Eastman Here I Come!

I was invited to give a lecture/recital, a master class, work with the trombone choir and teach private lessons at Eastman School of Music. I was happy to say 'yes' and I'm on my way there right now!

Here is my Master Class and
Lecture/Recital schedule

Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, 8PM, Lecture/Recital in Kilbourn Hall

Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, 8:30 PM, Master Class, Room 120

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone there!

Stay tuned for updates!

P.S. Photo in taxi to Logan Airport, Boston.

P.P.S. At Logan. Flight delayed one hour. Update: Make that an hour and a half. :-/

While I'm waiting, here's a bit more about what I'll be doing there! (Right now, I'm sitting in Logan 'resonating' my mouthpiece.)

My my lecture/recital will have a world premiere on it. It's an unaccompanied trombone piece. You can view the program on the Events page of the Air-ev website.

P.P.P.S. Plane landed in Rochester!!

Know Thy Self

Lots of philosophies and spiritual paths speak of the importance of knowing yourself.  This can take a a very long time for some people and can be known in its basic form very soon by some. It is a process and depending on what you want out of life and what you think about what life is, you will find and get to know different aspects of yourself. It is truly a journey.

This of course affects our music making. Let's say all you want is a 'job.' Most conservatory players think that a job means only an orchestra job. So let's say you commit yourself to getting the 'job.'  What will you do to get it? How long will you wait to get it? How much will you practice to get it? What sacrifices will you make to get it?

NOTHING could have stopped me from wanting to be in an orchestra when I was growing up. I loved the literature, loved playing in orchestra and loved practicing. But the word 'job' never came into my mind. I wanted to be in what I thought would be a magical environment that dives into the meaning of the music and really works on it until 'IT' happens. I was too young to think about financial security or other 'adult' type things.. I just wanted to be 'IN' the music. I will also admit at that time I enjoyed the support of being recognized for my abilities.  Maybe that was young and naive. But that was the state of affairs for me. I realized very early on that this is not always the case for everyone especially when they get a little bit older.

I wrote something in a earlier blog post about the PMMP, the Professional Musicians Manufacturing Plant.  Many music conservatories and universities think of themselves that way. College is supposed to help us a get a job after all, right? And train us well to be competitive in the job market, right? In this formula, where does 'REAL' art have a place?  Or we could ask what kind of art is employable? Not all art is always marketable. That makes it very interesting and difficult for those people who need art for their own life's nourishment and expression, which is something a 'job' could never satisfy nor money ever buy.

It seems as though the 'artist' type of player needs to develop two arts.  One to get a 'job' in today's orchestral requirements, and the second to express other parts of themselves and/or other things. These are VERY, VERY different arts, yet for the serious artist  in the making, it is possible. I never thought they were different.  That was a rude wake up call when I found out that in many cases they are very different. It is so inspiring to see when they live as one in an artist.

Some teachers are really only interested in the students that will do anything it takes to get an orchestra job. That is not how I am. I want what the person says they want. If they only want to get into an orchestra and the mind set is 'perfect, perfect, perfect,' better to not study with me for I cannot be confined to that narrow bandwidth. That can really be a prison especially if the approach is obsessive with technical details and mostly physical in its orientation. I come from the thought that the human being has a huge spectrum of possibilities and talents. Developing a fine 'machine' is only one aspect.

The question comes down to: "Do you know what you want?" How can that truly be discovered if you do not "Know Thy Self."

Growth Is Not Automatic

During our physically developing years growth is a very automatic process normally. I remember going to family gatherings and if it had been a year or so since my relatives had seen me last they would say, "Oh my! Have you grown!" But other types of growth are not automatic. The decision or desire to grow as a person or to keep developing as an artist is a choice. It never felt like a choice to me because I was driven to do so, but it still was a choice non the less because I had the option not to keep pursuing it in the way I chose to pursue it.

Here is another video that I think will be a good supplement to my one the other day about self discovery and self expression. No matter what you want to do, you will be confronted with choices and decisions to make. As you recall in my last video, I spoke about the bravery needed to be yourself. This video will elaborate on the previous contemplation.

