Repost: A Quick Guide to Juries

As I touched on in my last post, many college students really dread playing their jury at the end of the semester.  I remember experiencing a wide range of emotions both before and during my juries as an undergrad at Northwestern. There is no doubt that performing juries and playing screened seating auditions at NU helped to prepare me for many of the pressures I would later encounter as a professional player.  There is absolutely no substitute for experience and juries provide just that.

Many students feel quite nervous and occasionally it is their own doing.  The number one way to combat nerves is to be prepared.  There is a real feeling of contentment that comes from knowing that you are prepared to the best of your ability.  This not only applies to your playing but also everything else that goes into the process.  Here is a quick list of things to make sure you have taken care of to put yourself in the best possible position to succeed:

Choose your music and find your accompanist as early in the process as you can.  This one is pretty self-explanatory.  Piano players do not enjoy getting phone calls from frantic freshmen (or even worse upper classmen) three days before a jury asking if they can schedule a rehearsal and jury time instantly.  Any good piano player will be prepared if you give them the chance to prepare.  The more lead time the better.

Have all paperwork filled out correctly and turned in on time.  Again, not any real insight here.  But I am continually amazed at how many students don't take care of this.  If you are filling out a jury sheet by hand take a few minutes to print things very neatly.  It is not a great first impression for the faculty if it appears that your jury sheet was written out in two minutes at two in the morning.  Also, do not be the reason that your teacher gets an email from the music office saying that not every one of their students has turned in their jury sheets.  Finally, be sure to have the correct number of photocopies of the music you are performing.  All of this goes into the impression that you make on the faculty.

Be prepared for the rehearsal with your accompanist and make a recording of it.  You will put your piano player in the best position to succeed if you have a crystal clear idea in your own head of what every tempo will be in your solo.  Keeping things consistent from the first run through all the way through the performance will make their job very easy.  Also, be sure to listen to a recording of your rehearsal.  Listen for what both what went well and what needs fixing.  If they ask for a copy, by all means share it with the pianist (although they certainly shouldn't be expected in any way to listen to it).  You can learn infinitely more from hearing yourself that from anyone else.

Dress appropriately.  This obviously means don't wear shorts and flip-flops.  But it also means don't over dress.  You don't want to be wearing a sequined evening gown or full tails either.  Basically, you don't want your attire to be a headline at all.  Look professional and let your playing do the talking.

Take a few deep breaths before you walk in the room.  Even if you don't think you are nervous, take a few deep breaths before you walk in.  I find that breathing slowly through my nose a few times before a performance is what centers me the best.

Smile and walk in confidently.  The faculty should not know from how you walk in the room whether you had the best warm-up of your life or the worst.  Walk in with an engaging demeanor and they will be rooting for you from the start.

Tune quickly and with your best sound possible.  Do not play timidly when you tune to the piano.  It is a terrible first impression and doesn't accurately assess whether your instrument is too short or too long.  Also, don't play any pedal notes or in the extreme high register.  Just play your tuning note and then wait patiently.

Don't start until the panel asks you to.  This is another one that is awfully straightforward but that many students seem to miss.  The faculty may be finishing up the sheet of the person before you and you don't want to catch them off guard.

Completely ignore the faculty while you are playing.  This is really important! Don't try to read their body language or read into how much or how little they are writing.  There is absolutely no way to know what they are thinking.  It is also not the best impression when you are timidly peering over your music stand and trying to assess the situation.  Just play your best and leave the rest up to them.

Never react when you miss a note.  This one only comes from practice, and a lot of it.  A faculty member might not have even noticed that you missed a note.  But they will all know when your shoulders slump, you scowl or better yet when you look at your horn like it messed up.

Smile at the end of your performance.  Whether you have played the best performance of your life or you are ready to change majors, leave the room with a smile.  Be sure to thank them for their time as well.

No matter what, learn from your experience.  Believe it or not, you are not made to play a jury every semester so your school can torture you.  The students who will make it as professionals someday learn from every single performance.  Take advantage of the feedback and ask the faculty for follow-up advice whenever possible.

Good luck!

