Music and More: Sara Penny Blog

  "Fun is the Fuel" by Sara Penny, CCAC Vice President (column for Iron County Today) "Fun is the fuel", wrote Steve Magness when describing the Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland. This is true in the arts as well. If you love the music you are playing the audience feels that and enjoys it a lot more. If you are having fun in any performance, that emotion transmits to everyone on stage and in the audience in an authentic way. Deeply felt emotions transmit. Art that connects is memorable. "No matter what happens just smile and enjoy it. Just live in the moment," said Haaland. I remember when Xun Sun was directing the Orchestra of Southern Utah and when we were struggling with intonation or rhythm he would just smile bigger as an encouragement to get us on track. I like the advice to students that when they make a mistake they smile and then I know they realize the error and we don't have to stop for a correction. As Magness writes, "Our image o...

  Arts Impact the Body by Sara Penny, CCAC Vice President The physical benefits of music and dancing are significant. Playing the violin for one hour is equivalent to walking two miles. Dancing has even more of a physical impact, with one hour of dancing being equivalent to three or four miles of moderate walking. Obviously, the intensity of the music impacts the physical effort. String teachers talk about balancing the violin to avoid neck and shoulder strain.  The violin becomes an extension of the body and voice.  Even the most accomplished soprano has an upper limit, but the violin rests on the vocal cords and can create pitches much higher than the human voice. The cello rests near the heart and can extend the lower range.  There are also emotional demands.  When James Harrison conducted the Orchestra of Southern Utah, he said, "If you are not exhausted after a Beethoven symphony, you haven't given enough." There is research on the brain's engagement with m...

  Audition Opportunities and Strategies (column for Iron County Today) By Sara Penny, CCAC Vice President  Auditions are tricky events. Sometimes everything clicks and you remember all the lines or music notes. Other times your nerves interfere and accuracy is compromised.  The Orchestra of Southern Utah holds auditions in July for new members and returning strings. The audition excerpts are on the website,  myosu.org , under the Musician tab. We try to create a musical family and welcome back those who have had to take a break.  There is also an opportunity to solo with the orchestra for ages 13 to 25. Video auditions are due in September, so the summer is a good time to polish a concerto or aria. Same website for application and more information.  The concerto concert honors R. L. Halversen. He taught many of us in Cedar City. He was instrumental in building the community strings as well as helping start Cedar City Music Arts.  I started lessons in e...

  Dance  Enhances Cedar City by Sara Penny, CCAC Vice President Dancing  traditions in Cedar have evolved to eight community studios plus school and university programs. The Paiutes celebrate spring with the Bear  Dance , that has deep historical roots.  The annual Pow Wow celebrates the restoration of tribal status. The amazing colors of the regalia and the sounds of the drum circles are powerful.    Pioneers danced with fiddlers and later local bands. As children, we learned square  dancing  in school, but I don’t know if that is still happening. The Rubik’s Cube Youth Square  Dancers  participate in local parades and community events.  Today’s  dancers  use recorded music, although occasionally a live pianist or other musicians are incorporated. Why does this community have so many  dance  options? Several influential teachers created an atmosphere of collaboration and taught a variety of styles. Whe...

  Summer Art Projects by Sara Penny, CCAC Vice President Summer is a great time to deal with the reality of the stages of life:  Acquisition, Maintenance  and  Dispersal .  On the  Acquisition front, we hope you are creating art. Whatever your medium, we like to encourage your art. Research consistently shows that making music, dancing, painting, and going to museums can enhance your brain and contribute to your longevity. Museums are neutral places for observation and contemplation which can help relieve anxiety and offer fresh insights. There are new exhibits at the Southern Utah Museum of Art, the city offices, and the library. Local galleries have continual changes in their displays as well. Encourage the students in your life to create their entries for our Art and Photography Contest in conjunction with the Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival. This year,  twelve selected pieces will be exhibited at the Cedar City Library, and cash prizes will a...

  Theater Skills Pay Off in Life By Sara Penny, CCAC Vice President (column for Iron County Today) Projection and articulation are valuable skills that I learned by being in Cedar High School plays. When you are in a play you have to memorize lines and be confident on stage. We certainly had to learn to be flexible and adapt quickly because “stuff happens” in a play. Sometimes there is more drama in the drama than the audience can see. One of the most interesting experiences of being in a play is trying to get inside a character’s head to portray their story. This teaches empathy. We could use more empathy in the world, as we try to understand each other. It takes a certain amount of confidence to get onstage in front of an audience and this pays off for business meetings and parenting later in life. As a high school teacher in Texas I quickly realized that waffling on decisions did not work well with teenagers. Nuance is nice, but a direct authoritative answer gets attention and a...