Restricted access This content is exclusive to members of the International Journal of Music. Join now for as low as $1.67 per month… …or get […]
Restricted access This content is exclusive to members of the International Journal of Music. Join now for as low as $1.67 per month… …or get
Performing a concerto with orchestra requires a different skill-set than that normally employed by an orchestral musician, especially a bassoonist. Whereas an orchestral bassoonist will typically carry a prominent musical line for a short time, a bassoon soloist carries most of the thematic material for the concerto’s duration. This requires a deeper dive into a piece’s innerworkings. For my debut concerto as Principal Bassoon of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, I not only faced the typical challenges associated with soloing with an orchestra. I also met hurdles like repertoire changes, shortened timelines for preparation, decision-making processes about errata and interpretations, and new parameters for performance, all while navigating an unfamiliar landscape due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. What I learned in this process enabled me to not only deliver a successful performance of the Hertel Concerto in A minor for Bassoon, but also prepared me for what challenges lie ahead the next time I’m called upon to step to the front of the stage.
This guide to orchestral auditions will explain a step-by-step approach for building confidence and consistency in the preparation process. By organizing yourself with “the set-up,” “the work,” “the mantras,” and “the moment,” you will develop a thoughtful and personalized approach for tackling auditions.
Guide to Orchestral Auditions Open »
As a society, we are increasingly driven by immediate gratification. As artists and performers, this terrain can be quite tricky. We are encouraged to make goals and chase them, to dream, to look for inspiration from examples of excellence all around us. Yet it is often those same examples that lead to comparing, judging and negative thoughts. The goals we set in earnest can easily morph into unrealistic expectations, which in turn can lead to disappointment. Artists can find happiness and satisfaction at every level of the industry, yet so many that have found conventional success nevertheless find themselves unfulfilled. Meanwhile, thriving artists full of confidence and passion can be overlooked and judged for not meeting the conventional ideas of success. We’re often told to focus on the process, but in a business overly concerned with one’s lists of achievements and their timely execution of certain skills, it is easy to strive for results and miss the process altogether. In this article, I hope to offer different perspectives on success and how to manage goals and expectations in a healthy way. I offer practical advice for how to bring process-learning into our practice and performances, and how to find peace with every point on each artist’s unique path of endless becoming.
Restricted access This content is exclusive to members of the International Journal of Music. Join now for as low as $1.67 per month… …or get
My Three Pillars of Practice: Improvement, Maintenance, and Discovery Open »
Restricted access This content is exclusive to members of the International Journal of Music. Join now for as low as $1.67 per month… …or get
Practicing for Auditions with Technology Open »
In this article, the author follows diverse aesthetic, therapeutic and educational facets of musical reception and production. From the levels of meaning of the aesthetic in art and music, she draws a bridge to the analogy between the love of music and friendship. It opens up listening and musical activity as a physical performance in the devotion to music, in which reflection, experience and action are united. This bodily-aesthetic potential of music can support healing and identity finding in music therapy. Therapeutic work with the medium of music offers sound spaces and resonating spaces that can be experienced by the compulsion of the body and enables one to find one’s own aesthetic meaning patterns.
The Healing Power of Aesthetics Open »
This article delves into the intricacies of trumpet playing, examining the challenges faced by musicians in developing a natural and effortless technique. The study focuses on a diverse group of trumpet players, considering their unique physical attributes and the impact of emotional stress on their learning process. Employing a performativity-based methodology, the research draws on insights gained from a comprehensive review of video lessons and expert interviews.
The results highlight the inhibitive nature of certain playing operations, such as the production of compression in the oropharyngeal cavity when blowing air through closed lips. The study underscores the significance of considering individual psychomotor development and emotional states during trumpet lessons. Over time, tension in the throat can become ingrained in motor skills, hindering progress and potentially leading to motor reflex disorders.
In conclusion, the research emphasises the predictability of motor skill difficulties, suggesting that a deeper understanding of the initiation process in trumpet playing is essential. The findings call for a re-evaluation of teaching methods, advocating for a self-led learning model and emphasising the need for trumpet teachers to possess and impart a wealth of truthful information. The article concludes with a call for a shift in perspective, urging students and educators to explore alternative learning strategies, akin to the adaptive approaches employed by admired and talented trumpet players. This study opens avenues for future research into refining teaching methodologies and fostering a more nuanced understanding of the complex interplay between natural abilities and learned skills in trumpet performance.
I’m not Meant to be a Musician Open »
