A lot of people have asked me how I got to where I am today. I mean, if you would have asked me 5 years ago what I'd be doing right now, my answer would be very different. Here's a little explanation of how I became a percussionist.
It all started back in high school. No, before that. I was finally old enough to pick an instrument and play it! I have always loved music and now that my brother was old enough and triumphed all odds to be in band I wanted to be there too. We're inseparable, you know. I didn't wan to play horn like him, because that's copying, so I shyly browsed my options and settled on the tenor sax. I was told that sax was easy and I still wanted to be different from the norm which is why I chose tenor over alto. I was handed an instrument of my own, taught a quick lesson on how to put the thing together and make a noise, and sent on my way.
I played it all through middle school and got pretty good. I took casual lessons from an older college guy and by the time I was in high school and the band geeks had been weeded out I was pretty much set. Around the time I switched schools I decided that being a music major was the cool thing to do and I was going to become a great sax player and play.... play..... Play what? Jazz? Uh oh, not into jazz. Play in some symphonic band? Maybe. The more I sat down and thought about it, the more I realized that my favorite ensemble was orchestra, and there aren't many sax parts in orchestra, let alone tenor sax! This was a problem. Little did I know an answer and a solution would not be far away...
My brother was in orchestra of course, being the giant band geek that he was. It was his favorite too and every time we dropped him off at rehearsal I would secretly wish to be there, playing something, being part of the music. I almost seriously considered learning a string instrument or something just so I could be a part of orchestra but that would not have been a good idea. Way too hard. My extremely lucky break came when I was a junior. It just so happens that the director of the JKSO was Dr. Kribana, who is also my brother's private instructor. Therefore, Gary knew him very well. As Gary can't drive, I went to pick him up one day, armed with a question on my mind. I got there and peered into the room. Dr. Kribana smiled and told me to come in, that he was expecting me. Gary had told him I had a question.
I did not know how to say it so it just came out, "Dr. Kribana, I really want to be in orchestra but I play tenor sax. Is there anything I could do to be involved?" Dr. K. looked up at me and smiled. He somehow knew that I would ask that and after thinking for a minute he looked at me and said "You know, there is something you could try..." I had no idea what he would say but I hoped it would be good. I was not expected for what he said. "You are a strong musician. I've heard you play before (his sons went to my same school). Why don't you try percussion? We need one for the spring."
Percussion? Really?? I'd never read a lick of percussion music in my life! I didn't even know how it was all notated. Despite this unusual and unexpected answer I was actually pretty excited. The words of my father came to my mind, "Never be afraid to try something new..." and so I put all my fears aside and said "Yes! I'll do it! Anything to be in orchestra! ...Now, how do I start?" Dr. K. smiled and said, "Well let's ask Dr. Langley. He's just down the hall!" In amazement Gary and I watched as he walked out of the room and knocked on the door straight across the hall from him, a huge grin on his face. An antisocial-looking gentleman with curly blond hair opened the door, mumbling "What is it, Kribana?" "I have a brand new percussionist here waiting for you to unlock the power of rhythm!" he beamed, pointing at me.
Dr. Langley looked at me and I could see his eyes study me up and down. I was pretty nervous but I saw his studious face begin to smile and he said, "Well, come on then. Let's find a time for us to meet." I shyly crept into his office, which was huge and full of all kinds of various instruments and things. I told him my contact info and scheduled it for the same time as Gary's lesson. That was that. He told me not to worry and that he would take good care of me and soon I was on my way, totally nervous, but way excited about learning some percussion.
My first lesson was totally awkward. I had no idea what I was doing and it was more hitting things with sticks than making music. The first thing he taught me actually was how to tune the timpani, since that was the instrument I'd be playing in JKSO. After we got that down, which was surprisingly easy, then I got to work learning how to make it sound like music and not a random thud. The first lesson is always the most awkward, because it's a new thing and nobody knows what the teacher is going to do... I left feeling like I learned one thing but I was armed with some tools and knowledge on how to read the music. Timpani music is written in notes, by the way.
I went to my very first JKSO rehearsal after that and managed to get everything tuned up and working... it only took like 20 minutes, haha. I kept forgetting stuff, like my mallets, pitch pipe, etc... I was such a mess back there but I actually felt like I was making music by the end. Man, it was tons of work. I still wasn't sure if I liked this whole percussion thing but then something happened. At my 2nd lesson, something clicked in me. It was like I belonged in the back! The things that I could barely do a week before suddenly became easy. Before long I was learning snare, cymbals, marimba! It was incredible! The more I worked at it, the more I loved it! By the time we had our first concert I felt like a legit percussionist and was totally into it. Thanks, Dr. K!