Monday YouTube Fix: 'N Sync (Just Trust Me)

I doubt many of you were expecting me to post a link to a boy band as a part of this series.  But watch this clip and you'll understand why... This is from Game 3 of the 2000 World Series in New York.  I was over at a friends house in New York City and was not in a good mood since either the Yankees or the Mets were going to win the title.  New York is the greatest city in the world but let's just say I don't exactly pull for their sports teams! When it was announced that 'N Sync was going to be singing the national anthem I started ranting about the fact that out of all the great musicians in that city they had to choose these guys?! You can hear from the very beginning of the clip I was not alone.  The crowd was not thrilled.

And then something happened.  Both me and the crowd were forced to shut up and listen because this boy band could sing their butts off.  Who knew?!? Not this opinionated tuba player, that's for sure.  This is a pretty stunning performance.  They understood what almost no pop star in the world seems to these days: the star of the show at the point is the anthem.  The melody is prominent and not overly embellished.  This is a great arrangement and they nail the you know what out of it.

Similar to a visiting sports team "taking the crowd out of it", that's exactly what they did here.  That place is silent a minute into this clip.  I stopped painting all boy bands with a broad brush after this performance.  Click on something by the Backstreet Boys and you'll instantly hear that they can't sing their way out of a wet paper bag.  But I stopped the 'N Sync jokes after this performance.  They left me, and a lot of New Yorkers, shaking our heads that night.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ymTrULwyM]

Monday YouTube Fix: Empire Brass

This is simply brass quintet at its finest.  As many of you know, Sam has been one of my mentors since I was 12 years old.  I have never heard any other tuba player play with such character within a quintet.  He is the perfect foundation on which to build a chamber group. The amazing thing to me is how much character each one of them plays with while never stepping to the foreground musically when it is not called for.  The ears that these five musicians have are special.  Every lick that gets passed around the band is perfectly matched: the beginnings of the notes, the weight, the ends of the notes, the line, everything.

I sure am happy I stumbled upon this clip.  I hope you enjoy it!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G6r5KcgJQw]

Address Your Biggest Weakness Through Listening

Identify the biggest weakness in your playing.  Now, do you know who some of the best players in the world are at that very thing on any instrument? If not, ask around.  Hearing great examples and imagining them coming out of your own instrument is over half the battle. Listen->Evaluate->Learn->Apply

The Listening Library: November 15, 2011

Here's a sampling of what I've been listening to of late with some links at the bottom. Enjoy! Scheherezade – Chicago Symphony/Reiner

What an amazing recording of a simply stunning piece of music. This brings me back to the summer of 1998 during which I had the privilege of playing in the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, CO. We played this piece a couple of times that summer. It had always been one of my favorites and to finally get to perform it was a real treat. It also didn't hurt that the trombone section included both Jamie Box (Montreal Symphony) and Steve Lange (Boston Symphony). Those guys will make any tuba player sound like they know what they are doing!

The recordings that the CSO left us from the '60s and '70s are simply remarkable for both their technical facility and their artistry. The juxtapostion of power and beauty that they pull off in this recording is truly special.

Rite of Spring – London Symphony/Bernstein

It had been far too long since I had heard this piece. The raw power and drive that Stravinsky gets out of an orchestra is just awesome. I'm not sure there is any composer who gets more colors out of an orchestra than he did. He seemingly features instrument combinations that you've never heard before.

I've been on a real Bernstein kick lately. Some of his interpretations can seem a little out of left field at times but he always gets the best out of an orchestra. This is a fantastic recording. I can understand why people were so upset at the premiere of this piece. It is jarring (and in the best ways possible).

Remain In Light – Talking Heads

I had never heard this album before I saw Phish perform it in its entirety as their “musical costume” for their 1996 Halloween show in Atlanta. That performance 15 years ago changed me forever as a musician and introduced me to the amazing world of the Talking Heads. I have never compiled a list but if I were to choose 5 desert island albums this one would make the list for sure.

There are incredible textures and layer upon layer of intricate playing throughout this album. If ever there was a record that should be listened to on a nice pair of headphones this is it. This band had the ability to have no one in particular at the forefront of the music at any given time while at the same time having every member featured simultaneously. This is a very special collection of songs that I highly recommend checking out.

