Ta Da!

Ladies and Gentleman: I would like to present excerpts from a performance of the Novgorod Children's Music School for Russian Folklore.  Children of all ages may study Russian folk music and dance in this wonderful place.  The performers you see are the instructors, now folklorists and musicologists, who are also alumni from the school! Let the folklore begin!

Easter traditions are everywhere here in Novgorod.  The highlight of the Easter day is difficult to pinpoint, because I had the great pleasure of ringing the bells in the belfrey of the Cathedral of St. Sophia, at the top of the Kremlin, overlooking the river.  Whoa, the resonation and vibes that moved through my body as we played.  Tatiana Berford's son Yasha (James) is a bell ringer there and rang along with 2 other professional bell ringers  immediately following the Easter service at this thousand year old Russian Orthodox church. The priests and monks were dressed in red and gold, in contrast to the black and silver they wore earlier this week. After the service, we women released ourselves from underneath our heavy scarves and everyone moved out of the church in a procession behind the robed clergy, hollering  "Christ is Risen" with big smiles.  Amidst tourists and devout alike, the ringers played beautiful music significant because of the church chant tunes, Russian folk songs like The Little Birch Tree" and even the Ukranian Christmas Carol Americans know as "Carol of the Bells" on the bells up in the belfrey and down below on the ground.

But hearing and participating in the ringing was not the only magical event. People that I knew greeted each other with the phrase
"Christ is Risen!"

Христос воскрес!

 followed by the reply, "Indeed, Christ is
Risen!" and then kissed three times on the cheek.  Gift exchange followed. One of my colleagues from the university surprised me when I recognized her up at the top of the tower, and then she descended with my greeting and gift.  Fortunately, Tatiana had already prepared me for such an event, but unfortunately, I didn't have my usual 50 times practicing the phrase I was supposed to call back, so my response was Indeed, a little glitchy!  So now, 2 days later, I'm able to respond, and the great thing is that the greeting contiues all week, as do the little gifts.  I'm still getting them...today, I got a little 1 inch porcelin chicken.

Music students at the university demonstrated their conducting skills during choir practice yesterday. They all have a final exam next week, so the choral director gave them some tips and then I went shopping for Dennis' hat.  If you know Dennis, you know that shopping for his hat is no small thing.  The one I found is made of birchwood, and the souvenirs in Novgorod made of birchwood are representative of a village nearby where the villagers prevented complete annihilation from the Monguls many years ago by giving the raiders all the precious goods(metals, jewels, etc).  This left nothing to rebuild homes and lives with, except the plentiful birch and apspen forest all around.  The houses in the historical village looks to my American eyes something like the house that Red Riding Hood's grandmother lived in the 2011 film "Red Riding Hood", with the downstairs available for cattle and the living space of the home upstairs with a loft for sleeping children.

Children from other areas of Russia arrived yesterday to compete in a musical festival honoring Rachmaninoff.  The festival was kicked off with a ceremony near the Rachmaninoff statue, complete with mayor and introduction of judges.  The judges wished all the children and youth competitors good luck and told them to play from their hearts, express themselves and play their music with love.  Those sentiments are the same ones I have from music educators when observing lessons in schools and at the university.

If you have ever been in the situation where someone says a really interesting word that just sounds totally cool and subsequently you found out it means something relevant in your own life, then you know exactly the depth of my joy when I learned the new word for today....Garmoska.  Pronounce it like gar-moosh-kah! (Accent the middle syllable). It is one of the two oft-used terms for an accordion in these parts.  The other is "bayan"  due to it's connection with Russian bards from the 11th century.  I should already have known both of those terms, being a quote/unquote world music professor, but until you hear something in context, you just miss so much!

Russian Swing Kids

Novgorod School for Children Music 

named for Sergei Rachmaninoff

Ages 12-14

Click Here to Enjoy a glimpse!

Happy Easter

I live up on the fourth floor of a six story building, so here are shots going up the stairs to my very hip flat.  The stairs are good solid concrete and the travel up and down those stairs a couple of times a day is reminding my knees about arthritis.  The good news is that Ibuprophen at the pharmacy only costs 50 cents for a 20 pack if you buy the Russian brand.  It works just fine.  Up in #11, I have some storage furniture that is somewhat similar to what I see in classrooms and offices at the university and offices at schools and performing arts centers all over the city.  There are some subtle varying grades of fanciness if one inspects the details and sizes of the cabinets, which are sort of like what we used call "wardrobes" meaning freestanding closets with drawers and shelves.  

