We performed 3 Young People’s Concerts on Tuesday. In my career I must have done over 500 YPC’s and I never grow tired of them. I sometimes like to end a program with something that gets everyone jumping, literally this week when they all did the “wave” to Stars and Stripes. Walking outside afterwards, the buses that were all loaded up were bopping up and down…awesome! But not as awesome as the way the audience collectively responded to an off the cuff question…..
Aud.Connect
Revolution for an Evolution part 5 – Initiating Initiative
Initiative like vision cannot be taught directly or by wrote, it’s not something that can be given but something I believe that we all have. It can be awakened in students by placing them into situations that call for them to be socially literate, so that they start caring about their communities, the issues, the people. As soon as they get to a school they need to be sent right out again, as soon as it’s possible…….
Getting my Kicks…….
Next weekend is the last concert of the season and it’s a program I have been planning since arriving in Springfield four seasons ago. It’s part of our mission to make the orchestra a community cornerstone by creating programs once in a while that truly celebrate where we are, which in this case is a couple of blocks from Route 66……
Revolution for an Evolution part 4 – Vision
For me there are are three big things that music students should be engaged in discovering: Vision, Initiative and Sincerity. I say discovering only because I don’t believe these elements can be taught by wrote as they are not skills. They can however be learned, and colleges can play a big role by creating an institutional vision that helps to create an ideal environment to facilitate the learning of these elements…..
Revolution for an Evolution part 3 – To always gain and never lose!
Last week the Boise Philharmonic appointed Robert Franz to be their next Music Director. I know Robert well, he succeeded me in Buffalo and I showed him around before he moved there. We have been in touch from time to time. I was a candidate in Boise also (although not in the final running) and upon hearing the news I was very happy for him and for them…wait a second I’m not supposed to feel this way, aren’t we all supposed to be competitors, fierce rivals, we are conductors, surely there must be some mistake…..have I lost my competitive streak?…..
The Audience Connection – TAFTO 2008
I have been bumped up a day and my contribution for TAFTO 2008 on Adaptistration is up right now. It’s all about mystery shopping at the Symphony! My 4 students from last semester all reviewed a Symphony performance here in Springfield, but this is a review with a twist…literally! Read it here: TAFTO 2008
Revolution for an Evolution part 2 – Breaking Hands
Pianists from past centuries, particularly those who were composers would use the printed notes as a guide or a jumping off point to improvise, as well as engage in “Breaking Hands”, meaning their hands would not rhythmically synchronize with one another. In contemporary musical forms such as Jazz and Pop, these practices are the norm and continue to help keep them current. It brought back a memory of when a great Jazz musician did this in a Classical piece right in front of me, and where schools could take this to help make Classical music current by reaching way back into the past…..
Columbus: Chicken Soup for the Symphony (and it’s not a gimmick!)
Something is simmering in Columbus, but it’s not the usual recipe! I wrote here and here about the initial reactions to what essentially amounts to a gutting of an orchestra. Sure there is anger, but there is also bravery and dignity. The audience from the beginning were empowered and now they are speaking out officially with a web-site that doesn’t sit on the fence…..it is the fence!