BY DEB HEDLEY
ISSUE NO. 46 | DECEMBER 2022
Modern Day Musings
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Modern Day Music! Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, we are thrilled to share in all of the joy and happiness this month brings!
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF MODERN DAY MUSIC SCHOOL
December is truly the busiest and most festive month of the year! In this month's newsletter, to help get into the holiday spirit at MDM, we will learn a bit more about how different people around the world celebrate during this joyous season through the gift of music! Find out below where different Christmas songs originated from all over the world! Around the world, countries celebrate Christmas through various traditions and music. Some of the earliest Christmas songs written include ‘Angels Hymn’, ‘Coventry Carol’, and ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’. From there the list goes on and on.
Christmas Around the World
Christmas music brings an indescribable joy and happiness. Woven into each song is a deep message of awe, humility, hope, and peace. In the United Kingdom, ‘Deck The Halls’, was written around 1800. Centuries later, ‘Deck The Halls’ has become a staple Christmas tune sung all over the globe. ‘Stille Nacht’ (Silent Night) was written in the German language just after the end of the Napoleonic Wars by an Austrian Priest and has since then been translated into 300 languages. In the United States, our famously known Christmas tune, ‘White Christmas’, was written by Irving Berlin in 1942 and was originally sung by Bing Crosby. Years later, the song has been covered by countless artists from Elvis Presley to Lady Gaga. ‘Feliz Navidad’, perhaps the most fun and light-hearted Christmas song of them all, was written by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, Jose Feliciano in 1970.
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Another famous Christmas carol, 'O Holy Night' (Cantique de Noel), was originally based on a French-language poem written by Placide Cappeau in 1843. It was later set to music by Adolphe Adam. The Carol reflects on the birth of Jesus and it is commonly used at the beginning of the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. And who could forget about the beloved Christmas carol, ‘Carol of the Bells’. Possibly the most popular Christmas carol known! 'Carol of the Bells' was written by Ukrainian composer, Mykola Leontovych in 1914. 'Carol of the Bells' can be heard through various arrangements on the radio today and its famous tune is impossible not to get stuck in your head! The list of Christmas music is endless. It is amazing how music can continue to connect and unite us from all around the world, especially during the Christmas season. Music truly is the universal language and we are so blessed at Modern Day Music to share that gift with others. This month, we cannot wait to hear all of the Christmas music throughout the halls of MDM played by our students. If you would like to learn a Christmas song this month, please let your coach know!
This month's newsletter is extra special because we had the opportunity to catch up with Moriah Formica! Moriah was a student of MDM for ten years and we are so excited to fill you in on her latest gig this winter! For those of you who don’t know, Moriah has had the exciting opportunity to tour with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra this year!! Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is a Multi-Platinum selling progressive rock band known for its Christmas music! Every winter the band tours throughout the months of November and December. The band splits into two different touring groups, East Coast and West Coast. Moriah is currently touring with the West Coast. Below we asked Moriah a few questions to learn more about her opportunity with TSO and plans with her band “Plush” for the new year! When did you find out you would be touring with Trans-Siberian Orchestra this winter? About 3 months ago I believe! What is your favorite thing about touring this winter with TSO? Besides being surrounded by ridiculously talented people, everyone is so kind and welcoming and funny! I also love the experience of being a part of a big show with so many other people and moving parts. It’s so much different than being in a band or anything that I’ve done!
Did you know about Trans-Siberian Orchestra before your audition? Yes! My grandmother would always take my cousins and I to see them around Christmas time when we were little. What are some of the past gigs this year you have done? This year has been so much fun as far as gigging! My band and I got to go on tour with Evanescence, Slash, Alice In Chains with Breaking Benjamin and Bush! During that tour we also had some one offs including the, Kiss Kruise, Louder Than Life Festival and the RiffFestival. How has your past experiences touring helped you with your new experience with TSO? My past tour experiences have really helped me with the new TSO experiences. One way that really stands out to me is just simply being away from home. Had I not had past touring experience being away from home for long periods of time, I think it would’ve been significantly more difficult. Advice to other musicians/singers? I would say just go for all that you want! Take every opportunity and leave no stone unturned and have as much fun as you can while doing it! Plans for Plush next year? New Music? Tours? Etc. We really hope to be able to tour in Europe next year! And there will definitely be new music out and more gigs to come! Thank you, Moriah, for your time and sharing your experiences and insights with us. We couldn’t be more proud of you and cannot wait to see what new opportunities the new year brings you. If you don’t already, please follow @MoriahFormica and her amazing band Plush on social media @PlushRocks! Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!
