More Kickstarter

Dear Fellow Musicians and Educators,

As many of you are aware I have been writing a blog for the last nine months.  The theme of 160project.blogspot.com is basically anything I can think of musically. Many of the posts are about teaching, practicing, and musical thought, although some are also just really cool youtube videos.

During the last four months, I had a chance to fill in as a middle school band director here in Colorado.  The experience was incredibly rewarding and I definitely learned a lot about teaching.  The hardest lesson I attempted to teach and I think the most difficult for all music students is that a career music classical music is actually a viable option.  Luckily, I had the chance to bring in members of the Colorado Symphony to work with my students and many of the close friends won their first job this spring, allowing for some real evidence for making money with music.  Many of these young musicians will be appearing on my blog, giving interviews about their audition experience.

I have recently launched a Kickstarter Campaign to raise money to do interviews with faculty members at Aspen this summer.  These musicians and teachers will be talking about their careers in music and what their life has looked like throughout their relationship with music.  Hopefully, the compilation of these interviews will serve as an educational tool to inspire young musicians and students to pursue a career in classical music.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1035119162/discovering-a-classical-musician

I know many of you have had some interesting and long careers and I would like to interview everyone, however living in Colorado has its limitations.  For now, I would like any advice you could give me about the project. I would also appreciate it greatly if you would forward this email to other musicians and educators who think this might be a good project.

Thanks for your support,

Russ Zokaites
160project.blogspot.com
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1035119162/discovering-a-classical-musician

Terrifying Night

Well the temperature is starting to raise, even in Colorado, so I thought I would give you something to chill your blood.  We all know in some cases music can convey emotion.  Usually these emotions are somewhat vague; happy, sad, playful, etc.  However, in some cases these emotions can be quite specific, in this case terrifying. 

Most of you are familiar with Mozart's Queen of the Night aria from the Magic Flute; even you non-musicians know this.  The piece has been feature numerous times and in a verity of places. However, I am guessing most of you do not equate this music with the terrifying nature it is meant to have.  In this performance Diana Damrau does an incredible job at being scary.

I hope this helps you cool down on an incredibly hot evening.  Sweet Dreams

Discovering a Classical Musician: Kickstarter Campaign Launched!

My Kickstarter Campaign went public today.  The whole idea is to get the 160 Project mobile!  I will be interviewing classical musicians this summer while I am at the Aspen Music Festival and School.  The end product will be interviews with high caliber musicians about their careers and how they got started in music.  Hopefully this project will help young musicians and students realize that a career in classical music is Possible!  If you like the blog and the project I would love your support!

Movie Glory?

Last night I saw X-men: First Class, and like lots of recent movies there was lots of bass trombone in the soundtrack.  I have to admit, I always enjoy listening to a fell bass trombonist crushing some low notes.  However, at some point the novelty simply wears off. 

Henry Jackman came up with a pretty intense chord progression and allowed the bass trombone to play as loud as he could.  I started thinking about how much fun playing the score would be.  However, the some twenty second clip was reused every chance the director could get.  I guess that is the downfall of cinematic music.  I hope bass trombone does not go they way of comic book movies, overdone.

The movie itself was an entertaining watch.  Finding out more about Magneto and Professor X was interesting.  And the film score did add to the movie overall.  If you have not seen the new X-men movie yet, it could possibly be an entertaining evening for you.

Interview: Derek Fenstermacher

Today, I had the pleasure of interviewing an incredible musician who happens to play the Tuba.  In this interview Derek Fenstermacher and I discuss this introduction to music, his musical aspirations, his audition with the New Jersey Symphony, and cooking.  Derek was joining the 160 Project from his finance's backyard in Austin, TX.  Derek recently won a position with the New Jersey Symphony after a one week trial period in which he performed Mahler's 3rd Symphony.

To listen to Derek perform on the tuba check out his YouTube channel.

Flash Mobs

Undoubtedly, all of you have heard of flash mobs.  Large groups of people organize in a public space to perform some unusual act and then disperse. Started in 2003 by Bill Wasik, the flash mob was designed as a social experiment about conformity.  The largest flash mob was International Pillow Fight day in 2008.  In recent history, flash mobs have become more organized and usually consist of musical or dance performances.  Again, most people have seen this performance of the Hallelujah Chorus. 

It was easy to surprise bystanders in all of these events, with participants needing little to no equipment.  What would happend if an orchestra wanted to perform a flash mob?

Copenhagen Phil at Copenhagen Central

MCO at a Beach Soccer Game in Amsterdam

Thanks to Mike Blair and Ben "Honeybutter" Clymer for finding these videos and to Wikipedia for the brief history of a flash mob

Kickstarter Campaign: Discover a Classical Musician

Proudly, I can announce that 160 Project will be starting a Kickstarter Campaign very shortly.  What is Kickstarter?  They're the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world.  The website has been featured in several periodicals over the last two years.  The site has raised over $50 million dollars to fund individual and creative projects of the last two years.  Currently, the site is taking over $2 million dollars worth of pledges every week.

My idea: Discovering a Classical Musician

I would like to interview professional musicians, this summer in Colorado, with one goal in mind.  To determine who instrumentalist are and what their careers look like.

For many students and young professionals the dream of having a career in music is incredible and often times overwhelming.  Students are daunted by the task of starting a career and are often discouraged from pursuing a career in classical music.  Also, with so many jobs in the field and so many people doing lots of different jobs a clear view of a typical career in music is difficult to achieve.  By putting a face on high level performers I hope to encourage young people to pursue a career in music and to help them negotiate common predicaments and perils faced by musicians.  As a side effect I also hope to inform the general public about who musician are, how they work, and how they achieve their goals.

I need the 160project to go mobile!  I am currently working off a huge desktop built in 2003 and designed for my grandparents.  I need a sleek and sexy machine that can run video editing software and burn DVD's. The cheap webcam I stole from my roommate will not allow for the quality, verity, or mobility I need to shoot interviews in the Rocky Mountains.  With your help I will be able to get mobile and get interviewing.

I am still working on the pitch for the actual website.  But keep an eye open over the next few weeks for opportunities to Discover a Classical Musician.