On the Difficulties of Teaching Music

Well, to start off with, teaching is difficult. When you are a teacher of any sort, you put in way more time than many people realize. Very often, I've overheard people declaring that teachers have it made--great hours, summers off, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Teachers get paid for their classroom time, but not for the ridiculous amount of time you spend outside of the classroom, organizing presentations, purchasing materials, grading, etc. So teachers actually have a very busy schedule if you take all of that into account. And with out compensatory pay. But here's the thing...most teachers who stick with it, do it because they love it.

So, we're invested. All teachers are. Teaching music presents it's own set of difficulties. A good teacher, I mean a really good teacher who inspires students and changes their lives (not just a teacher who makes you a better player, or you thought was really nice, or gave nice handouts) is one who forces their students to do very uncomfortable things. We don't like taking risks, we don't like getting in front of strangers and baring our souls, we don't even really like thinking for ourselves. That's the way of the twenty-first century typical student. But a good teacher forces those things on their students. Whether it takes a gentle push, or a more aggressive shove.

What I'm suggesting to all teachers and learners out there is this: Think about the three people in your life who had the most profound influence on your thinking. What was it that they said to you? And most importantly, why did it affect you the way that it did? For me, the influences were those of challenges. It was people saying that my mind was closed, that my bar was set too low, etc. And since these were people I respected, I decided that maybe I should take a look to see if indeed my mind did need some opening.

So what I personally have to do when I'm teaching anything is dual. First, I need to demonstrate my knowledge and authority of the subject being taught. This will give you a bit of respect, and avoid you appearing as an hypocrite. And second, I have to put the bar quite high. Introducing things that most people would never have been exposed to if not for me. Making people do critical thinking (which is not, by the way, taught in schools anymore since we're taking literature and art out of the school systems!!!) is paramount.

And then you have to have faith that what you're doing is correct. Hopefully you will have a handful of students who thank you and tell you that what you have given them is invaluable. That always helps. And likely, you will have quite a few students who look at you blankly, who don't quite understand what you're doing. Don't worry. They will...it might just take a few months, or a few years.

Lastly, music is sound. Teach people how to hear in a new way. Non-judging. Just listening. That is the most important thing you can do as a music teacher. It's not just listening for cadences and passing tones and modulations. It's mostly NOT those things. The listening that should be strived for is one of a subjective human observance, but removing stereotypes and other barriers that might get in the way of hearing without prejudice.

Namaste

The Attempt to Reconcile Modern Art and the Proletariat

A great deal of experimental artists, writers, musicians, and actors are today engaging in a sort of modern-elitist thought and production. These artists are dedicated to experimentalism to the utmost degree, so much so that they cease being experimental anymore. Experimental is not experimental just in the context of society (and what we artists deem the mainstream) but also in the context of the individual artist. We should be constantly changing, like a stream...examining our environment, reevaluating our thoughts and attitudes.

When a modern artist is "too mainstream", the radical cries out "sell-out!" And when a modern artist is "too radical", the mainstream accuses them of "elitism". However, I believe that the true sell-out is nearly the same as the true elitism. The "true" sell-out is somebody who denies their own dreams for money or fame, whereas the "true" elitist is somebody who denies their own place in society for a bigger ego.

(The irony of this is that often the so-called elitists consider themselves on the left side of the socio-political pendulum, whereas they are actually far from it...)

Now we don't have to look any further than Trotsky (socialist, communist, etc.) to see some sort of reconciliation between modern art and the proletariat. Experimental artists do dedicate themselves to being "apart" from the mainstream thought. And the great thinker, Trotsky, demanded that freedom of speech (especially insofar as it pertains to art) was integral to a socialist society. However, these experimental artists who talk poorly of other's work, and these artists who hold their own works and ideas as superior to others...are no better than the bourgeois that they are so loathe to emulate. In Trotsky's own words:
"Art can become a strong ally of revolution only in so far as it remains faithful to itself."

It seems to me that an obvious continuance of the above statement might be..."and any artist who threatens against an art that is faithful to itself is not an ally of revolution." I suppose that this statement can be rebutted, but I don't think it can be rebutted with ease...

