Author: Hannah Park

Hannah Park is a sophomore economics major with a piano performance minor. Captured Moments is a series in which she shares the intersection between photography and music, where each photo evokes a fresh perspective on the importance of the arts.

Chapter 8

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Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, I am showing a day (April 9th) in my life.

9:30-10:30

I went to my aural theory class. Today, I learned about sentences and periods and how to identify the difference between the two in a piece. I listened to many examples, ranging from Beethoven to the movie “Frozen”, and identified if the song was a sentence or period. A sentence in musical terms has one cadence in the end and begins with a basic idea. This basic idea is then repeated and fragmented. On the other hand, a period has two cadence. The first cadence is weaker than the final cadence. The picture I provide is a catchy song I learned that is an example of a sentence!

12:30-1:30

I then went to my sight-reading class. Today, I sight read a movement from a Beethoven piece. This class is very helpful for pianists as it helps us sight read faster and accurately!

3-4

I went to central campus for my French class. I had a journal-like test in class today in which I wrote about my daily routine.

4

The last thing I did today was practice. Juries (final for piano performance major) are coming up, so I practice as much as I can.

That’s it for this week. See you next week!

Chapter 7

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Recently, I was scrolling through Instagram when I found that I was on Billie Eilish’s “close friends” story. I was immediately shocked as I opened the story to see a possible upcoming album?! I bring this up because I came across a news article with Billie Eilish and Nicki Minaj wanting the stop of AI in the music industry. A sentence that stood out to me was how AI will “devalue the rights of human artists”. Ultimately, AI replaces human creativity and musicality. Reflecting on this, I am concerned for the future of the music industry as I fear music produced will become robotic and formulaic.  

For Eilish’s music, it is very dark and contains elements of pop and electronic music. Listening to each of her songs, us listeners can experience the emotions she conveys. For example, her hit song “Happier Than Ever” is very popular because you can feel with her as she belts out the words towards the end. Her creativity will never be replaced, even with AI in the music industry, but the advancement and technological development of AI is a growing concern. I agree with Eilish and Minaj that AI should not be used in the music industry, as musicians’ creativity should not be replaced. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68717863

Chapter 6

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Hello, and welcome bace to Captured Moments! This week, I picked Thursday, 28th, as a day to show what I did.

9:30-10:30

I started the day with a test in Music Theory. The test had material had material on seven diminished chords, passing 6/4 chord, pedal 6/4 chord, and cadential 6/4. I found it challenging to differentiate between these chords because they all look and sometimes sound similar, but each chord has a purpose. For example, the seven diminished chord creates tension and acts as a leading tone. Once you hear it in a piece, you can identify them easily because there is a certain quality of sound that you can hear.

12:30-1:30

Next, I had my weekly lesson. I performed Chopin Ballad No.3, and I found some things that I had been practicing on show up seamlessly during my playing. There are still some things, dynamics and flow, that I need to work on, but the progress is going well!

3-4

Then, I have my French class on central. I am learning about superlatives and comparatives. Also, I can start to see some connections between learning French and in classical music. I can pronounce French music pieces that I was not able to before, and I also know some culture that I can incorporate into my playing to evoke certain emotions.

4:30

I had a wellness check up for my hand and hearing. I received very good advice on how to keep my hand in good posture, as well as some stretches to do before and after I practice. I received a hand brace to prevent my wrist from bending while I sleep. I also received earplugs to wear when I am working with large ensembles. The SMTD wellness program is very helpful for musicians like myself!

5

I practiced the rest of the day before I perform at my jury!

Chapter 5

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Hello, and welcome back to Captured Moments! This week, I found a very interesting and eye-opening article on the worsening conditions of the music industry. As a pianist, I am always looking for the newest updates on AI in the music industry. One specific part of this article caught my attention as it states, “there’s a new, horrifying AI tool called Sun.ai that lets anyone create a full-length song with AI generated lyrics in the style they want.” Personally, I think this is amazing in terms of how far technology has come. It can be fun for anyone to play with and experiment. Additionally, I enjoy playing and producing music, and AI can definitely be a helpful tool for me. On the other hand, I am scared of the lack of acceptance towards emerging artists. The article links this idea with Taylor Swift. If the next Taylor Swift enters the music industry, will the industry reject the singer due to AI’s advanced music making? If anyone can create music simply using AI and without inputting creativity, the music industry ends up pushing away talented artists. I am worried for the future of the music industry as AI continues to have a prevalent role. There are so many pros and cons to AI’s role in the music industry, which is why I enjoy talking about it. See you next week!

I have linked the article for further reading:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.themarysue.com/the-state-of-the-music-industry-is-so-grim-even-taylor-swift-probably-cant-save-it/&ved=2ahUKEwiu_e3bmouFAxWGjIkEHfX5BB8QxfQBKAB6BAgLEAE&usg=AOvVaw12aci1d9Y3us12vQmSz_qz

Chapter 4

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This week I decided to focus on my opportunity to attend the Orchestre de Paris and Yunchan Lim Concert. It was such a jaw dropping and beautiful concert. I have always wanted to hear Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 live, and I finally heard it. Yunchan Lim is the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. I saw him perform at the Colorado State University School of Music in August of 2022, and I was able to see him again this past Thursday. The Orchestre de Paris also performed The Firebird. The soft and sudden loud sounds were stunning. As a pianist, I can see the technique and musicality that Lim incorporated. This concert was one of the best concerts I have ever been to.

Chapter 3

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Hello! This week I took pictures of my day on Thursday, March 7th, as a piano performance major. 

9:30-10:30

I started the day with my Theory 140- Aural Skills Class. We focused on the Cadential 6/4- chords that usually appear at the end of the music that outlines the dominant scale degree. The dominant of a key is the fifth note, and the cadential 6/4 uses it to lead into the ending (cadence). Additionally, in this class, we sang chord progressions to highlight how each chord resolves. 

12:30-1:30

I then had my weekly lesson with Professor Harding. I continued to work on Chopin Ballade No. 3. This is one of my favorite pieces to play because there is so much intensity and beautiful moments. I also find it amazing how the lessons I learn in my theory classes start to apply to my pieces when I think about chords and notes. 

3:00-4:00

I headed  over to central campus for my French class. I had an exam today about travel preferences. 

4:30-6:30

I went back to the School Of Music to attend studio class, a weekly class featuring performances from other piano performance majors. This week, I was the first one to play. I performed Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in G Minor from Book 1. While I was a little nervous, I am glad with how I performed. 

6:30

I finish my day with practicing. Earlier today, I took a picture of the geese in the water while entering the School of Music. It was raining, but I found this moment so beautiful. When playing my pieces during my practice time, I thought about this image and incorporated the beauty of it to my playing.