M: Which upcoming gig(s) are you most looking forward to and why? D: I have a monthly gig called “Psykick Dancehall” the first Saturday of every month at a little bar called Pint Sized in Saratoga from 8pm-12am. It’s a lot of fun DJing a mix of Soul, Reggae and even a little early Punk and Rock n roll. I think we can all assume that David is very involved in music outside of MDM, but that is not the only thing! He is also a loving husband and father and tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife and son when he is not at MDM. David’s shared that “I can say without a doubt I would not be where I am today without their love and support!” They have supported David in innumerable ways over the recent months as he took on this new role at MDM, and they were even a part of the MDM family long before that! David’s son was a member of our Little Rockers program for a number of sessions before testing out private lessons where he caught on to everything very quickly. Even back then, David and his family were thrilled to be a part of MDM, and the experience also gave David a look at what things are like from the student perspective. Now that his son is a little bit more mature at age 7, he plans to start private piano lessons in the fall! David’s son loves playing piano in his room and we can’t wait to see where he goes in his private lessons. He also takes after his dad and started his own record collection, which he spends much of his time listening to. David is so proud, and we can tell that music definitely does run in the family! We are all so excited to have David on board, are are looking forward to many great years to come. There are so many possible directions for the future of MDM, but we know that no matter what, that direction will be up!
David's Corner
DECEMBER CALENDAR
2- Ben Solo at Spa City Tap and Barrel 6:30-9:30pm 3- Ben Solo at Katie O’Byrnes 7-10pm 3- David Psykick Dancehall: Reggae, Punk and Soul! All vinyl DJ night! Pint Sized. Saratoga. 8pm-12am 5- Open Mic Night, Cafe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm 7- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 7- Under The Den (Ben) with Keep Flying at Pauly's Hotel 9- Under The Den (Ben) at Spa City Tap and Barrel 10pm - 2am 9- David Nor’easter Soul Club. Soul, Boogaloo and Ska! All vinyl DJ night! The Copper Crow. Albany. 8pm-12am 10- Ben Solo Adirondack Winery 5-8pm 12- Open Mic Night, Cafe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm 16- Born on this day, December 16th, 1770, Ludwig Van Beethoven 16- Under The Den (Ben) at Jay’s St. Pub 10pm-2am 17- National Ugly Sweater Day 18 - First Night of Hanukkah 19- Open Mic Night, Cafe Lena in Saratoga, 7-10pm 24- Christmas Eve (MDM Closed) 25- Christmas Day (MDM Closed) 26- Kwanzaa 30- Ben with Gianna Robustaino at JJ Rafferty’s 7-10pm 31- New Year’s Eve (MDM Closed) 31- Ben Solo at Spa City Tap and Barrel 6:30-9:30pm
Happy Holidays to you all! Our Rock School 101 show will be December 18th at Wicked in Clifton Park and we cannot wait to see what the bands have been working on!
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR NEW STUDENTS in NOVEMBER!
Colleen W Leah B Adelaide J Brittany C Lily M Chris S Sophie X Jack W Nick M Skyler Z Rainy Z Jacob C Matt R Olivia H Eva K Charli V Nicholas S Rosalynn P Keegan F James S Karla M Sophia R Asa C Sydney L Lauren L Bella S Anderson G Amy W Tucker C Isabelle H Nathaniel M Sophie J Carter J Jordan T Kelsey L Emily B
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