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The performance as a whole went okay, it wasn't the greatest but it was good. We had practiced minutes before performing , but we didn't get to all the pieces that we had wanted to do. Despite that, we went out and our pieces went well. The first movement of the Pictures of the Exhibition was our first piece,and it went very well. The intonation was spot on , and we kept together well. Pirates of the Caribbean was just as good. We had some troubles with Allegro in C,but we gathered ourselves and kept together well . Hungarian and Tango Expressivo went well. It got a little hard to hear each other properly in some of our pieces,but I believe that might be due to the acoustics of the hallway.We slowed down a couple of our songs tempo, because the original tempo we were playing was way too fast.Overall , we played very well and next time hopefully we will be able to practice a bit more on all the pieces as a whole before the performance.

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Major improvement on the song. The dynamics now have a presence in the piece ,although they can be exaggerated a bit more. We kept the tempo moderate , sped up in some areas , but it seemed to be in accordance of how the piece sounded and what direction we wanted it to go in. The intonation has definitely improved. With a little more practice , this song will sound very nice.

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The dynamics throughout the piece were minimal making the piece not very musical sounding.The intonation was mostly okay, although in some places we missed a couple notes by a half step. As a whole , I think this piece can be improved and will sound great when it is done, we just need to work on the dynamics and intonation. And a little on the tempo as well , as we did keep in time with one another , bu not in all of the areas.

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The overall sound and musicality of this piece has certainly improved. However, we are still having problems with the same areas. We have increased practice outside of class to fix this. We also need to work on tempo and dynamics as well. With hard work, we will definitely be ready for the show.

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We were all very anxious for our performance but still managed to play our pieces well. We slowed down a lot in many of our songs, and it was harder to hear each other out in the hallway with other people rather than in a practice room. There were some spots where we were not in the same place, but we managed to keep playing and pull ourselves back together. Discussing the tempo of Hungarian Dance No. 5 beforehand helped us significantly during our performance and allowed us to play it through without any big hitches. It would have been beneficial to do so for every piece. Overall, I believe we played well, but of course there was room for improvement.

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Although we are familiar with this song, it is clear that we are a bit rusty. There are some sixteenth notes that we all have trouble with, as well as problems with intonation. However, these issues can be easily remedied with regular practice. There was also very little dynamics in the piece. Our dynamics will most likely improve after we've fixed our problem spots.

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Overall i think that we were slightly ill-prepared on the day of the showcase. On our first song we were off on our counting's and we didn't seem confident. However the song we practiced least on Tango Espressivo was executed well. We showed dynamics and had great intonation. There was one spot in the song where we were lost but we managed to get back together. All the while i wish that we had practiced together more and discussed early on the tempo that was agreed before we performed.

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Overall I was not a big fan of the process because we didn't get a lot of time to work on the portfolio in class. Doing this would have allowed us to have more time to work as a group and knock it out faster. The performance did not go as I wanted it to. As a group we got off tempo and separated but we were able to get back together. This problem taught me that I need to be able to play loud enough to be heard but quiet enough to hear the other people. Personally I believe next time we need to practice in the hallways more since our environment was more open than the practice rooms. This would have allowed us to work together better as a group before we preformed.

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We definitely seem more confident in this song than the first time we sight read it. However, there are some issues with a few sections. We demonstrate better dynamics within the song and everyone is heard.

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As a group we have improved a lot. At a slower tempo we are able to play easier but we need to practice at full speed. Our dynamics are a little better but we still need to make them more obvious so it doesn't seem like we are being bland with the style of this piece. The sixteenth notes are a lot better but we are so close. My melodies still need work along with my intonation but a little bit more practice that will be fixed.

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As a whole our group needs to work on dynamics throughout this piece. We didn't really change in the volume which will help make this piece seem more musical. All of us struggle with the sixteenth notes which can easily be fixed with some practice at home. I also need to work on the melody parts and keeping the proper tempo while playing. With practice and hard work this piece will sound amazing.

