the ups & downs

[@user-zr1sk5sh9u]

Thanks for sharing your week. Busy young lady! 🤗🎻

[@tavifagascon]

@@user-zr1sk5sh9u ⭐️ thank you for spending it with me!! 🎵✨

[@tigrissapphire915]

I’ve always wanted to play violin and I just started as an adult. I’m learning how to read music and learning scales. You were part of what inspired me to start learning.

[@tavifagascon]

@@tigrissapphire915 Hi Dunia! This makes me so happy! Violin is absolutely beautiful and you don’t have to be a professional to be able to play it pretty well and also enjoy it ♥️. I’m wishing you a wonderful journey continuing learning how to play! 🎻🫶🏼

[@sakuthelittlecherry1174]

Hii Tavifa ! Little violist here ;) I absolutly loved your vlog, very genuine and fun ♥ You're so cute, as your little kitty cat is. Loved the stationnary part lol, the cat tapeholder is adorable ! Thank you so much for this vlog !!

[@tavifagascon]

@@sakuthelittlecherry1174 thank you for watching it 🥹♥️. That cat tape holder made me think of my cat hehe, I love little cute things so so much!!!

[@tavifagascon]

@@sakuthelittlecherry1174 very happy to meet a fellow violinist 🎻✨

[@sakuthelittlecherry1174]

@@tavifagascon Not a violinist, I play the viola 😊Nice to meet you as well ! 🎻✨

[@sakuthelittlecherry1174]

@@tavifagascon Cute stationary, keychains or accessories are the best thing !!

[@tavifagascon]

@@sakuthelittlecherry1174 ahhhh I am so sorry!!!! I totally misread that, went on an auto pilot! We need violas and it is so awesome that you get to play it 🥹♥️🫶🏼

[@paganina2330]

Awwww, a new video. I was so happy that I made a huge cup of my favorite tea and settled down for it. Nice mixture. I loved every bit of it. I‘m sorry that you didn‘t win the job. That’s really crazy that you study for a long time, graduate and then the real struggle of finding a position in an orchestra just begins. I’m not jealous of this procedure. And in the end you might get a place but on probe? This would drive me nuts. In these situations I‘m happy that I decided that music is my hobby and I go for medicine as a profession. The other way around wouldn’t be as good for the patients anyway. I wish you all the best for your next audition and that you find your spot to be a happy musician. Or maybe you’re happy as a teacher as a main job. You seem to love teaching and the students like you. Regardless what you decide, I wish you that you reach your aims. By the way I’d be interested of more details of such an audition process. What did you have to play? I saw the excerpts. Did you have to play several ones? By memory? Which concerto did you choose etc.? All the best to you, Romy PS: I love your rice dish as well. I put furikake on everything. It also tastes good on a toast with avocado and egg.

[@tavifagascon]

@@paganina2330 ahhhh I do the same with my favorite people on KZbin! When I see that they posted I get all cozy with a cup of coffee to enjoy it extra hehe. Winning an orchestra job is a journey that each musician has very differently from one another. No journey is similar. I have two friends that got orchestra jobs during their last year of school, one for the Philadelphia Orchestra and one for the Cleveland Orchestra, they were literally the youngest members of the orchestras when they got the job. I have some other friends that won orchestra job positions after their twentieth audition. I had probably more than twenty at this point... I just wanted to say that we never know how it might go, you win an audition not because you’re the best violinist, but because you’re the best out of the people that showed up. Well, sometimes, they do a no hire for that audition, but it happens very rarely. Uhhhh, but I totally agree that the process can be so long and so disheartening sometimes. But I’ll keep going for now, it is something that I find challenging and it certainly keeps me in shape while I keep getting better at my technique and violin playing. You’re right about teaching though. I absolutely love it!!! So so much!! It also brings me a nice and stable income which I so appreciate and am grateful for. If I don’t win an orchestra audition during the next few years, I’ll be pretty comfortable financially with teaching only which I’m totally happy with. Each audition is different but there are some similarities to them all. There are about 40 excerpts that I play on rotation, to keep them in shape. When an orchestra audition appears, it most likely asks for Mozart and Romantic Concerto Exposition only. For the top orchestras they ask for the whole first movement and the cadenza. There are also excerpts, about 12-24 excerpts. Some orchestras started including new music which turns out to be excerpts that I haven’t played before, but that’s totally ok and appropriate - I just have to learn it. Some orchestras even ask for chamber music excerpts, but you only play those selections when you got to round two or three, that is when you play it with the orchestra members. You can perform the solo selections by memory or with music. There is no preference since the first round is behind a curtain anyway. I noticed that if performed by memory things tent to be better or more free, so I do perform it memorized. The orchestra excerpts must be with music. You can know it by heart, but it is appropriate to still have the music in front of you - we have to play for the committee the way we would’ve played in a concert settings. In concert, we won’t play the orchestra pieces by memory. When you first arrive at the audition, they give you a paper for the first round, you got 30 min - one hour to warm up, then you play the selections they gave you. It is usually way less than the whole list, like one of the solos and three excerpts, that’s it. Then the second round is the same. You show up, get the paper with what they want to hear, then play. Auditions are like interviews. You can be amazing at your job, but be terrible at being interviewed. But the interview is the thing that will get you the job. I know I will thrive in an orchestra and that my future colleagues will absolutely love working with and next to me, I just have to get better at the interview part of it 🥲.

