From the Podium

On the Lifelong Enjoyment of Music

Last week I was invited by the Mott College Music Department in Flint, Michigan, in conjunction with the Flint Concert Band, to be an Artist in Residence for the week. I gave masterclasses to students from the trombone studio of Mott College and the University of Michigan-Flint, and I was the soloist for Steven Rosenhaus' 9 Feet of Brass, a Concerto for Trombone and Band, a piece I commissioned, and gave the world premier performance of last year with the Sacred Heart Band, with the composer conducting.

In the masterclasses the trombone players were all eager and enthusiastic. Some wanted to be music teachers, others were performance majors with interests that ranged from popular/jazz styles, to wanting to have a career as an orchestral trombonist.

The Mott College band is made up of a combination of music majors and non-majors. The Flint Cncert Band is made up of community members, some of whom are music teachers, but most are amateurs who love performing.

The word "amateur" gets a bad rap at times. People often use that word to express frustration with an individual, or individuals, who fail to perform up to expectations. Have you ever heard th expression "What is this!? Amateur hour!?"

The word amateur comes from the French and means "lover of", this can be traced back to the Latin amator which means "lover". To say that someone is an amateur musician is to simply say that they are a lover of music. My goal as a music educator is to help my students reach their full potential as individuals. Music is my vehicle to achieve that goal. One of the things that gives me great joy is to see musicians pick up their instruments years after they've left school, or in some cases still playing years after they've left school. Community bands and orchestras are made up of amateurs, those who truly love music and perform even without getting paid to play it.

Every time I hear a community ensemble I know that somewhere they have a HS or college band director who is beaming with pride, myself included, knowing that their love and passion for music-making is being carried on by a former student.

Ive conducted a lot of community ensembles over the years. Bands, orchestras, even an opera company. One of the first ensembles I conducted was a string orchestra in Pittsburgh called the Tuesday Musical Club String Ensemble. They were made up of about 30 amateur musicians, most of whom were well past 65 years of age. The oldest member, a violinist named Izzy, was 104! And he could still play.

As I listened to the Flint Concert Band last week I was reminded again of the power of music to bring people together, and to bridge divides. The energy, joy, and raw emotion of music is sometimes more easily expressed by those who carry the flame with them throughout their entire life than by those who have made a career of it who's livelihood depends on perfection every single time. Perfection is a goal to strive for, so long as in the process of striving for it a musician hasn't lost his soul, his ability to move someone with their music.

If you are a musician I encourage you to dust off your instrument, practice a little bit, maybe find a teacher to help you get back into shape, and then find a band or orchestra in your community and start sharing your passion of making music with others. Be one who loves making music. Be an amateur!

 

 

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Music Lessons on Webcams Grow in Popularity - NYTimes.com

Now he is getting lessons from a top-tier teacher — Jori Chisholm, whose résumé includes a first-place award at the 2010 Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon, Scotland. Mr. Chisholm lives in Seattle, but distance is no longer a problem — Dr. McClure now takes lessons over Skype.

via www.nytimes.com

I recently gave someone from another country a lesson via Skype, and I was reminded again at how much technology is changing the way we interact with each another in every way imaginable.

I remember when I was in grad school my next door neighbor was working on his PhD in Robotics and Computer Engineering. His work focused on developing a robot system that was designed for performing surgery remotely, and also writing the software program that would run the robot and allow a surgeon effectively perform the operation. I remember thinking how amazing it was that this was something that could be done (and that hey! I know a guy who's work will lead to its development!). But I also remember wondering how things will change in other areas of our lives with the creation of a "remote control" world.

Certainly with the good comes the bad, but our ability to connect ourselves at great distances, in HD quality, with just the cost of a computer and an internet connection I find amazing.

Now don't think that I'm advocating for all teaching to be replaced via Skype. One of the greatest assets live music has over canned music is the quality of sound that a live performance offers. (By the way, did you know that John Phillip Sousa, the "March King" is credited with coining the phrase "canned music") Most computers have small utility microphones, and average quality speakers. So you can never be 100% sure of how god the sound is coming out of a students horn. Sometimes the music might skip a slight beat. Was it a problem with the bandwith, or computer? Or did the student mis-count?

