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November 30, 2008
Clapping between movements, and others classical music blunders
At a classical music conert, when someone starts clapping at the wrong time-either between movements or sometimes when you thought it was over but oops, they're still playing-other audience members frown, wondering what's wrong with them, don't they know any better. I'm guilty of it myself. Heck, it bothers me when people don't let the last note ring in the hall for a second or let the conductor put down his or her baton before starting to clap. Does this make me a snob? Perhaps. I'd prefer to think of it as I like my musical experience to be complete and interrupted. Sometimes it's an easy mistake to make-you just get to excited and it feels like a big climax, it's natural that when the sound stops, you want to clap-but nope, classical music has rules people. And you should learn them!
But what about the people who are new to the arts scene? Who decided to go hear a concert for once instead of wondering what it would be like? Without embracing new audiences, people ready to learn and absorb music and new ideas, the classical music industry can't survive, so it needs to be careful to not be too elitist. I've been to concerts where there are some discrete notes about concert etiquette and I think that's great-instead of staring at people doing the wrong thing, who don't know any better, give them a chance and I bet they'll figure it out. My high school band director used to do this and it really helped-although my father still complains about the rude audience members sitting around him who talk during concerts or rustle papers or sometimes, just insisted on coming even though they had to cough up a lung ever few seconds. But there is certainly a difference between etiquette and these examples of certainly rude behavior, one that it is important to note.
This whole thing about fear, what's that about? The arts are such a rewarding experience-fear has no place, unless as an emotional response to a work of art (sometimes those Symphonies can be terrifying!) But I guess I can relate. There's a social stigma surrounding the arts where you're just expected to know things. If you're a musician, you should be able to recognize a classical piece within say 30 seconds, or name the orchestra playing, or even, who's the conductor, or in my case, who is playing principal clarinet? How could you just know all these things off the top of your head? You couldn't. I think this expectation is a reflex-I'm guilty myself, where I play something on my computer and seem surprised when a friend doesn't immediately recognize it as say Scheherezade or New World Symphony. It's like duh-I know this, why don't you? But that's not good. There should be no fear or anxiety from not knowing, because by identifying what you don't know, you learn, and then next time you do! So sorry, to all those people who I've offended by assumptions or frowned at for clapping at the wrong time-I'm so appreciative of the fact that you care enough to come and learn. But next time-well, now you know better.
Posted by srelder at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2008
Detroit Symphony in Trouble? Uh oh!
Unsurprisingly, given the currently disastrous state of the Michigan economy, the Detroit Symphony is battling some fairly major financial issueswith year-end losses totally around half a million. That's a lot right? Apparently not... comparatively, given the orchestra's 31.5 million dolllar budget. Personally, I'm surprised it's not more; every time I go to a concert, unless it's Yo-Yo Ma, there are tons of empty seats, especially in the upper balcony, where it's almost empty. Thankfully for the DSO, they have some very reliable donors, but for how long can that go on?
A shameless plug to go see the DSO at beautiful Orchestra Hall
In these tough economic times, it is not a shock that ticket sales have declined as audience members have less money to spend on entertainment and leisure, but is there anything orchestras can do to combat this trend? Unfortunately, in order to meet budget demands they must keep prices high, but have incentives for someone to buy, otherwise they would have even more empty seats. I'm a fan of the new 3711 program-where I can get a seat in the Dress Circle for just $11. Sometimes when I consider how cheap I am when it comes to concerts-concerts that I undoubtedly want to go to-I wonder if maybe I'm part of the problem. Could I afford the cheapest regular seat? Probably. Do I want to spend the money? Not likely. Do I still want to hear the concert? Of course. It's a vicious circle-if audience members (not including wealthy donors/elderly, but the prospective younger segment) are musicians themselves, it's not likely that their meager incomes will support frequent concert attendance, regardless of how much they'd love to hear a live performance of Mahler 2 or Gil Shaham play the Brahms Violin Concerto. A recording is just not the same! I just hope that they can manage to stay afloat, because the DSO is much too valuable of an asset to Michigan arts & culture to lose.
Posted by srelder at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2008
10,000 Hours of Practice
Sometimes when I'm sitting in the 5'x5' room with just one tiny window for hours on end, struggling through some difficult passage of music (I'm a clarinetist, by the way), I wonder why I'm there. Is that really what I want to do all my life, sit in a tiny cell-like room battling reeds and trying to sound better? But then i leave, and I realize I want to go back, and play more. But how much time does it take to reach success? According to Malcolm Gladwell, it takes 10,000 hours. If that seems like a hell of a long time to you, like it does to me, it's because it is. That averages out to 20-30 hours a week, for 10 years. And we're not talking about just music here-it works for anything, sports, computer geniuses, musicians, you name it. It's an interesting concept-if you put that magic number, 10,000 hours, in, you will have reached the level it takes to succeed.
However, I'm just not so sure about this. It seems like you need to have some natural talent too right? Apparently there's a level where, once ever has reached it, like getting into a Conservatory, everyone has the ability and talent necessary, and it becomes who works the hardest and puts the most time in. I'm sitting here trying to think of the musicians here that are really good, are there any of them that don't really practice? Well, there are a few, but they still practice-or they lie about how much they practice, thinking that if they act like they barely do people will be more impressed with how good they are. So next time I'm lying on the couch watching tv and trying to get the energy to walk to school and get to work, I just need to remind myself that I have a long way to go. After years of slacking, I think I'm well away from that elusive 10,000 hour goal. I wonder if I'll ever get there, and if I do, where will I be. Would 10,000 hours of practice be enough to get me into the NY Phil? Don't know. What I do know is that the people with those jobs have definitely done the work necessary-my teachers have spoken of Ricardo Morales, who is the Principal Clarinetist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and while admittedly he has a vast amount of natural talent, he's been known to practice upwards on 6-8 hours a day for years and years to get where he is now, and still does. Maybe if I did that much I could be there too, but I'm not sure I want to, or that it would be worth it for me personally. If you don't want it, you'll never get it.
In the end, it's actually quite comforting to see that the people we look at who are so successful, including those mentioned in the article-Bill Joy, Bill Gates, Mozart, The Beatles, Steve Jobs, professional hockey players, etc. didn't get where they are now without working hard. They didn't just get handed fame and a few million dollars-they earned it. While there is certainly a huge component of luck involved-being in the right place at the right time (such as being born in 1954-1956-why aren't my parents billionaires???) it takes a whole lot more than that to be a true genius. (We aren't talking celebrities here, that's a whole separate story!) Maybe I'll put in my 10,000 hours, either still as a clarinetist, or in business, something I"m just breaking into, and I'll be somewhere I never expected to be. I'll get back to you in 10 years.
Posted by srelder at 12:32 PM | Comments (0)