A Classical Journey

Prescreening Results

2010-12-18T17:22:00.002-05:00

So, I've gotten some of them in. You win some and you lose some. Of my top two choices in schools my prescreening was rejected by one of them and the other one was accepted. Or at least... I believe it was accepted. I called the admissions office two days ago to make sure everything had arrived and was accounted for. The guy pulled up my application and said that I'll actually be getting an email in the next week telling me when my live audition has been scheduled. Considering that they only accept about 1/5 prescreening applicants... I feel good about it.

The two other schools I am applying for have no prescreening (to my knowledge). I will be scheduling my auditions soon. In the next two months I will be making trips to California, Utah, and Ohio.

The wait...

2010-12-05T22:10:00.002-05:00

So, I've been really busy for the past few months, and I have consequently decided that I am the worst blogger on the planet. But, I thought I would at least make some sort of post.

I have submitted my applications and my prescreening recordings. Now the wait begins. It is exciting and terrifying at the same time. The fate of my future is being decided by what they think of the recordings I put on a small, plastic disc. EEK!

I also had to come to a few very difficult decisions. I was often forced to choose between two separate takes of excerpts. One would be technically clean and musical. Another would be less musical, less clean, but perfect rhythm and tempo. I chose to take the cleaner, more musical versions in favor of slight tempo fluctuations. Lets hope that was the right decision.

Now, what schools am I applying to you may ask? I'm not telling... for now at least. I have decided however that the type of school would change. I no longer have any desire to attend a top notch conservatory. The attitude of these institutions just... well... I wouldn't do well there. I want teachers and a learning environment that are nurturing, supportive, gracious, kind, loving, and down to earth. I don't come from a prestigious background despite everything that I have achieved in the short time that I've been taking lessons. I want to study with someone who only wants students who play well, and have the desire to smile at them every day when they walk through the door. I don't want a teacher who only wants trophy students who already have a career and reputation; students who only look for big names to put on their resumes.

I've also decided that I'm going to shoot for my dreams. But as long as I try, if I fail, then I'll be happy. If I don't make it in music, that's okay. I tried. I can still be a great flutist and have a day job. Not being a full time musician is not failure. Failure is forgetting to realize all of the blessings in our lives and the ability to really enjoy music and life. Often I think... full time musicians forget those things.

Find joy.

Changing Your Life

2010-09-14T23:03:00.004-04:00

So...

It's been several months since I have posted, and with good reason. In May I was notified that not only was I accepted as a performer at my first choice summer program, I was also awarded a scholarship from an outside sponsor to attend. That was very exciting. In return for the scholarship, I was to write an article about the program for publication in the magazine The WHEEL (official publication of the Delta Omicron National Professional Music Fraternity).

The program of my choice changed my life forever. It changed the way that I looked at music, and the way that I look at myself. This was a joyous and a heartbreaking lesson to learn. I received comments saying that I was gifted as a musician and artist, but also harsh criticism in regards to my technical polish. Fair play.

To make a long story short, I had to change my perspective on music and playing the flute. You can't allow yourself to be identified by your instrument and how you play. That will only lead to heartache. When asked what type of musician I was, I would answer: I am a flutist. I allowed myself to identify that way. I now say: I play the flute. That subtle difference is important.

I am more than a flutist. I am a person with hopes, dreams, friends, family, hobbies, and so many things that cannot be put into words. I think too often that hardcore musicians forget that from time to time, and I most certainly did.

So I'm taking the advice I gave earlier: Live the dream. Feed your art, and don't smother it.

I'll write soon. But with a new attitude than I had before.

My New Website!

2010-05-15T22:20:00.002-04:00

I am proud to announce the launch of my official website! It is still under construction, and many layout changes are yet to come (as I branch out from simple html and delve into the world of dreamweaver, fireworks, flash, and photoshop), but it is online at least! Not all content is online, but about 90% is online.

Take a look!

Post Recital

2010-04-30T11:44:00.002-04:00

So, it has been exactly one month since I have posted and it has been because of my recital. In an effort to help my hands heal faster I reduced my computer time considerably, and that also helped me increase my practice time. On the whole, I think that my recital went well. Of course, I listen back and I hear all sorts of things that could have been better, but ultimately it went pretty smoothly. I think it went particularly well since I could only get about 2 hours of practice a day before my hands would start to get funny. Thankfully though, they are getting better every day, and soon I will be up to my 3 hour per day regimen. It's just a slow process.

