Fulfillment Model

Here is another post from several years ago. I just didn't want it to get lost. This was probably written around 2005.

Scott

Over the past several years, I have developed a “model” that I offer to students at appropriate times within a school year or program.   The idea is to share with them a concrete model of some of the guiding principles I hold dear, both in and away from the musical world.  After all, most of my students will not be heading off to music school or conservatory, but will soon be making the metamorphosis from adolescence to adulthood.  The college years are such treacherous crossroads with many obstacles along the way, and so it seems fitting that I give my students something they can draw on when the going gets tough or their ideals are called into question. Call it a model for success, a model for fulfillment, or simply a guideline that has worked well for me over the years.  I can’t say that I have held to it unfailingly, but when I sense that I am beginning to stray from its principles, I always do my best to consciously return to them.

The model for me has three basic precepts.  First, be passionate.  Find passion in your work, your music, and your life.  In fact, go beyond passion and find a mission.  Not just a job, not just a hobby, but a mission.  Now, that requires passion.  The people in my life who are successful and fulfilled are filled with passion and have a sense of mission in their work, in their play, and in their relationships.  Secondly, live with integrity. In this world there are people who play by the rules and people who cheat, folks who lie and folks who tell the truth, those who live in the dark and those who live in the light.  At the end of the day, I’d always rather be on the positive side of those statements.  How else could I ever get a good night’s sleep?  Again, this seems to be a solid rule among those whom I count as role models in my life.  Thirdly, maintain balance in your life.  And when the balance is out of sync, take concerted steps to fix it.  It seems to me that there are seasons in our lives when we need to focus more on one particular area.  But, we must also recognize the need to feed all the parts of our selves: our career, family life, musical soul, social life, spiritual life, and physical life.  I am sure there are others.  The trick is taking time to evaluate and act when one area of your life is in need of nourishment.  It is unfortunate that many in our society lose sight of this precept.   Recently, I have found that with three young boys, my family life has required more of a prominent place in my daily activities.  So I have taken action to make that happen.  Have I been totally successful?  Not yet, but I am trying.  I try to be sensitive to all areas of my life when there are so many activities and opportunities competing for my time and energy. 

Do I have all of the answers regarding living a successful and fulfilling life?  Certainly not.  It is an ongoing process of introspection and growth.  I do know that this burning question arises in each of us from time to time:  How do I find and maintain success in this career that seems to require so much time, commitment, and energy and still remain fulfilled in all the other areas of my life?  When these questions find their way into my thinking, my mind first goes to the areas of passion, integrity, and balance.  If any one of the three is out of kilter, I take conscious steps to correct the problem. And, with time and effort, success and fulfillment begin to come into greater focus.

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As musicians and music educators, technicians and artists, community leaders and members, we must continually seek and encourage passion, integrity, and balance, not only for ourselves, but also for those around us.  Look for more “in-depth” thoughts on Developing and Maintaining Passionate Ensembles, Ethics and Leadership in the Music Classroom, and Curricular Musical Balance to come over the next few months.  Until next time, I wish you much success and fulfillment in all of your musical endeavors.

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Residencies

This is a reprint from an article I wrote many years ago for the PMEA Journal.  It was pivotal in my young career and provided an early opportunity for me to share some of my ideas with the broader music education community.  I hope you enjoy a small window into my "young" outward thinking mind.

Residencies and Guest Artists as Enrichments to a School Music Ensemble Curriculum

Music teachers know that after a student hears them give the same instructions or advice time and time again, the point may begin to lose its meaning.  Even if Itzak Perlman or Wynton Marsailas were public school teachers, they too would become another familiar face to the students, and their words could become commonplace. One way of breathing life into a program is to host an occasional residency of a professional or semi-professional musician or group or to invite a guest artist to perform with or to conduct an ensemble.  When a student hears a concept they may have been hearing for years from someone new, it often has more of an impact on the student. A resident or guest artist can range from a past graduate of your program that is studying music in college, to a local chamber group, to an artist of national reputation.  A residency can last from one day to a week or more.  This is all secondary to the idea of having a new face in the classroom and exposing the students to different musicians, rehearsal styles and approaches to music. Over the past 20 years, I have been fortunate to have hosted numerous residencies of a variety of scopes and scales.  The guest instructors or “residents” have ranged from performers to composers, nationally recognized names to local musicians, classical musicians to folk musicians, and from two weeks in length to just a day or two.  Over the years, I also have served as the organizing teacher and sponsor as well as the musician and teacher in residence.  So, my perspective on this subject is pretty broad.  This spring, I am preparing to host yet another residency that will be detailed later in this article.

