Motion Sickness

I haven’t been that active lately about updating the site. We’re in prep mode for the Memphis Symphony Principal Clarinet audition as well as my upcoming doctoral recital.

Honestly though, I don’t much care about what happens with the Memphis audition. I’m really doing it for funzies, and the audition experience. These are experiences that I think every great teacher should have,. Otherwise, how would you teach your students about the audition process.

I’m actually more concerned about my recital. Well, not really concerned, I’d rather focus my energy on sculpting a really wonderful musical experience. Cultivating that level of musicality takes time (duh), lots and lots of score study, singing, listening, and making really wonderful music.

The Program:
Stravinsky – Three Pieces for solo clarinet
Schumann – Three Romances, Op. 94
Dana Wilson – Liquid Ebony
Schubert – Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, Op. 129
Theresa Martin – Solar Flair for two clarinets

I’m currently studying the Schumann and, well, it has been an interesting journey. Every recording I’ve listened to, and I’m up to 12 now, has given me the most horrible case of motion sickness. It’s as though everyone has to stretch and compress the beat at every conceivable moment. Makes me think of people that you meet for the first time and they really try to make a strong impression, but way too strong of an impression making them seem really fake.

Yeah. You get the idea.

I’ve spent a considerable amount of time analyzing the piano part, singing the clarinet part while playing the piano, etc. etc. You know, Schumann knew what he was doing and he made it glaringly obvious by the harmonic rhythm, texture, and counterpoint. Going back and listening to those recordings makes me more ill than before because now the augmentation of the rhythm and compression of the phrasing makes absolutely no sense.

I appreciate what those musicians are trying to do, but it still has to make musical sense. You can’t just willy-nilly rubatoevery other measure. Make logistical, not necessarily predictable, and sensible phrases.

Stepping off soap my box and heading back to practicing.

Can We Hammer Time?

Mother. Of. Pearl.

Today has been the longest day that I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in quite some time. Roughly around 5:35pm, I finished up my soul-sucking-death-causing research paper. I tried to calculate the total number of hours I worked on that damn paper…alas…I failed. I know that I spent somewhere near 17 hours actually writing the damn thing. That, of course, does not include the countless hours of me sitting in front of a computer screen, editing the little cow.

Funny, out of those 17 hours of writing, I bet 10 of them were spent screaming: “WHAT IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS PLEASANT AM I TRYING TO SAY?!” It was like a screaming match between me and the computer. I’m just grateful for my computers patience and sweet disposition…’cause I lost it at one point.

Post turning in my paper in I celebrated with…a ridiculous sized coffee from starbucks and one of their overpriced, not very tasty, ham and swiss sandwiches.

I was hungy, what can I say?

After my night class I was just about to torture myself into practicing when I was attacked by a fit of coughing. It was almost as though my body was READY to shut down. Packed up my life, threw small children out the window, and walked home to indulge my senses in some trashy Netflix instant watch.

I get home, log in to netflix only to find out that my password is no longer the same and I cannot remember it to save my life…I authorize that little thingy to email me a link to create it…this was an hour ago, mind you….and I’m STILL waiting.

In other news, my green tea tablets came today. Now, lets see if they actually work….

Tomorrow, I will practice like it’s my job.

Oh, shit, wait….it is?

Face Fatigue

I just recently changed my embouchure and am having some really wonderful results.

Playing is extremely easy, I’m no longer biting (well, sort of not), and my legato is luscious…

Overall, I’m pretty happy.

Except…the fatigue. It’s literally killing me. I can only hash out about an hours worth of practice, if I’m lucky, before I feel like I just got a Botox injection.

Okay, maybe there are a few not so happy moments… Like continually having to stop and reset, or not really knowing where my bottom lip is resting.

Regardless, the pros outweigh the cons; my color palette has vastly expanded and I love how easy it is to play now.

All in good time, though, everything will settle down, things will fall into place, and i can focus my frustration on something else..

Like actually playing the clarinet…..

Learning through Rote – Does it work in music, or is it wasting time?

I was recently asked to write a letter of recommendation for a professor I had during my masters degree at Ithaca College. I can’t tell you just how honored I was! It’s these sort of things that make me feel like, to some degree, I’m making a positive change! I was also pretty excited to write the letter because that professor has (and continues to be) been a major influence on my life and career. He inspired me to reach for the stars!

Of course I’ve composed numerous recommendation letters before, but for some reason this one really caused some serious writers block. No doubt a result of the pressure I was putting on myself to make sure it was a great letter, showing the teachers quality of character, educational examples and direct influence on me, as well as showing the teachers unequivocal loyalty and dedication to his art, students, and education.

