The New York Times is out this weekend with a story about this year’s edition of Baltimore Symphony Academy, which I attended at the end of June. This story is from the perspective of Daniel Wakin, who played clarinet in Group 1 (I was in Group 2).
Here’s the link: Band Camp for Grown-Ups.
It’s an interesting story, which really does a nice job of pointing out the differences between amateur and professional orchestra musicians. One of my friends has described that difference eloquently in an e-mail to me:
I really like the use of the term “melody expression” to denote one of
the techniques available to turn notes into music. I’ll try to remember
that the next time I want to elaborate on the subject.I also enjoyed the use of the expression “Let’s get inside the sound”
Marin Alsop used in directing the strings to work on some rough spots.The article also spoke of a few of the many technical subtleties that
need to be developed in order to play well. I learned quite a bit just
reading the article. For one, I never thought about the need to consider
room acoustics when deciding when precisely to make an entrance. That’s
something that a non-professional musician would never consider.“I seemed to enter consistently late. Members later told me that along
with incompetence, this was probably a result of the acoustics of the
hall, which require some anticipation from players sitting toward the
back of the stage.”That’s not something the average concert-goer would ever be aware of
either unless they were also professional musicians. The more I learn
about what it takes to be a professional musician, the more I grow in
awe of them!
I agree with Lee. I don’t think the average concert-goer — or even your average amateur — realizes how subtle, driven, and perfection-seeking the life of a professional orchestra player is. That was driven home to me, when — during a lunch — someone asked the BSO’s new principal bassoonist what it took to win his position.
After a moment, Fei Xie responded, “You have to be willing to throw a big part of your life away.” He went on to say that he spent his life either practicing, playing, or making reeds – consciously giving up what other people perceive as “a normal life.”
What he said struck a special chord with me. I don’t have any regrets about what my life has included, and I can’t imagine what I would have given up to dedicate my life full-time to a music career. It brought me a kind of peace about the choices I’ve made and helps explain why I’m a “midlife musician” — not a professional one.
Midlife Musicians 