The absolute "true" proletariat modern artist is one who is able to combine their own "faithful art" with an understanding that others' "faithful art" is equally valid!

John Cage (composer, pianist, zen buddhist, anarchist, poet) tells a wonderful story in his book "Silence" about a dinner party. A Buddhist priest (or monk, I forget), Cage, and others are attending a party and after the party, another party goer breaks into an operatic song. Cage (full well, and humbly, knowing the extent of his un-enlightenment) was terribly embarrassed for his guest (the priest) because of the poor quality of the entertainers' voice. Upon looking at the priest, Cage saw a beatific smile, full of enjoyment and lack-of-judgment. That priest understood deeply that the aria was an example of "faithful art" and had as much validity as an aria by Placido Domingo...

So, there is my wish and my plea for experimental artists of every ilk. Do what you will, but remain open. You can't grow unless you're open, and you can't remain experimental (and revolutionary) unless you grow.

May this essay find a good home and open ears...

Namaste.

All Music is Personal, All Music is Public

All Music is Personal, All Music is Public

This essay is a personal response to the very popular idea that music should exist for “it’s own sake”. My purpose is neither to affirm nor discredit this notion, but perhaps to further define it. I should begin by saying that I practice Zen Buddhism (read dharma, practice zazen, the works), so of course I do believe very strongly that everything in this world exists for it’s own sake. [A flower doesn’t need a human being to affirm it’s beauty. (Does a flower contemplate the meaning of beauty and truth? Or does it just grow?)] On the other hand, an artist that is truly “in the moment” must envelop the world in the microcosm of a single piece of work. The trick is that the world can be viewed from many angles (like a kaleidoscope). When we create a work of art (or “recreate” it in the case of a musician playing somebody’s else’s music), we are simply allowing the kaleidscope to concentrate on a few different aspects of the world. Of course, these aspects are still very complex and beautiful (like a prism).

So here is the question for me. Is it possible for an artist to take himself out of the picture? Cage tried it…the anechoic chamber experience where he realized that he would always be stuck with two sounds (his nervous system and his circulatory system) as long as he was alive (there is no such thing as true silence)…the groundbreaking “silent” piece 4’33” which isn’t at all silent (the performer is still the person who calls the audience’s attention to the progression of the piece). He probably got as close to this idea as anybody. I believe that it is impossible to remove oneself completely. Every piece of art is in some way autobiographical; every piece tells the story of its creator at a specific time and place, whether we want it to or not. It has been a trend over the last few decades for “serious” composers to deny the part that they take in the creation of their art. Perhaps this is just as dangerous as getting too “wrapped up” in their art.

My second question is that of politics. Is it reasonable, or even possible, for an artist to be apolitical? Or, for that matter, is it possible for even one piece of art to be apolitical? In the 50s and 60s, much of art was unabashedly political. “The times were political”, “people cared back then”, etc. But since then, the pendulum has swung in quite the opposite direction. Now, even in a time of global warming,the possibility of eternal warfare, more species dying off than ever before (one could go on and on), it seems that many artists vehemently declare a doctrine of complacency. Either their art exists in a Garden of Eden and the world can go on without it or they themselves believe in political ideals but it would be unfair to inflict them on the public through their work. Both of these ideas are completely ridiculous. Politics is nothing larger than deciding that the food that you put into your body will nourish you and inflict as little harm on others as possible. Politics is nothing larger than deciding that you want to contribute to such and such a charity. Politics is nothing larger than standing outside the “mainstream” of complacency and instead, creating. The act of creating is a radical political idea, whether we want it to be or not. And the truth of the matter is that we are all continuously creating, whether we know it or not.