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All of our pieces have improved thus far. We have become good at listening to each other, which is absolutely essential with only one of each instrument (excluding bass). Pirates of the Caribbean is one of our strongest pieces. We have been able to settle on a good tempo, and it sounds the best when played back. We have started practicing Hungarian Dance No. 5 more frequently and have seen improvement. It was beneficial to us to slow down the tempo temporarily because although the song sounds good overall, there are some problem spots. The Exhibition pieces both sound fine, as well as Tango Expressivo, which improved once we sat down and worked through the rhythms we were having trouble with. There is still some trepidation around Allegro in Major, but it has definitely improved a lot since we began.

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Our group has been steadily improving as we become increasingly comfortable with the music. It helped us with a piece like Tango Expressivo (which has unusual rhythms) to listen to it before playing. This gave us a clearer idea of how the piece should be played. We are improving on Pirates of the Caribbean, due in large part to our dedication to practicing outside of class. We have settled into a comfortable tempo, but we are still having trouble with the time signatures and counting. Overall, the song sounds good; there are just parts that we have to work on. Allegro in C Major  still needs work at concert tempo. We have started working on Hungarian Dance No.5 as well. It is not as difficult because we're familiar with it.

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Group Running Allegro in C Major Video #2

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Group Running Allegro in C Major Video #2

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Uploaded by Kamaya Wilson on 2017-04-18.

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the confidence showed in

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Our group has been working on Pirates of the Caribbean most intensely so far. We are having trouble with the tempo, the changing time signatures, and listening to each other. However, it helps that this is a song that we all at least somewhat know and enjoy. We have also worked on Allegro in C Major, which we played last semester as a class. The tempo is very fast, and we have been struggling to keep up with it. In addition, there are several sixteenth notes, which forces us to improve upon our dexterity. Pictures at an Exhibition is relatively simple, so we are able to hone in on dynamics and intonation. We are getting re-used to the music. We are also acclimating to playing with such a small group of people. We have to pay attention to our volume and ensure that one instrument doesn't overpower the others.

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Kamaya's response to group sight reading #1

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Kamaya's response to group sight reading #1

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We need to focus more on dynamics and becoming more confident with our playing with the song. The 2nd and the 1st need to work more on the eighteen notes within the song and getting more comfortable with them. Practice would definitely clean this song up. I believe that in the amount of time that is given we could perform this song with great dynamics and intonation.

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Recently , we have been working on the song Pirates in the Caribbean, which is getting easier to play as time progresses. We have also been working increasingly with the Picture in the Exhibition, the song gaining emotion from each musician inside of the group , along with more artistry in the dynamics. Allegro in C still needs improvement as the group as a whole is having problems keeping up with each other in tempo and in syncopation.The Tango has not been worked on as frequently as the rest of the pieces , but there is little worry for that song as it has a staccato rhythm that all of us have been able to keep up with.

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The group has cleaned up the major parts of Allegro in C and the major parts I was struggling with are sounding better as well. The solo in Tango Espressivo in which my intonation had several issues with sounds better. We have finally started looking over Hungarian dance. Due to us playing the song before, it isn't too difficult to keep up. I think that a few "clean-ups" within would make the song sound better, especially with more dynamics. In the beginning of the group project, my playing didn't project as well as I wanted to, now that I have practiced the songs more and am more confident, I can now hear myself playing out more.

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For the past several weeks the group have practiced more on Pirates and The Caribbean. We have cleaned up the major "moving" parts and some parts in which it is very open, where there is only one or two instruments playing. I am improving more on Allegro in C mainly my intonation. I am still struggling with keeping up with the group. I definitely need to practice on this song more than the other 5 songs have. One thing that I have noticed is that we are more focused on the longer songs, we have not yet looked at Hungarian Dance or the Exhibition pieces.

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At the moment , I have been struggling with Allegro in C. The speed of the piece is difficult to keep up with , as the notes flow into sixteenth notes , which are in slurs and ties. The notes themselves are also giving me trouble as they require a heavy amount of shifting . The group is also playing Pirates of the Caribbean, and this song is relatively easier compared to Allegro ;however, the melody has significant changes in rhythm throughout the piece that is proving its difficulty. By slowing down the notes and counting, I can improve my playing the rhythm in sync with the rest of my group. We are also playing Picture of Exhibitions, and this song is very lively and simple, easy to play as it is supposed to be more elegant .We are also playing Tango , it is difficult in tempo , but I can improve by playing slower.

