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| Sandra Kipp |
I think it is very important to teach our students that simply playing the correct notes and rhythms with some emotion doesn’t create “music.” Music is an art, not ink dots on a page. Music existed for centuries before anyone decided to write it down. Music was passed on and taught from teacher to student, professional to apprentice, parent to child, by listening and playing, not by handing each other a piece of paper. I see too many flutists move from one solo to another as soon as they have what I call the first four levels of music: notes, rhythms, articulations, and dynamics. But until a student gets to the fifth level – musicality, interpretation, and phrasing – it isn’t music and it isn’t finished!
I have used many
analogies to help my students understand the importance of getting passed the
first four levels of music to the level of true art. A good analogy may help
this concept be more thoroughly understood by students, rather than a teacher
simply saying, “You are not finished with this piece.” Here are two of my
favorite analogies:
A “Recipe” for
Musicality
Written music is not
unlike a recipe in the culinary arts. A recipe is a piece of paper; a recipe is
not a plate of lasagna, a slice of cake, or a bowl of soup. A recipe contains a
list of all the necessary ingredients and instructions on how to create the
culinary delight. But until a cook (or in my case, a person with a microwave)
buys and combines the ingredients and follows the instructions, it is just a
piece of paper with ink on it. Sheet music is not music; it is a piece of paper
with ink on it. It has instructions of what notes to play, how long to play
them, how fast or slow, how loud or soft, how accented or smooth, but it doesn’t
contain the character, the emotion, or the art until a musician learns and
combines all of the necessary ingredients and breathes life into. To whet the
appetite of your audience and feel personally satisfied, you must present an
artistic performance with all the character and emotion the composer intended
us to present. Remember, the composer first conceived of the work in his heart
and mind before writing down a recipe on paper for musicians to interpret.
Don’t settle for being a fast food cook, be a musical culinary gourmet
chef!!!!!
“The Theatrical Side
of Music”
Anyone can pick up a
script or play and read the words aloud. But just reading the correct words
doesn’t make a person an actor. I do a humorous demonstration of a bad actor
reading her lines and having no ability to create a feeling or mood, or even
worse, creating a completely different emotion than what the writer intended.
And I ask my students, “Does reading these words make me an actor?” Of course,
the answer is “No!” Actors will often ask their directors, “What is my
motivation in this scene?” The actor needs to know what feelings or emotions
are intended. She needs to know what type of effect her character is intended
to have on the audience. Great musicians are actors. We need to know what
emotions or character the composer intended and within this framework be able
to also add our own character. Just reading the words does not make a performer
an actor. Just playing the correct notes does not make a performer a musician.
The great news is that when we truly reach an artistic level with a piece,
there is nothing as wonderfully satisfying for us as performers or for our
audience! Making music truly makes us artists!
