What is the point of music? Is it to achieve Aesthetic perfection through flawless performance and the related ability to discern elite presentation from the merely mundane? Or is it about building, maintaining, and reinforcing human relationships--and the related ability to overcome divisions and speak a language that speaks to us all? Is there room for both? Where do you/ does your ensemble stand? It comes down to how we view the world, our music, and ourselves--and how these fit in with the others. Our view affects the decisions we make and the kind of musician we become. We should know where we want to go.
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I’ve been distracted lately by multiple projects. I’m working on memorizing a clarinet recital and putting together a chamber wind orchestra concert. Preparations for conducting and for clarinet have been fighting for my attention, with less effective time spent on either. It’s in these times that it’s important to remember what the goals are--are the things you’re doing moving you closer to them or not? Maybe one should prune one's daily activities with that perspective in mind.
Planning is vital to success. But it’s easy to get stuck in the planning phase or perhaps in the building of the infrastructure (like tweaking the website or the language in an email, my personal trap). Ensembles require sent emails, contacted musicians, persuaded donors. Planning is only as good as it helps you hit the send button and make the phone calls. Plan to do, then do.
People in all circles get trapped inside their bubbles. Classical musicians in school (as students or professors), in military bands (doesn’t matter what branch), or in regular ensembles are no exception. Pop that puppy by doing the following: first, notice it. Then, choose to leave it by expanding your world in some way, seeing things from a different perspective, trying something for the first time. And then you have to actually do it. It’s a cycle you have to do over and over and over again. Otherwise, you’re still stuck in a (slightly bigger or different) bubble.
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