This week I am on a forced break from practicing. I am not allowed to practice for one week or else I might burn out... or so they say. My friends and teachers are insisting that a break after giving such a strenuous recital is important, so I'm following their advice. I'm filling in all of my practice time with TV, homework, and copious amounts of sleep. The remaining time is being occupied by my addiction to the flute by listening to recordings, deciding what pieces I am going to play next, and staring longingly at my calendar to count down the days until the Panoramic Flutist Workshop and the National Flute Association Convention.

I will soon be posting my recordings on my Myspace page. I will post a link here for everyone to hear.

2 week update

2010-03-30T18:16:00.002-04:00

So, for the first time in 2 weeks I got a grand total of two hours of practice. This doesn't include 2 additional hours of rehearsals. I got through four consecutive hours of playing (rather intensely I might add) without any pain. I am thrilled. I'm going to build my practice time up to three hours (slowly...), and then have that be my cap. My teacher once told me of a conversation she was having in an orchestra performance of a work that had 4 flutes and two piccolos during one of their breaks. These players had been highly praised all over the country winning competitions and awards, and were not "small" players by any means.

They were discussing practice times, and how much they think is a good amount of practice. They agreed that roughly 3 hours a day should be sufficient or else you should probably change your career plans. Ironically, in a book I just read about the development of the orchestral audition (focusing on the flute audition), the vast majority of Principal Flutists who won "Top" orchestra positions only practiced 3-4 hours a day while getting ready. So I think 3 hours is good. If I don't play at all besides my practice time, I might push it to 4 hours.... maybe. I waaaay overdid it on Spring Break. I will NEVER do that again. It's not worth it.

Injuries can still allow progress

2010-03-20T18:37:00.006-04:00

So, I think I've realized that I must be one of the worst bloggers ever. Evidently I'm supposed to update this regularly... which is true I guess. I just don't necessarily know if my life is interesting enough to write about on a daily basis. Otherwise I would keep a journal.

Anyway. As a followup to my previous post, I did indeed hop right back into my practice routine. Then school let out for spring break and alas! I overdid it. A week of practicing between 4-6 hours every day aggravated my Carpal Tunnel. It's not that bad uncomfortable, but it makes really technical things difficult to play. On the flip side, I learned everything in my recital program except for the last two movements of the Vivaldi piccolo concerto I'm playing. I just really hate that I had this happen before my recital and that I have my Recital Hearing in a little over two weeks...

So I have consequently taken the past 4 days off from playing. I've also been doing a lot of stretches and acupressure massages. My wrists feel great, but I'm going to avoid playing until tomorrow (just in case). But, I have had a lot of other things to do. The most exciting things have included booking my airline tickets to Colorado (to attend The Panoramic Flutist workshop with Leone Buyse and Christina Jennings), and my airline tickets and hotel room for this year's National Flute Association Convention. I also spent last night with my music fraternity serving dinner at our local Ronald McDonald House. It was really awesome, and we were able to spend time with some really amazing families that evening.

Anyhow. I'm trying not to let this get me down. I'm looking forward to getting my flute out again. It has been driving me crazy!

Recital

2010-03-03T09:27:00.002-05:00

So... I've been a bit absent lately. I know. I've had a lot going on my life. My University was hosting their annual Honors Band Clinic, and I had to work at that. Then my flute developed a leak, so I had to send it over night to my repairman, get it fixed, then send it back within a week so I could have it back from a performance of the Beethoven Leonore Overture, and Dvorak's New World Symphony.

And I looked at the calendar only to realize that my Senior Recital is in 8 weeks. EIGHT WEEKS! So I started to freak out a bit. I've already had one nightmare about it. I have an absolutely huge program. I'm playing the Gaubert Fantaisie, JS Bach's E minor Sonata, Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto (RV 443), Katherine Hoover's "Winter Spirits", Michael Colquhoun's "Charanga" and Andre Jolivet's "Chant de Linos."

I'm really stressing out. I have the Hoover, Colquhoun, and Jolivet learned. I have to learn the Gaubert, Bach, and Vivaldi, then rehearse them all with piano. ::breathes rapidly::

On a random side note, a friend and I started wondering what food contribution America has made to the international cuisine.... The only thing we could find aside from Tang and Lucky Charms was the Corn Dog. I mean... seriously? A hot dog, dipped in cornbread batter, and then deep fried... all on a STICK. Only Americans would think of such a thing.

Weather

2010-02-17T10:26:00.003-05:00

The weather never stops the arts from their never ending march towards achievement. The weather here in Central KY has been absolutely horrid, and the city I am in is running out of salt to put on the roads. Evening classes were cancelled at my University, but that didn't stop the Wind Symphony from holding a 3 hour long recording session. The roads were bad, the auditorium was a bit cold (we turned off the heat to reduce noise), but we played some really nice music.

