other movements in The Planets suite. So, if you have time listen to those as well! Another great one is Venus).

Today's music recommendation

So, the other day, Derek and I were talking about how classical music is fading from a lot of today's generation. I had made a comment to a guest that came into Target about Brahms and they had no clue who I was talking about. This was really sad for me since classical music is my life! So, everyday (I will try to post everyday) I will put up a piece that I recommend listening to. Most pieces you can find on YouTube, but if not you can also go to www.naxos.com, sign up for a free membership and listen to it there. :)

Today's recommended piece is:

Peer Gynt, Op. 23 - Morning  by Grieg

I have been listening to this piece a lot today as I am thinking about doing something with programmatic music for my Master's concerts at Binghamton. (Programmatic music is music that was composed to represent a scene, event or mood in the eye (or ear, as the case may be) of the listener). It is a beautiful piece that I think you all will really enjoy! Take a moment out of your day and see if you can visualize the sunrise while listening. Enjoy!

"Our first blog"

Welcome! :)

We are very excited to have our own blog! We've been thinking about creating one for awhile, but weren't sure if our lives were interesting enough. Ha. Anyways, here in Binghamton, NY we are finally beginning to get settled in. We were married April 4th in Geneseo, NY and moved down here after our honeymoon in Orlando, FL. 

Heather will be starting her Masters degree at Binghamton University in the fall, so we wanted to come down here before to get settled. She will be studying Orchestral Conducting and was accepted on full scholarship so she will also being teaching some classes in the Music Department. She is very excited.

Derek is still searching for a job, which in this economy is very difficult! Thankfully, we are in an area with a lot more venues for him to search! He has been working with a small sound company doing sound for a band around the Southern Tier. He loves it and is having a great time.

We are loving being in a city and also being near Heather's family! After 5 years of living in the Houghton area, Heather missed being home! It's a perfect time to come home too, since Heather's brother, Tim, is entering his junior year in high school. This way we will get to see all of his important high school moments!!

Right now we are babysitting Rosie, Heather's sister's dog. It's so nice to have a dog around and we can't wait to adopt/get our own!

Well, that's about it for now. Until next time...