Summer 2017
This has truly been a special summer and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with the incredibly talented students at Interlochen! As I began reflecting on what makes these students so incredible, I realized that there is so much that we can learn both as educators and performers from these young horn players.
Fearlessness
One trait that was evident in almost all of the students at Interlochen was that they played without fear! These students were often playing challenging material at a level that was way beyond their age. For example: Two weeks ago I listened to a high school freshman play the exposition of Strauss’ Second Horn Concerto. This student prepared this piece to an extremely high level in only one week because he thought it sounded fun to play! Strauss’ Second Horn Concerto is a piece that strikes fear into me, even as a much older doctoral student.
So why is it that these students can play so fearlessly?
I believe one of the major reasons why these students play without fear is because they have not been told that a piece or task is difficult. Frequently solos and excerpts are hyped up to a level that paralyzes the performer to playing below what they are capable of performing. After all, the excerpt from the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 is simply just a beautiful song! So why do we over analyze and over practice that excerpt, instead of playing with a beautiful sound with the correct notes and rhythms?
Environment
Interlochen has become a hub for artists in beautiful northern Michigan. Located between two lakes and bursting with artistic talent, it has become an environment that is perfectly conducive to maximizing student learning. The students encourage and challenge each other and the immersive, focused atmosphere creates an unbelievable amount of growth in a short amount of time.
One example of where this is evident was through a side by side rehearsal with the faculty and student brass quintets. The students had the opportunity to sit next to the faculty for a run-through of a standard brass quintet piece. Following the faculty performance, the students would read the piece to the best of their ability. Surprisingly, the students sounded fantastic performing quintets like the Scheidt and Die Bankelsangerlieder with only one reading of the piece.
What elements were at play in this example?
- Excellent demonstration performed by the faculty
- Highly focused with only one opportunity to play the piece
- Supportive environment
How can we simulate this in our own practice and rehearsals?
- Listen to a fantastic recording
- Set your standards high immediately and avoid passive practicing
- Immerse yourself with people who want you to succeed
Balance
While Interlochen provides an immersive environment for the students, they are also strong advocates for providing balance in daily camp life. These young “turbo-charged” horn players are still just kids and they enjoy a variety of other interests outside of music. Too often I have seen students overwork themselves to the extent of injuries in a camp environment. That is not good! It was wonderful to see a place like Interlochen where the students are encouraged to go swimming in Green Lake or run up the dunes at the Sleepy Bear Dunes National Lakeshore! It was also interesting to note that some of the strongest horn players had other interests in areas such as composition and singing.
In our busy lives as performers, students, and educators, it is often difficult to find a balance in life. This is a huge area of interest for me and I will write another post about this topic in the near future. For the purposes of this post, finding balance could be as simple as having a hobby outside of music.
Interlochen is truly a magical place and the lessons that I learned this summer will guide my teaching and playing well into the future! As the summer winds down and the school year begins, I encourage you to be fearless, create a supportive environment, and find balance. Good Luck!
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For more information about Interlochen Arts Camp, please visit their website