Two evenings ago, I decided to feed my art by "Living the Dream" as my friend Elizabeth Rennick says. She is the oboe professor here at my school and she is always talking about living the dream. It was about 10pm, and my friends and I were watching a movie when we decided we wanted to go to Applebees. What started as an adventure to get half price appetizers turned into an epic journey that included digging a friend out of a ditch at the bottom of a very steep hill, obtaining 30lbs of university owned salt through rather shady means to melt the underlying ice, and finally ending up at Waffle House instead.

How does this apply to my "A Classical Journey" blog? I'm Living the Dream people! I'm doing music stuff, AND I'm having a normal life. It has been really... quite strange to be honest. The past 7 years of my life I have had every waking moment of my day filled with one activity or another. And to finally have time to be normal is quite refreshing. And consequently, my musicianship is really thriving. Evidently when that light goes on saying that the machine is recording, I change as a musician, and I change for the better. Our conductor actually stopped the recording session to compliment me. What a rare treat.

Blizzard

2010-02-15T09:16:00.002-05:00

So I woke up to find a blizzard outside. Snow is everywhere, and for once, the university is actually closed... Hmm... that's no good. Well, I'm going to walk over to the music building and try to find a way in. Snow doesn't mean I shouldn't practice. In fact, it means I should practice all day. :)

Teaching

2010-02-14T22:13:00.003-05:00

So this past weekend has been rather interesting, and I thought I would share it with you. I have a student that has her lessons on Friday afternoons, and I must say that she surprised me this week. In the process, it made me realize how truly important being a teacher is, and how much influence you have on the lives of other people. This very same student had also approached me earlier in the week with questions about becoming a Flute Performance major. I hope I answered her questions well, and that she had enough information for her article, and quite a lot of food for thought in the mean time.

This little bit of teaching ignited a spark in me that helped get me out of my apathetic stage that I've been going through, and not only kick started my practicing again, but also urged me to get the ball rolling on my website (now officially under construction), and a youtube channel. Hopefully in the next two weeks or so, I will have everything up and running.

In other news, my Valentine's Day was rather busy, but with work rather than romance. But don't worry, my Valentine and I are doing our celebration on Wednesday night. :) I had a concert today (among other things) that took up most of the afternoon. It was sort of a dress rehearsal for this upcoming weekend when we perform for our University's Annual Honor Band Clinic. I'll not only be playing in the concert, but in a flute clinic, and will be sitting in on the judging of about 80 high school flutists when they take their seating auditions on Thursday night. Yay.

I think it is time to log off, play some DDR (GREAT CARDIO!!!), then go to bed for an early practice session.

Oh- And no one had any thoughts about falling clouds? Hmm. What if you had a pool of Jello? Would you swim in it? I wouldn't. I think I would get stuck upside down if I were to dive into it. And Jello is not good for breathing.

Apathy

2010-02-11T16:37:00.003-05:00

So this is about the time of the semester when I lose steam. I've fallen into the stride of my new schedule, things are going great, so then I let things coast a bit. Consequently, my practicing suffers. What triggered this ailment of postponed practicing was illness. Allergies acted up last week, and ever since... I've just... not cared! Not one bit!

This is a dangerous thing to happen. I mean... did you know that last year Juilliard only accepted 6.4% of their total applicants? 6.4%!!!!!! Holy Cow! They had over 2,000 applicants, and only accepted around 140 of them. And to top if off, I had a friend audition for Juilliard this year, and he didn't even get a call back.

So it's when I think of things like that, and watch youtube videos of 10 year olds playing the Godard Valse almost as well as I did 3 weeks ago that I get back into gear.

And what gives with all of this snow? It seems like God shook a snow globe and I happened to be inside. I mean, you know it is bad if the snow is blowing UP your nose, and you watch 3 cars (one after another) slide sideways down a hill that is more flat than slanted.

You know what? I've been reading some blogs lately, and have realized that the more personality you show (with unique content), the more likely you will keep viewers. How interesting. So I have a question for you.

Would it hurt if a cloud fell on you? This is quite the conundrum I think.

January has been quite boring.

2010-01-28T12:30:00.003-05:00

Not as an insult to all of my friends (who can be quite colorful at times mind you), but aside from the competition, not a whole lot has happened in my life. I played for the Principal Flutist of the New York City Opera, and he recommended that I audition for Juilliard in addition to the other schools I told him about. He is on the pre-college division there and consequently knows the standard at the conservatory there. That was very encouraging. I didn't even ask him if I should apply there, but instead he brought it up. So that was nice. :)

I am finding my class on electronic music technology to be very fascinating. In addition to all of the software that we are learning that is specifically used for music, we are learning about webdesign and computer programming. Hence, I am continuing to blog (quite badly I believe...), and I have a website in the works. I will of course be announcing that publicly when I am launching it.

