This is more of a statement than a question, but I feel that real-life positive reinforcement is never a negative thing.
Last week, while preparing for my lesson, I found it problematical to practice and have my sound. I did have a trumpet sound, but it was not a musical sound. The notes were coming out of my bell; even some musical ideas were shaping the notes into haphazard music, but the sound lacked musicality and value. While I practice, I always envision Professor Morris, and my mother sitting next to me. It is my way of making every time I play, a quality time. While pondering Craig’s words from my last lesson and this article about keeping the mind clear, to my implausible surprise, I stopped thinking about how to play the trumpet. A difficult lyrical passage of music lay ahead, the only thing on my mind: the word love. To my incredible surprise, out came sonorous music from the tarnished bowels of my instrument. Turing off my conscious mind had allowed my body to do everything needed to produce a musical tone and allow the musican in me to surface. During the next lesson, Craig reinforced this idea of clearing the mind while making music, even letting me try different words for the same musical phrase to perhaps discover a better “simple idea.”
The point of this story is not to glorify ideas or people, but rather show others that through an open, simple mind I was able to take one small step to becoming a better musician. Hopefully some will read this post and open their mind to…. well… not thinking.
Daniel Herdtner, student
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Professor Morris,
This is more of a statement than a question, but I feel that real-life positive reinforcement is never a negative thing.
Last week, while preparing for my lesson, I found it problematical to practice and have my sound. I did have a trumpet sound, but it was not a musical sound. The notes were coming out of my bell; even some musical ideas were shaping the notes into haphazard music, but the sound lacked musicality and value. While I practice, I always envision Professor Morris, and my mother sitting next to me. It is my way of making every time I play, a quality time. While pondering Craig’s words from my last lesson and this article about keeping the mind clear, to my implausible surprise, I stopped thinking about how to play the trumpet. A difficult lyrical passage of music lay ahead, the only thing on my mind: the word love. To my incredible surprise, out came sonorous music from the tarnished bowels of my instrument. Turing off my conscious mind had allowed my body to do everything needed to produce a musical tone and allow the musican in me to surface. During the next lesson, Craig reinforced this idea of clearing the mind while making music, even letting me try different words for the same musical phrase to perhaps discover a better “simple idea.”
The point of this story is not to glorify ideas or people, but rather show others that through an open, simple mind I was able to take one small step to becoming a better musician. Hopefully some will read this post and open their mind to…. well… not thinking.
Daniel Herdtner, student