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Our attire for the performance will be primarily black and white. We will each have an additional color for our outfits allowing us to pop out at our audience.

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Through this project, I hope to improve and refine my skills as a musician. I want to use this as an opportunity to work on things I consistently have trouble with, such as dexterity and counting. I also want to get to know the music from a different perspective, since I will be playing with a new group of people without a conductor. I definitely want to work on the subtleties and tiny details of all of our pieces, such as dynamics and accents. I hope that my group can play the music well at the show and complement the pieces and displays.

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In the last two months of being in this group project I have fixed up a lot of major parts from every piece we are playing. In Pirates of the Caribbean I fixed up "Walk the Plank" and "The Medallion Calls". These were the two hardest sections in the piece for myself and I am much more confident playing them now then when we first started. In Hungarian Dance I fixed up measures 9 to 33. Being able to fix the melody makes the piece overall sound better and I, once again, am much more confident than before. In the second movement of

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Currently the group is working on Allegro in C and Pirates of the Caribbean. I am having a hard time with specific parts of Allegro in C. I am somewhat familiar to the song because we have rehearsed it in orchestra before, however I am having a hard time with keeping up with the others in my group of this song. In Pirates of the Caribbean it seems to be going very smoothly, I believe that if I practice more on this song I can improve the tone and overall intonation of the song. We also have another song named Tango Espressivo. In this song there are multiple accidentals that I need to be more aware of. There is also a solo piece in the violin 2 part, I need to practice more on that part and focus mainly on intonation and dynamics while I play it.

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In the last few weeks I have practiced on the main areas I was worried about along with several other parts I noticed that needed work. I have the beginning rhythm for Pirates of the Caribbean down and I feel very confident when I play. I noticed after the first few times our group worked on Pirates of the Caribbean that the "Walk the Plank" part needed a lot of work. I needed to get the timing, notes, and rhythm as perfect as possible. Even though it is not the best right now, it is far better than when I started. Our group has spent the last few days working on Pirates of the Caribbean and I feel like this is a good decision since this piece has a lot of moving parts and because of that we need to count and play at the same time together.

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As of right now I am struggling with Pirates of the Caribbean. My issue is the beginning rhythm from measures 6 to 25. I am going to listen to the piece on YouTube so that I can hear how it should be properly played. While going over Allegro in C Major, my intonation needs works on the melodies i play which is usually the G#.  Another main piece I need to work on is Hungarian Dance. The main measures I will be working on will be the solo from 9 to 33. This is probably the hardest part of the piece and the cello part is heard more due to the fact there are only two violins and a viola.

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While participating in the Chamber Ensemble project I am trying to fix my ability to play with others. As a cellist I can be heard more than another people so fixing on my ability to play dynamically will affect how I sound. Being in a smaller group allows people to hear whether or not your intonation is correct so one little slip up can ruin the entire piece. This project will push me to fix the two areas I struggle most with as a musician and allows me to have fun playing music I like. The project also motivates me to practice more at home. Our group has been working extremely well together and I can't wait for the weeks to come.

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Kamaya W. Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Kamaya W. Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Annabelle    Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Annabelle    Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Phillip R. Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Phillip R. Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Natalie H. Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Natalie H. Practicing Pirates of the Carribean

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Allegro in C Major

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Uploaded by Kamaya Wilson on 2017-04-14.

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I want this project to help improve our ability of keeping a musical balance between each musician.This project is a great way to enhance our ability to playing , by giving us more advanced pieces. One of my struggles is keeping with a tempo, and playing the dynamics of a piece according to how it is written in the music. I hope that this project will help me be able to keep in time with the rest of the people I am playing with ,and help me have the proper way of playing the dynamics according to the piece.

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My goal for our quartet group is to improve our knowledge of musicality. During our performances, I hope to give the audience an emotional response that would match the  tone and rhythm of the song. I want this project to be a learning experience for us and to challenge us I believe that with the specific pieces that were chosen, we would be pushed to another level of potential that we have yet to reach as musicians.A challenge of mine that i struggle with is the balancing of the bow on the finger board, i hope that this project will allow me to improve and perfect this problem of mine.