I played a quartet gig last night and there are two things that one of the members said that are really not sitting well with me. 1 - Wow, you sound great! Where did you go to school? Thank you! I went to SUNY Fredonia. ...oh... Really? Thats surprising. Why is that? Because people that go to state schools arent normally good. I would like to say that you can go to school anywhere in the whole entire world and either sound as good, or as bad as you wish. I personally decided to go to a school that would not leave me with a lot of debt, while also giving me countless opportunities to play with other great musicians (including the amazing faculty). But more importantly, I decided that I wanted to sound good. I honestly believe that I would sound that same if I went to a conservatory or a state school. The decision to make music and sound good was mine. 2 - So what did you get your degree in? Music performance? No, I actually got a degree in music education. Oh. Why would you want to go into music ed when you sound the way that you do? Because I want to teach... Thats interesting. Whys that? Ive never met anyone as talented as you, thats gone into music ed. Normally, music ed people dont sound very good. Here is what I wish to say about number 2. Be the change you wish to see in the world. It has never been part of my plan to be a soloist with an orchestra, or solely a performer. I live for the moments a student of mine has when they play an excerpt correctly for the first time. When they successfully play through a piece by memory. When they play something they never thought they could play before. When they are PROUD of themselves. It is my own belief that educators are meant to lead by example. I want to encourage and inspire my kids to play with the best tone they can, with sparkling intonation, with fiery passion. That is a nearly impossible task if one cannot demonstrate those qualities to their students. In conclusion, I would like to thank all of the wonderful music educators that I have had, that have instilled these qualities in me. Without your love, knowledge, talent, and passion, there would be a lot more music educators out there that are just showing up to their job. Changing the world with talented musicians and teachers one day at a time.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 00:18:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015