Goethe's quote speaks to me. Where else but in the creative forms-music, literature, visual arts, theatre, dance-can we 'escape' or allow ourselves to be swept away from the daily grind and appreciate a fine photograph, a lovely verse, a sweeping, graceful gesture or a melody that is just right. This is probably why so many universities and so many employers look for potential students and employees who have a balanced background of academics and life experiences, built around and on the shoulders of 'anything not related to what you might be doing in that line of work or study'. In my experience, those who have careers that are so far removed from an artistic element, thrive and depend on those creative opportunities to sing, dance, draw, write or play, to help keep them grounded and balance that which helps put bread on their tables. Thankfully, it also demands that those like us, who live their lives in the creatives, continue to do so and enhance the lives of those who wish to appreciate and participate in those experiences, as we live in those opportunities.
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So what is practice? Some say it is sitting in a small, dimly lit space, working over parts by yourself, or trying to perfect that dance step in a studio imagining the movements of your partner, or standing in front of the easel or sitting at the wheel trying to reshape that mound of clay, again.
Is it? I say not exclusively. Practice is participating in the act of making something....anything that comes from within you. It might be sitting in an orchestra or choir, rehearsing a familiar work with your mates, or sitting in a restaurant on a Tuesday night with a group of friends in a 'painting-session' led by a community instructor, or sitting back stage waiting for your cue so you can enter stage right and deliver that monologue. Getting here though, requires practice. One must take the time and 'practice'. This will allow you to be prepared so that when the time comes for you to practice the art of (insert your chosen art form here) you can say that you have put the time and effort in to learning how to blend the colours or 'slide-step-ball-step' or sing the 'Perfect 4th' interval with the text or play that descending minor scale passage, slowly getting softer. Without putting in the time and effort, no one can truly practice. It is only after we practice that we can demonstrate and grow from that practice. This goes for patrons of the arts as well. If someone loves a particular genre of dance or literature or art or music and they only 'practice' that particular genre, will they every grow? I would say not fully. Without spreading our wings and taking steps beyond what is familiar, comfortable and safe, I do not believe we can truly 'practice'. It takes time, effort, courage and practice to learn. Without the act of practicing (the act of learning about different genres and why and how they are different), we can never be true 'practitioners' of our chosen art form, unless we continue to learn and discover. It is through these experiences that we can all become practitioners and artists. So I have another post from another authour, Anthony Rivas, using work from another Kraus, Nina Kraus, (no relationship that I am aware of by the way) to support the importance of studying Music in school. The premise is simple--Music helps you learn how to learn.
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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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