I don't really have much of a topic today. I'm assuming that because I keep looking at the flashing cursor that I am quite boring, (or at least I think I am).

Okay, so I thought of something. I'm going to continue some advice I gave in my last post. Whatever you do, even if you aren't really interested in my path to Graduate school, LIVE LIFE. That is something I have learned in the past couple of months.

Nothing can help your art more than that. Play (not your instrument), have fun, spend time with friends, and find JOY in your life. Learn to love yourself. After 20 years of not loving myself I am overweight. But that's changing now. I'm down about 50lbs from my highest weight ever (30lbs of which since August), and I'm never going back. Furthermore, it shows. Not just am I physically smaller, but because I have found Joy in serving others by taking care of myself. And that has translated into my playing.

And if you care to, I'd really like some feedback. Tell me about your adventures. I spent all night last night with my music fraternity drinking "mocktails" (non-alcoholic!), and with my best friend who just got engaged. Go do something crazy, and tell me about it! Otherwise, I am going to assume I am typing away into the vast nothingness of the internet with no point or direction.

Peace!

A Competition Disaster

2010-01-18T12:19:00.002-05:00

So, it's been a while since I have posted. I apologize, but I have been busy with school starting back. In light of this past weekend, I thought it would be a good idea to make the next topic that I discuss being competitions.

Several graduate schools have sections in their applications about what sort of competitions you have been in and where you placed within them. While competitions are not necessarily a vital part of whether or not you will be successful in your career, they do certainly say a lot about who you are, and how you play. This past weekend I myself was a finalist in a competition that had competitors from all across the country. 15 minutes before I was scheduled to perform, I had a part of my flute literally snap off of my instrument and clatter onto the floor. After a moment of panic, I realized that I could reattach it with either super glue or a rubber band. I could only find a rubber band. So, even though the key wiggled a lot throughout my performance, and the accompanist sabotaged my performance as well, I still managed to win Second Prize. I can't say that I am disappointed. I am however displeased that the winner had cheated (she bribed the accompanist for an extra rehearsal, and consequently the pianist played perfectly for her whereas she made huge mistakes for the rest of the contestants). But the Board of Directors of the Competition are being notified, and I will see what happens...

So that's my story about this past weekend. But because of it, I learned a lot about competitions, and how to use them to your advantage. First of all, learn some basic repair skills about your instrument. You never know what will happen. Secondly, be friendly to everyone, and be openly gracious and courteous to your competitors. Everyone hates that person who doesn't speak to anyone, bribes judges/accompanists, and only stays around for their performance. It is incredibly rude to only show up in time for your performance, and to leave in the middle of another competition winner's performance. If you are warm and personable, competitions can be used to create valuable networking connections with other contestants, judges, area faculty, and regional professionals. And in contrast to that, if you come across as someone who is overly cut throat, you won't make connections that could eventually determine parts of your career.

Many people win jobs in the music business. Not everyone keeps jobs. It is one thing to be a good player, it is another to be a good person, and someone who contributes as a human being. Don't jeopardize your integrity for a cash prize. It can eventually come back to haunt you.

The next thing (Thirdly), is that you need to prepare your music thoroughly. If you aren't able to (or aren't allowed to) bring your own accompanist, this is especially important. You need to be familiar with the pianist's part, and the form and analysis of the music that you will perform. This helps enormously with the short rehearsal time you have. Organize your page turns ahead of time. PRACTICE WITH A METRONOME. Smart Music is also an incredibly helpful tool as well if you have access to it.

It is also helpful to arrive the day before the competition. If you are traveling a long distance, then you won't be dealing with fatigue, muscle cramps in your hands (if you drove), and the stress of dealing with navigating an unfamiliar area.

If you have trouble with Performance Anxiety, there are several books on the subject that are extremely helpful. "The Inner Game of Music" is one such book, and was extremely helpful to myself and several of my friends. Another option is the use of Beta Blockers. These are controversial among musicians because they prevent adrenaline from having an effect on your body. Some see them as performance enhancing drugs, similar to steroids and athletes. Others view them differently. This is a personal decision you must decide on your own.

Lastly, just have fun. If you are selected as a finalist into a competition, then you have already won. These are wonderful events that can fill out your resume, and give you a lot of life experiences in addition to valuable contacts for your future. Just don't sacrifice your studies of the standard literature in favor of competition repertoire.

