That's not really true, but I am analyzing it.
This semester, I am starting a small, eight-voiced SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) choral group, and I am extremely excited for it. I have said before that it is my dream to one day be a choral director, and I am trying to take steps to ensure that it happens.
Is it sad that I am putting more thought into this than I am my solo music, the music that I am supposedly "here to study?"
I really wish I could think about my solo music as I do my choral music. I have tried, and I am much more interested in it than I have been in the past, but it really just does not stir my passions (that's what she said).
To me, choral conducting is a very weird blend of artistry and science, a mix between musicality and kinesthetics. There is so much that one can do in a gesture, and I find it so fascinating to see what conductor does what, or how one can make their choir sound good (or, by the flip side, really shitty).
I have also discovered how (NERD ALERT) fun score analysis can be! I went out and bought some overly expensive multi-colored sharpie highlighters this afternoon, and have spent the better part of an hour highlighting different aspects of the score. Pink is for tempo changes, red is for fortes and accents, orange is for crescendos and diminuendos, green is for everything else, light blue is for boys, dark blue is for grown ups, and purple is for the homos.
I just seem to get lost in the music, and when I listen to it, I can't help but get sucked into it (I'm listening to music right now, which explains why that last sentence made absolutely NO sense whatsoever).
More and more, I'm looking forward to the start of the semester and the prospects that this project will bring. However, I just KNOW that in my mind, I will make this a top priority and eschew things like schoolwork and actual PRACTICING (who needs that, right?)... But we will see where this semester takes us. I am actually very very excited for it!
Cheers.
Have a picture of a puppy.
This post requires a long comment, so sorry.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all - whoever it was who decided that "choir can't be your primary instrument" and that "you can't major in choral music" (at least not for most undergrads) and that "choir shouldn't be as important as solo music" is an idiot. Or at least very mean. Choral music is one of those fascinating things for which there is a really small, but extremely rabid, fanbase. Most musicians, let's face it, don't really care that much about choirs. Even most singers see choir as a necessary evil, the enemy of solo technique that they take in order to get their requisite ensemble credits and gain public school teaching credentials.
But there is a small, but growing faction of musicians for whom choral music is another, magical world full of amazing awesomeness and potential. You're not alone - I'm certainly one (although from the compositional end, not so much the conducting), and you know there are plenty of people out there who really do believe it is something special. But it does take an effort to balance our love for choral music with the realities of degree requirements, teachers' expectations, and surviving through solo music. I should talk, given that I am not taking (voice) lessons this semester and I really should if I want to graduate... but really, I do understand where you're coming from.
It is definitely exciting to start a new project, especially one that is of such a long-term interest, but do keep in mind that it is still a learning process, and things might not always go the way you expect them to, both positively and negatively. I say this, only because yes, it does take up a lot of time and energy, and yes, you will probably have that day where you neglect your homework/practicing/class in order to run to the library to copy scores for rehearsal or finish your latest arrangement. The trick is to avoid having that happen too many times a semester, and you're fine.
And the trick to that, by the way, is to bite off far less than you think you can chew... because no matter how hard you try, something will come up later and if you're already full to the bursting point, you'll burst. So give yourself a little leeway to add things on as they come along, because it's better to have the extra room than conjure it out of thin air, especially in the beginning.
At any rate... good luck. You are an amazing musician, and an amazing conductor with lots of talent and enthusiasm, and I am sure you will have an awesome experience. Let me know how I can help, and do keep me informed! <3
I like your picture of a puppy.
ReplyDeleteM. Jolie Princesse