Last night, I finished up my concert season leading up to Christmas with a performance with the Wallingford Community Chorus. It is a non-auditioned group of local people ranging from those in their late 70's and 80's to college kids and high-school students. They also come from all different abilities and skill levels. Some are musician's by trade, some just really like to sing. They are a great group of people, and have the most wonderful attitudes i've ever encountered.
It's a strange contrast between the WCC and the concert choir at school. At school, the group is made up largely of music majors, who eat, sleep, and breathe singing, sight reading, rhythmic exercises, and harmony. We are also under new direction, and there is little joy and desire to perform beautifully because the director doesn't really allow beauty to come out, there is a lot of focus on technical aspects of things, but beauty doesn't seem to be one of those things. Contrasting these two groups in my head on my 50 minute drive home got me pondering the difference between ability and desire, which is better? which would I rather have as a director? Is one more important than the other? The conclusions I came to, somewhat surprised me, as One of the reasons I wanted to teach higher level choirs was for the technical proficiency.
After being on both sides of the musical fence, I have decided that I would rather have people with the desire to sing, over the technically abilities to produce the best sound. Why? It's really simple actually. I mean, one thing i've come to realize working with the community choir is that I have grown as a musician. How could I grow as a musician in a group that is " lesser" then my other groups? Because This group desired to make beautiful music, they had the passion to make their music pleasant and beautiful. Theirs was a sound that could not be produced with technical ability. Over the years as I have studied music and worked with teachers, directors, and vocal coaches, is that passion cannot be taught. Desire and passion have to be within you. Directors and teachers can, as i have experienced, draw the desire and passion out of you to the surface, but you have to have it to be drawn upon.
If you have all the technical ability in the world and have no feeling, you do no good. That is not to say I would NOT want technically proficient musicians, but to say that i DO want passionate musicians. I am a firm believer in the idea that those who lack passion and love tend to be black holes that if not carefully handled can draw the life right out of a group. It would be my ultimate hope that with their powers combined, the technically proficient will rub off on the lesser professional musicians in ability and the lovers of music would rub off on the technically proficient.
I guess, what I really am thinking and saying is : Don't dismiss someone based on their lack of proficiency. You never know the level of greatness someone can reach with a depth of love and desire. They are powerful motivators and greatness can be achieved if only you are willing to find it in others and draw it from them.
Until next time! Keep it Musical!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
The Band Life
I sit here tonight, finally warm and toasty under a blanket after a full day of Marching band, pondering who or where i'd be today if not for marching band. Those who know me may find this silly, as i have only been marching for two years, but I really do consider the band life, my life.
It all started for me with a Woodwind methods class as part of my curriculum at college. The clarinet. Not my first choice of instrument maybe, but my friend had one she was just getting rid of, so me being one to never to leave an instrument homeless, took it and then took on the challenge of learning it. Of course being a vocal major, this confused several of my peers. How could I cross the borders into instrumental land!? It was thanks to a former teacher of mine, hired as a emergency position until the position was filled permanently. He didn't care if you never touched an instrument, he wanted you involved. Before he left, I remembered thinking to myself, " I wish i could be in band with him, i think it would be great!" Then, a good friend told me I should join Marching Band. MARCHING BAND?!?! I looked at her like she was insane. After much prodding and begging, I told her I would give it a shot. Then the news came that he was being replaced. I was very upset, and wanted nothing to do with a NEW person, but because i wanted to honor the work he had done, I decided to give her a shot, see how it went. This will be lovingly regarded as possibly one of the best decisions I have made. My band director is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Kind, professional, and always willing to give you a shot to succeed. Within a few days, I knew I would like her a lot.
Anyway, on to this band life thing. I will never forget the feeling I got walking into the band room on rookie day at band camp. That pit in my stomach saying " Bad IDEA BAD IDEA!! Turn around now!" I remembered sitting there waiting for everyone and the reel running through my head was playing a soundtrack of disaster. " I have no idea what i'm doing. What the hell are co-ordinates? I can barely play a decent scale on this instrument sitting still, now i'm supposed to play AND march AND have it memorized? I'm gonna make a fool out of myself..." Just a few of the many things running through my overactive brain on rookie day. I decided not to run and stick it out. I had agreed to it, my dots were in the forms, and there was no turning back. After a day or two, I think I figured out the commands, though that "Attention" command was the worst! The first night on the field there were like a thousand mosquitos eating my legs and I couldn't move to swat them away. After that, nothing bugged me at attention haha.