Self Contemplation: Building the Vehicle for Growth and Self Discovery

As many of you have figured out, I think it is important to think and contemplate what you want in life and in your art. Not as an end in it self, but to get clearer in your heart and mind what you are after and why you are doing what you are doing. This might not be important to some people. No problem. But to me and others it is a way of keeping on course as well as deepening and developing ourselves and having our art express that urge and need of continuing growth, which eventually becomes a matter of choice to pursue or not.

Fro those who are interested in expanding themselves, their self discovery and the connection-expression process, I offer this short video.

MORE ON PHRASING vertical and horizontal

To put some more content into this subject of vertical and horizontal aspects of phrasing, I made a couple of videos where I am demonstrating some of the concepts using pieces like Morceau Symphonique and Rochut number 1 and some other melodies you might recognize. It is an intriguing subject, at least for me because it deals with very core laws that govern all of life, at least in some schools of thought. Those magnificent apparent opposites, yin and yang, up and down, valleys and hills, male and female and on and on! Hope these videos help in opening up the territory.

Phrasing 1



Phrasing 2


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PHRASING the vertical and horizontal

When you hear the word phrasing, what do you think of? Long lines, where to take a good breath, crescendo- decrescendo and timing, to name a few things that might enter your mind on hearing that word.

To me the structure of the phrasing is determined by the character and spirit of the music. Like anything else, it is easy to play with a method of phrasing that can make our music making sound controlled and well placed. Those are all useful aspects to phrasing. But in the end, if your phrasing has a formula to it that doesn't alter according to the different kinds of music, then that nicely timed, well placed phrasing can sound out of place and not in character with the actual music.

To approach this, let's look at horizontal and vertical. The long linear aspect of the line makes most of us think horizontally, like looking at a horizon. It is broad and covers a lot of space. In music, this long sense of line gives direction, motion and balance to all the up and downs, curves, peaks, valleys and hills in a line. But if we 'flatten' it out too much, we can loose the emotional and character details that create the nuances that identify one kind of phrase from another.

What about a singer? They use words. If you could not hear the diction of the words it would sound muddy and nondescript. As wind players, we think of 'singing' through the horn to help us unify the musical and technical aspects together. But we are not often thinking of the diction and nuances beyond smooth, legato, pretty lines. Certain things a cellist, singer or oboist do in terms of inflections (vertical aspect) are not oftentimes accepted very well by the orchestral trombone community at large, especially with regard to orchestral excerpts.

Listen to people speak. How horizontal is their phrasing in speaking? Listen to instrumentalists. How much vertical nuance is there as compared to the line length (horizontal aspect ) in their phrasing? What about percussionists? Are there different vertical and horizontal phrasing tendencies for different instruments?

What are your tendencies in this area? Listen to others and get a grasp of what is horizontal and vertical in phrasing. Then record yourself and see how balanced your horizontal and vertical aspects are in your phrasing. It is an interesting and rich territory for those who may be interested.

More later...

Another Frequency Band Opportunity

Many of you are aware that the Frequency Band has a Facebook page that Carol set up some time ago where people can become 'fans' of the Frequency Band and follow its activities. One of the activities that happens quarterly is an opportunity for anyone, anywhere to participate in a worldwide Frequency Band OPT, a special synchronized opportunity to join together with others in sending well being and good wishes to others. Carol has made it easy for anyone to participate with simple steps and a video posted to the Frequency Band's Event page. The Facebook link is: Worldwide Frequency Band OPT (Autumn Event)

OPTs are an important part of the Frequency Band and they started in response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Since then, we hold OPTs at various times of the year. We have held them in Boston with several musicians and we also have held them in concerts, including our participation at ETW (Eastern Trombone Workshop) this past spring. It is not a local Boston event, it is for all who would like to participate wherever they may be in the world.

So, if you are on Facebook, you can check it out and RSVP if you would like to participate. Again, you can use the above link to Frequency Band OPT Event Page on Facebook and add yourself as "attending." Also you can go to the Air-ev website which is: Air-ev Audio/Video Page if you are not on Facebook and you will see the video as well. Just scroll down the page and you will see "Unity Born of Humanity" video.

Last time we an excellent turnout of over 50 people from around the world who participated and there looks like there will be a good number this time, too! The world can use as much well being as is possible and here is another option and way to help.

Hope to 'see' you there.

I wish all of you well being and all the best!