Today I partook in my fifth & final audition at OSU as an undergraduate student. I was excited to take the audition and be done with it! I re-learned a valuable lesson today: I like professional auditions with a screen! :)
I know that as a Performance Major, there are no excuses for mistakes, but what I re-learned that I needed to learn is the ability to concentrate amidst distractions! As I went into the audition hall, the two conductors and the horn professor at OSU made a few comments to me that did not really pertain to the audition and I suddenly found myself unable to "come back to reality." As I started to play, all I was able to concentrate on was the comments that they had made. I had a few quibbles and a couple of missed high A-flat's. The playing wasn't atrocious, but I know I can do better...and should have!...the feeling that most everyone has after an audition. We'll see what the results are...
So, I take away from the experience of this audition the fact that I am thankful for the screens in professional auditions! I have seldom faced a lack of concentration on the music while behind a screen. Anonymity clears my mind and allows me to play the music uninhibited. I should not downplay the necessity of learning the skill of playing right in front of people as they copiously comment on your playing and mistakes because I face a slew of experiences like this in my upcoming foray into graduate school auditions!
As I noted in my previous post...we learn best by re-learning time and time again!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
What CAN'T Be Done...
In life, there are things which people proclaim "can't be done!" But then in a matter of days, weeks, months, or sometimes years, SOMEONE finds a way to "do the unthinkable."
A prime example can be found in the world of sports. The 2008 Olympics just passed and it seemed that in almost every event (including even the qualifying matches) a new Olympic or World Record was being set. This astounds me, but yet it doesn't. In order for an athlete to leave their signature on history, they must achieve the "unachievable."
Another example rests in the technology we use each day. Just when we think that computers and data processors can't get any faster or more complex, they do. There is always a new "improvement" or "upgrade" just around the corner. What you buy today will be "outdated" in a matter of weeks or months.
So, where am I going with this? How does this apply to music?
I recently have adopted this mindset of asking myself "what can I NOT do?" or "what SCARES me when I see printed on a page?"
We all have this experience in our musical lives--some more often than others. We are handed or assigned an etude, excerpt, or solo that, when we peruse, gives us an initial moment of sheer panic and terror. We think, "Wow. Ya' win some, and ya' lose some. Today's not my day."
But what separates the athlete who merely qualifies from the one who set the new world record? What separates the musician who has conquered the instrument and displays jaw-dropping technique from the one who does not have vast control over their instrument? What stops me from doing what I think I cannot do?
My answer: fear of the unknown and a lack of inspiration to persevere even though the task may require painstaking experimentation and patience in order for a solution to be discovered. Some reading this may say, "well duh!" A life lesson to learn indeed.
Often in my own playing (as I've discovered recently) with a little patience and a lot of perseverance, solutions to technical problems often present themselves. And the feeling after they are solved is one of this: "why didn't I just persevere and accomplish this sooner? It wasn't THAT bad." And then tackling the "scarier" challenges seems fun and exciting!
This post may have seemed "elementary" to some, but in life it seems that we truly learn as we remember and re-learn previous discoveries. The more we experience something, the more it is ingrained into our being. This is something I've learned AGAIN. (Maybe now I won't forget this lesson so soon!)
A prime example can be found in the world of sports. The 2008 Olympics just passed and it seemed that in almost every event (including even the qualifying matches) a new Olympic or World Record was being set. This astounds me, but yet it doesn't. In order for an athlete to leave their signature on history, they must achieve the "unachievable."
Another example rests in the technology we use each day. Just when we think that computers and data processors can't get any faster or more complex, they do. There is always a new "improvement" or "upgrade" just around the corner. What you buy today will be "outdated" in a matter of weeks or months.
So, where am I going with this? How does this apply to music?
I recently have adopted this mindset of asking myself "what can I NOT do?" or "what SCARES me when I see printed on a page?"
We all have this experience in our musical lives--some more often than others. We are handed or assigned an etude, excerpt, or solo that, when we peruse, gives us an initial moment of sheer panic and terror. We think, "Wow. Ya' win some, and ya' lose some. Today's not my day."
But what separates the athlete who merely qualifies from the one who set the new world record? What separates the musician who has conquered the instrument and displays jaw-dropping technique from the one who does not have vast control over their instrument? What stops me from doing what I think I cannot do?
My answer: fear of the unknown and a lack of inspiration to persevere even though the task may require painstaking experimentation and patience in order for a solution to be discovered. Some reading this may say, "well duh!" A life lesson to learn indeed.
Often in my own playing (as I've discovered recently) with a little patience and a lot of perseverance, solutions to technical problems often present themselves. And the feeling after they are solved is one of this: "why didn't I just persevere and accomplish this sooner? It wasn't THAT bad." And then tackling the "scarier" challenges seems fun and exciting!
This post may have seemed "elementary" to some, but in life it seems that we truly learn as we remember and re-learn previous discoveries. The more we experience something, the more it is ingrained into our being. This is something I've learned AGAIN. (Maybe now I won't forget this lesson so soon!)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
History and where we are going...
I find it interesting to think about where music has been and where it might be going.
Consider some of the great pieces of classical music which we esteem because they have stood the test of time thus far: the works of Bach, Brahms, Beethoven (our common practice composers), Mozart, and many more. Sometimes I hear a piece of music and think about what it might have meant to people of a different generation. What might those audiences have felt and thought about upon their hearing of it? Fascinating to ponder upon.
But my real question is this: will the works of the great composers still be performed in 100, 200, or even 300 years? Will people still want to hear Brahms 4 or Beethoven 5? Will the repertoire lists be narrowed even further? Will orchestras one day simply play only "Classical music's greatest hits" over and over again? What will it take to bring us to a point like this--and are we already there? Will the popular art music overtake the fine art music?
Hmmm...
Consider some of the great pieces of classical music which we esteem because they have stood the test of time thus far: the works of Bach, Brahms, Beethoven (our common practice composers), Mozart, and many more. Sometimes I hear a piece of music and think about what it might have meant to people of a different generation. What might those audiences have felt and thought about upon their hearing of it? Fascinating to ponder upon.
But my real question is this: will the works of the great composers still be performed in 100, 200, or even 300 years? Will people still want to hear Brahms 4 or Beethoven 5? Will the repertoire lists be narrowed even further? Will orchestras one day simply play only "Classical music's greatest hits" over and over again? What will it take to bring us to a point like this--and are we already there? Will the popular art music overtake the fine art music?
Hmmm...
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