Every
year since our premiere 2006 season, the Yamaha Corporation
of America has generously granted NYSMF the use of a set of
the Yamaha Silent Electric Strings.
Thanks
to Ken Dattmore (Manager, Orchestral Strings; Band & Orchestra
Division, Yamaha Corp of America), this summer's SV String
program is bigger and better than ever!
NYSMF
students will have the opportunity to use TEN individual instruments
this summer of 2008. FOUR violins; TWO violas; TWO cellos,
and TWO basses will all be flown specially to Oneonta for the
exclusive use of the Festival and its participants!
In
2006, all NYSMF students were given the opportunity to use
the SV Strings,
whether they were just beginners trying out something new,
or experienced string players looking for a new challenge.
The
results were phenomenal, leading to Yamaha's ongoing grant
to NYSMF. Several of Yamaha's top executives actually travelled
all the way to Oneonta (one all the way from Hamamatsu, Japan!)
to watch the NYSMF SV String Ensemble perform live.
This
summer, students will once again be given the chance to play
the most technologically advanced stringed instruments
ever built. Here are some of the ways they may make use of
Yamaha's generosity:
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Silent
String Composition
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NYSMF
Violin Teaching Assistant, Mr. Sean Neukom, took the opportunity
to compose TWO original pieces for this set of five unusual
instruments. Both were premiered at NYSMF, prompting interest
from Yamaha in publishing and promoting these dedicated compositions.
[VIDEO].
Mr.
Neukom's first piece was performed by a group of extremely
talented counselors; the second by an equally talented group
of NYSMF students (average age: 15!). Not one of these musicians
had ever played an SV string before, expanding their range
and repertoire in ways they had never even considered.
[VIDEO]
Without
question, the SV bass received the most attention, appearing
in several NYSMF Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Combos. However, the
violin and viola also both made their jazz premieres in the hands
of students as young as 14 years of age!
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Silent
Strings in the Practice Rooms
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Many
students simply signed out the strings for an hour or two, and
brought them into a practice room or an ensemble rehearsal just to
try them out.
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Silent
Strings as Plot Devices
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Our
Original Musical Theatre Workshop used all five of the strings
as key props in an original musical, written and performed by
the members of the workshop. The title? "The Strings of Power",
a foray into the fun and the ridiculous. In
addition, the Silent Violin appeared in one or two original short
films produced by our Filmmaking Class, proving that the days
of Stradivari and Guarneri wooden instruments in starring roles
are coming to an end!
What
would YOU, as a NYSMF student, do with the Yamaha SV Silent Electric
Strings? Whatever you want to do. The SV strings are at NYSMF for
YOU to learn about the new possibilities of instrumental music, to
explore their features and limits. Or just for the plain "coolness"
factor. Whatever
you decide, you can be sure that the NYSMF faculty will be with you
to assist, and to bring your own vision of the SV Strings to
life.
We
look forward to working with the Yamaha Corporation for many,
many summers to come. |
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