Rehearsal Etiquette

Our generation is known for its extensive technological advancements. What does this mean for music rehearsals? Lots of distractions. Meet the blackberry, iphone, or other device that gives us instant internet access and texting capabilities wherever we go. Fantastic devices that let us check emails and stay in touch. Unfortunately, these devices don't seem to have an off switch. I see a lot of people in bands and orchestras, especially at the university level, who text their friends or check internet sites like facebook or email in the middle of rehearsals. Some people just play games.

I understand that sometimes our part will tacet for a movement or two as horns, especially in orchestra, and in that situation I think it is understandable. As long as you're ready to play when it's time, there's no reason not to read a book for 20 minutes while they rehearse a piece you don't play on. There are a lot of students, however, that take out the phone as soon as the conductor starts rehearsing the clarinets or a 10 measure rest comes up. It isn't appropriate. What he is telling the strings about phrasing will apply to our part when we have that melodic material. Even in rests, it is our responsibility to be in the moment, actively pursuing the music and giving the conductor our full attention.

Take a Deep Breath

I had the pleasure of playing for another masterclass this week. Today the horn studio had Lin Foulk in from Western Michigan University, and her work with me on Les Adieux (Franz Strauss) was very insightful. I think one of the most challenging aspects of a lyrical piece like this is maintaining breath support. Of course, Lin noticed my bare-minimum, inadequate breathing from the start. Though I've always known I needed to spend more time focusing on breathing because it really is the root of most of my problems, I've never consistently taken the time. The breathing exercise she offered today was very helpful, and I think I would find great benefits in doing it every day. Her comments also fit remarkably well with the latest topic in my Alexander Technique class: breath and the ribs.

I was reflecting on my breathing last night during class, and I find that my greatest challenge in breathing lies in the hype. As young musicians, we're taught to "tank up," which may not be the most effective imagery. Breathing deeply and fully shouldn't be work, but the idea of tanking up creates tension: we must work to inhale more deeply than in everyday conversation. I find that I create a great deal of tension in my neck and chest when I think about taking a deep breath for a musical phrase. The greatest benefit I would gain from regular practice would be the ability to stop my habitual tensing and choose to take full and relaxed breaths. I know the more practice I get at slower speeds, the more reliable this process will be when breaths must be much quicker. Happy breathing!

Ellen Smith

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of performing for a masterclass with Ellen Smith. She's currently playing third horn with the Minnesota Orchestra, a group she's been with since 1993. I performed a movement from Aesop's Fables by Anthony Plog, and I found her comments to be very enlightening. Much of what she encouraged me to do involved playing through the notes to create an entire phrase with my air. Though I knew that it was what I should be doing, I had never experienced what truly playing through a phrase felt like until that masterclass. The experience has opened a whole new use of air that I had never considered before. I think I was always so concerned about getting the notes that I've never quite made it to the phrases. These kinds of epiphanies are the reason you should never pass up an opportunity to play for (or go to) a masterclass!

Be Prepared

Preparation is a key to success in almost any venture. If you take a test and don't prepare, you aren't likely to pass. If an athlete competes without preparing, he'll hurt himself or lose the competition. What does this mean for a musician? I suppose the obvious would be if we don't practice, we don't perform well: nerves, mistakes, and an inability to adapt mars our performance. But practicing before a performance isn't the only way we can prepare. Before practicing begins we should always prepare. Planning out practice sessions before beginning them can help keep us focused, make sessions more effective, and increase our awareness of our progress. Taking a few minutes before you start practicing to pencil down a practice plan for the day is also a great way to focus your mind on the task at hand and not your half finished grocery list. I've found keeping a practice journal to be very helpful, and I would recommend it to everyone.

The Sport of Music?

So we don't have extreme physical activity and exciting violence like football, but musicians are athletes in more ways than one. We must develop mental focus, build endurance, and undergo years of devoted training, just like top athletes. The biggest difference: we sit in a chair all day. Despite the fact that the movements of horn playing in the embouchure and left forearm and hand muscles are very refined, it's still a heck of a lot of activity. Being an asymmetrical instrument, the horn also stresses shoulders, elbows, and wrists.