Let me take these two ideas (there is no such thing as #1—apersonal, or #2—apolitical art) one step further. The word “relationship” is very simple. It refers to the way that an entity “relates”, or interacts, with another. Relationships can be between two people, between a few animals, between an element of nature and a single person, several nations, etc. Here’s where the idea of creation comes in. The creation of anything is the forming and enjoyment (or nonenjoyment) of a relationship. For example, the creation of a piece of music is the formation of a relationship between the piece and the composer. Perhaps also a relationship forms between an audience and the piece. And further still, the audience and the performer. The creation of a child is the realization of a new relationship between the child and the world, the child and the parents. Each creation brings forth several relationships.

In my opinion, the biggest problem with the world is one of relationship. Nations not relating to eachother, leaders not relating to followers, parents not relating to children, citizens not relating to nature, etc. (this list is nearly endless today!) And perhaps this is due to the disappearance of “conscious creation”. We go through life, paying bills, getting our car washed, washing dishes, and forget that through even all of these “menial” activities, we are creating! We are creating our life every second! Perhaps the disappearance of this magical knowledge, is the reason for our global fear, our global ego trip, our global lack of relationship.

The solution? Simple. Create! A piece of art, a dish of pie, a rose garden, a poem, a wonderful cup of coffee. All the things you already do, but now…do it consciously. Know that you are a creator.

As for artists…we have to first of all, wake up to the fact that NO piece of art that is released into the world is devoid of autobiography or of politics. Both of those things are ALWAYS there. So, we might as well use them. Autobiography and politics are two similar ways of talking about history, of talking about meaningful relationship, of creating. Putting these in the context of art is a powerful tool. We have a job to do…

On the Importance of Spirituality in Piano

On the Importance of Spirituality in Piano

My own story about how I was able to become a better pianist, to reach that “next level”, goes like this. I was in grad school and my piano instructor was a very well respected and admired pianist. All was going fine until one day she turned to me and asked me flat-out, what do you want to do with music? What she meant was what were my intentions, my hopes, my dreams, in terms of my life with music. I told her very sincerely that I wanted to make a living teaching, performing, and composing. Her response to me was something to the effect of “Okay. Well. We have some work to do.” She decided that I needed to “start over”. I had reached a wall that I wasn’t going to be able to get over unless I completely relearned a lot of the basics. So after a couple of months of trying to be “okay” with this revelation, we really got started. Threw out all the music I had been working on, started working on etudes, etc. And about a year later, I was able to play more easily, more fluidly, learn music more quickly, accompany more sensitively. Looking back on it, I am able to see a little more clearly what had happened.

Joseph Campbell refers to the “Hero’s Journey” when talking about mythology. And of course, his wonderful definition of mythology refers to the life-quest of everybody. Now, artists have a special place here in that they are able to help a large number of others in their life-quest. This is not necessarily an easy thing to do, however, it is a responsibility as well as a privilege. The artist mentality starts young and therefore, so does the quest. But the individual may not even realize that he or she is on this journey until quite later. And then the question becomes, what does this person do with the knowledge of the quest, once he or she realizes it? Our American society, and much of our world society is not primed to believe in the endless potential of a single human being, as people once believed. In other words, the magic has disappeared. The good news, is that the magic can be regained; it is just more difficult now.

Much of my own quest has been about the discovery of energy. It takes energy to push a boulder, it takes energy to run a marathon, we all know that. We even know about the energy of light and the energy of sound. Some of us even know the fact that energy exists all around us, in potential as well as active forms. Creation happens through energy. The air we breathe is filled with molecules that are nothing more than energy. But how do we apply this to our lives? And why aren’t we?

My own blocks when approaching the piano are the same as most people’s blocks. Tension. Now we can go and say that tension is caused by stress, we live in a stressful society, people stress us out, it’s natural—but that’s not a very helpful way of looking at this situation. So let’s look at it another way. The definition of tension=when energy is blocked from it’s natural flow. The natural flow of energy? Just like a river. The water is always moving, it moves around rocks, it carries leaves, it swirls sometimes, but it is always moving and if we were to find an average direction flow, it is always toward a lake or motion. Something bigger than itself. So that’s how energy naturally flows. Now…how do we ease this tension? Simple. Get rid of our blocks.

