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Mike's Music
Page
If I thought I could've made a career out of it, I would
have majored
in music at college. There is no hobby that I have enjoyed more
throughout
my entire life than that of music. I thoroughly enjoy
listening
to rock, pop, jazz, classical, and new age music. Molded from a
very
early age, music has a become a very enjoyable part of my life.
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Elementary School
My interest in music began in the first grade, thanks to a man named
Brady
Bridges. He was the music instructor at Auberry
Elementary School. From the first to the fourth grades, he taught
music to my class once a week. He taught us basics, like clefs,
the
staff, pitches, scales, and notes. We would sing simple songs as
he played the melody on the guitar. I always enjoyed the
opportunity
to go. In the fifth and sixth grades we were given options of
playing
an instrument, singing in a choir, or no music at all. I chose to
learn to play the saxophone. I brought the sax home a couple of
days
a week, which was no easy task, because I had to carry it over a
quarter
of a mile. I remember how heavy it was for a child of my size,
but
I enjoyed playing it so much, that I didn’t mind. I always paid
attention
to Mr. Bridges and applied his knowledge. By the eighth grade, I
was playing well enough, that Mr. Bridges asked me to play solos at
some
woman’s luncheon at school and at my graduation. I still remember
playing “My Cherié Amour” accompanied by Mrs. Bridges on the
piano.
High School
At Sierra High School,
I found the music
program in shambles due to recent budget cuts. However, the
school
hired Mr. Weinberger after the other music instructor left. He
worked
miracles with the entire music program all by himself. He helped
expand in things Mr. Bridges taught me and a variety of new things too,
such as aperture, embouchure, support, rhythm, intonation,
articulation,
instrumental blending, key and time signatures, scales, and other music
theory, dealing with chordal progression, intervals, harmonics, and
jazz
improvisation. I played in the marching , concert, and jazz
bands.
The marching band became known for its comical field shows, utilizing
kazoos
and water-filled bottles. In three short years, he created one of
the best concert bands in the central valley from what had been an
embarrassment.
The school never sponsored even a penny for the jazz band, so it never
was able to progress adequately. I was able to play in the
all-county
honor bands during my Junior and Senior years, and earned the John
Philip Sousa Award in my Senior year as well.
College
At Fresno State, I played for
my
freshman year in the marching
and jazz bands. Marching band was very energetic and
exciting.
We played at all of the home games, at the Rose Bowl for a UCLA vs. FSU
football game, and at a game for the L.A. Rams. It was very
physically
demanding and I lost fifteen pounds in my first semester of college as
a result.
Favorites
Favorite Classical Composers:
Favorite Rock/Pop Artists:
Favorite New Age Artists:
Favorite Jazz Artists:
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Music Links
I will always love listening to music. As an
indicator, I have
all of my music bookmarks below. This gives a taste of what the
internet
can do for music. There are literally thousands of radio stations
and internet broadcasts, like Shoutcast.
There is such a vast
amount of music that can be heard on the internet, that we decided to
take
advantage of it by purchasing a wireless
transmitter from X10
that pipes the music straight to our stereo system.
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Last
Updated
-- 11 April 2007
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