I don't really receive any mail, but I do send a little, and learned how to get some attention, should I feel the need.  All I have to do is walk into the post office. I will have all the attention a person could ever want or need.  On Wednesday, Mikhail and I walked in to buy some stamps and the people in line not only stopped their business as though we were in a Jim Carey movie, but they ushered me ahead of their line, and there were even a couple of smiles at me.Today is Easter eve, and that is important

since some of my Russian colleagues have told me that this holiday is special similarly to Christmas for us Americans.  This means that I received gifts yesterday and today, but there are no school or work holidays associated with Easter.  Nonetheless, I noticed many people smiling starting about 3:00 p.m. yesterday as they anticipated the holiday weekend, which includes going to church to have your Easter eggs and little Easter cake blessed (two of my gifts) and invitations to festivals.  

There are no houses in the city of
Novgorod that serve as homes for residents, all the homes are apartments.  The city centre is easy to navigate because all roads lead to the Kremlin, which is the fortress that includes monuments, a school dedicated to Sergei Rachmaninoff,(and two other Russian composers) and the most familiar sight, which is the St. Sophia Cathedral.  The bells at the Cathedral will begin ringing in Easter just in a few hours and the honor of ringing those bells goes to specific individuals here in Novgorod.  One of them is the son of my colleague and guide, Tatiana Berford, who will be visiting us at Appalachian State University for two weeks this coming academic year. Tatiana's father is the director of the Rachmaninoff museum in the Kremlin and this entire family of musicians has been a part of the Novgorod musical community for generations. 


Generations of Novgorod's children and youth have had opportunities beyond my wildest dreams to become accomplished musicians across a wide range of genres and via music schools for all ages and varied instruments and ability levels.  The concert hall at the Children Music School named for Rachmaninoff is located in a former Soviet building, said to have been "built to last for centuries." The school's director, Olga Uvarova moves quickly from task to task, because there are 500 students ages 2-14 studying music at the school.  For a treat, here's a little excerpt from jazz sax practice that took place in the hall earlier this week.  I am happy to post children in this case, because they want exposure!

Russian Discussion: Music Education

Wunderkinds or What?

So, it appears that if children spend 8 hours per week after school in music school, they can be really great musicians at a very early ages.  No pictures on this post, just thoughts.  I will post some pics of my flat as soon as possible, since I have been getting requests to do so.  I spent a total of 19 hours yesterday and today visiting a myriad of music classes for children of all ages.  Oh yeah, and then there was that chess for 5 year olds recreational group, and I didn't quite get the details of their curriculum. Like all 5 year olds, they giggled and sillied right up when I gave them each a balloon with a mountain man on it.  (Thanks for the balloon donation, Appalachian Bookstore -- it was a sweet moment in the midst of a long stretch of observations and discussions with Russians).  I have several short videos of music students of all ages, some of them remarkable because of the young ages of the children singing or playing and the folk, classical or contemporary styles they represent.  I can post a few of the university students, but you'll have to see me in person to get a gander at the children's music.  (Shameless ad for attending a presentation coming soon to a classroom near you!) I stopped logging the repertoire around mid-afternoon today, because...well, here's a summary of what I had witnessed so far in classes and rehearsals at that point: 

Russian folk-influenced composed music of various composers, arias of varietal composers mostly German, Henry Purcell sung by Kathleen Battle (recording), Mozart"s Crucifixus from the C minor mass by Munich orchestra (recording), Chopin prelude, Russian Orthodox church music at the Cathedral of St. Sophia, selections from Bach's Well Tempered Clavier, Schoenberg  composition that went by so fast I didn't catch title, Brahms Rhapsody in Gm played by university student,  Tchaikovsky played by 10 year old pianist, Puccini sung by junior boys choir, Jazz ensemble of 12 playing swing music and really swinging, Beethoven Sonata #17, Alexander Skryabin played by Vladimir Sofranitsky (recording) various excerpts of many of the above played by the Polypony and Analysis instructor, dobra, balalaika, accordion, piano and vocal music featured at the Socchi Olympics played by children 5-15 and the musicians of the opening/closing ceremonies...yep, they were the instructors at the Folk School (which is a fed/state-funded music school featuring traditional instruments, genres and "hobbies" like robot technology, construction, carpentry, handicrafts, leadership (scouting).  

I have worn out 3 interpreters so far, and eaten borscht at last, after years of wondering all about it. The recipe linked to the word in the previous sentence looks about like what I ate, and tasted like the recipe looks to me.  Every day, I eat lunch in a cafe with an assigned lunch companion.  The lunch and conversation companions are provided by my hosts.  The cafe is in the Institute for Pedagogical Education, my headquarters while I am Novgorod State University (NovSU).  At every meal, there is a small meat/fish and veg salad, thin soup, black bread and a hot dish, usually meat or fish cut in small pieces with rice, or a small piece of thin meat underneath an egg with rice, polished off with a cup of tea and a little pastry.   I am halted frequently throughout the day to drink tea or coffee with small cookies. I have not been offered one iota of vodka.  Stereotypes, get thee behind me.  Enough about talking and eating.

