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Music and its Audience

When speaking about one artform I find it can be useful to view that medium through the lens of another. Having long held an interest in the art of poetry a question lurking in the back of my mind while writing music for ‘(after)’, my ninth album as composer and leader, was tied to an idea discussed on a frequently listened to poetry podcast called ‘Sleerickets’ hosted by poet Matthew Buckley Smith. The question often discussed is: ‘what should a poem be doing for its reader?’ I take this to mean: ‘where should the emotional weight of the poem be felt’ – with the poet who composes the work, or with the reader who takes in that work? I found myself asking this same type of question of my own work as a composer: ‘what do I want the listener to get out of listening to my music?’

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Music

Design and Implementation of Online Music Teaching in the Context of Closed Isolation for Epidemic Prevention and Control: A Case Study of Guangzhou Xinhua University’s Closed Isolation

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Design and Implementation of Online Music Teaching in the Context of Closed Isolation for Epidemic Prevention and Control: A Case Study of Guangzhou Xinhua University’s Closed Isolation Open »

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Endless Becoming — The Process of Lifelong Learning in Music amid a Landscape of Expectations, Goals, and Perceived Success

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.

Endless Becoming — The Process of Lifelong Learning in Music amid a Landscape of Expectations, Goals, and Perceived Success Open »

Music

The Healing Power of Aesthetics

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.

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Trumpet

I’m not Meant to be a Musician

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.

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