PALMYRA RESIDENCY

Early in my career, I hosted a week-long residency of Windom Hill recording artists, The Modern Mandolin Quartet in the Palmyra, PA, School District.  The tremendously successful residency left the student motivated and anxious to continue their training.  In addition, it served as an exciting and enlightening experience for the four mandolinists who had never been in a public school before. The residency was the idea of Jim Woland, a local arts promoter, and was sponsored by The Authors and Artists Series  that had a home in Palmyra School District for several years.  Woland, director of the series, booked the group to play at the high school and thought a return concert in conjunction with a residency would be a tremendous educational opportunity for the string students in the district.  He then approached me, the district-wide string teacher, to organize the week of interaction with the students. Palmyra School District houses approximately 1,700 students.  It is primarily a bed-room community just east of Hershey, PA.  The string program includes approximately 100 elementary students and 100 secondary students.  The residency exposed the maximum number of students to the guest artists within the week and focused a majority of time on the secondary schools.  The elementary students, however, were included on a more limited basis.

CATALYST TO SUCCESS The week began with a Modern Mandolin Quartet Concert on Saturday evening.  The group played to a full house in the Palmyra High School Auditorium.  The group consisted of four virtuoso mandolinists that play primarily classical quartet music.  The group included:  Mike Marshall and Dana Rath, mandolin; Paul Binkley, mandola; and John Immoltz, mandocello.  Marshall’s reputation spans the world as a top bluegrass mandolinist.  The group, which wrote most of their own arrangements, mystified the audience for two hours and played several encores. The group and organizers met over dinner on Sunday evening to talk through the week.  This gave everyone time to get to know each other before the work began.  It also made the group feel more at ease because they were nervous about teaching.  They planned to work toward a concert on Friday evening after the residency was over featuring the Middle School and High School Orchestras along with the Quartet. The week, which was schedule tightly, included three general elementary school assemblies where the group played for and explained mandolins and chamber music to the students.  They also held a one-hour session with each of the three elementary schools’ string orchestras where the string students received “hands-on” instruction on mandolins, mandolas and mandocellos.  The Quartet participated in five one-hour sessions with the high school orchestra (two sectional and three full rehearsals).  The middle school string orchestra received five hours of rehearsal time as well.  In addition, the group spent about an hour rehearsing the 1st Mvt. of Vivaldi’s A minor Concerto with nine of the top violin students.  (The Quartet played the accompaniment.) The week came to an exciting conclusion at the Friday night concert.  Playing to a crowd of approximately 500, the Quartet began with a half hour set of their own music. Next, all of the students found their seats on stage and the student portion of the concert began.  The groups played everything from Bruce Chases’ Blue Ridge Boogie to Bach’s Brandenburg Concert #3.  The High School Orchestra joined in the Quartet’s arrangement of Copeland’s Hoedown which was highlighted by a blazing bluegrass “jam” in the middle.  Sixth grade student Joe Miller got the thrill of his life when he played Cripple Creek on the banjo with The Quartet backing him up.  Even I got into the act by performing Monti’s Czardas on violin with the group.  The concert concluded with everyone playing Sandra Dackow’s arrangement of Finale from Overture to William Tell by Rossini.