This level of activity, combined with the relative inactivity of sitting in a chair for six hours a day while you play can be really hard on your body. A simple proposition (besides varying your routine, e.g. stand and play, take breaks, etc.) is to stretch before you play. I never realized how much of a difference it could make until I actually began to do it everyday before I play. I have mostly alleviated the pain in my hands and shoulders by adding stretches to my warm up routine, and when I get lazy and skip it, I feel the burn later.

The routine I go through only takes about 5 minutes, and it preps me for the rest of the day. Most of these are the kinds of stretches you learned as a kid in PE class, so you're probably already familiar with most of them. Make sure to hold each stretch for at least 15 seconds, or it won't be effective. Never push too far when stretching or you may injure yourself. Huge disclaimer: I AM NOT A MEDICAL DOCTOR! That said, stretches I like to do include:
1. Roll your neck clockwise. Repeat counterclockwise.
2. Circle your shoulders forward. Repeat circling backwards.
3. Draw one arm across the front, palm towards you and thumb up. Repeat other side.
4. Raise one arm above your head, bending at the elbow and placing your hand on your back. Gently apply pressure to the elbow with the other hand.
5. Roll your wrists clockwise. Repeat counterclockwise.
6. Stretch the muscles of your forearm by gently applying pressure with the opposite hand as you bend your wrist in towards your body, then away from your body.
7. Extend your arms above your head, keeping your hips centered and leaning to one side to stretch the side abdominal muscles. After stretching each side, pivot at the hips and extend downward to stretch the lower back.
I feel like stretching has really helped my energy level throughout days with many rehearsals. It reduces my overall level of fatigue and is a great way to get focused on what I'm about to be doing, i.e. practicing. Pausing during practice for a quick re-stretch is also a great way to refocus. You can take a break for your face AND recenter your brain all at the same time. We may not be athletes, but performing music can place great demands on our bodies, and preparing for those demands will make them easier to meet when they come along.

Honor Thy Band Director

It's not exactly one of the ten commandments, but if you're a musician it should be. We had a wonderful guest conductor in the symphony band this past week, and it made me reflect on how student ensembles tend to react to their conductors. In my years of college ensembles I've noticed two things that usually happen: 1. When student conductors take the podium they aren't taken seriously, and 2. when a well-known guest artist comes in, every nuance he/she could ask for is not only given the first time, but committed to memory as well. Oddly, this impressive level of response and musicianship isn't present nearly as often when the band's normal conductor is on the podium. This lack is not from an inability to perform, but from a choice made by the students in the ensemble. We don't have to impress anyone, it's just our band director, he hears us every day. The same choice is made when a student conductor stands before the group. It's only a student, he/she doesn't know what he's doing yet anyway. It's very easy to have a bad attitude when it comes to being in an ensemble. "It's only (fill in the blank), it's not like it's a big deal." Whether it's an ensemble, concert, or conductor, we should always give our best. Regardless of whether it's an ensemble you want to be in or not, we're in the business of making music, and we should always seek that goal with everything we have. So next time you're in a rehearsal with the same old band director, decide to pay attention fully and give him all you can. It's much too easy to take our directors for granted, and they really deserve better.

Change Isn't Easy

I finally figured out how to be a good student, and I'm graduating. When faced with my impending graduation (barring something going terribly wrong) I find it makes me quite flustered. I've never known life without school ensembles and lessons. It occurred to me last night during the orchestra concert that I'm not ready to graduate. It's like I'm finally getting somewhere, and now out I go. There's a real sense of finality this time, one that I didn't get when I left undergrad. There is no more school this time. I keep looking into other degrees that I don't have a substantial interest in, just so I can keep going to school. It's hard to get turned out into the real world, especially when you've gotten a music degree. Change isn't easy, but it is necessary sometimes. I know that I've learned all I need, even though I don't feel ready to leave school behind me.

I think the saddest thing for me at this point is that I will no longer get to play with a symphony orchestra. My time will be spent in one-on-one lessons with students or individual practice time. Maybe I'll sucker someone into some duets on occasion, but the regular rehearsals and performances of a large ensemble will be gone. Because my husband is still in school for another three years, I'll likely be in the Iowa City area until he finishes. Does anyone know of any community orchestras in the area where I could continue to play?