On the other hand the prospect of interacting with, and offering feedback to musicians and students from all over the world is exciting, and energizing.

How about you? If you could study any instrument, with anyone, from anywhere in the world, what would you do?

Noah Built an Ark

(As we prepare for Hurricane Sandy, I thought I'd reblog some thoughts - of a decidely Unitarian  nature - I shared with the band last year as we prepared for Hurricane Irene that hit New England during our band camp. I don't recall which UU Minister originated the bones of the sermon that I used for this, so I offer a broad thank you to whomever.)

Noah’s ark was built for survival, not for sailing, not for exploring, not for making a big journey.  Sometimes we need an ark—a safe, dry place to wait out the storms that happen in our lives. 

While there may not be a lot of historical truth behind the story, I think we can find some spiritual truth in it.

You know the story.  God woke up one day and decided that humans were incapable of living together in peace.  So he decided to destroy the whole thing in one big flood, after which he would start the world over.

But before he destroyed everything he found a righteous man, Noah.  “Noah was a righteous man in his generation,” Genesis says.  God told Noah to build an ark, 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.

The design for Noah’s ark didn’t include a sail—there was no rudder, no anchor, no compass; a strange design for such a big boat on such an important mission—the mission was to preserve life on earth!

The big boat was not built to go anywhere—it was built for shelter from the storm--forty days and nights of heavy rain.

What does that mean:  he was a righteous man in his generation?  All we know about Noah is that he did what he was told.  He didn’t ask questions.   Noah wasn’t a Catholic.  In fact, Noah wasn’t a Jew—the Jewish religion started with Abraham, presumably a direct descendent of Noah.

Abraham, was a righteous man in a later generation; Abraham, or Abram, mounted an army to strike back at the invading army that had kidnapped Lot, the son of Abram’s brother.  Abram’s Pursuit (also the title of one of the pieces in our 2011 field show) resulted in him getting back Lot, and all of the people who had been kidnapped.

After the rains, Noah sent a dove to search for dry land, but the dove came back empty handed, so to speak.  This happened a few times, until one day the dove finally found a fresh olive branch, indicating that the water had receded, so they could begin the task of rebuilding.

The olive branch is an emblem of peace.  God put a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of making peace with humanity, through Noah. 

There is another ark in the Bible, that’s the ark of the covenant—the sacred container of the Ten Commandments, which symbolize order.  Without order there is no freedom—there’s simply chaos.  Both Noah’s Ark and the Ark of the Covenant are symbolic of a promise of order out of chaos.

Sometimes storms can be violent and uncover things we’d rather not see.  Both literal sights we’d rather not see, as well as truths about ourselves we’d rather bury and ignore.  Sometimes those storms uncover great things though.  Things that are inside us that we never would have discovered if we hadn’t going through the ordeal in the first place.

Noah was a righteous man ‘in his generation.’  What does it take for us to be righteous in our generation here?

Righteousness is closely tied to justice: to do good. 

James 2:24 says “a man is proved righteous by the things he does, not just by his faith.”

The righteous person in our generation must be someone who is willing to do something.  The righteous person in our generation, is someone who is here to do something, not just for something to do.

After the storm passes it will take time to clean up, and life to return to normal.

But my hope for you is that after the storm you’ll all emerge from your own ark, and you will have  discovered something new inside yourself.  And that whether this turns out to be a monster storm, or just a lot of rain and wind, that when it’s over you’ll find your own olive branch, you’ll look up and see a rainbow, and your desire to do something will be even more energized.

That’s my word for you today.

Summer 2012 Music Mission to Haiti

Haitian members of CEMUCHA in Cap-Haitian

I've just returned from a month-long trip to Haiti, where I taught at 2 different music camps.  The first camp was in Cap-Haitian in the northern part of  the country, sponsoered by an organization called CEMUCHA, an association of Christian musicians.  This was only the second year of this re-estblished camp (it had been very successful up unil the early 1990's as I understand it), and it provided intensive trainig on all orchestral instruments, as well as a choir, and guitar ensemble.  There were 3 large ensembles: an orchestra, concert band, and beginning strings, plus the choir.