Phish 11/25/94 Set II UIC Pavillion – Chicago, IL

Anyone that knows me knows that I have a very serious Phish problem. They are quite simply my favorite chamber ensemble of any genre of music ever. This show is a very special one to me. It was the day after Thanksgiving my sophomore year at Northwestern and as a result I had the entire day free. Good friend and fellow musician Ben Denne and I decided that we were going to be front row for this general admission show. We got on the El at 11:00am and made our way down to the UIC Pavillion west of the loop in Chicago. We got there so early that the crowd control barriers weren't even set up yet. We had to ask a guy where to line up. He looked at us in disbelief and laughed since the show didn't start for another 7 hours! Sure enough, of the thousands in attendance we were the first two people in the building not on the payroll.

Luckily for us, we were front row on the railing for an absolutey spectacular show. The second set of this show in particular really captures the essence of who Phish are as performers. They opened the set with a cover of Deodato's version of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra'. Any time you hear a funk version of a Richard Strauss tune everyone in attendance is winning. That is followed by a very powerful version of one of my favorite tunes, Mike's Song. The incessant drive of this tune reminds me a little bit of Mahler's music.

Phish also has a very silly side and enjoy flaunting their collective sense of humor. Harpua, along with its narration, is a great example of this. And their drummer Jon Fishman's version of Purple Rain will have you laughing out loud. The first time I took my mentor, Sam Pilafian, to see Phish he commented that Fishman was one of the best showman he had ever seen in his life. Fishman knows how to work a crowd like no other. It takes some stones to cover a Prince ballad in an arena filled with people. It also helps that he has a few screws loose.

Finally, Phish is very well known for segueing from one song to the next at the drop of a dime. Many of their segues have never been practiced or even talked about beforehand. They all have an incredible “court vision” if you will and are ready to react to a musical cue, even a minute one, from any of the other members instantly. This is one of the many reasons why I refer to them as my favorite chamber ensembles of all time.

Their level of communication is one that I have rarely ever witnessed within either the classical or jazz genres. Don't get me wrong, I've seen it in other groups. The Wynton Marsalis Septet and The Kronos Quartet are two that come to mind right now. But it is sadly rare in music to find communication on this level.

Towards the end of this set we witnessed some of this magical communication when they segued between two of their songs, Weekapaug Groove and The Mango Song. This segue reminds me of Larry Bird's best no-look passes from my childhood. You can watch them over and over again and the only possible explanation is that they had been planned and practiced for months. And yet they weren't.

I feel lucky to be alive at the same time these four musicians are making music.

The Vandermark 5 – A Discontinous Line

I got to see Ken Vandermark performer a number of times during my years in Chicago. Talk about a musician who commands the room. Little did my friends and I realize when we would head into Chicago from NU to see him that one us would end up in his band some day! Dave Rempis, a sax player who I grew up with in the Boston area has now been playing with Ken for years. This quintet is the epitomy of communication.

Each song on this album is written for a fellow artist. My favorite track is titled 'La Dernier Cri (For Elliot Carter)'. I miss seeing music like this performed on a regular basis. The weather in Chicago may suck but it sure has some incredible live music.

Bill Frisell - Bill Frisell Quartet

The word genius gets thrown around far too often in music and elsewhere.  But that is exactly what Bill Frisell is - a genius.  This album is hauntingly beautiful.  The lack of any drums leaves a lot of room for spacial exploration.  The chill nature of this album would make it perfect for background music and yet the musicianship is so brilliant that it grabs your attention over and over.  There's even a little bit of tuba thrown in for good measure!

Here is most of this music on Spotify: http://spoti.fi/t1RbKs

Here is the 11/25/94 Phish show: http://bit.ly/tscPzB

Here is the CSO/Reiner recording of Scheherezade: http://amzn.to/sCzq4V

If you check any of this music out I hope you dig it! What are you listening to these days?

Monday YouTube Fix: The Beatles

For the second installment of this series I decided to go with one of my all time favorite clips.  Paul McCartney is one of my favorite singers in any genre of music.  I love how he waits until over two and a half minutes into this tune to even slightly alter the melody he is singing! Today's pop singers in particular could learn a lot from Mr. McCartney. I will never forget about 15 years ago when my tuba teacher at Northwestern University Rex Martin referred to the singing group Boyz II Men as "embellishment without melody".  That is one of the best quotes I ever heard in my life! We can all learn from it too and make sure that the melody, like Paul's singing in this version of Hey Jude, is the primary message and not embellishments, trills, or ornaments.

Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD3ovfZXO5Q]

What Do You Fear Musically?

