Our HS Ensemble put together this performance of Vivaldi's 'Spring' for which students recorded their individual parts, and HS Music teacher Kate Meininger arranged them. 

The Bolt spoke with some of our musicians and with Ms. Meininger about the process. 

"When I heard about this activity, I was thrilled that we could all be one and make harmony even if we are apart. I felt a strong community and realized that we are all on the same boat."  - Shaina (G11)

“The recording process was time-taking but in a good way, because you can hear how you play from the audience's perspective and find mistakes from the last recording that you can fix on the next. It's nice to have an opportunity to play with everyone in the ensemble, although we can't physically be with each other.” - Ema (G10)

“Recording video was a good opportunity for me to practice stage presence. I recorded many times to get the best one, it was tiring. However, when I saw the final version of the video, I felt proud and connected even though we are physically not. I also think it is a very good idea to share our music through the video when everybody is tired of staying at home.  - Yu Hyeon (G9)

“One of the biggest challenges right now is missing out on the joy of playing music with others. Unlike other classes, synchronous learning in chamber ensemble or choir is very difficult, so we have to rely on self-learning and practicing on our own. Fortunately, our ensemble had the opportunity to produce a "virtual performance" of Vivaldi's Spring through individual practice and recording. The recording process seemed simple at first, but soon I realized that a virtual performance requires stricter accuracy in tuning, rhythm, pitch, and articulation than a live performance. I especially had to revise my tempo after the first recording. Also, I became more aware of my stage presence, as I could directly see the way I was performing. So, I think I unexpectedly took away some important things as a musician through this experience. I hope our virtual performance brought some refreshment to your tedious days in quarantine because it did to mine!” - Gracie (G12)

“It felt a little weird recording myself playing a part of the song, and I was worried it might not sound nice, but when Ms. Meininger put it all together in a video, it sounded surprisingly well blended. It's really cool to see all of the instruments playing on one screen.” - Sooyeon (G11)

"Recording the song over and over again was very tedious, and even frustrating, but it was all worth it when I saw the video of all the recordings put together"  - Vicky (G11)

“I feel really fortunate to be a part of something that is so accomplished and positive. Though I struggled to do this for the first time I learned a lot through the process and appreciated the hard work everyone put in, especially our skilled and dedicated teacher Ms. Meininger.” - Grace (G10)

“The process of recording required a lot of persistence and attention to details like intonation, rhythm, and tempo. Thus, it was honestly challenging to find the motivation to practice and put in the work during this unprecedented and uncertain period of time. Nevertheless, I think the combined result of the recording reflected the perseverance, positivity, and purpose of the Concordia Community.” - Davin (G11)

“It’s not easy lining up audio and video for individual tracks and making them sound as one!”  Ms. Meininger explained. “I made tracks of me playing each of their parts on the piano (with a metronome) to help them stay aligned while they recorded. I asked each student to send me two files - an MP3 and a video. I didn't use the sound from their videos, but they still played along with the track so it would match up visually - there was also a lot of back and forth and revisions with many of their recordings. 

“I mixed and edited the audio tracks in Garageband. Then I took one video at a time, put it in iMovie, and edited it to line up visually with the audio track, exported each one, to my phone, imported each into a Pic Stitch video collage, and finally, imported that video into iMovie.”

Watch and enjoy!