2CELLOS: Monday YouTube Fix

Judging by the fact this video has over four million views, I think I may be the last person on the internet to watch it.  I have stated for many years that if I had to play another instrument, it would be the cello.  When you combine that with the fact that my second ever rock and roll concert was seeing AC/DC on November 2, 1990 at the Worcester Centrum and you might correctly assume that this clip does it for me. Aside from my love of the cello and AC/DC, this arrangement of Thunderstruck is truly striking.  The repetitive rock and roll riffs are played effortlessly and the vocal parts are performed perfectly, which is not an easy task on any instrument.  The driving energy of this arrangement is just awesome.

I can't believe it took me until to today to see this clip.  Thanks to my friend @cglush for sending it my way.  For those about to rock, we salute you...

Leonard Bernstein/Nielsen 3: Monday YouTube Fix

It never ceases to amaze me the depth of historical recordings that are now available for us to stream from the comforts of our own homes.  This is a fantastic live recording of the Royal Danish Orchestra under the direction of Leonard Bernstein performing Nielsen's 3rd Symphony in 1965. You can always hear when an orchestra is, to a man and woman, on the same page with a conductor.  My friends in the best symphony orchestras in the world tell me this sadly doesn't happen as often as we'd like to think.  You can instantly tell both by listening and watching this clip that the Royal Danish Orchestra was thrilled to have Leonard Bernstein on the podium.

The closeups of Bernstein are wonderful! His facial expressions convey the pure joy he frequently experienced on the podium.  Talk about a rewarding conductor to play for.  He was a master in the truest sense of the word.

Enjoy!

Abraham Lincoln's Insights into the Music Business

"I'll study and get ready and be prepared for my opportunity when it comes." -Abraham Lincoln

Whether you are an aspiring band director or trying to earn a living as a player, real opportunities don't come around all that often.  And when one does, you must be ready to pounce.

Ask yourself this question: if your dream job were to come calling today, are you ready? The key word is today.  If the answer to that question is in any way no, ask yourself what exactly you are not ready for and plan a course of action to address it immediately.

The Chicago Symphony doesn't call you two weeks ahead of time to let you know that someone will be sick and need a sub.  Your ideal school district you've been trying break into won't necessarily call you a month in advance to let you know they need someone to fill in for the rest of the year.  You need to be ready for opportunities like that right now since they don't come around very often.

When I was 14 years old, Sam Pilafian told me that to make it in the music business you need three things: a lot of talent, a lot of hard work, and a lot of luck.  He explained luck as being in the right place at the right time.  You have to get that call in the first place to show people what you can do.  But he stressed that the hard work part of that equation tended to create a lot of that "luck" and made you prepared when the time came to show your skills.

It sounds like maybe Abraham Lincoln studied with Sam Pilafian at some point in time...

Questioning What You Are Positive Is True

"A lot of times when you have a problem with your playing and you think you know the solution try the exact opposite.  85% of the time it will work.  And that comes from personal experience." -Marty Hackleman (former horn of the Empire Brass, Canadian Brass and National Symphony Orchestra)

This is invaluable advice for the practice room.  But it is also great advice for band directors and private teachers.  As with anyone who has been doing something for three decades, I know an awful lot about music.  Frequently though, the things which I am positive are the way I perceive them are what hold me back from having a breakthrough with a student or having one myself on the horn.

What is it that you know today that you need to "forget" for a few minutes while allowing the best possible solution to emerge?

Claudio Abbado: Monday YouTube Fix

The world lost one of the greats when Claudio Abbado, 80, passed away earlier today in Bologna, Italy.  His many accomplishments included being the music director of La Scala as well as being the successor to Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic. This clip perfectly shows the intensity that Abbado brought to the podium.  At the conclusion of this performance of Mozart's 'Requiem' by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, he paused for a full 40 seconds of silence before ending the performance, including a very intense glance upwards.  This is a man in the later stages of life cherishing every moment on the podium.

This clip gives me goosebumps every time I see it.  RIP, maestro.  You were truly one of the greats.

Change: Better Too Early Than Too Late

“Change almost never fails because it's too early. It almost always fails because it's too late.”― Seth Godin

This is true in music.  This is true in business.  This is true in life.

Change is uncomfortable.  Change is scary.  But rarely do we accomplish things beyond our wildest dreams without taking that leap into the unknown.

What aspect of your playing, teaching, career path or overall focus needs to be changed before it's too late?

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser Master Class Quotes (Part 2 of 2)

The fantastic master class I attended summer by the one and only Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser had so many good quotes I needed to split them up into two posts.  It was a class for band directors but there are great lessons for all of us in these.  Here is the second installment. (And click here for Part 1 if you missed it.)

• "Band has to be challenging."
   
• "We have to put people in an atmosphere with courage."
   
• "If you want to win a trophy, go buy one.  It’s easier and you don’t have to rely on someone else’s subjectiveness."
   