KEYS TO THE SUCCESS OF A RESIDENCY

While Palmyra’s residency featured a group of national reputation, this is not a prerequisite for a successful residency.  The cost of the group in residence can range from several thousand dollars to the price of the resident’s lunch.  The most important element is to promote interaction between the students and the musicians other than their teacher.  This gives students the opportunity to meet new people and this can pay dividends to your program for years to come. There exits, however, several other keys to making your residency successful.  First, your resident must possess strong overall musicianship.  It is not critical that they have teaching experience, (you can fill in the gaps in this area) but, if they don’t play well, the student will not respect them.  Next, your time must be organized carefully.  Maximize the potential of your resident and don’t waste time.  If your resident’s strength is improvising, center the time spent on improvising.  If the strength is group dynamics, center the time around group work.  One should remember that most residents are not sued to the rigors of the average music teacher’s schedule.  Over scheduling can also be a hazard.  Also, make time for sectionals or small groups so the students get to know the resident more personally than they would in an ensemble setting. The success of your residence also hinges on the enthusiasm of your guest.  A resident should be willing to work with all levels of ability.  A resident’s enthusiasm will ignite your students’ enthusiasm and more often than not, the students’ new spark will, in turn, excite the resident.  This can create a perpetual circle of enthusiasm that is quite contagious. It should be noted this connection between resident and student will not happen instantly.  Depending on the age level, it may be fast, or it could take two or three sessions.  Elementary students warm-up to new people quickly.  High School students follow as a close second.  Middle school students may take a bit longer to become comfortable with a new personality. When planning your residency, design the guest’s time with the younger students for motivation.  On the other hand, the time with the older students may serve the dual purpose of motivation and preparation for a performance.  Younger students may find the pressure of a performance after such a short preparation time to be uncomfortable.  Older students, on the other hand, often take a task more seriously when a performance is impending. If you don’t already know your resident personally, take time to do so.  Use your resident’s ideas and personality to your advantage and enjoy the company.  Also, your students will perceive a friendship growing between you and your guest and, in turn, react favorably. Schedule your residency at a time of year when little else is pressing. Palmyra’s residency was in mid-January. It is important to choose a time when there are few other distractions for you or your students because you will all be quite busy.

REPRISE

This spring, I am pleased to have invited Mike Marshall to my current school to reprise our residency success from several years ago.  This year, the North Carolina School of Science and Math received a grant from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation to host a “Fine Arts Weekend” at our school.  Mike immediately came to mind when faced with the decision of whom to invite.  I contacted him, through his agent, and put the wheels in motion.  This residency will consist of two days of rehearsal with the school’s orchestra and jazz rhythm section, a Saturday night concert that will include a performance of Mike’s first mandolin concerto, some Brazilian jazz tunes with our rhythm section, and some solo work from Marshall, and a Sunday morning “Bluegrass Brunch,” where local bluegrass musicians can come and jam with him in an open and relaxed forum.  All of the events will be free of charge, and the entire community is looking forward to this exciting event.

CONCLUSION

A residency can be an excellent break in the normal routine of a music program.  The resident need not be of national reputation.  A local soloist, college student home on break, or local college professor are al possibilities.  The residency can last from one class period to over a week.  The idea of hearing a new voice give similar suggestions in a different way is the important factor, in addition, exposing your outstanding students to working musicians other than yourself may inspire them to continue in their music education.  Overall, any effort put into organizing a residency will be a catalyst to the success of your program. 

Until next time, I wish you success as you plan your next event designed to motivate and enlighten your students.  It just might be a good time to plan a residency at your school!

Scott D. Laird Instructor of Music North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Durham, NC

Educational Specialist D’Addario Bowed Strings

It's Not What You Do. It's What You Do Next.

Back in October, my Orchestra at NCSSM was scheduled to perform Haydn's Symphony 104 (London) in our first official concert of the 2025-2026 academic year. Preparations for this concert had been really smooth. The strings had embraced the challenge of the classical style and technical roadblocks. The wind section had been diligent in matching the style of the string section throughout rehearsals. I was excited to perform this Symphony as part of an open house at our school where we would be in front of a large group of prospective students. 

We had a 2-hour rehearsal on Tuesday of the week before the performance. We would also have 2 hours on Thursday night. Then, we would give the concert Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. In those rehearsals, we had wind section for only 30 to 45 minutes. Our Tuesday rehearsal started off great. We rehearsed the two string pieces that we  used as an opener and closer with the Symphony sandwiched between. We opened with Acadian Solstice by my friend Perry Holbrook. Then, as a sort of encore, we will performed Tchaikovsky's February: Carnival arranged by Steven Brook 

The review of the string pieces went great at the beginning of rehearsal and then we began our run through of the Symphony; first with strings, and then with the wind section later in rehearsal. As we began running the Symphony, it was apparent to me that our two biggest hurdles moving into the concert would be maintaining a steady tempo and continuing to focus on bow placement, particularly on the moving eighth note passages. As always, students must focus on moving towards the lower half of the bow at all times when performing Haydn, Mozart, and their contemporaries. I have always believed that if the bow placement is accurate and uniform, the style really speaks. This had been a major topic of conversation and rehearsal focus over the past 8 weeks or so. 

