It does not happen, typically, as a youngster who is first learning how to find 'middle-c' or add their 4th finger on their violin, but eventually, something often clicks in a developing musicians brain and after that, they are committed to a life of exploring what music can do for and to them.
In my experience growing up as a student musician and then when I became a music educator, I quickly discovered that the lessons learned in the rehearsals, classes, performances, travel to and from festivals near and far, were going to be some of the most important lessons that my students and I could ever learn. The struggles of getting the instruments to 'do what I want it to do', making it sound 'just like the record' or trying to recreate moments that made me 'feel like I had never felt before' were going to impact on me as a performer, teacher, and audience member, like nothing else. I learned discipline as I tried to tame my clarinet, I learned team work as I tried to make my part fit in the quartet we were learning and I learned how to deal with 'no' as I did not earn a seat in the honour band. The countless hours in lessons and masterclasses, driving to and from, purchasing reeds and better mouthpieces, sheet music to learn another piece that would challenge my technique and musical development; all of these purchases were sound decisions that were made along the journey I chose to embark on. I wanted to (and still want to become) the best musician I can be whether it is in the jazz ensemble, in the pit orchestra or in front of the full orchestra and choir. Sharing my love for music with the musicians that choose to participate in ensembles with me will, I hope, get to experience my dedication to making music at the highest level. I often reflect on a quote attributed to the guitar master, Andres Segovia. He continued to practice daily well into his later years and someone asked him 'why do you continue to practice as much as you do?' His reply was, 'I feel i am making progress.' Music is something that we all can do for as long as we choose. Learning will never end as a musician. And when it does, it will probably be time to take up another passion, something easier, like hockey.
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I invite you to come by......This section is composed of observations or impressions I have, or others I value, share about music and its power. Archives
August 2019
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