Words & Photos From Eva C.
Day 1: On the first day of the second round of experiential trips, we arrived at the lecture theater, excited for another two whole days of music. After a bit of discussion, we decided to learn and play ‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E. King. There was a part for bass, piano, guitar, strings on a synthesizer, bongos, 3 vocalists, and a very tricky strings solo. After practicing individually and working one-on-one with Dante for the majority of the morning, we did the whole song as a group a few times before heading off to lunch. After our break, we worked on the song for a bit longer, before breaking out into smaller groups to work on personal projects.
Day 2: The next day we were all a bit tired, but we were excited to continue working on music as a group. After much deliberation, we chose to play ‘Valerie’ by Amy Winehouse. It is a very upbeat song, with lots of parts for everybody, including drums, bass, synthesizer, guitar, saxophone, 5 vocalists, piano, and other percussion instruments. We practiced for a bit, but then got right into rehearsing as a group. There are many verses to the song, so there were many opportunities for those who were singing to have their own moment to shine. Once we finished working on the song, we broke out into our own rooms again. This second set of experiential trips was just as enjoyable, educational and rewarding as the first, and I can’t wait for the next ones!