Working with the strings alone went well enough, with a few reminders here and there. The winds arrived just about the time we were ready to start the fourth movement. So, I thought it would be appropriate to begin with that movement and then go back to the beginning and run as much of the piece we could in the remaining time of rehearsal. 

After some work, a couple of odd things happened that threw me off my game. First, by the end of an evening rehearsal from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., my students always start to lose their concentration a bit towards the end. So, that is a given and I must admit that I was getting tired as well. Then a couple of little things happened. One student pulled out their phone to glance at it and I lightly reprimanded him.

Not a big deal.  

A couple of other students were talking during an important set of instructions and I needed to say a word to them.  

Again, not really a big issue. 

Then, a violinist told me they were not feeling well and needed to leave rehearsal. 

"Okay, go take care of yourself." 

Next another leader in the class broke an E string. Okay I can deal with this. 

I try to keep going. All of this is while I'm still conducting. Next, a student moved seats in the middle of a movement and I was very caught off guard and asked them to move back to their own seat. I am sure that my tone of voice was somewhat harsh. But, I really had no idea what was going on. And, at this point, I was just trying to get to the end of rehearsal. 

There were so many moving parts in a very compressed amount of time. We finished the movement, I said a few words of encouragement at the end of class, dismissed the students, and was ready to move on. 

Immediately after class there were easily 8 to 10 students who needed to see me about individual concerns or questions. I dealt with each of them and was ready to start packing up my stuff for the night. This point it became apparent to me that that student who had switched chairs was very upset. I had unwittingly struck a nerve with my admonition for moving seats. I felt horrible and immediately apologized for upsetting them. They told me that they were simply moving to help the person in front of them turn pages since they had lost their stand partner and he had lost a stand partner as well in the midst of the sickness and broken E string. They were trying to do the right thing in the situation.  Of course, I did not know that while we were playing the piece and I was certainly not expecting players to move from seat to seat at that moment. 

Obviously I apologized for my somewhat harsh reaction and tried to make things right with the student. But, I was still thinking about it the following morning. Which brings me to my thought this morning:

Sometimes we just know that we could have done things better. 

I know that I could have done things better that night. The next day was a little bit rough because it was really on my mind. I am thinking quite a bit about the quote from Charles Swindoll that basically says life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. That night, my reaction in the last 20 minutes of rehearsal probably should have been quite different. But, it was concert week and whether I want to admit it or not, I had some anxieties about the performance. I always want our performances to go well, more for the students than for me. But, I am sure there's some ego involved as well. I really wish I could have the last 20 or 30 minutes of rehearsal that night back and do it over. 

I have strong recollections of an orchestra I was part of back in the 1980s. I am certain that the conductor of that orchestra got flustered on many occasions for reasons that probably were overblown in his own mind. But that feeling that we are losing control from the podium is so palpable. 

I wonder if any of you have experienced that before. It doesn't happen to me very often after 40 years in the profession. But it certainly did that night. So many things happened in a very short period of time that I just snapped. 

I'm reminded of another important phrase that sticks in my head. My youngest son played a lot of baseball from Little League all the way through college. He had a travel ball coach that used to always remind the players that it's not what you do it's what you do next. And that's how I felt the day after the rehearsal. I can't get that rehearsal back. So all I have is what is next. That is, how I approached rehearsal the following night. Did I approach it with the joy and lightness that I usually try to promote in my rehearsals? Or, did I approach it with a sense of anxiety and stress. Certainly, the plan was the former. Obviously, it was my responsibility to say a word about it at the beginning of rehearsal and then move us right into the mindset that I want to have very quickly on Thursday.

In the end, the Thursday rehearsal came and went in the best fashion.  It was light, musical, and full of smiles and anticipation of the upcoming concert.  The Saturday performance was a huge success and everyone walked away with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction of a job well done. The audience was standing room only and the ovation following the performance was raucous. 

In the end, this was a good reminder that I can always still grow and be reflective.  If this has ever happened to you, do not despair.  

And, always remember, "Its not what you do. It's what you do next."

Peace.