In the summer of 1981, I attended a week-long church camp
that was simply a blast. It was called “MAD”
Camp and focused all week on music, art, and drama. It was part of the summer program at
Westminster Highlands, a Presbyterian Church Camp facility in Western PA, where I usually spent a couple of weeks each
summer. My time at Westminster Highlands
and the relationships that I established there had a profound impact on my
development as a young man in many ways. I had just finished 10th grade and
was beginning to realize that I had a little something to offer in the area of
music and peer leadership. I wasn’t
particularly interested in the visual arts, but I was open to working in drama
as well as music. That summer, we
created a musical out of the book, The Singer Trilogy, by Calvin Miller. We wrote original songs and music to
accompany the text and I ended up playing the lead role in the production at
the end of camp. I wrote and performed
much of the music as part of that experience.
It was truly a “mountain-top” experience. I had never invested so much of myself into a
project. I had never been part of such a
close-knit community of artists. I had never been part of such an impassioned
performance. I certainly had never
garnered that type of attention from my peers and friends for my talents and accomplishments. It was intoxicating and I wanted more!!
I remember talking with my Dad on the 3 hour ride home and
telling him all that I had learned and
accomplished. I also expressed concern
that things at home could never be as exciting as the past week had been. Things at home were so mundane. I didn’t relate to the people in the same
way. How could I ever re-create that
experience again? I will never forget my
Dad, response. First he acknowledged
what a great thing I had experienced. But
then he told me that we couldn’t sustain that mountaintop experience all the
time. If we were always on the
mountaintop, how can we appreciate it when we get there again? There have to be peaks and valleys. He encouraged me to use the experience that I
had as motivation to get there again.
And, to use the ideas that I had developed to make the ensembles and
communities that I lived with on a daily basis better. He reminded me that the folks that expect
the mountaintop all the time are rarely satisfied. He encouraged me to keep seeking the
mountaintop, but to also embrace every day.
Even the ones that aren’t mountaintop experiences.
What amazing advice!!
It is advice that I have used over and over again in my lifetime.
I feel like I am constantly chasing that mountaintop
experience as a musician all the time too.
I love that “emotional high” that I experience after an amazing
performance. Those goosebumps on your
arms or the warmth of an amazing ovation in completely intoxicating. That knowledge that you just moved the
emotions of an audience is what we strive for.
I want it as a conductor. I want
it as a violinist. I want it as a
teacher. I want it as a student.
I am keenly aware that much of my work as a conductor is
done in the festival setting. I am
fortunate to work with kids at Interlochen summer arts camp in the summer. We are chasing that mountaintop musical
experience with every rehearsal, practice session, and performance. I am fortunate to conduct numerous local,
regional, and all state festivals as part of my work and we are doing the same
thing in that setting. We are looking
for that amazing musical experience – not just technically, but emotionally as
well. Even my work at NCSSM is similar
to this. Our time together is limited
and then the students go back to something else. In the two years and limited rehearsal that I
get them, I want to bring them together for a mountaintop, special, emotional
musical experience. And I think in some
ways they expect that from me.
So, what is it that leads us to that end. What gets us from the mundane to the extraordinary? What moves us from “physics” to “metaphysics?”
(I love that phrase and concept!!) I
will throw out a couple of thoughts here. I am sure there are more and I would love
to hear from you with your ideas.
When I look back to what I wrote at the top of this post
about my MAD Camp experience it was the following: personal investment, a close
knit community, impassioned performance, positive feedback. Let’s explore each of these briefly.
I have written before about the power of community. I firmly believe that strong communities are
the foundation of strong ensembles. I
have been in musical ensembles that weren’t strong communities, but, for me, it
always better when they are. We have to want to work together. We have to trust
each other. Form me, smiles and
friendship works better than fear and intimidation. Personal
investment is a key as well. When we
give freely and passionately of ourselves, we are more likely to get more in
return. Sometimes it hurts to be fully personally
invested, but it is usually (always) worth it.
I find this in relationships. I
find this in my daily work. I find this
in musical ensembles. I also believe
that as a leader, I have to set the tone of personal investment if I want my
ensemble members to give in the same way.
It doesn’t seem to work in reverse.
Positive feedback is also
key. There is nothing like an “atta-boy”
to keep us going when the going gets tough.
And it will get tough at some point.
(See “personal investment.”) That
“atta-boy” for musicians can be the applause.
But, it can also be the feeling you get when the ensemble really hits
that passage in rehearsal. It can be the
relationship between a musician and their stand partner. It can
be the conductor’s comments. It can be
the personal knowledge of a job well done after a long rehearsal. It comes in many forms. Finally, an impassioned performance can really be the key to the mountaintop
experience for the musician. That only
comes with great rehearsals, a well prepared and in-sync ensemble, and active
mental and creative investment and preparation from all involved. This category is really a sub-category of “personal
investment,” isn’t it?
Before wrapping up this post, I would like to offer up a few
thoughts about the nuts and bolts of the “impassioned performance” idea
here. What does this entail from a
technical and musical perspective? I
have been thinking about this and I believe the key is that notion of a well
prepared and in-sync ensemble.
Orchestrally, each musician must have a common concept of the
priorities, direction, and goals of each note, phrase, section, and piece. So, as conductors, we have to be heading in
that direction in every minute of every rehearsal. We should be striving for that idea of
unification and common notion within and between sections. This is a bit tough to articulate, but here
goes. We are seeking precision that is
driven by the goal of a passionate performance and, ultimately, an emotional
response. My friend Eugene Friesen says
that once you have done the rigor, you are free to emote and express. That makes sense to me. Rigor leads to freedom, which leads to that “emotional
high.” We should be seeking precision in
rhythm and rhythmic concepts, intonation and tonal concepts, phrasing and
musical concepts, a common vision of dynamic variation within the piece, tone
quality and concepts in color, and finally conceptual precision and common
vision.
On another note, it is also vital that we remind students in the midst of a mountain top performance that it is their responsibility to take that experience back home to their daily lives. They must bring their newfound enthusiasm and passion back to the daily routine so that it might be infused with new energy for the folks that don't have the same opportunities. We really need to stress the "Pay It Forward" concept to our top students who get awesome opportunities. Take the elements of that mountain top experience back home with you and share it.
So, there are some of my thoughts on seeking that “emotional
high.” As I look back over that post, I
just finished a great rehearsal on the work Aspire: A Dream Fulfilled,
by Bob Phillips. It occurs to me that I
am definitely seeking that “high” with this work. We are working on all of those concepts
outlined in the previous couple of paragraphs.
I want that mountaintop experience for myself and my students on this one. It is in reach. I will
let you know how it goes.
Peace.
Scott
