some background...
Classical music has been a part of my life since I started flute in August 2013. But I've rarely been challenged by the school programs, because I've had the support of a private teacher and I started much much earlier than my peers. By studying flute independently, I've been able to practice repertoire that I find challenging.
Q1
In quarter one, I've been able to perform casually and seriously. For the former, I've played in front of other members of Pilot. More seriously, I've been playing with the VYO, for the Music Teachers National Association woodwinds competition(this is actually on November 12th, but I've been preparing for it), and with the Green Mountain Mahler festival.
documentation
I've been showing my progress by recording my practice room sessions. These are sort of uncomfortable to share because they are far from perfect. I make a lot of mistakes, and that has never been accepted in classical communities. Also, the rooms I usually record in are 'dead' or 'dry' which means they have a lot of sound absorption like carpet paneling which cause the tone of flute to sound plain. Flute sounds best in a room with more hard surfaces, so it can bounce around. It sounds much fuller and the overtones are more prevalent too.
So, I've been practicing near-daily for around an hour, recording, and performing. I've also started grappling some big questions, the things that completely turn me off from classical music:
So, I've been practicing near-daily for around an hour, recording, and performing. I've also started grappling some big questions, the things that completely turn me off from classical music:
why is classical music so stuck on being perfect?
As I've progressed, I find myself more and more frustrated with tiny little mistakes. One note is too flat (low), a technical passage isn't perfectly even, holding a half note for not quite 2 beats. Classical music has made my attention to detail comparable to the Hubble telescope, which is helpful in some moments and a bit too self-critical in others. What I am looking for is a positive relationship with classical music, where I can get better AND appreciate my shortcomings.
Q2
My fixation on perfectionism in classical music has changed somewhat, I had a conversation with violinist and teacher Ruth Einstein, who continued to mention excellence instead of perfection. This lead me down quite the trail. I was now convinced that seeking anything close to perfection will never be able to last in a human. It can't support itself. But this is all a preview of an essay I wrote, attached here:
Flute performance
Not too many words to put here; here are some videos of pieces I performed for a competition (with piano).
Not too many words to put here; here are some videos of pieces I performed for a competition (with piano).
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Q3
Quarter 3 was all about doing and getting ready for performances. In Q3 I had two auditions and two performances, with two auditions and five concerts to get ready for. Here is a list of the repertoire and concerts I prepared for. Bold means the concert/ audition has passed:
Allstate auditions: 1st movement of the Flute Concerto by Jacques Ibert, Andante from the Bach sonata in Eb major.
*I also performed the Ibert for NEMFA solo recital, and will be for the Allstate solo recital.
Next Generation recital, audition (and the Hermance recital): Prokofiev flute sonata in D major, 1st movement
NEMFA concert (as principal flute): Also Sprach Zarathrustra; Candide overture by Leonard Bernstein; Ballade in A minor by Samuel Colridge-Taylor
VYO concert: Dvorak 8, principal flute part; Finlandia by Sibelius, 2nd flute; Conus violin concerto, 3rd flute
Pilot concert: Danse de la chevre, Arthur Honnegger
Allstate concert (as principal flute): Namouna suite No. 2, I. Danse Macoraines by Edouard Lalo; As I Am, Jordyn Davis; Danse Macabre, Camille Saint-Saëns; Callirhöe Suite, IV. pas de cymbales, Cecile Chaminande
This is a lot of things to prepare for.
I didn't always do an amazing job at each concert, which is okay with me. I can only hope to do better in the future, as with many of these pieces, I will be playing them in a high stakes environment as many as four times this semester. With each span of an hour I spend in the practice room, I usually focus on two pieces at most. I have been learning some of these for as long as a year, some as short as a month before I perform (but the shorter time span is mostly for orchestra music, a very different challenge). When I focus on these two pieces, it is a lot of 'woodshedding' as classical musicians enjoy calling it. This is playing something a certain section (as short as a few seconds long) repeatedly, using different practice techniques. In many situations, it takes incredible discipline to achieve this without making mistakes. Mistakes will set you back further than where you started. Even after 10 years, I still can get pretty impatient woodshedding.
