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Deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie has something to teach all of us about the importance of interpreting, rather than simply translating, the music on the page. The trick, she says, is to listen “to ourselves.” Listening with the whole body offers us a way of understanding a piece that is both more personal and more musical. It also leads to greater connection with our instrument and greater technical control.

For Glennie, who has been profoundly deaf since childhood, listening has always been a full-body experience. At the age of 12, when she began playing the timpani, she learned to tune the drums in different intervals by feeling the differences in vibrations in her finger bones, and then finally in her whole body. She and her teacher listened to the differences between the orchestral instruments by placing their hands on the walls of the rehearsal room while the instruments sounded. Glennie says this ability to listen with one’s whole body is key to truly listening to and understanding all the music we play, and is possible and necessary for every musician. Her goal, she says, is “to teach the world how to listen.”

Glennie teaches us an art of interpretation that draws from our own personal and bodily experience. “All of my performances are based on entirely what I experience, and not by learning a piece of music, putting on someone else’s interpretation of it, buying all the CD’s possible of that particular piece of music, and so on and so forth, because that isn’t giving me enough of something that is so raw and so basic, and something that I can fully experience the journey of.”

In this immensely inspiring video, Glennie demonstrates her way of listening, plays the snare drum and marimba, and lectures on the art of interpretation. This is a must-see for every musician.
You can also see Glennie in the documentary Touch the Sound, with composer/guitarist Fred Frith.

How do you listen? How do you connect with your instrument? Leave a comment here on the Harmonious.ly blog and tell us about it.

Virtuoso violin soloist Rachel Barton Pine is championing a classical repertoire that you may not have heard before–and she has created a new pedagogical text to introduce it to you and your students.

This week I had the pleasure of hearing Pine speak about The String Student’s Library of Music by Black Composers, a pedagogical collection of incredible repertoire written between 1700 and the present day, in countries all over the world, by composers who “happen to be black.” This repertoire has largely been out-of-print, unavailable, or under-recognized by the classical music world. Rachel Barton Pine aims to change all that.

After recording her first record of solo violin works written by composers of African descent, Pine was confronted with more public interest than she expected. Musicians, educators, and parents of young string players wanted to find out about this underexposed repertoire, and looked to Pine for resources. Pine, who is of Caucasian descent and grew up in Chicago, said her first response to these questions was “Why are you asking me?” But as more and more requests rolled in, Pine teamed up with Dr. Dominique-Rene de Lerma, the world’s foremost authority on black classical composers, to collect and catalog these lesser-known works.

The String Student’s Library of Music by Black Composers is the first collection of its kind, and it is certain to be an outstanding resource for any string teacher. The collection will include graded student repertoire for violin, viola, cello, and string ensemble, companion CD’s, biographies of each composer, and interviews with living composers. The text also contains profiles of notable black musicians like George Bridgetower, for whom Beethoven wrote his Kreutzer Sonata, and quality articles on a variety of music topics, from classical music scenes in the African diaspora to violin playing in hip-hop and R&B music.

Pine’s mission is to make this repertoire available to a wider audience of musicians, young students, and music educators, in hopes that a truer picture of the diversity of the classical music world can be seen. Talented young black musicians, who may have trouble finding their own place in the world of classical music, will be able to see their own heritage in this volume, said Pine. In a recent lecture at the Icicle Creek African Music and Dance Festival in Leavenworth, Washington, Pine related her own experience as a young female violin student, navigating her own identity in classical music by connecting with the music of women composers. She hopes to offer a similar experience to students of African descent today. “We’re not only representing the past,” she said. “We’re inspiring the future.”

Pine stresses that the music in her collection deserves to be incorporated into the canon of art music and string student repertoire simply because it is excellent music. “It’s not meant to replace the classical music repertoire,” said Pine. “The idea is to have this be a supplemental curriculum,” included alongside other great works. The music itself, said Pine, “comes in every possible stripe.”

You can find out more about Pine’s collection, hear samples of the pieces, and find other pedagogical resources on the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation website. The foundation also offers grant and instrument loan programs for talented young musicians.

Are you dissatisfied by the professional development offered by your school? Are you a private teacher searching for online resources to improve your practice? Online professional development resources can broaden your educational horizons, offer you new ideas, and connect you with a wider community of educators in your field.

In this post, I offer some of my favorite links and resources for online professional development for music teachers.