Playing and Practicing

2010-01-07T17:12:00.004-05:00

So. Day 2. I know for sure that I've had one visitor because they sent me an email. So that's a good thing. Not a whole lot has happened in the past 24 hours. It's snowing outside, and it has been a perfect day for practicing. It's too bad I've only gotten 1/2 hour in so far. Not enough, but it isn't 6pm yet, and seeing as how I usually get in bed around midnight, I still have plenty of time.

Playing and Practicing. These are two very important, yet very different things. Furthermore, each of them are multi-faceted and can mean many things aside from the physical use of one's instrument.

You must PLAY. You must enjoy the act of using your instrument to create music. Your instrument is the vessel that you use to send your inner voice out into the world. And it must also SOUND like you LOVE it. A good friend of mine (who is an oboe professor) once knew a lawyer that was also a professional timpanist. The lawyer was going into a big court case (one that could alter her career) and someone asked her if she was nervous. She said, "No. Are you kidding? I just finished a Timpani recital, and NOTHING is scarier than that!"

But what she meant was not that giving a recital was terrifying. It was that putting her soul in front of the audience was terrifying. When you play, you can't play in a sense that is only technical. To do so is to create sound that is devoid of that special spark of humanity. That is what makes music. Colonel Arnold Gabriel of the Navy Band once said something to me along the lines of, "What is this? Music? No. This is a piece of paper with ink upon it. Music is what we make using this map, this blueprint. Music is what we give to the audience." And in the same vein, Leopold Stokowski addressed an audience in Carnegie Hall by saying that "Artists paint their pictures on canvas. Musicians paint their pictures on silence. We provide the music, and you provide the silence."

When you play, you must create something. To focus only upon technical clarity will only carry someone to a certain extent. But all the same, you must practice.

If you want to gain admittance to a top conservatory, it goes without saying that you are expected to have already completed years of private study and thousands of hours of practice. If you haven't done that already, and you are within two years of your auditions, you need to get on the ball. When practicing, you must be patient and be relentless about playing flawlessly. A mistake that is overlooked is a mistake that is memorized and ingrained into your playing. Never be satisfied with your playing. Make sure that you focus on all aspects of your playing, and emphasizing your effort upon your weaknesses. Turn your weaknesses into your strengths. I could go on for days about practicing, but it would be futile. For a serious high school player, I would recommend at least 2-3 hours of practice daily, and for an undergraduate (going into their masters) at least 3 hours a day in addition to other rehearsals.

But lastly, you need to practice playing. You need to be as a child, and play. Get outside of the practice room and engage in life enriching activities. Don't be a starving artist, because ultimately you are starving your art. Spend time with friends, go on adventures, and explore the joys and sorrows of life. We are musicians, and as such we have to feel things in a different way. We must feel things in a way that we can internalize them, then channel them through our music. Feed your art. There was once a great flutist in France (but not Taffanel, Gaubert, Moyse, or Rampal... I don't remember who it was. It might have been Marion) who listed the three most important things in flute playing. I forget what one of them was, but the other two were living life, and exercising. When asked about practicing he said: "Practicing is less important."

Live life, and channel it into your music. If you don't then your playing will be lackluster. And in an audition that will last only a few moments, you must convey as much about yourself as possible. The only way to do that is to say something about yourself and your experiences through your playing.

The One Year Challenge: A Journey through the Classical Music Conservatory System

2010-01-06T10:22:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone.

Or rather, I should say: Hello? Anyone out there at all?

No. No one is listening yet, but I hope that someone will start paying attention eventually. I've never blogged before, but I am tackling a project that I have realized is relatively unaddressed through the wide expanse of the world wide web. No one has ever blogged or vlogged into great detail about the process of preparing to enter a music conservatory.

I would have thought: surely by now someone would have done it. It's such a hard thing to achieve, being admitted into a competitive music school and all. It is such an in depth process and it literally requires you to determine the priorities in your life. In the movie August Rush, when the character says you have to love 'it' (meaning music) more than food, they weren't lying. So this is my objective for the next year and a half.

Who: Me. Adam. You've probably seen me post through several flute forums across the web.

What: My goal is to document every step along the way to admittance into an elite Graduate program in a top conservatory. This will include all of the challenges that I face both in and out of the practice room, little tricks to simplifying the process or getting that extra edge in the audition room, and ultimately the final verdict next spring: will I be accepted into a top school like Juilliard, New England Conservatory, Eastman, or USC?

When: The next year and a half.

Where: Here. Blogging from every corner of my life via my macbook pro. From the depths of a practice room, to the wide outdoors, this process WILL be unveiled to all who have no idea of how to get into a conservatory themselves.

I will write soon. I just need to decide how to start.... hmmm.... breakfast would be a good idea, and then practice.