When To Use Ice and When To Use Heat
In her 2nd “Playing Less Injured” tip, Janet Horvath explains how to treat your tired and overworked muscles – sometimes icing is the right way to go, but other times heat is better.
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Performing for Aboriginal Children: An Interview with Douglas Burden
When Yvonne Caruthers asked Claire Speed, Education Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO), to write an article about the many educational outreach programs developed by the orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, Claire suggested that Yvonne contact Doug Burden, NACO’s bass trombonist, who participated in a program designed for First Nations children in Kispiox, British Columbia.
Yvonne interviewed Doug about the 2004 tour, which involved a educational kit about Vivaldi’s Four Seasons that NACO sent to every elementary school in B.C. Doug describes how, upon arriving at the Kispiox school, where students from four First Nations schools were gathered, the members of NACO’s 7-piece brass group were greeted “as if we were rock stars” because of all the preparation done by the teachers with a recorder specialist working with the kids.
Doug goes on to explain how the brass group integrated Aboriginal customs with western customs in their presentation to the kids – they were greeted by a welcome song and welcome dance, with the students wearing traditional dress. Best to let Doug tell the story in his own words, which he does in very heart-warming terms.
Be sure to read Claire Speed’s companion article, On Tour with Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra: Reaching Out to Aboriginal Children, where she describes all the educational outreach programs developed by the orchestra.
Read MoreAre You “Double-Jointed?”
In her first “Playing Less Injured” tip, Janet Horvath explains that musicians with joint laxity (or “double-jointedness”) are much more prone to injuries while playing than those of us without this condition. Read on to learn how to lessen the possibilities of injury, if you have this condition.
Read More“They Love Us…They Love Us Not Part 3”
In the final installment of this series Roger Oyster, Kansas City Symphony Principal Trombone, uses the points from his narrative in Part 2 to begin presenting possible solutions formulate a framework for strategies which could help turn the business around.
At the heart of these solutions is the willingness for those in the business to help themselves by acting and thinking differently for some issues than they have in the past. After all, Benjamin Franklin once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
Read More“They Love Us…They Love Us Not Part 2”
At the conclusion of Part 1, Roger Oyster, Kansas City Symphony Principal Trombone, framed what he perceives as the problems eating away at core of this business. In Part 2, Roger concluded with the statement “In short, while things have never been tougher, they should be better than ever.”
As such, in order to help illustrate what he feels feel are the real competitive issues facing the business, Roger created the following narrative.
Read More“They Love Us…They Love Us Not Part 1”
The Ancient Greek maxim “know thyself” imparts a wisdom which dictates we should not only have an intimate understanding of our strengths, but our weaknesses as well, only then will we be in a position to improve upon ourselves. Along those same lines, the biblical proverb “physician, heal thyself” directs individuals to be responsible for improving their own deficiencies before correcting the deficiencies of others.
Kansas City Symphony Principal Trombone, Roger Oyster, applies both of those principles as he examines the malaise experienced by most organizations in this business from the inside out. Roger doesn’t leave very many stones unturned as he engages the task of institutional self-examination. As the first of three parts, this article defines the matters at hand and how Roger’s outlook evolved over these issues throughout his career.
Read MoreGee, All I Ever Wanted to Do Was Play My Instrument…
Mild-mannered bassist by day and labor negotiator by night, Nathan Kahn, contributes an article which could easily serve as the definitive “All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” for orchestra musicians. Nathan touches on just about every aspect of the issues and events which shape today’s professional orchestra musicians.
Not being content with merely identifying the problem, Nathan goes on to suggest a regimen of solutions, not the least of which is presenting an entire undergraduate curriculum he feels would “best prepare [future] musicians for the broad demands a symphonic musician will face.”
Read MoreWhat Is ICSOM?
Collective representation touches the lives of every orchestra musician at a number of contact points. Although most musicians are aware of what “the union” is, they may not realize how many facets of the union directly influence their career. One of those contact points is the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM).
In an effort to help professional orchestra musicians better understand the organizations which represent them, ICSOM secretary and Nashville Symphony violinist, Laura Ross, has written an introductory guide explaining what ICSOM is and how it connects with the musicians.
Read MoreYour Librarian and Your Orchestra: Just How Do the Players Get the Music?
When you walk in to a symphony rehearsal, there’s your music – waiting for you on your stand (assuming you didn’t pick it up beforehand). It never occurs to many of us to even think about it – the music is always where it belongs. But how does it get there?
Marcia Farabee, long-time librarian with the National Symphony, answers this question by explaining the four major roles of the orchestra’s music librarian: musician, informational hub, music preparer and, of course, professional librarian. You might not ever think of your music librarian the same way after reading Marcia’s column.
Read MoreProfessional Sacrifices Define the Lives of Orchestra Musicians
Do I spend the money to fix the roof and pay for my son’s travel soccer league dues, or do I buy the new bow the music director insists I need? Do I spend the next two hours making reeds for next week’s Mahler, or do I help my daughter with her math homework? I just finished Thanksgiving dinner. Do I watch the game with family and friends, or do I practice my solo that I had some trouble with at the last rehearsal for this weekend’s performance?
Columbus Symphony bassoonist Doug Fisher touches on these daily dilemmas and more which invariably end up helping to define what it is to be a professional orchestra musician. Doug draws on his personal experiences to help characterize some of these issues and presents an array of unique solutions.
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