Laurel Black Music

As Spring Break week comes to a close I realize all of the things I've finally  completed and those that somehow slipped my mind. Of course, there's always too many things to practice. Even if there aren't deadlines, once I start wondering about what to play I suddenly realize that I have too many projects floating around in the corner cobwebs of my brain. The blessing and the curse of the creative mind, I suppose. I found out yesterday that I did not advance to the Semi-Final round of the Ima Hogg Competition, and to be honest - I'm relieved. I would have needed to memorize two new concerti and fly to Texas to play them. Eek! I'm also relieved because now I don't have to choose between a competition and attending the wedding of two of the most special people on the planet. Honestly, though, I was leaning towards the wedding even if I made it into the Semi-Finals. My spirit would have been too sad to have missed it.   And I don't even like weddings....th...

Note: This post is a series of reflections on a truly engaging conversation my husband and I had with two colleagues - one, a choir director; the other, an opera director.  Any of us who are music teachers now were, of course, students once before. We know what was easy and what was hard for us to understand. We know the things we wish we had been taught differently. And for those of us who have the time to change things by applying hindsight, we try teaching in the way we wish  our teachers taught us. One of the most difficult ideas to communicate to an aspiring young musician is finding the need  to play. I don't mean the motivation for practice, or the interest in repertoire. I mean once those things are in place - there has to be a need  to play. The piece, the song, or the role must have some type of catalyst, some need , that demands its performance. This is something that only the individual performing can know, and something that only the individual perf...