• "Positives come and go.  Negatives accumulate."
   
• "When we put the attention on others, they will follow us anywhere."
   
• "How Do We Motivate: 1. Competition 2. Cooperation 3. Creation - Of those three, the highest level of motivation is creation."
   
• "Create what isn’t."
   
• "Happiness isn’t getting what you want, it’s wanting what you get."
   
• "This is our lives.  This is not a dress rehearsal.  This is it.  The cameras are rolling."
   
• "Pessimists see the challenge in every opportunity.  Optimists see the opportunity in every challenge."
   
• "If it come between being right and being kind, be kind.  Because you can always go back and be right."
   
• "At every moment we are either appreciating or depreciating the environment."
   
• "Leadership isn’t something you do but something you are."
   
• "Criticize in private, not in public."
   
• "When we change the way we look at things, we change the things we look at."
   
• "Communication is the key to all problem solving."
   
• "Whatever we want is what we should give away."

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser Master Class Quotes (Part 1 of 2)

This past summer, I ran into one of my favorite human beings, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, when we were both presenting at a drum major leadership camp in West Chester, PA.  Luckily for me, the Boston Brass stuff was at a separate time than his master class for the directors so I was able to be there.  And as with every Dr. Tim class I've ever attended, I left ready to change the world. Some of these are music educator specific and some are just great tidbits to make us better human beings.  Dr. Tim's constant ability to make me think is truly remarkable.  He is one of the most gifted communicators I've ever seen in action and it is an honor to call him a friend.

There were enough quotes that I have split them into two posts.  I've put the ones that really stand out to me personally in bold:

• "It’s only when knowledge is guided by wisdom that value is created."
   
• "The world of academia is famous for pushing knowledge, not wisdom."
   
• "It is easier to work with someone with a great attitude and a little bit of talent rather than someone with lots of talent and a bad attitude.
   
• "The intention (of students) is always to be good.  The trick is to get to outcome.  That’s where wisdom comes in."
   
• "Band is not about being right."
   
• "No (band director) gets fired because they’re not a good musician.  They get fired because they can’t handle the other stuff."
   
• "Flutes are nice, they smell good and you can let them be treasurer."
   
• "Percussionists are the bottom of the food chain.  We’re one step below blenders."
   
• "Maturity is the ability to understand how your behavior affects other people."
   
• "How do we go from competition to cooperation?"
   
• "Each layer of self-doubt puts another wall around your comfort zone."
   
• "Don’t get positive and happy mixed up."
   
• "10% of a band or organization are positive leaders.  80% are followers.  10% are negative leaders."
   
• "It takes 6 positive leaders to counteract 1 negative leaders."
   
• "The quickest way to get attention is to do something wrong.  It works every time."
   
• "The whole game of teaching is energy."
   
• "We don’t teach as we’re taught to teach.  We teach how we’re taught."
   
• "People don’t feel better by making them feel worse."
   
• "Nobody in your band is coming out of their comfort zone if it’s not safe."
   
• "Successful people don’t know how to not be successful.  That comes from being young and giving up giving up."

Click here for Part 2 of Dr. Tim's quotes.

Brass Recording Project Outtake: Monday YouTube Fix

This moment from the recently completed Brass Recording Project session is just too funny not to share. (Check back here soon for a full rundown of four of the most fun days of any of our careers.)

One of the tunes we recorded for the premiere Brass Recording Project album was Henry Fillmore's "Circus Bee" march.  After we got it in the can, Lance LaDuke (trombone, euphonium, all-around jackass) lost his mind and started doing a one man band version of the march.  I've already said too much.

Enjoy! And follow the Brass Recording Project on Facebook.  Cheers!

My 7 Most Read Blog Posts in 2013

It's been a busy and very successful year for andrewhitz.com.  I find this hard to process, but this blog was read in over 90 countries in 2013! Thank you to everyone for all of the support.  Truly, it means the world to me. I thought I would compile a list of links for the 7 most read posts for the year.  Again, thanks for reading and may everyone have a wonderful 2014!

Lessons Learned from The Savvy Musician in ACTION Retreat

Chronicling the countless things I learned as a thought leader at this amazing retreat.

Janos Starker's Inspiring Words on Teaching Music

Amazing words from an amazing man.

The 5 Most Influential Concerts I Ever

Everything from the first time I saw Sam Pilafian perform to a rock concert that changed my life.

Phil Smith Sums Up Playing Music

It's almost scary how well he sums up music in so few words.

Are You Ready for the Call?

This colleague of mine at George Mason was ready for a call from the New York Philharmonic when the phone rang one late afternoon about a concert that night. Would you be?

Best Description of Articulation Ever

Michael Mulcahy gave me a brand new prospective on articulation in just 28 words.

The Next Chapter

My announcement that I was leaving Boston Brass and about what was next.

-------

Again, thank you to everyone who reads this blog and see you all somewhere down the line in 2014!