Of course I hid this throughout my junior and senior year, as I had to play tenor sax. We already had like 20 percussionists so I took the time to practice and play catch-up with the people who were really good. Before long, college rolled around and I made an easy decision. I decided to major in Percussion Performance. I wanted to become just like Dr. Langley. There was always a need for percussionists and I quickly learned the value of being good at it. I surprised a lot of people when I walked into band and orchestra with a mallet bag and not a neck strap. I was fortunate to have a good mentor who was my age named Eagle who made me feel like I had been there forever in the back.
By my junior year I had stopped playing tenor sax all together. I was in marching band on it for 2 years but longed to be in pit. Nowadays people know me as only a percussionist and barely remember that I once played something else. Sometimes it surprises me too. I have learned a lot in the past 5 years and Dr. Langley has become a very good friend and teacher. It no longer takes me forever to tune the timpani and I can read and play just about anything thrown back at me. I have become good friends with everyone in the section and of course remain the section leader in orchestra along with my good buddies. I am definitely planning to move back to my hometown of Kalta once I graduate and go to grad school there. Wow. I am a percussionist!
So that's where we're at now. I am halfway done with my junior year and things just keep getting better. I am so glad Dr. K. suggested percussion. It was a door to my rest of my life!
Showing posts with label Lleyton Charles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lleyton Charles. Show all posts
02 November, 2010
05 April, 2010
Spring Break Weddings
Spring break is a lovely time of the year and is a popular time for couples to get married! Here is a list of everyone who got married over break:
First on the 25th Cobra Vice and Haven Henley got married in Port Rose in a private ceremony. Cedric's ashes were spread along the beach and his presence was felt. They then embarked on a week of island fun and romance.
On the 29th came two weddings. First in Rihanu, Elkari Darovani and Mirikeli Sokar, two fine musicians totally in love were married and are beginning their crazy adventures as a couple.
Also, Lleyton Charles and Sokphair Diamond were married in Kennywood on this fine day.
Kirby Law and Molly Clark were married in Starry on the 30th. They plan to move to IDA after they graduate college so they went ahead and filed the paperwork to start a new family line and have adopted the last name of Riedlore, a combination of Rivers and Law.
Finally, Falcon Rivers and Emerson Keilley were married on the 31st in Starry and celebrated by surfing the spring waves!
What a week it has been! More wedding will be sure to follow in the summer and stay tuned for any baby news ;)
First on the 25th Cobra Vice and Haven Henley got married in Port Rose in a private ceremony. Cedric's ashes were spread along the beach and his presence was felt. They then embarked on a week of island fun and romance.
On the 29th came two weddings. First in Rihanu, Elkari Darovani and Mirikeli Sokar, two fine musicians totally in love were married and are beginning their crazy adventures as a couple.
Also, Lleyton Charles and Sokphair Diamond were married in Kennywood on this fine day.
Kirby Law and Molly Clark were married in Starry on the 30th. They plan to move to IDA after they graduate college so they went ahead and filed the paperwork to start a new family line and have adopted the last name of Riedlore, a combination of Rivers and Law.
Finally, Falcon Rivers and Emerson Keilley were married on the 31st in Starry and celebrated by surfing the spring waves!
What a week it has been! More wedding will be sure to follow in the summer and stay tuned for any baby news ;)
08 October, 2008
Spotlight on: Gary Charles
Full Name: Garrett James Charles
Birthday: February 10, 1989
Method of Creation: #3- A very specific situation yielded this prominent figure of fun, inspiration, and miracle!
Creation story:
This one is simple. I wanted to write about someone who was considered badly disabled but made the most out of a situation and triumphed over it. He had to be a musician- that was his triumph. Like I said there is a fine line between the medical world and my world and this is right there on that line. The only explanation I need here rather than his biography is his name and looks. I envisioned this person to be really popular and social and I wanted a name that could be shortened to an uncommon but still cool nickname. The name that came to my mind was Gary. The last name was easier. I wanted it to start with Ch-. I came up with Charles. If you google Gary Charles, it's the name of some soccer player or something as well. Total coincidence. His middle name is one of my somewhat generic middle names, the others being Roy, Rose, and Fay. His looks are based on a certain person I met but as time went on I realized he looked more like this other person.
