babble
Is it wrong for me to say that, in reading my friends page for the last week today, it seems like we're moving pretty consistently? I think predictably isn't the right word, not only as it could be interpreted to have some kind of a negative connotation but also because I just have the sense of lives in perpetual motion. I don't know if it's just me and certainly, if my feeling were accurate, I would still have no idea whether it's positive, negative, neither or both. Perhaps it's just fall. I always feel like everyone develops hyper-awareness of the passing of time during this season. All of the leaves in the park that my apartment is across from seem to have turned to yellow between my departing from Portland on Thursday, and returning yesterday.
So yeah, I spent a few days playing and teaching in Baker City, OR. Baker City makes a good case for the viability of small town living, at least to a 'big city person' like myself. I guess Seattle and Portland aren't NYC by a long shot, but they aren't exactly Baker City either. Still, the town is home to some great people, boasts some terrific local food (and beer!), is arts positive, and certainly has a palpable sense of community. A few colleagues and I worked at the high school and I found it to be a really terrific environment. The band director there could easily work as a first class arranger in Hollywood or NYC, or teach at the university level, but seems to be very happy where he is. That's terrific. I won't lie, it felt good to get back to the city, and perhaps growing up in one I've become biased. But every so often I wind up in a small town that I could totally see relocating to at some point. Retirement perhaps. Astoria, Florence and Coos Bay/North Bend, OR all qualify as well.
Last night I played again with the Portland Gay Symphonic Band (previously known as the Rose City Gay Freedom Band, now the name of the umbrella organization that also includes a full big band and marching band.) Because my schedule is so busy, it seems like I can only drop in and play with the band once every few months, but every time the band sounds better and better. One of the things that is so remarkable about the group is that even though many of the musicians are at the level of your average amateur musicians - they stand out from any other community group in that they seem to practice harder, play better together, and really allow themselves to get into the emotional content of the music. That the band is made up of gay people is an unfair rationale for the exceptional progress and accomplishments of the ensemble. I don't buy for a second that gay people are predisposed to excel in the arts, and I've seen other community ensembles play this way (albeit rarely), like the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (not to be confused with the professional Brooklyn Philharmonic, but equally vital to the community.)
I give credit to the band's leadership, who throw extremely difficult professional-level music at players who may never have had a music lesson. The players confront the challenge eagerly. There are no auditions for this ensemble, but no player in the band is hopelessly lost or completely out of place. There are missed notes/entrances, balance and intonation issues, but these have nothing to do with a lack of effort. Furthermore, the band plays with dynamics, unified phrasing, a sophisticated color palette, and a lot of heart. A lot of musicians who aren't at an incredibly accomplished technical level are so preoccupied with the most basic level of technical accuracy that they forget (or don't even attempt to) play the music. When players focus purely on physical technique, artistry suffers. However, this band makes a great case for focusing on the artistic element - because it seems that in doing so, the technique naturally improves as well.
And to be fair, the end result is really pretty good. Audiences care less about a small missteps when emotional or narrative content is being effectively communicated by the performer. Sure it's nice to have both artistry and technique (and about 90% of the time the band does), but there is never a time when both are absent. I've heard ensembles that are more technically accomplished, but leave so much to be desired, and ultimately that is the measure of a performance. So I really have to salute the ensemble for their excellent work. Last and least, it need be mentioned that the band (which has 99% complete instrumentation) - being drawn from the gay community of the greater Portland area - comes from a significantly smaller pool of potential players than similar ensembles I've heard in cities like NYC and Seattle. And yet, the ensemble's skill level is equivalent, if not even a bit higher. The kicker - everyone in the ensemble is so friendly!
So I left as much of a donation as I could with the GM/euphonium after the sound check. I'd give more if I had it. In no small part, the success of professional arts organizations (like my employer) is tied to the availability to of participatory experiences in the arts to the general public. I feel even more strongly that the decline in arts education and opportunities in public schools is threatening to professional arts organizations, and that if art ceases to exist life will cease to have meaning.
