To the Church Music Director

     This post is about offering some helpful advice to church music directors who hire professional freelance musicians to play for special services, such as Easter, Christmas, etc. I don't know if any church music directors read this blog, but who knows? I'm expecting some readers to comment with their own experiences and suggestions, so this could grow into a valuable resource.
     First, let me say that I love church music. While I was in grad school, I worked part time as the orchestra director at First Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, AL. Also, I love playing church gigs. Besides providing a little extra cash, these performances can be musically rewarding and spiritually satisfying. We get to play in some of the most beautiful buildings in town, and the audience is always tremendously appreciative.
     Church gigs can also present some unique challenges. Sometimes rehearsal time is very limited, and the physical space we're assigned is even more limited. We are often asked to make last minute changes or additions to what we're playing. And many times, we are combining forces with amateur musicians that play at that church regularly.
     If the music director does what they can to make the experience a positive one for the instrumentalists, then they can be assured of getting the best talent to fill their needs in the future. These are just a few things that I think even experienced music directors might overlook:

Building vs. Sculpting

     There is a legend that goes something like this:

A man who was seen chiseling a rock into a beautiful horse was asked, "How do you make a sculpture of a horse?" The artist responded, "I simply chisel away everything that doesn't look like a horse."

     Supposedly, Michelangelo himself put it this way:

"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."

Scale Pong!

     This is a game I invented to play with my horn students each semester before scales tests and juries. Here are the basic "official" rules, which seem to change slightly each time we play:

The Most Interesting Things

     On a recent Friday, I noticed that attendance was down in my Music Appreciation class, so I decided to give the ones who were there an easy way to earn a few extra points. I asked them to write down the answer to this question:

"What is the most interesting thing you've learned in this class so far this semester?"

     Some of the answers were too good not to share. Here they are, unedited, of course...

Follow-up: A Small Huge Equipment Change

     As promised in my last post, "A Small Huge Equipment Change," I'd like to offer a quick update on how the change to a wider internal diameter mouthpiece rim is going.

A Small Huge Equipment Change

*Disclaimer: While I like to think many of my posts appeal to a wider audience, non-horn players will have to excuse me while I geek out on this one!

     About 3 weeks ago, I changed my mouthpiece rim.  I'm not one of those players who changes mouthpieces and horns all the time.  In fact, other than a change in my mouthpiece cup a few years ago, this is the only equipment change I've undertaken in the last 9 years.  I usually subscribe to the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."  Or, as this cartoon illustrates...

But, this is a change I've been considering for a while, and so I finally took the plunge.

I Love the Olympics

     As long as I can remember, I've always loved watching the Olympics, and the past 2 weeks I've been tuning in as often as I can.  I think one of the reasons I enjoy it so much is that I can relate to the athletes (in a metaphorical way...).

Saint-Saens' Morceau de Concert, Op. 94

I’ve been involved with a project for the past three years that has finally come to fruition!  My colleague at WCU, pianist Andrew Adams, and I have created a critically revised performing edition of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Morceau de Concert, Op. 94.  This has recently been published by Faust Music.

SMBQ Jamaica Tour 2012

     The SMBQ travelled to Jamaica May 13-20, and we played a total of 6 concerts in Kingston and Montego Bay, mostly at all-girls schools.  We played for some huge audiences (1500+), and they were very enthusiastic!  For the majority of these girls, this was the first time they had ever heard a brass quintet live, or any brass instrument, for that matter.

Are You Pickin' Up What I'm Puttin' Down?

     I tried a new activity in our weekly Studio Class yesterday: Dynamic Dictation.  If you've been through sight-singing and ear training courses, you know about rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation.  This is when the instructor plays something on the piano, and you have to write down what you hear.  Well, in a Dynamic Dictation exercise, one horn student plays part of a prepared solo, etude, or excerpt, and the rest of the students mark the dynamics they hear.

On Counting Rests

        I recently played Così fan tutte with the Asheville Lyric Opera.  I plan to post more on this later, particularly No. 25: "Per pieta", which has some hair-raising horn parts.  But for now, this is just a quick post inspired by all the counting of rests the opera involved.
        First, an important point for any ensemble playing...

My Philosophy of Teaching

            I recently re-wrote the following statement of my teaching philosophy, and I thought it would make a good post...

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            I believe the job of any teacher is not only to impart knowledge, but also to equip the students with the ability to advance their own learning beyond the classroom.  I face two very different audiences in my teaching.  My horn students are music lovers who need to see “behind the veil” and learn how music is made.  In Music Appreciation class, most of my students are completely new to the world of art music, and need to be convinced that the subject matter is alive and relevant to their lives.

5 Days in the Life

     Tonight I will conclude a busy 5-day stretch that demonstrates what makes my job hectic at times, but also exemplifies one of the aspects I love about my job: the opportunity to perform and make music in a variety of settings. Here are the highlights...

In the Hot Seat

     Last week I had the opportunity to play Principal with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra for Mahler's 2nd Symphony.  I normally play 4th in this group, but due to a couple of absences in the section, I got to play 1st.  If that doesn't deserve a blog post, I don't know what does!

How Much Should a Teacher Play in Lessons?

     I'm a little behind on my Horn Call reading.  Recently, I was reading James Boldin's interview with Douglas Hill in the February 2011 issue (Vol. XLI, No. 2).  This quote caught my eye.  Discussing what it takes to be a successful, effective teacher, Hill says...

"Developing verbal skills is important, and maybe even developing vocal skills, or demonstration skills. I don't demonstrate much on the horn, mostly because I'm not asking people to imitate. If you rarely play for students in lessons, the best sounds come from them. I'm not denouncing imitation - it's useful for many things - but we can get that by listening to CDs." (p. 50)

My Best Practice Advice

     It's been waaaay too long since my last post!  There are lots of reasons for this, but one of my favorite sayings is: "A reason is not an excuse."  I feel compelled to write this post because I've been giving this little bit of advice in several lessons lately.
     Back in February, I posted a list of Practice Tips.  If I could only give one, this would be it:

SMBQ Germany Tour 2011

     I just recently returned from another successful international tour with the SMBQ.  We visited southern Germany May 9-17, playing concerts at some of WCU's sister schools in Ludwigsburg, Weingarten, and Tübingen.
     On the map you can see some of the locations we visited...

A World Premiere: "far beyond the dissonance"

     This week I had the opportunity to give the world premiere performance of a piece for solo horn.  The title of the short but challenging work is "far beyond the dissonance," and it was written by Dr. Greg Robin, a colleague of mine at Western Carolina University...

Recital Prep, Part 5 - Breathe Deep and Blow Fast!

     The title of this post says it all!  It's time to go on stage and play the music that you've worked so hard on.  You've carefully chosen your program, worked out the details, played some run-throughs and mock performances, and you're mentally and physically prepared to play your best.
     While you're on stage, it's important to keep things simple in your head.  I love this quote from Keith Hill and Marianne Ploger at www.musicalratio.com:

Recital Prep, Part 4 - Visualization and Tapering

     I'm a big believer in visualization: imagining yourself in the performance situation as you practice.  This can really play a role from the early days of preparing your music, but should become an even bigger part of your routine once you can play your pieces start to finish.
     In your mind, picture the performance in vivid detail.