Dr. James Frankel’s excellent blog on music technology for educators walks the less technically-inclined through the territory of music education technology. Frankel explains the benefits of building professional learning networks (or PLNs) online through twitter and Facebook, as well as the benefits of webinars and online classes for educators. A must-read for any educator looking to branch out into online PD.

SoundTree offers weekly informational webinars for music educators on different topics. These talks are diverse, high quality, and innovative.

PBS TeacherLine offers a wide variety of online professional development resources for teachers in all disciplines.

Members of MENC, the National Association for Music Education receive access to online “mentors” who are ready to answer PD questions in chat rooms, as well as comprehensive references and general resources for music teachers.

Berklee College Online Courses for Music Educators offers high-quality online courses which can be taken for credit. Berklee offers top-quality courses for computer notation software and computer music production, as well as advanced courses in theory and ear training.

TeacherOnlineEducation offers online courses on general techniques for educators, for credit. This site’s courses are especially applicable for classroom teachers.

Do you have a favorite site, chat room, or other online resource that has helped you grow as a teacher? What professional development opportunities have helped you the most, on or offline?

This excellent interview with Bill Frisell over on BigThink got me thinking about the benefits and drawbacks of different learning environments. Can all our musical skills be learned in lessons, or from a University? What important points might a self-taught student, or a student who learns mostly on-the-job at gigs, miss? Is there a balance that we, as musicians, can strike for ourselves?

Bill Frisell, the famously eclectic master guitarist, provides a little historical food for thought on this subject. He majored in clarinet in college, he says, because in those days (the 1950′s and ’60′s), college degrees were only offered for “real instruments.”

My generation, I still had to learn [guitar] by going, you know, I’d go to clubs and older guys would let me play and a lot of it happened outside of school. And I’m thankful that I was able to learn in a bar or something, that’s where you learned how to play.

Frisell goes on to praise the number of resources that are out there for students with diverse interests these days. It’s possible today to major in guitar, and equally possible at most colleges to specialize in jazz studies. Plenty of resources even exist for studying popular and rock music at major institutions or in lessons. But Frisell warns against a one-sided approach to learning, no matter your instrument, especially because schools and universities can become insular. “You have to try to get as much as you can from as many different directions,” he says.

I’d like to use this post as a way of opening up a discussion on this topic. What are the “different directions” you have drawn from as a musician? How have each of your learning environments have pushed you as a musician? How has lesson-learning differed from learning on the job, in performances, or in jam sessions, for you?

I’ve come to feel, over the years, that balancing multiple learning environments and approaches works best for me. Techniques learned in the classroom often become whole new animals when taken out for a test drive in the real world, especially in the world of improvisation. Music learning “out in the world”, however, doesn’t always offer enough time to go through theoretical concepts or fine points of technique that can be crucial to one’s development as a player. My method is to blend the two: skills learned in one environment can serve you in another. Engaging in multiple learning and playing environments helps you to become well-rounded as a player (and as a person).

The advice I can offer is this: if you have always learned in school, try a jam session. If you have always learned in jam sessions, try school. Expanding your musical learning process can only deepen your practice and expand your mind. Explore some new territory.

This week, I’m welcoming comments about your diverse learning experiences. Let us know what experiences have pushed you as a player or changed your perspective.

This week on the Harmonious.ly blog, we discussed how to prepare for auditions. This comment from katiahayati reminded me of a few additional audition tips and tricks.

At my last audition…I chose a song that was super-intro-singing-101 but that I knew I could nail. The conductor exclaimed “What?! You’re going to sing that?! Do you know how many times I’ve had to hear it?! Don’t you have *anything* else you can sing? *Anything*?”. I got the part anyway, but I was kind of embarrassed.

The “super-intro-singing-101″ may have brought out the cynical sense of humor of this choir director, but it did the trick, and she won the audition. Audition judges are listening for basic elements like rhythmic continuity, intonation, and overall musicality. If your most basic, classic piece showcases those elements the best, then that’s the piece you ought to play.

Katia’s comment does bring up another important point, however. When it comes to auditions, expect the unexpected–and prepare for it a little if you can. Of course, you should primarily concentrate on your main audition piece, but if you have a second, contrasting piece in your repertoire, go ahead and review it prior to your audition, just in case. Be ready to sight-read on the spot as well.

The most important point is this: if something unexpected is asked of you in an audition, stay calm, and don’t let it make you loose your cool.