In other news, well, there isn't much. Did a kids show today with some fun stuff - Harry Potter, Peter and the Wolf, Firebird. Good music. Taking the evening easy, just a little practicing to do on Walton's First Symphony for a double rehearsal day tomorrow...
So yeah, I spent a few days playing and teaching in Baker City, OR. Baker City makes a good case for the viability of small town living, at least to a 'big city person' like myself. I guess Seattle and Portland aren't NYC by a long shot, but they aren't exactly Baker City either. Still, the town is home to some great people, boasts some terrific local food (and beer!), is arts positive, and certainly has a palpable sense of community. A few colleagues and I worked at the high school and I found it to be a really terrific environment. The band director there could easily work as a first class arranger in Hollywood or NYC, or teach at the university level, but seems to be very happy where he is. That's terrific. I won't lie, it felt good to get back to the city, and perhaps growing up in one I've become biased. But every so often I wind up in a small town that I could totally see relocating to at some point. Retirement perhaps. Astoria, Florence and Coos Bay/North Bend, OR all qualify as well.
Last night I played again with the Portland Gay Symphonic Band (previously known as the Rose City Gay Freedom Band, now the name of the umbrella organization that also includes a full big band and marching band.) Because my schedule is so busy, it seems like I can only drop in and play with the band once every few months, but every time the band sounds better and better. One of the things that is so remarkable about the group is that even though many of the musicians are at the level of your average amateur musicians - they stand out from any other community group in that they seem to practice harder, play better together, and really allow themselves to get into the emotional content of the music. That the band is made up of gay people is an unfair rationale for the exceptional progress and accomplishments of the ensemble. I don't buy for a second that gay people are predisposed to excel in the arts, and I've seen other community ensembles play this way (albeit rarely), like the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra (not to be confused with the professional Brooklyn Philharmonic, but equally vital to the community.)
I give credit to the band's leadership, who throw extremely difficult professional-level music at players who may never have had a music lesson. The players confront the challenge eagerly. There are no auditions for this ensemble, but no player in the band is hopelessly lost or completely out of place. There are missed notes/entrances, balance and intonation issues, but these have nothing to do with a lack of effort. Furthermore, the band plays with dynamics, unified phrasing, a sophisticated color palette, and a lot of heart. A lot of musicians who aren't at an incredibly accomplished technical level are so preoccupied with the most basic level of technical accuracy that they forget (or don't even attempt to) play the music. When players focus purely on physical technique, artistry suffers. However, this band makes a great case for focusing on the artistic element - because it seems that in doing so, the technique naturally improves as well.
And to be fair, the end result is really pretty good. Audiences care less about a small missteps when emotional or narrative content is being effectively communicated by the performer. Sure it's nice to have both artistry and technique (and about 90% of the time the band does), but there is never a time when both are absent. I've heard ensembles that are more technically accomplished, but leave so much to be desired, and ultimately that is the measure of a performance. So I really have to salute the ensemble for their excellent work. Last and least, it need be mentioned that the band (which has 99% complete instrumentation) - being drawn from the gay community of the greater Portland area - comes from a significantly smaller pool of potential players than similar ensembles I've heard in cities like NYC and Seattle. And yet, the ensemble's skill level is equivalent, if not even a bit higher. The kicker - everyone in the ensemble is so friendly!
So I left as much of a donation as I could with the GM/euphonium after the sound check. I'd give more if I had it. In no small part, the success of professional arts organizations (like my employer) is tied to the availability to of participatory experiences in the arts to the general public. I feel even more strongly that the decline in arts education and opportunities in public schools is threatening to professional arts organizations, and that if art ceases to exist life will cease to have meaning.
In other news, well, there isn't much. Did a kids show today with some fun stuff - Harry Potter, Peter and the Wolf, Firebird. Good music. Taking the evening easy, just a little practicing to do on Walton's First Symphony for a double rehearsal day tomorrow...