What if?

Date: 11/07/13
Orchestra: CYO
Repertoire rehearsed: Mozart and Faure
Little things I noticed:  Not many things make me happier than seeing people play their hearts out while practicing their parts. When I see that, I see promise. A promise that says, this kid will be just fine.

I just think that if you are able to focus on one thing, and understand it well, and do it well, then you've already proven to yourself and to the world that yes, you are able to achieve something. You have that stamped in your book. You are wearing that badge now. Which I think makes you feel more entitled to, and encourages you to try new things, or go even further in that field. The most beautiful part of this all, is that nobody can ever take that away from you. Once you have it, you have it for life!

If you are a hard worker, you are most likely seeing any difficulties and obstacles as "challenges" that test your wits, skills, and mental strength. You are seeing difficulties as motivations, not discouragements.

And sometimes, that's all it takes. Just shifting the way you look at things. Work becomes a game. Failure becomes a motivation to do better. The better you become, the better you become. The more you fail, the bigger you smile, and the harder you work.

As a kid, I used to hate beating a video game, because that meant there is nothing more to play afterward (actually I never did beat one anyway...  I was terrible at them...). Nevertheless, I still would wish that there were games that lasted forever.

As an adult, I now know that I actually live in one. And it's free :)

If "failure" is actually a "challenge", then would it be possible that the ONLY thing dark about this world is actually your own weakness? What if "anger" was just you being impatient? What if "hatred" was just you being scared and uncomfortable? What if you being "weak", is just that you haven't learned to shift the way you think?.....  Let's say that was the case, then, wouldn't that mean you or I CAN get rid of ALL of those dark feelings? And if each of us can, then everyone on earth can. Does that mean a perfect world is possible? Just by doing something very small inside our brains? Maybe.

Food for thought.

Note:
I just want to say, I'm very pleased with the direction, and the pace, and the quality in which we are progressing toward our goal.

Honestly, with a week off in between, I was a bit worried walking into the building. But when I heard you from the hall way, all my fear vanished. I knew it was going to be a good rehearsal.

I would still like you to practice exaggerating the differences in the characters between each section of the pieces. Take sad or happy notes and really think about what you can do with sound alone (don't change the rhythm or the tempo or the actual notes or the volume) to make them sound really sad/happy. And see if you can do all that from one character to another without speeding up or slowing down.

To change sounds without altering what is printed in the music, for strings for example, you can use different bow speeds, different bow pressures, change vertical and horizontal locations of your bow, change articulations of the bow, use different vibratos, and ways to shift positions, and you can even use different fingerings and decide which string to be on for different notes.... There are many many many many ways to produce sounds and each one different from the other, and different combinations of each aspect gives you limitless choice. You can spend your life time on studying sound production on your instrument, and never get bored with it.

For winds, I can't really help you with this, but I hope that inspires you to try different things on your instruments!

Let's at least start trying a few different things just to see what works and what doesn't. Most things won't (that's why teachers tell you to play in a very particular way, as if it is the only way) but don't get discouraged! There is NEVER just one way to play things. Discover new sounds and make them your own.