Needless to say, it took me quite a few days, many cups of coffee, tons of turmoil (mostly because I kept yelling at myself for not making any sense), and maybe a few tears (maybe).

Nonetheless, during that adventure, I spent a lot of time researching various philosophical methods related to teaching. One that I came across that made me stop and think, and ask a lot of questions, was the idea of “rote teaching.”

As I’m sure many of you know, rote teaching is the act of repetition as a means to memorization. Though that sounds just fine, it actually bypasses essential criteria around the learning and educational process; repetition doesn’t teach you the over-all purpose of something, or the cause and effect theory. In actuality it’s just a glorified word for cramming. There’s a huge movement (I’m PROBABLY blowing that slightly out of proportion, as far as a huge movement) in the U.S. to push “rote” teaching out of the classroom, particularly in mathematics.

I agree, rote learning is just ridiculous if it can’t be used as a way to support over-all concepts and more broad ideas.

While I was trying to fall asleep last night, and failing, this concept of rote learning kept popping into my head and its relation to the clarinet. But you could apply it to music in general.

I’ve got quite a few ideas that I’m working over now and trying to decide whether or not rote teaching in music is either positive or negative. Of course, I want to lean toward the negative, but I’m hesitant because that’s how I learned the material for years. Maybe because I don’t want to accept that I could have potentially learned material twice as fast as I did….

But whose fault is that? Mine? But I was a young kid, I only do what you tell me to do! (to some degree)

Now, given today my practicing is quite a bit different from what it was – I’m more conscientious, thorough, and take more of an analytical approach to what I’m doing.

But, what about our teachers or their teachers? Could we change the mindless repetition that we teach our students to practice, maybe on how we teach scales? I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten a new student, in private lessons, that can play all their scales but has no clue how to: a. construct them, b. know their origin and relationship to other scales, c. know their key signatures, or d. know any systematic approach to figure out the scales on their own without the aid of a teacher or scales sheet.

Hmm. Does anyone know some good theoretical methods? Something out of the traditional pedagogy books, as I’ve most likely read and marked them up to death. This has really sparked a lot of interest for me. I need to do some research.

Learn A Lesson, Or Two!

s an orchestral and performing musician, etiquette is something I take very seriously.

Though you may think that rather odd coming from me considering how I tend to be fairly (okay, maybe COMPLETELY) over the top.

Troublemaker

I learned very quickly, and from personal experience, just how important it is to act and behave in a professional manner in rehearsal settings. I was a very mischievous young student in undergrad and made everyone’s life rather difficult. After being confronted by numerous conductors and professors about my poor behavior and subsequently how it affected me continuing my degree, I learned that some serious changes needed to take place.

Now, two degree later, I don’t take rehearsals with a grain of salt. Regardless of the type of rehearsal, whether it be wind ensemble or orchestra, I treat each rehearsal as a professional and paying gig. There’s nothing that irritates me more than when someone comes into a rehearsal not knowing their part and acting like they have better things to do.

Quite frankly, childish behavior is completely unacceptable in these settings.

I tend to notice the more recalcitrant behavior in wind symphony rehearsals. Why? Because fellow musicians feel like the music is a waste of their time and effort. This type of attitude is egregiously counterproductive to the other musicians that come prepared and are courteous to others. Not to mention the rude factor, especially to those who are there to really learn something.

And, really, this behavior is just setting yourself up for failure in the professional world.

I’m confident in saying that the clarinet studio at CCM has by far the best etiquette when it comes to rehearsals et al. Why? Because the faculty take the time teach and educate us all on what is acceptable and what is not.

I’ve been wanting to write about this for a while and now seems like a perfect time.

Here is a link to one of the handouts we get every year in the clarinet studio. Richie Hawley composed this list of “what to do and what not to do,” and I consider it to be one of the best, and definitive, lists available. This should really be in the pedagogical repertoire of every teacher, regardless of instrument.

I wish this could be handed out to all the musicians in our ensembles and make it a school wide policy. A necessary “Code of Conduct”, so to speak.

Happy Playing!

Hello World!

Hello to everyone! I need to introduce myself. I am Adam’s friend, and I thank him so much for inviting me to do this. Music and writing are two of my passions, and hopefully this will be as entertaining for you as it is therapeutic for me. I am currently enjoying my summer–taking a break from my first year as a Ph.D  student in Historical Musicology at the University of Florida. It’s been a tough year, but also very rewarding. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my interests, and I look forward to continuing and starting a dissertation soon.