Each of us fears something musically.  When you show up to sight-read a freelance gig what do you scan the book most hoping not to see? High notes? Large interval jumps? Exposed soft playing? Mixed meters? Clefs? Key Signatures? Identify your biggest fear musically and attack it head on in the practice room until that very fear becomes one of your biggest assets. Excelling at something most find difficult is your best opportunity to make a name for yourself in a very crowded field.

Monday YouTube Fix: Mnozil Brass

I've decided to start a regular series of posts of my favorite YouTube clips from around the world.  There is so much great music to be enjoyed for free on YouTube that it really boggles the mind.  It is an incredible teaching and learning tool when used to that end. Every Monday I will post a video clip that speaks loudly to me.  Sometimes it will involve the tuba or brass in general and plenty of times it will not.  I listen to all different styles of music and these clips will reflect that.

The first clip is of the amazing Mnozil Brass.  We had the privilege of seeing them perform just this past week in their native country of Austria and I was blown away all over again.  This is their best known clip for a reason.  Really amazing musicianship and showmanship.  Enjoy Bohemian Rhapsody!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBLm747tyn0]

Spotify as an Educational Tool

When I heard this past summer that the music streaming service Spotify was finally coming to the United States I was very excited.  Friends in Europe had already been enjoying it for a couple of years but those of us in America had to wait a little while longer.  I signed up for an invitation to use the free tier to check it out.  Within two hours I upgraded all the way to Pro and it is currently the best $10 I spend a month. (If you are not familiar with Spotify, here is a great write-up by my friend Parker at the great music website Hidden Track).

Within the first month I listened to more music that was new to me than I probably had in the previous year combined! Suddenly my twitter feed and other social media outlets were places of musical discovery.  If someone I knew and respected mentioned a recording or a band I'd never heard before I would immediately search for it on Spotify.  The vast majority of the time it was there and I either heard it instantly or saved it for later.

The copious amounts of musical discovery that I made almost overnight made me realize that a service like Spotify could be used as a very serious teaching tool.  Arnold Jacobs always spoke of playing two tubas: the tuba in your head and the tuba in your lap.  I always tell my students that all music they hear, the best, worst and everything in between, is all data.  It all helps hone the idea of exactly what you want to sound like.

So I decided to make a studio project out of it at one of the schools where I teach, George Mason University.  It is called the Studio Listening Lab.  Every week, two students in the studio are assigned to create a playlist based on a certain theme.  The playlist, along with their comments about the songs they've selected, are posted to a blog every week.  Each student is then required to listen to both playlists and post comments of their own.

The themes that we have used so far include Groove, Tension & Release, and Tone & Blend.  Here's a recent playlist by graduate euphonium student Nathan Galloway using the theme Emotion.  Each student is encouraged to interpret their theme any way they'd like.  Their playlist can be filled with tubas and euphoniums or can have none at all.  It has been a great way for all of us to get to know each other better through our different tastes in music.  Every one of us has heard a significant amount of music that we might never have been exposed to otherwise.

This project has been such a success that I am planning to keep it going indefinitely.  Check back in often to see what new music the studio uncovers and please feel free to add your own comments to any of the posts.  Now I've got some listening I have to do!

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If you are interested in obtaining information about the George Mason University Tuba/Euphonium Studio you can visit the school's website or send me an email at ahitz@gmu.edu.

Sight-Reading: Shifting Priorities

It has been my experience that many musicians and especially students focus on the wrong things when sight-reading a piece of music.  The main focus for many, whether intentional or not, is hitting the right notes.  But from a purely technical standpoint there is another aspect of the music which is significantly more important than note accuracy and that is the rhythms. If I could choose to sight-read a piece of music with a musician who either plays all of the right pitches or nails all of the rhythms I would choose the latter every single time.  A player who sight-reads with great groove and rhythmic confidence will make everyone around them feel more confident.

When I have a student who struggles with groove when sight-reading, whether stopping repeatedly or adding/taking away beats, I have them try something which almost always works.  I have them read the exact same etude a second time and play the entire piece on a middle F.  Invariably a player who couldn't get past the second line without stopping can sight-read the entire piece down with almost perfect rhythm and groove.  This proves that the player was too focused on playing the right notes and not enough on the groove.

Never sacrifice the groove of a piece for note accuracy even when sight-reading.