Around the 3rd day of band camp, I began to feel that special band camp feeling....Agony. My feet hurt so much to walk on, there were muscles in my legs that I didn't know existed that hurt, I had to most ridiculous suntan known to man, and i was possibly the happiest i've ever been. The music was coming together, the drill was coming together, and I was able to share the agony and the "heck yes this is becoming something" with 55 other people. I'll never forget one night in the middle of camp, probably Wednesday or Thursday night, it was getting dark, the field lights were on, we were standing at attention and I was looking up at the light and the stands as I stood on the yard line. I remembered a feeling of pride, a feeling of belonging, and being a part of something bigger than me. I felt like I was home and that I belonged right here forever.
The people I met through band have made my life that much better, between my friends and my band director, even the staff that she had come in have impacted my life. I remember Matt Parent, one of Dr. Reynolds people giving us a talk about how being in band would be the best part of your life and after band life just goes down hill. At that moment, and this one, I believe that. I believe there will be many great days ahead of me, but I do think that some of the best days of my life have been brought to me by being in Marching band. Here's to many more years of being involved with Marching band and being Home.
It all started for me with a Woodwind methods class as part of my curriculum at college. The clarinet. Not my first choice of instrument maybe, but my friend had one she was just getting rid of, so me being one to never to leave an instrument homeless, took it and then took on the challenge of learning it. Of course being a vocal major, this confused several of my peers. How could I cross the borders into instrumental land!? It was thanks to a former teacher of mine, hired as a emergency position until the position was filled permanently. He didn't care if you never touched an instrument, he wanted you involved. Before he left, I remembered thinking to myself, " I wish i could be in band with him, i think it would be great!" Then, a good friend told me I should join Marching Band. MARCHING BAND?!?! I looked at her like she was insane. After much prodding and begging, I told her I would give it a shot. Then the news came that he was being replaced. I was very upset, and wanted nothing to do with a NEW person, but because i wanted to honor the work he had done, I decided to give her a shot, see how it went. This will be lovingly regarded as possibly one of the best decisions I have made. My band director is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Kind, professional, and always willing to give you a shot to succeed. Within a few days, I knew I would like her a lot.
Anyway, on to this band life thing. I will never forget the feeling I got walking into the band room on rookie day at band camp. That pit in my stomach saying " Bad IDEA BAD IDEA!! Turn around now!" I remembered sitting there waiting for everyone and the reel running through my head was playing a soundtrack of disaster. " I have no idea what i'm doing. What the hell are co-ordinates? I can barely play a decent scale on this instrument sitting still, now i'm supposed to play AND march AND have it memorized? I'm gonna make a fool out of myself..." Just a few of the many things running through my overactive brain on rookie day. I decided not to run and stick it out. I had agreed to it, my dots were in the forms, and there was no turning back. After a day or two, I think I figured out the commands, though that "Attention" command was the worst! The first night on the field there were like a thousand mosquitos eating my legs and I couldn't move to swat them away. After that, nothing bugged me at attention haha.
Around the 3rd day of band camp, I began to feel that special band camp feeling....Agony. My feet hurt so much to walk on, there were muscles in my legs that I didn't know existed that hurt, I had to most ridiculous suntan known to man, and i was possibly the happiest i've ever been. The music was coming together, the drill was coming together, and I was able to share the agony and the "heck yes this is becoming something" with 55 other people. I'll never forget one night in the middle of camp, probably Wednesday or Thursday night, it was getting dark, the field lights were on, we were standing at attention and I was looking up at the light and the stands as I stood on the yard line. I remembered a feeling of pride, a feeling of belonging, and being a part of something bigger than me. I felt like I was home and that I belonged right here forever.
The people I met through band have made my life that much better, between my friends and my band director, even the staff that she had come in have impacted my life. I remember Matt Parent, one of Dr. Reynolds people giving us a talk about how being in band would be the best part of your life and after band life just goes down hill. At that moment, and this one, I believe that. I believe there will be many great days ahead of me, but I do think that some of the best days of my life have been brought to me by being in Marching band. Here's to many more years of being involved with Marching band and being Home.
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