Quarter 3 was all about doing and getting ready for performances. In Q3 I had two auditions and two performances, with two auditions and five concerts to get ready for. Here is a list of the repertoire and concerts I prepared for. Bold means the concert/ audition has passed:
Allstate auditions: 1st movement of the Flute Concerto by Jacques Ibert, Andante from the Bach sonata in Eb major.
*I also performed the Ibert for NEMFA solo recital, and will be for the Allstate solo recital.
Next Generation recital, audition (and the Hermance recital): Prokofiev flute sonata in D major, 1st movement
NEMFA concert (as principal flute): Also Sprach Zarathrustra; Candide overture by Leonard Bernstein; Ballade in A minor by Samuel Colridge-Taylor
VYO concert: Dvorak 8, principal flute part; Finlandia by Sibelius, 2nd flute; Conus violin concerto, 3rd flute
Pilot concert: Danse de la chevre, Arthur Honnegger
Allstate concert (as principal flute): Namouna suite No. 2, I. Danse Macoraines by Edouard Lalo; As I Am, Jordyn Davis; Danse Macabre, Camille Saint-Saëns; Callirhöe Suite, IV. pas de cymbales, Cecile Chaminande
This is a lot of things to prepare for.
I didn't always do an amazing job at each concert, which is okay with me. I can only hope to do better in the future, as with many of these pieces, I will be playing them in a high stakes environment as many as four times this semester. With each span of an hour I spend in the practice room, I usually focus on two pieces at most. I have been learning some of these for as long as a year, some as short as a month before I perform (but the shorter time span is mostly for orchestra music, a very different challenge). When I focus on these two pieces, it is a lot of 'woodshedding' as classical musicians enjoy calling it. This is playing something a certain section (as short as a few seconds long) repeatedly, using different practice techniques. In many situations, it takes incredible discipline to achieve this without making mistakes. Mistakes will set you back further than where you started. Even after 10 years, I still can get pretty impatient woodshedding.
Q4
STIRRINGS concert- May 3rd
At my first exhibition, one of the questions I was asked is where is my flute playing going to? What is going to be the culmination? And after thinking for a little while I decided: A recital. What ended up happening is a bit more collaborative, less of the 'Avery show', more about a celebration of Pilot's art and music students. Anne Decker sponsored a concert at the Phoenix, a small hall in Waterbury. This endeavor was mostly about organization, and getting groups of together at the same time, same place, etc. Harder than it looks.
I think that I started planning this in around January. There was reaching out to people to see if they were interested in performing/showing art, then some meetings as we shaped our ideas as a group. The title of the show didn't come until later. It was actually a pretty funny story. I was strapped for ideas, so I turned to all of the other people working on the project. We were also kinda strapped for ideas collectively. So... we turned to AI, which gave us some horrible ideas, but some inspiration too. I think that AI's idea was 'Soul Stirring', which we changed to Stirrings. It fit the theme of an 'emotional turning point', things waking up, growing, changing. The concert is this Friday, and I am pretty excited.
At my first exhibition, one of the questions I was asked is where is my flute playing going to? What is going to be the culmination? And after thinking for a little while I decided: A recital. What ended up happening is a bit more collaborative, less of the 'Avery show', more about a celebration of Pilot's art and music students. Anne Decker sponsored a concert at the Phoenix, a small hall in Waterbury. This endeavor was mostly about organization, and getting groups of together at the same time, same place, etc. Harder than it looks.
I think that I started planning this in around January. There was reaching out to people to see if they were interested in performing/showing art, then some meetings as we shaped our ideas as a group. The title of the show didn't come until later. It was actually a pretty funny story. I was strapped for ideas, so I turned to all of the other people working on the project. We were also kinda strapped for ideas collectively. So... we turned to AI, which gave us some horrible ideas, but some inspiration too. I think that AI's idea was 'Soul Stirring', which we changed to Stirrings. It fit the theme of an 'emotional turning point', things waking up, growing, changing. The concert is this Friday, and I am pretty excited.