Orchestra: Chamber
Attendance: less than spectacular
Repertoire rehearsed: Bach and the Lion piece
Little things I noticed: there were two "bowling balls" made out of styrofoam in the kitchen, that looked very real, but I didn't mention it to anyone so you don't get distracted by them. I thought of throwing one of them at one of the students to surprise him/her, but I decided not to... I didn't want any harm done to the balls...
One concern: So I'm thinking of moving the rehearsal time fifteen minutes earlier (ending fifteen min earlier too of course). Everyone is arriving later and later to the rehearsals. Normally I wouldn't mind. I'd just extend the rehearsal for however much we lost due to kids' late arrival. But I can't do that on Saturdays, because I don't want to miss my train, which I often do anyway. And when I do miss a train, I stand outside for another hour, and it's really inconvenient for me. I mean I don't usually book things on early Saturday evenings, but sometimes I have to. Also, please keep in mind that it takes two hours for me to get there, and two hours to get back home. That plus another unproductive hour is just sheer annoyance. I'm hoping fifteen minutes change won't make a huge difference to most of you, but it would sure make a huge difference to me. But even if we decide to move 15 minutes earlier, please try to come BEFORE the rehearsal time. "Rehearsal time" indicates the time when the the rehearsal starts, NOT when you are supposed to arrive.
Note:
I took these pictures on the train back home (which had really dirty windows)
And of course, me being me, I start thinking about how universal this beauty is. Everyone on earth understands this beauty, and for the most part (I would think) they would agree that these images are "pretty". (Of course, it looks much much better if you were actually there, rather than looking at these terrible photos from my three year old cell phone...)
I don't think anyone understands "why" humans think sunsets are pretty. There doesn't seem to be any logic behind it. And universal beauty is not limited to sunsets, but also lakes, mountains, or smell of the rain, woods and flowers, sounds of the river, birds, and waves, and even thunder (if they are far enough). We understand that everything in nature is beautiful (as well as sometimes dangerous). It also occurred to me that there has never been a competition among these. There are no sunset competitions, or thunderstorm competitions. We don't look up at a night sky just to determine which star is the prettiest. We look up to enjoy the sky as a whole. Competitions simply don't apply because that very concept is worthless when talking about beauty.
Art in a way, (or the way I see it) is humans' way of trying to connect to these things. These things that are universally and eternally beautiful. Trying desperately to be a part of that beauty.
Now, I consider myself as an artist. That is to say, I'm an artist by choice, not chance. I'm a self-declared artist, and didn't happen to become one by other people's decree. And that simply means that: I choose not to pay attention to commercial things, I choose not to label things black or white. I choose to believe that nothing is ever certain and everything is replaceable. I choose to stare out the windows and ponder these things, rather than playing with my cell phone, or booking my next gig. These are choices that I make. And artists are simply those who make similar choices. And by the way, I despise the term "artist". It sounds fake to me. I use it here simply for the reason of convenience. Really, I'm just a dude, who makes these choices.
That being said, when the students don't play music musically, I just think of it as a matter of choices that they are making. Sometimes, they don't care enough to allow themselves to make different choices, or they are too scared to. But for the most part, the cause is that they don't give themselves enough time and space of their own.
By the nature of the choices, an artist needs his/her own time and space. LOTS of them. He/she needs time to meditate/reflect, to get lost in the wonders around them. To be creative is to be free. Free from conventions, and expectations. And to be free, he/she needs to get away, not necessary physically, but definitely needs a space and time for him/herself, even if the space is a "mental" one. To understand art, one must enter the realm of artists. And you do that by choice. Everyone is born to become whatever they want to be. No one on earth is unable to become anything. He/she just simply must be willing to make certain choices. Sometimes it's just about courage, sometimes it's the environment that you are putting yourself in. If anyone says "No" to you, you must know that that is NEVER true. i just worry a little because so many schools, teachers and parents just simply don't let the kids have any time!
So many adults say "no" to kids these days. Most likely, (and I dare to say this) these adults are driven by convention, and have no imagination of their own.
I was allowed to play with knives and fireworks since I was about four years old. I have never hurt myself, nor have I ever hurt anyone else, accidentally, or on purpose. The experience did give me the knowledge and skill of hurting others if I ever wanted to, but I have a gentle soul, the thought would never occur to me :) Besides, because I was allowed to play with them, I knew of their destructive powers and knew that no one deserves to be hurt by such force.
A different kid was allowed to play with chemicals since he was a toddler. By age 14, he built a nuclear fusion reactor in his own garage. By 17, he travels around the world giving talks to groups of college professors, and government officials, including the president of the US. His name is Taylor Wilson (no, I do not know him personally, but you should look him up if you doubt me). And no, he did not build a single bomb. If he wants to, he can potentially destroy a whole nation!
And who knows what Gillian Lynne would have become if the local child psychiatrist did not tell her teacher and her parents, who thought she had a learning disorder because she couldn't stay still during her classes, "She does not have a learning disorder. She is a dancer!". For those of you who don't know who Gillian Lynne is, she has one of the most successful career in the history of musical theater production. With Andrew Lloyd Weber, she created Cats, and The Phantom of the Opera, and many others. And she is also a multi-millionaire (in case you happen to measure success and human achievements by the money that they make).
I believe that saying "no" only limits the potential. It teaches them that they "can't" do things, even if they wanted to, and makes them think that they "cannot" make certain choices. Of course there are bad choices, but unless you think your kids are intellectually challenged, you don't need to teach them that. They will figure that out themselves.
So if you are ever taught or ever made to think that somehow, you cannot be imaginative or creative, then I am here to tell you that that is not true. You do not have to worry about which Suzuki book piece your stand partner is working on, or what concertos can your friends play. In the realm of beauty and joy, those things mean absolutely nothing. So be free!
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