I also play for the Ocala Symphony Orchestra as its principal clarinetist. This past season was my first; I won the audition in August 2009 and it’s been a very eventful and wonderful concert season! We played so much great literature, including Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite in March 2010. Let me tell you, THAT was a stressful weekend. I remember calling Adam and just about losing my mind. But, I made it, and it was a successful concert weekend! I definitely put in a lot of practice time for that concert.

One thing that has been really difficult this past year has  been reconciling with the fact that I’m no longer a “performer” in the sense that it is not my main area of focus. After getting a performance degree, and now playing in a professional orchestra, I have a lot of pressure to maintain my performing abilities (or–”keep up my chops”) throughout the school year, and this has been ridiculously difficult. When you spend every waking hour reading for intense seminar classes, it’s almost impossible to ever find even 30 minutes or an hour to play every day. I never ever thought I would be fortunate enough to have an orchestra job–but here I am. I mean, it’s really amazing to me, I still can’t believe I won the audition. However, it certainly comes at a high price, and sometimes I don’t know how long I will be able to continue balancing my playing with my academic work. But I feel like I have to, because the only way I can get a job in the very competitive music world is to be diverse and multi-faceted.

So–what can you expect to read in my blog? Well, honestly, since the summer is upon us, things may be a little dull until school starts back up in August. There probably won’t be a lot of musical discussion until then. I’m taking a bit of a break from the clarinet, which I often feel guilty about, but hey—it’s summer. I would like to fill some blog space with book/movie/music reviews also. I think it will help me to keep writing and find my voice. This is one criticism I’ve gotten a lot from professors so far: that I don’t have enough of my own voice in my writing. I intend to work on that, and what better place to do that than here?

I will try not to get to personal here–but there will probably be a tangent now and then. You will get to know me, my frustrations, my hopes, fears, my goals and passions, and I hope something I say may inspire you to learn more about the life of a musician/student or even just inspire you to listen to different types of music or explore different literature.

I’m very excited about this. I hope you are too. Feedback is always welcome! And questions!

~Sarah

Where’s YOUR WEBSITE?

I can think of numerous times I’ve been asked by someone (or overheard someone being asked), “Do you have a website?” And I would stand there, all awkward-like, quickly looking for some creative response…other than, “No.”

The future is here and that proverbial wave…has subsided. In the past, we all dreamed about having websites that we could call our own, with pictures, clips, contact information…but we dreamed in 2-D and only waited for that “wave of the future” to be the present.

Well, it’s the present.

Before, we were STUNNED to find out people had sites:

“Holy cow, did you know so-and-so has a website!”

Now, our reactions are:

“What?! How does he/she/so-and-so not have a website? That’s weird!”

As the novelty of having a website has worn off, we can systematically rate pages and websites based on their creativity, style, and content.

Who cares that you have site!

I care more about the product you’re giving me and how you’re giving it to me (Don’t double entendre me!).

Now this post is, and I’m sure most of you gathered that, directed to musicians (and artists). We are a bit more of out of the loop when it comes to websites, blogs, media links and the like. We have our hands in so many different pots these days that it can be really difficult for us to keep-up with the technological advancements of, well everything.

Be that as it may, we still need to familiarize ourselves with the internet, websites, and what fair-market value is when contracting someone.

Plus, we do have exponentially more material that needs to be hosted. More so than say the average business man or what-have-you. We have media, photos, press release and kits, acclaim, bio’s, recordings, blogs, articles, history, discography…and this list goes on. More material equates to more complications and more MONEY.

Here is clarinetist Richie Hawley’s site, check it out! I really enjoy this quite a bit. Richie just got it up and running a few days ago. It’s clean, provides content in an organized manner, gives you tons of information, and well…it’s creative. Richie really put together a site that is both artistically appealing while still taking care of all the nuts and bolts.

If you know any other great sites, please, add a link in the comments!

Musicians and artists should take note, this is a fantastic model for the future.

Cheers – and happy practicing.

Your Acoustical Masterpiece, in a BOX!

oly Chick-Fil-a BATMAN, things are not as crispy as they seem!!

I always have these little endemics of positive thinking and practice; they come every few weeks (or years) much like when lightning strikes that proverbial smart-ass that screams, “MAY LIGHTNING STRIKE ME DEAD.”

He’s dead.

I seldom take into account the acoustical properties of the rooms I practice in. Or, well, I don’t take them into account until I notice how GOD AWFUL I sound! But then I wonder, and wonder as I may, what is REALLY going on here.

I’m finding it really difficult for me to practice in rooms shaped like, well squares.

I know this sounds weird, seeing that 90 percent of the rooms we  are in…are, well, rather square. But, are they, really? Look around you, notice that random nook over there? Or how the ceiling is  just ever so slightly slanted? Yeah, not so square is it?