Gary is probably one of the easiest people to draw just because he is easily identifiable. He has trademark "skater hair" that is past the ear and flipped out. It's a middle-to-dark brown in color and complements his darker skin tone. His eyes are deep-set and dark blue, and are hidden behind black, square glasses. He has a very warrior-like nose and a nice, crooked smile that is one of his trademarks. He isn't very tall, at about 5'6'', and always has on this green, plaid fleece jacket. Every pic of him has all of these things. OK now onto his biography, shall we?
Garrett James Charles was born on February 10, 1989, in Kalta, Vetonia. (I haven't mentioned the states yet, so Vetonia is in the area of Texas. Kalta is right in the middle of the state and is a big town amongst ranches and farms.) He was a perfect baby who was very smart and was always early for his milestones. He was later joined by little brother Lleyton and then by identical twin sisters, Cameron and Jillian. All was well and he was a happy child who always had his nose in a book reading. However, on May 13, 1998, Garrett's life changed forever.
He was in the third grade, things were going well, and he had arrived home from school like usual. He finished his book so he went to the living room to play with some toy trucks he had. Suddenly, he felt his right arm tighten up. He began to get a weird feeling and found that he couldn't move his arm at all. The vision in his right eye then started to tunnel and fade, as if he were lightheaded. He could feel his head pounding and tried to get up. He was really getting scared because he couldn't control his right leg. It was as if the right side of his body was going to sleep. He managed to stumble into the kitchen where his mom was cooking dinner and tried to tell her he couldn't move his right side but all that came out of his mouth was a jumbled mess. Suddenly, the black blanket of unconsciousness wrapped itself around him and he fell to the floor.
He was rushed to the hospital and his condition continued to worsen rapidly. As he went in for Xrays, it became apparent what had happened- a blood clot had made its way from his heart to his brain and had cut off the blood to the motion areas on the left side. The damage was done, and it was very bad. Nobody thought he'd live, it was that bad. However, he did not die and the clot was duccessfully removed. He was in a coma for about three weeks until something miraculous happened- he woke up.
As it is written, his little brother Lleyton came in the room. Gary could hear what was going on but had no idea where he was, what happened, or how much time had passed. For all he knew it was later that evening. Lleyton grabbed Gary's left hand and said, "Garrett if you can her me squeeze my hand!" Suddenly Gary realized that this was serious and that he was probably in the hospital. All the memories came back to him of what had happened that night in May. Being the resilient person that he was, Gary gave Lleyton's hand a good solid squeeze. Lleyton of course asked him to do it again and he did, many times. The nurse and his family was called in and so the recovery began.
As he fully awoke it was apparent that he was forever changed. His right arm, once moving, now lay lifeless at his side, the fingers curled and the elbow and wrist bent. His right leg, which once walked in perfect time, was now so rigid it would not straighten, move, or bear much weight. He could not see out of his right eye and when he tried to smile only the left side moved. Gary was a stroke survivor.
He attended some therapy and quickly adapted to doing things one-handed. Like Lleyton said, "Gary was handed lemons and he not only made lemonade but he make a lemon meringue pie, harvested the seeds, grew many lemon trees, and started a business." Probably the best thing that helped get Gary through the first few months was something that not many could say. His stoke affected his right side. Gary is left-handed. He did not need to learn to use his left side, it was dominant already!
After the incident, his family decided to move away. In Kiillaana there are five neurology-based hospitals, peppered in various parts of the country. I have had these hospitals since middle school and their official title is Chandalahara of... and then the city. It's a long name, I know, so I usually refer to its abbreviated name. Gary would be able to have the best care available to him for all the problems he would face. He got to choose which one to move to. After looking carefully at his options, he chose Chandalahara of Pathreeah, which would put him in Pyncyltonia (and therfore one step closer to being assiciated with me). So the family moved to Kennywood.
Amazingly, Gary was able to start the fourth grade with everyone else, just three months after the incident. He still had his love for science and books, just now he did them from a wheelchair.
Now it's time for the exciting part- the other thing that changed Gary's life forever. Let's review. Gary had a stroke, is paralyzed on his right side, and has moved across the country. He is resilient enough to start school with everyone else.
Gary had always wanted to play the trumpet. After his stroke, it was apparent that the trumpet was no longer an option for him. All woodwinds were out- he needed both hands to play them and he only had his left. He was very discouraged, that is, until he found an instrument that fit his unique anatomy, range of motion, etc. It only needed to be held with the right hand and he could make it work. It was played almost entirely with the left hand and when he first held it he knew it was the one- it was none other than the French Horn.