[@tavifagascon]

@@paganina2330 yesss it is called furikake!!!! That’s the word. So so good!

[@tavifagascon]

I just realized my first reply never went through. Ahhhh. Will type it again. I am moved that you got yourself a cozy drink because I always do that with my favorite KZbinrs. 🥹 I get myself super comfortable to really appreciate what they created that week. When it comes to orchestra auditions, all musicians have their own journey. Some people get jobs right away, and some people have to work for a lot longer. I have two friends that got jobs during their last years of school. One got a job for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the other one for the Cleveland Orchestra. Those are like the best orchestras in the US. I have other friends that really had to take their time and got their first orchestra job after 20 auditions. I look at it the way people look at interviews. You can be qualified for the job and do it very well but if you’re not good at being interviewed, you’re not getting the job. I know I will be an amazing orchestra player and that my future colleagues will love me. I just have to stick to this process for a little longer to get better at being interviewed. I also simply want a life in music. This includes teaching, performing, and having time to do any other things that bring me joy like taking photo sessions and creating a KZbin community. The orchestra journey is there because now I have the energy, time, and desire to still go for it. But I won’t put my everything else on hold just for it. Ahhhh I hope this makes sense. You are also so right about me being happy with teaching ! I love it so much and it genuinely brings me joy! It also gives me a stable income that I’m very grateful for. So if orchestra career is not gonna work out, I have a safe cushion to lean on. But for now I’m in a place in life where I can still audition and see how it goes. When auditioning they ask for two solos and excepts. The two solos are usually one Mozart Concerto, and one romantic Concerto. For both, only the first movement exposition. For bigger orchestras you have to play the whole first movement and a credenza. There are about 40 experts that I keep in shape because those are the most asked excepts in auditions. They will usually ask for about 14 to 25 excepts. On the first round, which is blind, behind the screen, you have to play one solo and two - four excerpts. Round two stays the same, also usually blind. For the third round, you might even get to play some chamber music, but it depends if the Orchestra wants it. Some orchestras even make you play your solo with an accompanist at the last round. All orchestras have their own systems though. It is constantly different. Nothing is required to be played by memory. But I noticed that for the Concerto it is much easier to play by memory because you can play much much better. With the excerpts is appropriate to use music just because that is how that music will be performed. Some people perform excerpts by memory anyway, but they flip through the pages when auditioning. I hope this answers all your questions. I’m so glad that you have such a wonderful and loving job and that it gives you the freedom to still enjoy your music journey 🥹🌤️

[@paganina2330]

@@tavifagascon Oh wow, what a long response. Thank you very much that you took the time. I really appreciate it. But I’m sorry that your first reply didn’t go through. That’s a lot of extra work. I feel a little bad that I asked so many questions. It’s very interesting for me to read about the audition process. That sounds extremely difficult and nervewracking. I must admit this would be difficult for me to win such a competition. Nothing else it is. You need to be top fit at every stage. One little mistake and you’re gone. That’s a lot of pressure. No wonder that many musicians are burnt out. I’m really amazed how you do it and I’m sure some day you find your orchestra. I’m pressing my thumbs for you. With the teaching in the background you have the time and that’s good. It reduces the stress of job hunting. I’m looking forward to following your audition process and one day a vlog is named: getting my dream job. I’m also happy with my decision. I‘ve become a medical doctor (internal medicine, gastroenterology, ICU/ER and emergency medicine - it’s a little different in Germany than the States) and love my job immensely. It’s been a dream and I still can’t believe that I was able to study medicine. Besides that I always played in orchestras and for weddings, birthdays and so on. I used it as income while studying. Usually I needed to play a lot of stuff I didn’t like (lots of accordion which I’m also playing in the genre Volksmusik - I don‘t know the word in English but it’s this country music type which is Germany famous for). For this I earned a lot more than classical music, but I‘m a nerd for classical stuff and not this Volksmusik. Therefore I sweared I‘d only play what I love once I‘ve finished my medical studies and paid off my debt. And since that I really didn’t touch an instrument for this type of music. The last years I just played for my personal fun in chamber groups, solistical stuff and orchestras I like. I was just admitted to the World Doctors Orchestra which is a pretty good orchestra for non professionals but most of the members are professionals because they also studied music. Unfortunately I‘m sick at the moment and I can’t take part because I’m not able to travel. But one day… In summary I must say I‘m that I can enjoy both: medicine and music - two big loves in my life. Thanks again for your nice answer. I enjoyed writing with you eventhough my English is rusty. Musically greetings from Romy.

[@lauren_hetfield]

Hi, I loved this video!! What is the name of the duo?

[@tavifagascon]

@@lauren_hetfield thank you so much! 📚🎶 The book is called FIRST DUET ALBUM FOR TWO VIOLINS compiled, arranged, and edited by Harvey S. Whistler and Herman A. Hummel. It is one of my favorite collection of duets for beginners 🥹. There are so many options in so many different keys! Totally recommend it.