Many auditions explicitly ask that you prepare two contrasting pieces. If you are a beginning-to-intermediate musician, it’s a good idea to choose at least one piece that is a classic for your instrument or voice type. That’s because these pieces are sure to showcase the musical elements that your audition judges are listening for. You can choose something more unique for your second piece, if you like, and that’s a nice chance to show diversity in your musical tastes and repertoire. Remember to let your private teacher know about your audition well ahead of time, so that he or she can advise you.

How do you prepare for auditions? Leave a comment here on the Harmonious.ly blog and let us know what you think.

Auditioning is a skill like any other. Over time, you can improve your auditions, just by making a few adjustments to how you prepare. Here are some simple tips to get you on the right track.

Choose your piece carefully.
Choose pieces of music that you know you will be able to prepare well in the time you have. A simple piece played well is much better than an impressive or tricky piece played badly. If your audition is soon, choose a piece that you can already play, and use your preparation time to adjust your phrasing and solidify every note. Choosing a piece you are comfortable with will allow you to feel less nervous, which will allow you to play more musically, even under pressure.

Practice auditioning.
Practice auditioning in front of friends, family members, or other musicians. Make a note of any mistakes you make during these practice performances, and review those passages. Remember to stay positive: performing is a learning experience that teaches you how to be a better player. Don’t beat yourself up for mistakes; be curious about them, and learn from them. (Check out these posts about learning from mistakes and tackling performance anxiety for more tips.)

Take care of your body.
Be sure to drink plenty of water and eat well in the days before your audition, and get a good night’s sleep. A little exercise the day before the audition will ease your nerves and help you sleep well.

Organize ahead of time.
The day before the audition, be sure you have organized everything you’ll need. Gathering your music, instrument accessories, and directions to the audition site the day before gives you more room to relax on the big day.

Set yourself up for comfort.
Don’t change anything about your instrument in the days prior to your audition. If you have to change strings or an instrument part, be sure to do this as early as possible, so that you have a week or two to adjust.

Be sure to wear comfortable clothes that don’t restrict your playing movement. Audition day is not the day to try out that fancy new pair of heels, no matter how professional they look. If you need to wear special clothing for your audition, be sure to do a few practice auditions in your audition outfit.

Give yourself some fun warm-up time.
If you have tine, warm-up before you leave the house on the day of the audition. If you have an afternoon audition, try to have a fun, inspiring practice session in the morning. Don’t think too much about the audition at the beginning of this practice session. By this time, your piece will be well-prepared, so use this time to loosen up, have some fun, and get inspired. You may even play a different piece altogether, or improvise, if you like. Toward the end of your warm-up session, limber up with some exercises that are specific to your audition piece, and go through your piece a few more times. This time, just review the piece, enjoy it, and get excited to share it with your audition judges.

After that, just relax, have fun, and remember to breathe!

Do you have a favorite practice tip for preparing for auditions? Leave a comment here on the Harmonious.ly blog and let us know.

If you’re looking for inspiration this summer, I highly recommend heading to Washington, D.C. for the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. This is one of the richest, most diverse festivals out there, and it is absolutely not to be missed by anyone with an interest in the power of living musical traditions as a cultural force.

Since its inception in 1967, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage has brought in “23,000 musicians, artists, performers, craftspeople, workers, cooks, storytellers, and others to the National Mall to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and aesthetics that embody the creative vitality of community-based traditions.” Each year, the festival programs eight days of top-notch performances and workshops, usually organized into programs focusing on specific geographic areas. The artists and musicians are absolutely top-notch, and audience members can wander freely from one tent to another. Attendance is free for the whole festival, but you might want to bring a couple bucks for an incredible CD or two.

Far from a dry or commercialized showcase of cultures-gone-by, the Folklife Festival focuses on living traditions and on audience engagement. In preparation for the festival, the Center engages in at least a year of research and fieldwork in its artists’ communities. Workshops and artist-talks are the highlight of the festival for anyone interested in learning the stories, philosophies, and techniques behind the music. These offer a truly unique opportunity to visit one-on-one with musicians from around the world. There’s even excellent, enriching children’s programming.

This summer’s festival will take place June 24-28 and July 1-5, on the National Green in Washington, D.C. Attendance is free. There will be programs throughout the day and some additional concerts at night.

You can find out more information about the festival, and an excellent video, here.

Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.