When I was in college, one of my professors told me, “It’s a small world, and in music, it’s even smaller.” He was right. We can often play the six degrees of separation game and not need all six degrees. Everyone seems to know everyone else or can be connected to them through another colleague. It sounds great, right? One big happy family… I recently thought about my own circle of musical friends–folks who I teach with or gig with on a regular basis. There are others that I’m connected with via social media. I feel fortunate to be connected with these people. Many of them make this job a true delight. There are other circles that I would love to get into: gigs or places I want to play, or people I’d like to connect with. Sometimes I’m able to make that connection, and sometimes I just can’t seem to break in no matter what I do. The FOMO (fear of missing out) is real. Being a musician (any artist, really) requires an extreme level of dogged persistence and stubbornness. It means pushing forward when others say no. Finding open doors when others are closed. Staying positive in some ugly, negative situations, and keeping a code of professionalism (and sometimes silence) about those times. It can be truly disheartening at times. And yet–I have a hard time imagining doing anything else. So to all the artists out there–keep moving forward and lifting each other up. I’m with you. I guess it’s a good thing I’m stubborn.
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Last week I discovered that I'm on Spotify (this may be interesting only to me). On a whim, I searched "Keystone Wind Ensemble". I found that all of the albums I recorded as a member of this group can be streamed there.
My time with Keystone began as a recent college graduate. My college band director, Jack Stamp, wanted to record his own compositions and I was fortunate to be asked to play in the flute section. I was thrilled to get a little more time with Dr. Stamp, one of my musical mentors. It was an honor and privilege to be a part of that project. I completed eight more recordings with the group, which focused on important wind band works that had not been previously recorded. We even performed live on a few occasions. Before going to college, I didn't think much of 'modern' music. Most of what I had heard and played up to that point didn't appeal to me, and none of my previous teachers really explained it. Dr. Stamp (being a composer himself) was and still is a huge modern music supporter and enthusiast. In rehearsal, he played the polychords found in William Schuman's George Washington Bridge and would get really excited about those harmonies. I didn't get it at first, but his enthusiasm was infectious. I figured if he was that jazzed by this stuff, there must be something to it. With time, I grew to love it and it remains one of my favorite kinds of music to play. Keystone Winds allowed me to experience the beauty and challenge of creating music for posterity--a large and sometimes daunting task. I remember recording in cavernous Fisher Auditorium, waiting for trucks to drive by on the road so they wouldn't be heard in the take, the immense mental energy and focus needed repeatedly for each take, the sore muscles from sitting for long periods, the laughs when something goofy happened, our 'true confessions' (who messed up on a take), and the camaraderie of the group. I could do a whole post on Keystone recording stories, but that's not my point here. Finding these recordings made me stop and think about the current means of music distribution and 'being famous'. It's so easy to find and listen to music now--waiting for a CD to be released seems like ancient history. While these recordings were certainly important to numerous wind band educators, I wonder how popular they remain (Spotify says we have 847 listeners per month. Is that a lot? Probably not, I have no idea.) So many musicians try to carve out their own following through music streaming. It feels overwhelming knowing how much is out there. How does anyone compete in that space? I'm glad Keystone made the jump from CDs to Spotify, and of my small part in it. I guess it's part of my musical legacy (wow, now I just sound really old). So be it--I'm proud of that work. I leave you with one of my favorites from these recordings: Fisher Tull's "Sketches on a Tudor Psalm". The beautiful, dark opening melody in the saxophones and horns is just wonderful. Tull goes on to break up and mix up the theme throughout, finally to have it regain chorale form at the end. Hey, we'll get a few more spins if you listen! PS: Dr. Stamp, if you're reading this, I have a soft spot for your entire album! (And yes, I still call him "Dr." even though I graduated many moons ago. I'm traditional that way). This has been a bit of a ramble of a blog entry. Thanks for strolling down memory lane with me, and please continue to support new composers! I love having friends who help make my crazy ideas come to life. Sometime back in January of this year, I contacted my friend Morgann and asked her if she would be interested in co-hosting a summer flute camp for high school students this summer. After numerous emails, Zoom calls, and planning on both of our parts, we completed our camp last week. We were small but mighty! Morgann is the flute warmup queen, I think. She had a great variety of different physical and flute warmups. We learned new ones daily. Our other activities included daily flute ensemble reading sessions, geeking out over flutists on social media and YouTube, learning about our flute family tree, strategies for our district band audition piece, improvisation games, juggling, intonation, a funny reference to trolls, and more. We certainly crammed a lot of information into our short time together. I learned a lot from our time together. Thanks to Morgann, I have a host of new flute warmups to try and great reminders about posture and the physicality of playing. Most important, I am reminded to keep seeking out new ideas and information for myself and my students. There is a quote attributed to Michelangleo, saying (at age 87), "I am still learning." A good goal for me, and maybe you, too. |
I Write too!I write about flute, classical music, college auditions, positive mindset, and music advocacy. Archives
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