Step up, Son, and be a musician!
Be still the cockles of my old bitter heart- that nearly brought tears.
Wow.
I posit a question to you, the trombone community, and tangentially address Allen’s question:
HOW, as artists, teachers, humans, and musicians, do we/you convey to our students and the public en masse, that MUSICALITY, and specifically lyric playing of the sort demonstrated by Mr. Shultz is SO much more challenging as an artist and a technician.
I find that to be the largest struggle in the pedagogy of the instrument, the craft, but more importantly, the ART of music making- teaching musicality, emoting, with absolutely uncompromising technical demands.
Doing everything through word, written marking, expression, recording, and experimentation to help them open up there ears, mind, and heart to another level of musicality– it’s something that I struggle with too, but more importantly in an age of technological advancement with immediate results, digital flashing things to distract (and trust me, I LOVE em), how can you teach the tightness you get in your throat and share the ache you get in your heart when you hear something so beautiful, honest, and well presented?
And, how do you inspire your students, colleagues, and self to constantly strive for that higher level of achievement?
DrJ
December 30th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Great Topic! Okay- I’m only a wannabe-trombonist, but I played the trombonanza!! My 42 cents…
First important bit: start ‘em young. This is definitely a “nurture” (rather than “nature”) scenario. A child that hears great, expressive music at a young age will have a better chance of appreciating it as they mature. Also, if you are the main musical influence in a child’s life, make sure that they also know that you care about them. “Stop smiling at me and listen to this Mahler Symphony” is not going to be very effective. “I’m so glad you are happy! Y’Know what makes ME happy? This Mahler Symphony!” is more like it.
Secondly, be content with what you CAN get a young person to embrace. Our “tight-throat, achy-heart” moments are based partially on our own set of experiences, which are DIFFERENT than our students. Therefore, “Madama Butterfly” may tug different heartstrings in us than in our students. It’s like food. I like Thai food. I’ll eat lots of different Thai dishes zealously. If I take a “Thai-f00d-newbie” to a restaurant, I will not expect them to embrace curry-peanut-squid in their first sitting. I will be very encouraged if they like Thai Barbecue chicken and Thai iced tea. Any showing of frustration on my part will be an instant turn-off. Similarly, if a student is touched deeply by the “flower duet” from “Lakme”, I cannot respond with “yes, but that is such a simplistic, bubble-gum aria! Listen to THIS (long-winded but gorgeous aria) instead!!!” Classical taste must be patiently acquired and deepened.
Finally (although by no means conclusively), make extra-musical connections. I find that composer bios (interesting ones), specifically related to a certain piece can personalize it for students. Also, select repertoire (especially for younger students!) that has a visual or concrete dynamic to it. “Untitled etude #4″ will likely be an abstract thinking nightmare for young students, versus “Flock of Birds Rising with the Sun” (ooooooh! Aaaaah!) As the student matures (mentally and musically) they will be able to grasp deeper musical ideas without the need for extra-musical connections.
BEST THINGS I’VE HEARD FROM MY MUSIC STUDENTS:
“Thanks Mr. Noel- I listen to music differently now!”
“You know who’s really awesome? Have you ever heard of Stravinsky? I heard this cool piece called ‘Rite of Spring’! It’s so brutal!”
“We can’t skip (slow middle section of long-form piece). That’s where the music is!”
“What have you done to my son? He knows more about the classical station than I do!!”
“Mr. Noel, you ruined me! I can’t listen to my old pop music anymore! It’s so lame compared to what we played in band!”
Happy Music Teaching!
Adam