swing, miss and think

Date: 10/05/13
Orchestra: chamber
Attendance: very good
Repertoire rehearsed: same two pieces. no new piece yet, but perhaps next week!
Little things I noticed: So on the weekend, I guess we have a different custodian/engineer/stage hand (not sure what his title is....) at the MAC. I already forgot his name (I'll ask him again next time), but I LOVE how he remembers howI set up the chairs, and that formation is waiting for me when I get there! Thank you, Mr. Custodian/engineer/stage hand!

Note:
Although it's getting closer, we are still not very comfortable with the Bulgarian piece, yet. I'm sure we will get there soon, but it seems to me that we are way too afraid of making mistakes. I dare say this, but I think the way most adults teach kids about how bad making mistakes is, is wrong. Mistakes are exactly what teaches you NOT to do. So long as you know that they are mistakes, you will try to avoid them next time. A teacher is there to point out those mistakes in case you don't notice. But if you hide by playing quietly, or not playing, then you've just shut your own door to the future. There is nothing either one (teacher or student) can do to improve, if you won't let yourself be heard, by yourself, or by anyone else. By playing, you are constantly experimenting. Even if you play well, by playing, you are asking yourself, "can I do this even better?". So you make yourself try things in different ways, and approaches, and methods. Many of the things you try may not work, but you will learn that sound, and how to produce them, so maybe you can use that sound for something else in the future. That's how you learn things and cultivate YOUR OWN sounds and "voice". And that's what all great artists have - their own "voice" - their own unique way of looking at the world, and not being ashamed of sharing it with the rest of the world - being confident that what you've cultivated over the years brings some kind of benefit (whether it is inspiration for your fellow artists and your students, or simple joy for the audience).

Even if you are still at the point where you are struggling with the notes and rhythm. The more you try, the quicker you'll get it. That's simple enough, right? Isn't that why we are supposed to practice? Practicing is simply, doing, or try doing. It's all the same. Rehearsals are also practices. If there is ever a place to make mistakes, it is during those practices. That is what they are there for.

At the same time, what you need to consider is that, a rehearsal is where you try things out as a group, NOT individually. Meaning if you are hiding, then you are not participating, and the whole practice is wasted, because we won't have all the sounds we need. So it is essential, that you have your notes down somewhat comfortably so people in the group can hear how the piece goes and where you are as a group, so you can figure out how much work you have to do, as a group AND individually. But if there are a few of you too scared to play, we can't even make the first step towards any direction. But even if you make lots of mistakes during rehearsals, it is better to make them LOUD than soft. If there is a loud mistake, everyone will know, and then we can stop and fix it, which is a good thing. If we can't hear the mistakes, we may not notice, and those mistakes will go unfixed, and we cease to improve. THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU CAN MAKE IS TO HIDE BY NOT PLAYING OUT!

Please understand that, when you sign yourselves up to join a group, you have given yourself a rather big responsibility. The more often you swing your bat, the more you will miss, yes. But the more you miss, the more and harder you think about what you can do to change so you can hit the ball next time. The more audible you are the quicker we (or yourself) can fix things, and obviously, the quicker we improve, the further we can go, and that's always a good thing. So swing your bat often and hard, at home AND during rehearsals.