Gary had to adapt in order to play it, obviously. He had no problem holding it, but playing it would be a challenge. He finally decided to try playing out the side of his mouth as opposed to the middle. It worked. He spent countless hours teaching himself how to play, for nobody played the way he did. His hard work payed off and he got really good really fast. He kept it up all through middle and high school, and is now majoring in performance in college.
Gary's middle school and high school years were very hard on him neurologically. His damaged brain continued to cause him all sorts of problems and he was forced to miss a lot of school. He was tired all the time and could hardly think straight some days but he hung in there and eventually hthings got a lot better for him. He had surgery right afer his junior year to cut the nerves in his leg, making it relax more and had a VNS placed into his chest to try to regulate the damaged area of his brain and maybe get him some motion back. He began his senior year at a different, and smaller school (this is how I came to "know" him) and for the first time in eight years he could walk ALL THE TIME!!! He was so happy. While things didn't improve right away, they were at least getting somewhat better.
At the start of Gary's freshman year in college, a medical breakthrough miracle happened. As things fell into place, it became obvious that the damaged area was beginning to sort of heal in a way. He no longer felt tired all the time and had more energy than he'd had in years! The really amazing thing happened in the late fall of 2007- he tried to move his arm and his hand twitched. That was enough to get him excited and he began going to intense physical therapy and after having surgery to "unlock" his frozen joints he and the doctors were amazed at what they were seeing. Gary could move his arm! His leg moved better, his right eye started to move with his left, he could see better, he could smile with both sides again, he could turn his head to the right, the list goes on and on!
Today, ten years after the incident, Gary has made so much progress he is a different person. He is walking very well, he can speak clearly, he can hold things with his right hand, and he can scratch his nose with his right arm :-).
As you can see from this, I put a lot of thought into these people. I do my medical research before going out and writing stories. Gary is one of my favorite characters I've ever come up with and now you can sort of see why.
Birthday: February 10, 1989
Method of Creation: #3- A very specific situation yielded this prominent figure of fun, inspiration, and miracle!
Creation story:
This one is simple. I wanted to write about someone who was considered badly disabled but made the most out of a situation and triumphed over it. He had to be a musician- that was his triumph. Like I said there is a fine line between the medical world and my world and this is right there on that line. The only explanation I need here rather than his biography is his name and looks. I envisioned this person to be really popular and social and I wanted a name that could be shortened to an uncommon but still cool nickname. The name that came to my mind was Gary. The last name was easier. I wanted it to start with Ch-. I came up with Charles. If you google Gary Charles, it's the name of some soccer player or something as well. Total coincidence. His middle name is one of my somewhat generic middle names, the others being Roy, Rose, and Fay. His looks are based on a certain person I met but as time went on I realized he looked more like this other person.
Gary is probably one of the easiest people to draw just because he is easily identifiable. He has trademark "skater hair" that is past the ear and flipped out. It's a middle-to-dark brown in color and complements his darker skin tone. His eyes are deep-set and dark blue, and are hidden behind black, square glasses. He has a very warrior-like nose and a nice, crooked smile that is one of his trademarks. He isn't very tall, at about 5'6'', and always has on this green, plaid fleece jacket. Every pic of him has all of these things. OK now onto his biography, shall we?
Garrett James Charles was born on February 10, 1989, in Kalta, Vetonia. (I haven't mentioned the states yet, so Vetonia is in the area of Texas. Kalta is right in the middle of the state and is a big town amongst ranches and farms.) He was a perfect baby who was very smart and was always early for his milestones. He was later joined by little brother Lleyton and then by identical twin sisters, Cameron and Jillian. All was well and he was a happy child who always had his nose in a book reading. However, on May 13, 1998, Garrett's life changed forever.
He was in the third grade, things were going well, and he had arrived home from school like usual. He finished his book so he went to the living room to play with some toy trucks he had. Suddenly, he felt his right arm tighten up. He began to get a weird feeling and found that he couldn't move his arm at all. The vision in his right eye then started to tunnel and fade, as if he were lightheaded. He could feel his head pounding and tried to get up. He was really getting scared because he couldn't control his right leg. It was as if the right side of his body was going to sleep. He managed to stumble into the kitchen where his mom was cooking dinner and tried to tell her he couldn't move his right side but all that came out of his mouth was a jumbled mess. Suddenly, the black blanket of unconsciousness wrapped itself around him and he fell to the floor.
He was rushed to the hospital and his condition continued to worsen rapidly. As he went in for Xrays, it became apparent what had happened- a blood clot had made its way from his heart to his brain and had cut off the blood to the motion areas on the left side. The damage was done, and it was very bad. Nobody thought he'd live, it was that bad. However, he did not die and the clot was duccessfully removed. He was in a coma for about three weeks until something miraculous happened- he woke up.
