blessed.

I am so lucky to have such a talented best friend.  

Not only talented, but at times one of my only inspirations (besides my family).

He is really quite amazing, and I think the world should see that...

click me to see what I mean.

I love how even though I don't have many friends, the friends I do have are amazing, talented wonderful people.  

Improvisation is really hard, and Trevor does it with SUCH class and grace.  I'm proud to be his best friend :)  

I love talented people, and I feel so blessed to have SO many friends that are so artistic and talented in many different ways.  Eclectic is a good word to use to describe my friends as far as their differences are concerned.  

so please, click the link.  

AND if you've noticed I've been SOOOO much better about updating.  Yes thank you, hold your applause. 

raw.

steve reich

in my opinion, this name wields much power.  he has somewhat single-handidly transformed music last century.  music for 18 musicians was greatly influenced by balinese gamelan music.

a gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included.

Like African drumming, this is ensemble music, fully composed (although unwritten), yielding a rich blended sound of motion within stasis, constant activity within an unchanging ordered structure. Textures emerge and evolve as each instrument plays a regular subdivision of a broad, regular pulse, producing a haunting, timeless effect. 

In his piece, Reich didn't try to imitate the actual sound of the gamelan (and indeed scorned rock musicians using sitars for superficial exotic texture); rather, he sought to emulate its overall feel and attitude (very successful in my opinion). 

Lasting over an hour, 18 Musicians maintains a basic 12-note meter of marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones and pianos from which longer phrases of voices, strings and clarinets surface and then recede. To humanize the process, the voice and clarinet phrases last the length of a musician's breath.  

THIS IS SO REAL.  

Like I was talking about in my rave of Regina.  It's so...RAW.   HUMAN.  Making the voice and clarinet (the two instruments that used breath) actually be able to show their breaths just makes the aspect of music so raw. 

BREATHING IS ONE OF THE MOST NATUAL INNATE THINGS.  

Combining that with MUSIC is so wonderful.

 I love how Reich is totally channeling native Balinese people in this. 

Everyone coming together to create something or "onething".  You can just imagine people all sitting around, and just creating.....

not worrying about if they didn't sing the run fast enough, or if the rapper used enough swear words, or if Kesha looked hot enough in her latest video (sorry, had to, HATE HER).  This kind of music proves that music exists to express a story.   Across time, and space.....Steve Reich encompasses the spirit of the Balinese People in "music for 18 musicians".  

MUSIC IS UNIVERSAL.

break my ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hheart.......

I love regina spektor. 

 as someone who recently had her heart broken, I love listening to her.  

I love how she uses her lyricism to express her creativity and story.

Her music makes me feel so melancholy in a good way.

Reflective...

Inspiring me to express my true feelings.

I think the music industry in general really in the last few decades progressively began to loose the success of "the story".

you are always telling a story when you are singing.  you're not just opening your mouth and hoping for the best.  

I believe it is vital to not forget

 think.

Think Queen, The Beatles, Bruce, Pink Floyd, 

all the great "oldies"

they told a story. they didn't just sing.

thats so...

important.

Freaking KE$HA?  What is she?  Where did she come from, and can she PLEASE go away and NEVER return?  

I'm not trying to be mean.  it's just true.

I need raw talent.  

It's the most sensual.

To see someone without the autotuning, the airbrushing, just THEM. 

RAW.

humans are by nature imperfect and when you airbrush and autotune it just takes away from the beauty that mankind innately is.

You need to truly try to express something to be a successful singer.

Regina Spekor is raw, natural, human.

and I love it.

she's organically boho even? 

does that even exist?

REGARDLESS...

I love expressing myself.

I love telling the truth.

there is someone I just expressed my feelings to and the verdict is not in yet on whether that was successful or not....we shall see.

We shall see.

shall.

see.

A voice from the past...my recital

I had my recital.  It went pretty well.  I am very happy with it... If you would like to hear some clips from it, please click here  and let me know what you think of them.  I had an awesome time performing for my friends and family.

Pictured right below is my wonderful, amazing bestest friend in the ENTIRE world, Trevor.  I don't think he really knows how much he means to me.  I really would be not half the person I am today with out him.  And I just HAD to say that. :)  Trevor, if you're reading this (which you probably aren't bc you don't blog), I LOVE YOU.

I really love performing.  And I love making people happy with my music.  After this recital, I truly know that this is my calling.  I'm not going to let ANYONE or ANYTHING stand in my way :)

Below are just more silly pics of my fam and friends after the reception.  I hope you enjoyed this update.  I will write another one tonight too <3

RECITAL THIS FRIDAY

So the reason I'm been a little incommunicato as far as my lovely blog goes is BECAUSEEEE I have my junior recital coming up.....I promise after this that I will update more frequently.  I miss blogging dearly.

Nichole Ashley Peyreigne’s

Manhattan School of Music, Junior Recital

Friday April 9th, 2010

8pm at Christ Chapel in

The Riverside Church

490 Riverside Drive

New York, New York

Presenting works by...

Ricky Ian Gordon, Franz Schubert, Handel, 

Kurt Weill, and selections from Jekyll and Hyde

call with any questions

203.856.7295