What’s it About:
The Classical Band Ensemble is about creating a grassroots classical ensemble with classically trained musicians from students to experienced. Under 19 must be accompanied by parent or guardian on all events. It’s just like forming a band but it’s a classical ensemble.
I am an aerospace engineer, musician, and play-by-ear composer, but not classically trained. So we’ll all be learning from each other.
How Does It Work:
To get started right away, I have over 100 compositions from small to big to select from on my website at TimDiMella.com. They are the same as my playlist videos on my YouTube channel “Tim’s Music Box”. My compositions are diamonds-in-the-rough to make room for added instruments and inserting your uniqueness to them. The compositions will eventually need transcribing and arranging, so fun times for all as we do this together. We will arrange them to the instruments we play so no one is left out. In fact, each composition can even be played with very different instruments if we want to try it out. The goal is to have fun, make EPs, play locally, and air on radio stations with everyone receiving credit. All this while we learn things about ourselves and others through the process. So we’ll all be helping out to create, transcribe, and arrange music, and at this grassroots level, also promote the group as a group.
The following is the process we will use to accomplish the pieces we want to learn and play and deliver them to others:
Classical Band Ensemble’s 13 Steps To Accomplish Things We Desire:
Step 1: Become aware of a classical piece on our website that you love to listen to.
(It doesn't matter if the piece you hear is played on an instrument you do not play.
The questions is would you love to hear it with you playing it on your instrument.)
Step 2: Believe you can play the piece in a way you love it.
(Even if not exactly the way it is played on the website)
Step 3: Ask the person you need to ask if you two can meet.
Step 4: Receive a yes.
(There will be no no's if you are sincere.)
Step 5: Meet with the person who said yes.
(Meet in a quiet place so you can tell the person what it is you want and
if the person will help you get there.)
Step 6: Understand what you will need to play the piece.
(Structure a general plan on your part. A general plan is one that you expect will happen
but may not all happen in the way you want. Some things in these letters are just outside your
control. What ones are they?)
Complete the following S.T.R.U.C.T.U.R.E.D. plan:
S is for Standards: By what standards (bounds and means and behavior and values)
will you play the piece.
T is for Training: What form of training (education) will you need to play it to your liking.
R is for Relations: Who else may you need to help you or assist or accompany you to play it.
U is for Utilities: In what kind of forum or facility do you want to play it in (like inside,
outside, and where) and what kind of utilities will you need as part of the facility)
C is for Cost: What's your REALISTIC budget? How much can you afford for training, utilities
and any supplemental resources you need if you didn't have anyone else to count on
but yourself?
T is for Time: How much time do you have to train and put together a venue.
(Will you need help? See R above)
U is for Understanding Your Need: What is your need to play this piece? Why are you so
passionate about it? What do you intend to do with it once you've completed it?
R is for Resources: What supplemental resources (like pen and paper, equipment, software, etc)
do you require to make what you want happen. (Is it in your budget?)
E is for Events: What will be the venue or venues that you desire to play at.
(Is it realistic in the time you have?)
D is for Deliver: How or in what spirit will you deliver your piece to others (In the spirit
you intend. What spirit is that? Describe it.)
Step 7: Decide (choose) if you really want to get deep in achieving your desire to play
the piece with you and the person who will help you now that you understand a little bit
about what it will entail.
Step 8: Trust (have faith in) yourself and your person that you will make it through the
initial trials and tribulations of making your desire happen.
(Ask yourself if it is going how you expected. No is a good answer because it never is.
Remember your plan. Stay within your STRUCTURED part of it. Are you following the standards
you stated in your plan? Will you try to control things to conform to how you expected things
to go or will you trust (have faith) that if you let go of the reins a bit you will see it
start coming together in the way it was always supposed to?)
Step 9: Have you accepted the way things are going (the reality of it all)?
The past is the past. We humans aren't perfect, and we don't have a crystal ball. So forgive
yourself for not being perfect because you never were. We get scared of what we can't see yet.
Will you now adjust to the reality of it? Do you see the reality of things a little clearer?
Is it with gratitude or resentment that you see how things really are? If you truly accept
the way, you will find yourself grateful that things actually are turning out well because of
the wisdom of the person you asked for help.)
Step 10: Do you feel yourself devoted even more to complete what you desire (especially now
that you can finally see the way things need to go to accomplish what you desire.)
Step 11: Do you sense that you are most definitely complete in your learning to the point of
feeling totally confident that you can play the piece in the way it was made uniquely for you
with the passion you had in the beginning but with the added wisdom you've gained in
playing it?
Step 12: Is it now time to deliver the piece in your unique likeness to others in the
love you now have for yourself and others?
Step 13: Are you able to rest well and at peace with yourself at the end of all of it?
(If not, repeat Steps 8 through 12 until you are.)