What I Think I Have Learned Thus Far

Children in Novgorod (and I think in other Russian cities) go to school for the 3 Rs, then choose the afternoon/evening school like the folk school described above, or sports or theatre or circus or other arts.  These afternoon/evening schools may be attended 4-5 days per week, in addition to Saturday activities.  Focusing on the music and folk schools, there are levels of intensity, and tracks--one leading directly to becoming a music educator and another possibly leading to becoming a performing musician or scholar/composer.  The 3 R schools include general music up to around 8th grade, based on a system developed by Dmitri Kabelvesky, similar to U.S. elementary general music classes. Schools may include choirs as well, but instruments must be taken up at the afternoon/evening music schools and at the high school level are called "colleges."  There are also arts magnet high schools (I'm using some American terms for ease of dense amounts of info here).  Since the afternoon/evening schools are public, they come with all the trappings of our era of assessment and accountability (perhaps not a new one around here), so there are exams, competitions, contests and documentation of curriculum.  Curriculum is prescribed, but the instructors and directors I met have a great deal of freedom about selection of repertoire.

University music education students study a completely different curriculum than conservatory music students.  Here at NovSU, all students sing in the choir, take voice, guitar and piano lessons, conducting, music history and various types of theoretical analysis starting in the 3rd year.  There is also a number of "General Education" courses (English or German, Science, Math, etc.).  The degree takes 5 years and qualifies the graduate to teach at the 3 R schools, arts magnet schools and afternoon/evening music schools.  To teach at the music colleges requires graduate level study.  So far, the lectures and lessons have included tea/coffee breaks or have begun or ended with tea/coffee - prof and students together in the prof's office or the cafe in the building.

The children and youth I observed beamed as they sang and played, though the university students didn't exactly beam constantly.  They have, however, expressed appreciation for the wisdom of their instructors and directors.  Shut the front door!  These music educators are serious musicians and teachers, most definitely inspiring and excellent role models for anyone thinking about becoming a music educator.  They are relentless with feedback, including both praise and not so praise.  Warm-ups and preparation exercises are both familiar and what the heck is going on here unfamiliar.  For example, vocal warm-ups I have seen in 2 contexts included some breathing exercises that I was certain would lead to hyperventilation, and resulted in singers producing some marvelous dark and rich tones for folk singing and choral music of Russian composers.

You should see the concert halls, classrooms and rehearsal spaces.  Big open spaces where possible, beautiful thin curtains, plants, large windows and light, light, light.   Even in small rooms, a grand aesthetic is present that mirrors the large public halls, of which I've seen quite a few this week.  Alrighty then, I believe that discussion is 2 way, so if you want to ask questions, you can respond here in the blog, Facebook message me or send an email.  Admittedly, email will bring about
my slowest reponse, since I'm a little busy with musical wunderkinds.  Here ends my opening remarks of Russian discussion about Music Education.

Cultural Crossroads

Professor Galina Itcheva surrounded by her students

It is difficult to decide what is more amazing; a singing class for Music Education students taught by Professor Galina concluding with a tea break, the once-internationally traversed road (Volkhov River), or the thousand year old Kremlin fortress and Sophia Russian Orthodox Cathedral that withstood war after war, including the WWII complete evacuation of Novgorod's 40,00 people in 1941!  

Anna interpreting a walking tour during a resting moment

In the NovSU News Today Oh Boy

Saint Sophia Cathedral 

Rahmaninov School of Music (one of several so-named)

Novgorod State University Orientation

Opening meeting today with representatives from International Relations, Music and Vice Rectors Offices, and a Russian doll.  We discussed strategies for addressing language barriers for Appalachian students at Novgorod,  the music education systems in place in Russia and the exciting opportunities for musical and academic partnerships.  Lunch was served at the Parma restuarant on campus, with some traditional Russian lunch fare, great conversation and some anticipation for the next two weeks for my orientation to Novgorod and Russian music education.  

Natalia I., Mikhail R., Suzi, Natalia S. and Russian Doll at Parma

Supermarket Parking Lot

It is important to get oriented to the city, and since I am staying right in the City Centre, that's not difficult to do.  After the business of the day concluded, Natalia I. took me shopping for a SIM card that I hoped would work in my South African cell phone (it did!) and some groceries for my very hip flat.  Still cloudy and a bit rainy, we availed ourselves of Yuri's driving services and managed to take care of banking, shopping and cell phone air time purchases.  Check, check, and check.  Note:turns out that it is  just fine to take photos in the parking lot, but it is not allowed inside the supermarket.