Other High School Bassists

[Kaden]

This year i am going to be a sophmore in high school and i was curious what other serious high school bassists were playing outside of my school system. What music have you played in your school orchestra, what solos are you playing ect...

Thanks,
Kaden

[Mingus]

Right here! I'm going into my senior year. I've been playing electric for a little over two years, have tried to be involved in the small band at my school. Right now I'm trying to get back into seriously playing after a few months of no playing. I'm looking at the Charlie Parker Omnibook, Cello Suite 1 Prelude, and I'm trying to build up some theory before I get back. I'll be looking applying to college this year so it'll be a tough time. I have also started on the upright and had a teacher, but the same stuff putting me off E bass put me off the upright too for a while. My high school jazz band has a website with some music (not me playing though). I wish to play in an orchestra someday but I'm still a beginner on the upright and I fear time may be running out before I have to leave home to go to college.

[Peter Ferretti]

I just graduated, but I'd thought i'd throw out some of the symphonic rep that my school orchestra has done in the last two years...

Symphony No. 2-Beethoven
Symphony No. 3-Beethoven
Symphony No. 4-Brahms
Symphony No. 35-Mozart
Unanswered Question - Ives
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune- Debussy
Piano Concerto- Ravel
Emperor Concerto- Beethoven
Candide- Bernstein

Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet with the Miro Quartet (That was insane) - Elgar
Mendelssohn Complete Midsummer Nights Dream Production - (again, great experience)
The Ligetti Cello Concerto with Matt Haimovitz
A couple of Richard Danielpour Premieres

A ton of minor stuff that I am undoubtedly forgetting.

[Eli_Upright12]

I'm going into my senior year also, the most notable things weve played in the orchestra are Peter and the Wolf, Carmina Burana, Beethoven 5, March to the Scaffold, De Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony, and Hindemith's March Symphonique. Solos I've done are Scarlatti sonatas, Eccles, Koussevitzky Chanson Trise. I'm currently working on the Koussevitzky Conerto, as well as about to add Proto's Sonata 1963. and maybe some bach and other short pieces. In terms of jazz open up a real book and I've played most of the tunes in some form.

[mattfong]

I'm graduating from high school next week. Next year I'm going to the University of Toronto to get a performance degree, for jazz bass. I'd like to do some orchestral work too eventually, but my arco is abysmal. My school also doesn't have an orchestra, but I played in the jazz band and the small jazz combos featuring vocalists, and I've got my own trio.

Peter, thats so cool that you've played Ives, he's one of my favourite composers. None of the schools in my area even have string instrument programs. I've learned DB completely outside of school, though I played it in school bands. For music class I play trombone.

School music programs in Canada kind of suck, or at least the Catholic schools' programs do. The public system is waaay better for music.

[nathanmcnathan]

Originally Posted by mattfong

School music programs in Canada kind of suck, or at least the Catholic schools' programs do. The public system is waaay better for music.

I love my school's music program, it's apparently one of the best in Canada, although I'm not too sure where I heard that from. a lot of the instruments are old, but we've got 2 great teachers/bandleaders, and we have a lot of fun.

[Kaden]

My school orchestra just played Dvorak's 8th symphony and we also played the Koralia overture. I was due to a scheduling mess up in two orchestra classes in school this year. It was pretty cool having 2 hours of orchestra class a day! I just got done with Dragonetti and i am a little over half of the way done with Vanhal hopefully i will be done with it soon.

[thedbassist]

Originally Posted by Peter Ferretti

I just graduated, but I'd thought i'd throw out some of the symphonic rep that my school orchestra has done in the last two years...

Symphony No. 2-Beethoven
Symphony No. 3-Beethoven
Symphony No. 4-Brahms
Symphony No. 35-Mozart
Unanswered Question - Ives
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune- Debussy
Piano Concerto- Ravel
Emperor Concerto- Beethoven
Candide- Bernstein

Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet with the Miro Quartet (That was insane) - Elgar
Mendelssohn Complete Midsummer Nights Dream Production - (again, great experience)
The Ligetti Cello Concerto with Matt Haimovitz
A couple of Richard Danielpour Premieres

A ton of minor stuff that I am undoubtedly forgetting.

Are you seriously in high school?

[thedbassist]

Nevermind, I saw what school you went to.

Pertaining to the original topic though, my school this past year has done:
Mozart 40
Tchaikovsky 6
Stravinsky's Firebird(arranged by Merle Isaac or somebody like that)

[VincentPuleo]

I am going into my senior year... I play in the school Jazz band... We play fast swing tunes, and a lot of latin stuff like this year we played a Goordin Goodwin piece.

unfortunately we do not have an orchestra

[mattfong]

Originally Posted by nathanmcnathan

I love my school's music program, it's apparently one of the best in Canada, although I'm not too sure where I heard that from. a lot of the instruments are old, but we've got 2 great teachers/bandleaders, and we have a lot of fun.

Don't get me wrong - we have a ton of fun too, and I love our music teachers, they're incredible. We're just way underfunded, and while the public board as well as the American schools start music around grade 6 or 7, we in the Catholic board have just about nothing until high school, so its harder for us. Ah well, we make the best of it.

What school do you go to? What grade are you in?

[Hemispheres85]

I'm just ending my sophomore year and I was just accepted into my state's youth orchestra.

This year and last year (when I stared playing), I was the only bass player in my high school String Orchestra, except for another bass player who was really fantastic that was only able to play at concerts. My school's orchestra only had one level this year, so I was in a group with people that weren't serious and never practiced.

Thus, the piece we've played are mostly grade 3-4 pieces. We did, however, play the first movement of Holsts' Saint Paul Suite and Water Music suite by Handel.

Next year the youth orchestra I'll be playing with is going to be playing things ranging from Borodin Symphony no. 2 to Carmen Suite no. 2 to West Side Story dances to Debussy's nocturnes. I've only been playing less than 2 years, so I'm in over my head enough to motivate me to practice constantly this summer!

I've really only worked on Vivaldi's e minor cello sonata so far, but I may start the Dittersdorf soon if my teacher feel I'm ready for it.

[Peter Ferretti]

Originally Posted by Eli_Upright12

I'm going into my senior year also, the most notable things weve played in the orchestra are Peter and the Wolf, Carmina Burana, Beethoven 5, March to the Scaffold, De Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony, and Hindemith's March Symphonique. Solos I've done are Scarlatti sonatas, Eccles, Koussevitzky Chanson Trise. I'm currently working on the Koussevitzky Conerto, as well as about to add Proto's Sonata 1963. and maybe some bach and other short pieces. In terms of jazz open up a real book and I've played most of the tunes in some form.

Wow, sonata 1963? How'd you prepare for that, I've heard that piece is just exceedingly difficult?

[Eli_Upright12]

Originally Posted by Peter Ferretti

Wow, sonata 1963? How'd you prepare for that, I've heard that piece is just exceedingly difficult?

I haven't started it, but my teacher thinks I'm ready for it and he did for his senior college recital(he must think very highly of me), it requires a good knowledge of jazz and classical and a good ear for chromatics. Looking through it, it doesnt seem sooo bad. Its not easy but I think by the times auditions roll around next year I'll have it nice and ready. I've been known to be an ambition buyer of music, but I think I can handle this one.