Me giving a trombone lesson in Cap-Haitian

Conducting the final concert in Cap-Haitian

Cap-Haitian is a charming little city in the north, and was the old capital of the northern part of Haiti after it won independance in 1804.  Home to King Henri Christophe, he built a lavish palace, and the impressive Citadelle, the largest fort in the western hemisphere.  

The view as we appraoched the Citadelle.  It took us another 30 minutes to reach the fort.

The fort, built between 1807-1814, was built to repel an invasion from Napoleon's fleet.  This invasion never came, and after the great earthquake of 1875 the palace was destroyed, and the entire facility was abandoned.  

Me on top of the Citadelle

Today it exists as a tourist destination.  It takes just 1 hour to get up to the Citadelle (a 3,000 foot climb on horseback), and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to experience some of the most fascinating history anywhere.

From Cap-Haitian I traveled overland, and through rivers (and I do mean through!) to the central plateau region and the rural village of Cange.

Along the way we stopped in the town of Hinche for lunch, and to see the stunning Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in the center of town:

Exterior of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Hinche

Interior view of the Cathedral on Hinche

Best known for the sprawling hospital complex built by Manmi Lasante and Dr. Paul Farmer's organization Partners in Health, Cange is truly rural.  The music camp, run by the Holy Trinity School of Music in Port-au-Prince, has been operating every year since 1971.  Even during those years of great political instability (the late 1980's following the ouster of President Jean-Claude Duvalier; the coups of 1991, and again in 2004 that put President Jean Bertrand Aritide into exile); the food riots of 2008; the summer following the great earthquake of 2010, the Holy Trinity School of Music has had a music camp.

The students, who come from all over the country, range in age from 6 years old (boys who sing in the Petites Chanteurs, an elite a capella boy choir) to early 30's, with the average age being early 20's.  The program is staffed by volunteer music professors from the US, Canada, France, the UK, Spain, Columbia, Brazil, and Argentina.  In addition to these individuals,  program support was offered by the Organization of American States (OAS) in the form of a teacher training program that has been ongoing snce 2009, and Luthiers Without Borders, an international group of specialists who make and repair string instruments, and travel to areas in need to train others how to repair and maintain string instruments.   In all, almost 30 talented and dedicated teachers worked tirelessly during the 3 weeks to give the students the best experience possible.

Me with Dr. John Jost (right) from Bradley University in Peoria, and Dr. Jean Montes (left), from Loyola University in New Orleans, with his son Jazz.

I was thrilled with the level of music-making, and so proud of how hard the students worked.  The band performed  in each of the 3 weeks of concerts, with our final performance being the 3rd and 4th movement of Rovert W. Smith's Symphony no. 1 for Band, based on the Divine Comedy.   

Ensemble des instruments à vent (aka: the band!)

I've been teaching in Haiti since 2008, and each time I go the welcome I receive, and the enthusiasm from everyone for what we are doing is incredible.  Yes, Haiti is a country of extreme poverty.  We couldn't drink the water, no hot showers, large malaria-laden mosquito's, never knowing if the generator would give out and we'd be in the dark.  It can be opressively hot and humid.  In the cities, which lack sanitation in many areas, the stench can be overpowering.  Deforestation throughout the country has led to severe erosion of topsoil, and creates layers of dust.  But I find the people to be incredibly passionate about life.  They live in a world that is not entirely of their making (read Amy Wilentz' book "The Rainy Season", or Paul Farmer's new book "Haiti, After the Quake"), but they remain hopeful.  They have not adopted the more jaded view of music, as many American's have, that it is a product to be consumed, and it's worth is measured in terms of it's ability to generate dollars.  "Music", as one of my Haitian friends said "is about elevating the human spirit beyond our daily existence, and giving us the opportunity to get closer to god."  

I couldn't have said it better myself, and I hope that I'm able to share that same sentiment with my students here at Sacred Heart.

 

SHU Band in Ireland

I'm on a bus headed from Dublin to Dingle. The band left New York a little after 8:30pm for our first-ever international performance tour. We're looking forward to a lot of great concerts and experiences. Stay tuned!

Opening Day of Band Camp

Everyone is here, first pizza of the year!

Getting Ready for 2011 Band Camp - and a Great Year in Music!

Getting ready for Band Camp 2011! We have a great show planned, a lot of new freshmen, and a fantastic touring season. This year will see the band taking a New England Tour (Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts), and our first international tour to Ireland!

