Category: Reflections
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My Last Concert and My New Piece
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For my last concert I played a duet with my brother called Concertante. It was a pretty fast piece with a lot of staccato but we had practiced a lot so it didn’t really faze us. We did face a bit of trouble, because it turns out everyone had gone to the wrong side of…
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My Heart is Full of Gratitude
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Jacob Xu reflects on his time at Mclean Melody and his recent promotion to Vice President.
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Resonating Joy: Christmas Festival with The Mclean Symphony
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Watching the symphony play A Christmas Festival was so much fun! When the music started, it felt like Christmas was all around me. The instruments sounded so beautiful, like they were telling a story of the holidays. My favorite part was we got to sing along. Everyone in the audience sang Christmas songs together, and…
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Magical Symphony Journey
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Wow, playing the piano with a symphony was so amazing! I was sitting at the shiny piano, with all the musicians around me, ready to play beautiful music together. I am part of a team when I performing with a symphony. Everyone has to listen to each other and work together to make the music…
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My Musical Journey: Reflecting on the Piano Fall Festival 2024
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Participating in the piano festival was an exciting experience for me. I was nervous at first, but once I started playing, I felt proud of all the practice I had done. Performing in front of others taught me how to stay focused and confident, even when I was a little scared. It was also fun…
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Behind the Scenes at McLean Melody
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From the start, we the performers and members at McLean Melody have strived to bring the most seamless and put-together events that we can to our audiences, wherever they may be. This is not to say, however, that we have not had our fair share of difficulties behind the scenes. Our team is quite tight-knit…
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Posters for MM!
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One of my favorite roles at McLean Melody is designing our monthly posters! I love creating these pieces, painting and drawing to capture the spirit of each month. It’s something I look forward to, and I draw inspiration from the seasons and holidays of each month. Here are my posters for August, September, and October!…
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Music Pal: My Music Companion
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Mclean Melody provides a learning-pal program where members of our organization help aspiring young musicians learn musical instruments. PAL might stand for “Practice, Achieve, Learn”, it could also suggest the idea of mentorship, where advanced students serve as learning pals for young musicians. I enrolled this program starting in this summer and I learned from…
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My First Mclean Melody Concert
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I joined Mclean Melody near the beginning of the summer, and have finally had the great pleasure of performing in a concert at Sunrise! My experience rehearsing and performing has been a blast and I have learned a lot about ensemble playing. I am grateful for the opportunity to meet talented musicians and give back…
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My Mclean Melody Experience
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This past summer, I joined Mclean Melody as a rising freshman. It’s only been a few months, but my experience here has been nothing short of transformative. I’ve made numerous new friends through our fun rehearsals and events. I’m really looking forward to our upcoming concerts as the holidays roll in. More importantly, however, Mclean…
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The Gift of Music – a descriptive essay
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The senior center. Polished floorboards glimmering from the warm, summer sunlight that came through large glass windows. A light scent of soup drifted around the room like a nostalgic hint of home. The air was filled with anticipation, a mood that hung across a backdrop of murmurs and the occasional clink of porcelain. As the…
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The joy of playing duets
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I have a deep passion for playing the piano, particularly when it comes to performing duets. Eileen and I played Lakeside’s Dream by Melody Bobber last Saturday and it is one of my favorite duets to play. The piece’s flowing, lyrical melodies and serene harmonies really resonated with me. I found great joy in the…