As it is written, his little brother Lleyton came in the room. Gary could hear what was going on but had no idea where he was, what happened, or how much time had passed. For all he knew it was later that evening. Lleyton grabbed Gary's left hand and said, "Garrett if you can her me squeeze my hand!" Suddenly Gary realized that this was serious and that he was probably in the hospital. All the memories came back to him of what had happened that night in May. Being the resilient person that he was, Gary gave Lleyton's hand a good solid squeeze. Lleyton of course asked him to do it again and he did, many times. The nurse and his family was called in and so the recovery began.
As he fully awoke it was apparent that he was forever changed. His right arm, once moving, now lay lifeless at his side, the fingers curled and the elbow and wrist bent. His right leg, which once walked in perfect time, was now so rigid it would not straighten, move, or bear much weight. He could not see out of his right eye and when he tried to smile only the left side moved. Gary was a stroke survivor.
He attended some therapy and quickly adapted to doing things one-handed. Like Lleyton said, "Gary was handed lemons and he not only made lemonade but he make a lemon meringue pie, harvested the seeds, grew many lemon trees, and started a business." Probably the best thing that helped get Gary through the first few months was something that not many could say. His stoke affected his right side. Gary is left-handed. He did not need to learn to use his left side, it was dominant already!
After the incident, his family decided to move away. In Kiillaana there are five neurology-based hospitals, peppered in various parts of the country. I have had these hospitals since middle school and their official title is Chandalahara of... and then the city. It's a long name, I know, so I usually refer to its abbreviated name. Gary would be able to have the best care available to him for all the problems he would face. He got to choose which one to move to. After looking carefully at his options, he chose Chandalahara of Pathreeah, which would put him in Pyncyltonia (and therfore one step closer to being assiciated with me). So the family moved to Kennywood.
Amazingly, Gary was able to start the fourth grade with everyone else, just three months after the incident. He still had his love for science and books, just now he did them from a wheelchair.
Now it's time for the exciting part- the other thing that changed Gary's life forever. Let's review. Gary had a stroke, is paralyzed on his right side, and has moved across the country. He is resilient enough to start school with everyone else.
Gary had always wanted to play the trumpet. After his stroke, it was apparent that the trumpet was no longer an option for him. All woodwinds were out- he needed both hands to play them and he only had his left. He was very discouraged, that is, until he found an instrument that fit his unique anatomy, range of motion, etc. It only needed to be held with the right hand and he could make it work. It was played almost entirely with the left hand and when he first held it he knew it was the one- it was none other than the French Horn.
Gary had to adapt in order to play it, obviously. He had no problem holding it, but playing it would be a challenge. He finally decided to try playing out the side of his mouth as opposed to the middle. It worked. He spent countless hours teaching himself how to play, for nobody played the way he did. His hard work payed off and he got really good really fast. He kept it up all through middle and high school, and is now majoring in performance in college.
Gary's middle school and high school years were very hard on him neurologically. His damaged brain continued to cause him all sorts of problems and he was forced to miss a lot of school. He was tired all the time and could hardly think straight some days but he hung in there and eventually hthings got a lot better for him. He had surgery right afer his junior year to cut the nerves in his leg, making it relax more and had a VNS placed into his chest to try to regulate the damaged area of his brain and maybe get him some motion back. He began his senior year at a different, and smaller school (this is how I came to "know" him) and for the first time in eight years he could walk ALL THE TIME!!! He was so happy. While things didn't improve right away, they were at least getting somewhat better.
At the start of Gary's freshman year in college, a medical breakthrough miracle happened. As things fell into place, it became obvious that the damaged area was beginning to sort of heal in a way. He no longer felt tired all the time and had more energy than he'd had in years! The really amazing thing happened in the late fall of 2007- he tried to move his arm and his hand twitched. That was enough to get him excited and he began going to intense physical therapy and after having surgery to "unlock" his frozen joints he and the doctors were amazed at what they were seeing. Gary could move his arm! His leg moved better, his right eye started to move with his left, he could see better, he could smile with both sides again, he could turn his head to the right, the list goes on and on!
Today, ten years after the incident, Gary has made so much progress he is a different person. He is walking very well, he can speak clearly, he can hold things with his right hand, and he can scratch his nose with his right arm :-).
As you can see from this, I put a lot of thought into these people. I do my medical research before going out and writing stories. Gary is one of my favorite characters I've ever come up with and now you can sort of see why.
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