My subject this time is the act and art of making music.  Let me start with the fact that IF you are going to make music, the point is to make it WELL!  The point is never to make music because it is “seasonal” or you happen to know the piece of music.  If you can perform it well, by all means do it.  If you cannot, then basically, shutup.  I know, that’s hard but guess what the audience and fellow musicians think when someone is performing music badly?  You guessed it…”ohhhh shutup!”

This also applies to hiring proper musicians to perform proper music jobs.  I have always said that there are no shortcuts to making music.  You either do it well or do it badly.  There is never an in-between.  Music that is sort-of good just isn’t good…it’s bad.  Music is like that.  It’s either made well or made horribly.  To make good music means that a person must be proficient in the art of playing or singing and have good sense about their own abilities as a performer.  Not every pianist can play everything or even accompany singers.  It’s how you’re made physically and mentally.   If you are a big-banger, you might take on those Beethoven piano concertos.  But if you have a lighter touch at the piano and can make it sound brilliant and watery, you are probably more geared toward Chopin.  And singers, well, you can’t sing it all folks.  And it’s never advisable anyway.  If you are a “big” singer with expansive singing traits, you probably will sing operatic arias very well.  If you are a very strict musician and don’t do well with the “long and involved cadenza” mindset, you probably will sing cantatas, oratorio, and art songs better…smaller art forms and stricter rules.

This affects Choir Directors as well but in a different sense.  A Choir Director or Music Director of a music establishment (orchestra or church choir, etc.) not only has to have all of the above but vision as well.  These people need to be able to transform a group of performing musicians, either professional or amateur, into an entity all its own.  The sum of all the parts has to be bigger than the individuals.  For anyone who thinks this is easy, think again.  It takes musical expertise, ability to “hear” what this group can become, and the knowledge to choose the music that this group can perform and excel.  Plus, it takes a different kind of communication…conducting, which is pantomime meant to communicate with the group.  AND, it takes nerves of steele since the person is now dealing with personalities of all different shapes and sizes, and egos.

There is also the “student” phenomenon, which is when a student (usually college) starts getting somewhat proficient in their musical studies but over-exceeds their worth without what we call in the music world, “paying their dues.”  Yes, I have come upon numerous young people who think they are very hot stuff before they even have their first degree!  As a former teacher of mine, and former employer as well, used to say…”you can’t have the attitude without the work!”  Boy we heard that one around the school a lot!

And then there’s the group that has studied a bit of music for a little bit of time and think they know what the pro’s know and well, they’re just idiots.

So there you have it, some thoughts on making music well.  And now I’m going to watch The Lord of the Rings, Fellowship of the Ring, a movie definitely made well!  I love when stuff is made well.  Stay tuned for more from Eve!