But, my favorite rooms to practice in are those really weird, angular, and misshapen rooms where the ceiling goes in four different directions and random cabinetry built into the walls, and that fantastic little snack bar precarious placed  in the middle of the room.

Oh, wait, that’s my book bag.

Maybe it has something to do with my “not-so-square” personality. Sandra Rivers told me the other day, “Adam, you are definitely not inside the box…you’re WAY out of the box. Honey, you can’t even SEE the box from where you’re standing.” Thanks Professor Rivers.

No doubt my affection for these bizarre and misshapen rooms has something to do with how the sound waves bounce back and forth in an acoustical masterpiece – or mess, depending on what instrument you play. Giving you that pseudo “wet,” or “live” acoustical room.

And, when you’ve been in those nice “slip n’ slide” practice rooms for a few weeks and then SUDDENLY decide to shift over to the “other” ones, it’s like a catastrophic down pour of frustration.  Things sound exponentially different, and in many cases, WORSE. And, in the end, as I pick my torn and tattered self up off the floor, I feel like all the work I did previously has been COMPLETELY WASTED!

Today, I couldn’t hear my overtones in the “box” of a practice room I was in – and that REALLY bugs the poo out of me! I CAN’T TUNE THEM! And when I can’t tune them, I feel like my life is in shambles.

I’M PULLING MY HAIR OUT HERE!

Yes, I’m being over dramatic…don’t Judge me.

My Bee is Busier Than YOUR Bee

uzzzz. That’s what I want to say as I meander around town weaving in and out of crowds.

I feel like a little bee – a buzzing busy bee. I like it. I’m pollinating.

This week is jam-packed with some really wonderful concerts, recitals, and performances! Peter’s Recital is tomorrow evening and should be a really wonderful event! A rock star with rock star compatriots!

And we, of course, can’t forget about the upcoming concert:nova events! A delectable experience at MCI and another at Via Vite. If you’re planning on going – get tickets AHEAD OF TIME and online at the concert:nova website. They’re $50 dollars online and $75 at the door – don’t miss out on this great discount.

It’s a little more than the usual concert:nova ticket prices, but you’re not only getting an amazing aural and visual experience, you’re getting a fine dining experience too and at a fraction of the fine dinning price! Seriously!

When I was working in upscale restaurants, this sort of premiere and custom cuisine would go for hundreds of dollars per person. And we’re only paying 50 bucks for a concert AND amazing food?!?

Sheesh, I couldn’t imagine who WOULDN’T want to be going to this.

Alas, I understand being a poor student – but if you can afford it, definitely go, it’ll be worth EVERY dime.

More articles coming out this week – a wonderful piece on Naomi Lewin will hopefully be up by tomorrow post some necessary changes from my editors.

And – hopefully – by the end of this week, I’ll have finished my final piece on another soloists. But I’m going to keep that sort of hush-hush for now. I want it to be a HUGE surprise!

I’m really actually excited to write about this musician.

And, post my mass of recitals next week – expect to see a slew of reviews posted in (hopefully) my new page on reviews. I literally have a stack of 6 or so that I need to write and publish here.

Well – keep up the music making friends. There is no other time of the year that is as full with amazing performances as spring is…so experience as much as you can…and write as much as you can!!!

Cheers!

A Beautiful Reminder of My Days In Ithaca

I really can’t think of a particular time in my life where I was as happy as when living in Ithaca. I wonder, and really do, if  the students there realize just how amazing of an experience they’re getting.

The faculty, staff, performers, the city – all have been pivotal in my evolution as an individual, musician, performer, educator, and CLARINETIST.

I remember many many students complaining about the quality of music and musicians at Ithaca – and I always found myself lecturing to many of them that it was not others lack of ability (or in many cases an apathetic disposition to their music education) that should hinder ones development and education. You can get whatever you want out of your education – if obstacles get in the way, then maneuver around them, and transcend to a higher level.

These feelings surfaced tonight because, while searching google,  I ran across a blog posting of my Bartok Contrast performance from 2008 at Ithaca. I remember fondly working with Maeve and Atakan then – we made really great music together and even though we had our rockin’ and rollin’ moments – we were capable of making cohesive and intellectual decisions about the music we were playing. Which, as I get older, I find more difficult to achieve.

I hope they’re doing well! I just thought of all the wonderful opportunities Ithaca afforded me – traveling, performances, concertos, lessons, teaching – so much. I’m so grateful for what I learned there.

Here’s the link to the post and many kudos to Ron Glimour for the beautifully thought-provoking and nice article.