ILLINOIS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Writers
    • Alumni

Welcome

Personal Ponderings on the Illinois Music Experience

Electric Strings and Me

2/26/2023

 
Before coming to UIUC, I had no idea about the electric strings program here (which is funny now, considering my best friend is an electric violin student here). I only knew about electric violin beforehand when Mark Wood performed in my school district when I was 12. We were in a rehearsal once and he asked me to play with him on stage because I had a great bow arm… it was the coolest experience ever and I had him sign my ½ size violin. 

​
Picture
But I forgot about that until recently. I’ve been to a couple electric strings performances and masterclasses this semester and it has been a huge source of inspiration for me. It’s been so inspiring that I plan on getting myself an electric violin and taking lessons next semester!

I really love what Dr. Haken is doing with his students. There seems to be a focus on rock music (which I absolutely love), but also works specifically for electric violin. I currently take a class with Dr. Haken and I’ve learned that he is really open to whatever his students want to do. One person at the electric strings studio recital played a piece from a video game which was amazing! 

I recently got back into songwriting after a long break and showed him a tune I’d want to perform on electric violin. I was nervous he might not think it was a worthwhile endeavor but he seems very excited about my ideas. I even want to show him more of the songs I’ve written next semester. A lot of these songs are many years old, and I think now is finally the time I can present them well. Keep an eye out because you just might see me performing my own compositions in a concert very soon!

Na’ilah Ali

    Categories

    All
    Admissions
    Advice
    Allerton Park
    Anxiety
    Arias
    Art-song
    Audition
    Bookstore
    Brass
    Campus Life
    Career Prep
    Cello
    Chambana
    Chamber Music
    Chamber Singers
    Champaign-Urbana
    Choir
    Choral Conducting
    Collaborative Piano
    College
    Community
    Competition
    Composer
    Concert
    Conducting
    Confidence
    Covid-19
    Dining
    Dissertation
    Dorm Life
    Education
    Encore
    Entrepreneurship
    Euphonium
    Exercise
    Family
    First Impressions
    First Year
    Flute
    Food
    Freshman
    Friends
    Gender Identity
    Grad School
    Graduate
    Graduate Assistant
    Graduation
    Grateful
    Growth
    Gym
    Health
    Horn
    Housing
    Imposter Syndrome
    Innovation
    In-person
    Inspiration
    Instrument Repair
    International Student
    Internship
    Junior
    Krannert Center
    LGBT
    Live Performance
    Lyric Theatre
    Marching Illini
    Masterclass
    Memorization
    Mental Health
    Mentor
    Mindfulness
    Music +
    Musical Theater
    Music Building
    Music Education
    Music Festival
    Music Technology
    Music Theater
    New Student
    Opera
    Opportunities
    Orchestra
    Out Of State
    Parenting
    Performance
    Performance Anxiety
    Performance Major
    Performance Preparation
    Pizza FM
    Practice
    Process
    Production
    Prospective Students
    Quiet Spaces
    Recital
    Recording
    Reflection
    Rehearsal
    Rehearsals
    Relationships
    Relaxation
    Reset
    Rest
    Restaurants
    RSO
    Scholar
    Self Care
    Self-Care
    Self-Discovery
    Senior
    Show
    Social Justice
    Soloist
    Stress
    Student Life
    Student Teaching
    Studio Class
    Study
    Summer
    Support
    Technique
    Time Management
    Tips And Tricks
    Tools For Success
    Trombone
    Trumpet
    Tuba
    Undegraduate
    Undergraduate
    Violin
    Virtual Concert
    Voice
    Vote
    Wellness
    Women's Glee Club
    Woodwind
    Work
    Work Space

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Writers
    • Alumni