Stay tuned for details about the fabulous concert season - including a new faculty recital series - and a new commission from composer Steven Rosenhaus. A very exciting year in music here at SHU!!

The Arts Are Not A Commodity

We're all familiar with this scenario:  finances are tight for everyone.  Schools start to cut those things they deem to be non-essential from their budget.  Government's have less money to spend, so they cu things they believe to be non-essential from their budget.    How do we determine what is essential vs. non-essential?  Very often we couch things in financial terms, and decide if the return on a financial investment is worthwhile or not.  If something doesn't generate a tangible - specifically a financial - return, it is often tossed onto the pile of non-essential items.

Math, science, reading, and writing.  These are subjects that everyone agrees are important to teach (even if they don't agree on what books students should be reading, they agree they should read).  In order to be able to market ourselves, to get a job, we need to be able to read, write, have basic math skills, and have an understanding of the scientific method and of the world around us. These help us to get a job, and to make a tangible contribution to that job.  Fair enough.

But when it comes to the Arts, Americans are less certain about how they contribute to the world.  I think this is mainly because the Arts were never intended to be a money-making venture, and this goes counter to most Americans experiences.

Historically, the arts have produced great works, at an ever-increasing level of excellence in performance.  But this comes at a financial price, and always will.  It almost always falls on a smaller group of people who have recognized the intrinsic value of a Beethoven symphony, or a Puccini opera, and who have the financial means, to help bring these works to the greater population.  To sit and listen to the plaintive strains of the second movement of Beethoven's 7th symphony - a crying and yearning that tears at your soul while expressing great hope for the future - is an unforgettable experience worth hearing again and again.  In Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, as the opera comes to a dramatic close after Canio stabs his wife and her secret lover, his anguished cry "La Commedia è finita! " still sends a shiver down my spine. And it's been 20 years since I last saw this opera!

But many American's have adopted, and accepted, the notion that if something cannot support itself financially, independent of fundraising and/or government support, then it must not be worthwhile, and therefore it's demise is a natural part of our capitalistic society.

The arts fill a multi-faceted, and complex role.  Classical music for example, can help affirm our sense of beauty and wonder.  It can also elicit feelings of darkness and despair.  Art may reflect a joyful innocence.  But it may also be disturbing and ugly.  Joy and despair, sorrow and hope.  Combine that with the reality that the arts are not always about instant gratification (such as a 3 minute song on your pop radio dial), but often a longer journey that we carry with us well past the performance, and in the age of the internet you have a recipe for something that is going to be short-lived.

And so this brings me back to how do we, as a society, determine that which is valuable and worth investing in, from those things who, should they no longer exist, not be missed.  The short answer for me is that not everything is about making a profit.  Why is it so terrible that some things  just break-even, or are supported by public funds?  Why is it such a bad thing to invest in things that enhance our quality of life, and even give our lives a deeper meaning, and a richer experience?  We accept that organized religion can fill a spiritual need, but we are often too quick to dismiss the need fulfilled by music, art, and drama.  

I believe that this treatment of the arts as commodity instead of an expression of our shared humanity, is a view that we as a society, will eventually reject.  Financial times may seem bleak right now, but we will come around and decide that there is indeed more to life than working 60-80 hours a week, and that we will once again want shared cultural experiences at the deepest level.  We will chose depth of meaning in expression instead of instant gratification.  And we will seek to be moved to explore the depths of our souls in ways that are both familiar, and new.  

I just hope that it happens sooner rather than later.

Merry Christmas

When the song of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among the brothers [and sisters],
To make music in the heart.

It's Christmastime in the City

Christmas is my favorite time of year. There is a magic and a mystery that surrounds this time of year. As a kid I remember waking up in the middle of the night and sitting by the tree in the dark watching it shimmer a shine.

To this day I still feel that sense of wonder and anticipation. I get giddy seeing wrapped presents under the tree!

Over time of course I've developed an appreciation for the holiday that's not centered around getting gifts, but of giving to others. As trying as things might sometimes seem in my own life I understand that there are others who are going through even more difficult times.

So at this time of year I'm grateful for what I have, and try to give back as much as I can.

I wish you joy and peace this Christmas season.