Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: D Major/B Minor
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:29 min
• Pages: 3

“Forget about what you are escaping from. Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to.” — Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay)

LOOK AROUND YOU
Why is it that we are always searching for a way out?_ not in the dramatic sense of wanting to escape life itself, but in the subtle, everyday ways we resist the present. We crave a fantasy, a world untouched by flaws, where everything aligns in effortless perfection. But such a place does not exist.

The truth is that the world is anything but exquisite; it is fragile, uncertain, and at times dangerous. And perhaps, it is this very imperfection, this raw and unpredictable nature of reality, that makes it both unbearable and inescapably real.

I cannot speak for everyone...

Information:

• Source: Approved Measures Notebook
• Key: C Major
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:24 min
• Pages: 3 Pages

I am convinced that delivering an uncomfortable truth, it is far more effective when is done loud and clear through music.

IN CONSTANT CHANGE
Music changes. It always has. People change, too, although they don’t always like to admit it. Every generation seems to believe that the music of its time is somehow special. The previous generation doesn’t understand it, the next generation will probably ruin it, and someone will inevitably complain that “they don’t make music like they used to.”

And perhaps they are right. Music has always been a rather accurate witness to what is happening around it. Culture, technology, fashion, politics, and even the way people live their everyday lives eventually find their way into music. In other words, music is...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: Bb Major
• Measures: 36
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:55 min
• Pages: 4

“I didn’t want to kiss you goodbye — that was the trouble — I wanted to kiss you good night — and there’s a lot of difference.”
— Ernest Hemingway

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION
The need to connect to another human being is vital to our well being. Kissing allow us to draw close to one another, yet, because it is such a common act, we often overlook its meaning, unless of course, we pause to pay close attention.

The activity of kissing carries different meanings depending on the situation. It grant us license to express many things. A kiss, for example, might say: I am delighted to be here with you, or thank you for everything you have done. Some kisses could seal a lasting friendship between two lonely souls. In this way, a kiss becomes a substitute for...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Book
• Key: C major
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:03 min
• Pages: 4

“DISOBEDIENCE, n. The silver lining to the cloud of servitude.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary and Other Works

Hello!

CONQUERING RHYMTH
Syncopation is the technique composers use to write unexpected, irregular rhythm patterns. The inconsistency of these rhythms affects the attribute of the music, leaving the listeners with exciting new outlines along with bold suggestions. In a way, syncopation is a musical disobedience.

This constricted technique have been in used since the beginning, and it is found virtually in all styles of music. Wherever there is rhythm, there is also the potential for syncopation. The technique is a necessary course of action. Syncopation encourages the composer to construct a solid and meaningful relationship between...

Information:

• Source: All year round music Notebook
• Key: D Minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:00 min
• Pages: 4

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Hello!

FROM COVER TO COVER
Teaching Little Fingers to Play by John Thompson was my first piano book. I remember the lessons on each page and the excitement I felt when it was time to turn the page and learn a new tune. I still remember the lyrics and the music, and even now I occasionally pick up John Thompson’s books and play through them.

Beyer’s piano method was another book I played from cover to cover, I was surprised by how much joy I found in playing exercises that most people would regard as monotonous or meaningless. The truth is, practicing has never been an...

Information:

• Source: Approved Measures Notebook
• Key: C Major
• Measures: 49
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:40 min
• Pages: 4 Pages

“Baroque music could very well be the beginning of a beautiful storm, one that, even after all this time, has yet to end.”

 
THE BAROQUE
I’ve spent countless late nights sitting alone at my piano, the rest of the house completely quiet, realizing that if I sit with Baroque music long enough, it stops feeling like something from a dusty history book. It starts feeling like an ocean - immense, dark, and full of hidden currents.

We often treat music from three hundred years ago like an exhibit behind glass, but to me, it feels completely alive. People always say we know more about distant stars than our own deep seas, and I think old music is much the same. There is always something quiet waiting to be pulled up from the dark if you’re willing to...

Information:

• Source: The Wonders of Music Notebook
• Key: Bb Major
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 3:42 min
• Pages: 4 Pages

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” ― William Styron, Conversations with William Styron

Hello,

HOW MANY IS TO MANY?
Talking about books is a far-reaching and complex topic that requires time and energy to define and understand. One thing we can probably all agreed on is that most books are conserved, stored, and ultimately shared. Whether a book’s purpose is to inform, educate, or merely entertain depends on the individual reading it and the content itself.

How many books have been published in the world?, It is a curious question that’s been in my mind for a while. Of course, knowing the exact number is impossible, since new books are being...

Information:

• Source: California Sessions Notebook
• Key: F Major / D minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:58 min
• Pages: 4

“There are two modes of transport in Los Angeles: car and ambulance. Visitors who wish to remain inconspicuous are advised to choose the latter.” – Fran Lebowitz

Hello,

THE CITY
I love L. A., it’s the most Mexican city in the world. A town full of revelations, addictions and contradictions, where everybody seems nice under the warm sunny days. Which is why filmmakers in town invent stories of bad weather and horrible people.

My grandparents lived in L.A., specifically in the popular area that is known as East Los Angeles. What a surprise?, well, not to me, it is only logical to think that they decided to live in an area where they felt at home, because 95% of the population are Hispanics, _ what is surprising is the other 5% wanting to...

Information:

• Source: Music and Life Notebook
• Key: C Major/A minor
• Measures: 48
• Parts: Cello and Piano
• Duration: 2:46 min
• Pages: 4

*“Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always sings.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson>

EMERSON’S WORDS
Emerson summarized in one line the certainty that, if we pay attention, there is always something good to look forward to, even when we think as though our world is crumbling into pieces. His words clearly remind me that life doesn’t stop after a calamity _ there is always a ray of light in the dark. Life’s moments resemble a rubber band, stretched almost to the point of breaking, only to be released at the last moment, just as we feel it cannot longer endure, testing our deepest and most hidden skills for survival. And so, Emerson’s words remind me that something beautiful always, always sings.

IN CONSTANT CHANGE
Ever since I can...