Impossible? Not really. It only seems impossible because we are led to believe that we are a victim of our society. Our chaotic lives are the only natural result of our upbringing. There’s nothing we can do about it. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But what if we choose to believe something entirely different: we are the creators of ourselves. We feel the way that we want to feel. A relationship breakup can be devastating, or it can be a new opportunity for discovery. The loss of a job can make us feel like we’re nothing, or it can make us feel that all avenues have just opened up. And if we start believing differently, the whole world changes.

So how do we let energy flow through us? Complete relaxation! Sound contradictory? It’s not. Imagine this…think of energy as water and think of our energy pathways as a garden hose. Now if that hose kinks, even for a second, the water stops. The good thing is that it is possible to unkink it, and when that happens, the water makes up for lost time and spurts out quite hard at first! Our energy works the same way. So when I talk about energy, I’m really talking about relaxation.

In a nutshell, this is one of the greatest realizations I’ve had in terms of music, both as a performer, a composer, and a pedagogue. For me, the realization of energy and how it flows around and through us, how we are “energy rods” for the universe, is the most spiritual awakening I’ve had so far. I’m still, of course, on my quest (and hopefully will be for a long time, because the learning is exciting!) but I do know that this seems very definitely to be the correct road for me. So I’m going to give a few practical ideas about relaxation that I have been teaching in my lessons. There are four steps. Remember, these are not “religious” practices, they are very “spiritual” and “practical”:

1. The first step consists of tensing different muscles in your body and releasing them. Starting at the base of your body (tips of your toes), work your way up to the peak of your body (top of head). Each set of muscles you will clench tightly for five seconds while holding in all of your breath, then you will suddenly release.

a. toes, arch of foot, heal, Achille’s tendon

b. calves, shins, knees (front and back)

c. quads, hamstrings, knees (again)

d. glutes, groin, hips

e. abs, lower back

f. pecs, lats, upper back, shoulder blades

g. fingers (clench them), forearms, elbows

h. upper arms, shoulders (pull them down), elbows (again)

i. shoulders (pull them up to your ears), neck (do this by frowning really hard),

cheeks (pull them back to your ears), eyes (stare hard), nose (flare), eyebrows (up), scalp

Once you’ve gone through each small set of muscles, you’ll take a few deep breaths (in and out) and then take a deep inhalation, hold your breath, and tense every muscle at once as hard as you can for ten seconds. Then release.

2. This step is related to the Chinese idea of energy meridians (for those unfamiliar, these are the energy pathways that acupuncture is based on). We are going to be realigning our major pathways with this simple, short exercise. Take your third finger right hand and place gently between your eyebrows. Take your third finger left hand and place gently in your navel. We will push in (not too hard) with both fingers, then pull slightly up (not too hard) for seven seconds.

3. This step is related to the Indian idea of chakras (energy centers). We will be aligning our back, step by step, by aligning our charkas. Think of balls of light residing along your spine. They’re like Christmas lights—if one of them is off, the whole string goes out. So we’re going to go through the five “balls” one at a time to make sure they’re all on. First, imagine a red light at your tailbone. We will trace this up to a orange light in your lower back, opposite your navel. Then trace this up to a yellow light in your mid back, then up to a green light between your shoulder blades, opposite your heart. The final light is blue and is at the base of your neck. So to connect these, we visualize them all as being aligned, one at a time. This should give you wonderful posture!

4. The last step…now that you’re wonderfully aligned and relaxed and energy is flowing more easily, we’re going to sit still and do a bit of meditation. As much as you have time for…we’re going to sit with eyes closed or with eyes looking slightly downward. Now all your thoughts, either good (wow, I’m a great musician) or bad (I hope I learn this piece by the recital)—you’re just going to watch these and let them go as they please. Don’t worry about these thoughts. Treat them like bird-watching…you’re not trying to capture the birds, you just observe them as long as they’re in your binoculars and then let them go when they’re out of sight. Do this as long as you want!

In teaching piano, or anything else for that matter, it’s important to remember the underlying unity behind all of the information you’re spouting out. It’s this unity that’s going to make you a great artist!