The world has been turned upside down with the emergence of COVID-19 and of course, it has had an incredible impact on our lifestyle as musicians. I have been “quarantined” for the past month and thought that I would share some ideas on what has helped me and my students adapt to the challenges of the situation.
Find Inspiration
There are so many incredible resources available for us to stay engaged in music right now! I also find it especially inspiring how the general public has turned to music and the arts digitally during this time of uncertainty. So if you find yourself a bit down in the dumps, check out these resources. You might find that it is just what you need to rekindle your passion for music!
SmartMusic– SmartMusic has been a wonderful resource for my students to explore music that is engaging and allows them to play with accompaniment. This resource has also made my life as an educator much easier because we can both see the music online during digital lessons and it has also opened up a wealth of repertoire that is perfect for middle and high school students!
Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall– The Digital Concert Hall has opened up access for the public to consume any and all archived concerts. Check out some of the newer music that the Berlin Philharmonic has commissioned or simply listen to your favorites. Either way, it’s a great resource.
Metropolitan Opera Nightly Opera Stream– The Metropolitan Opera has been presenting nightly streams of previous performances. Take a look if you are interested in becoming an opera aficionado by the end of this quarantine.
Horn Hangouts in the Time of Corona– Sarah Willis continues to provide wonderful knowledge to the horn community and these videos feature interviews with the titans of the music world. The videos are archived on YouTube and are perfect if you want to take a peek into the minds of some of the greatest musicians in the world.
Keeping Score with the San Fransisco Symphony– The Keeping Score videos with the San Fransisco Symphony were very inspiring to me as a younger musician. There are videos about repertoire by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Berlioz, Mahler, and Ives. Of course, my absolute favorite episode was about Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5.” These videos disappeared off of my radar prior to the quarantine, so I am so glad to have found them again!
Records- If you feel like you are spending too much time online, try listening to a record. Better yet, put all of your devices in another room so you can let the sound of great art wash over you without any distractions 🙂
Visit an Art Museum– The “Travel and Leisure” website has compiled a fantastic list of twelve museums that are currently providing free virtual tours. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to see world-class art without leaving the comfort of your home. There is certainly value in immersing yourself in ALL forms of art.
Of course, this is just a small sampling of what is currently available! Please let me know if you have any other sources of inspiration and we’ll add it to the list!
Get Creative
Now is the time to explore, experiment, and flex those creative muscles! It has been incredible to see what the creative minds of the world have been producing during the time of Corona. Here are some of the creative ideas that I have seen floating around social media.
- Facebook Live Concerts
- Use the Acapella Application to create chamber music with yourself or friends.
- Work on unaccompanied solos
- Improvise
- Compose
- Perform a family concert
- Have a “porch performance” for your neighbors
- Create your own etudes
- Take a Skype or Zoom lesson
Focus on Fundamentals
Is there an aspect of your playing that is holding you back right now?? Take the time to work on it a little bit every day and I am sure that you will see progress! Of course, not all of your time needs to be spent working on this, but incremental growth will pay dividends in the future.
Execute the Excerpts
While the future might look bleak for performing musicians at the moment, the orchestras will begin performing publically and the audition trail will be open again soon! When that happens we want to be ready to jump right back into public performances and auditions. I believe that all auditions are currently on hold, however, I find it fascinating to look at older audition lists that can be found on the International Horn Society’s website. I have also compiled a spreadsheet of excerpts that came from 53 audition lists for American orchestras since 1940. If you aren’t sure where to begin, check out the lists from previous auditions to hone in on what excerpts are most frequently requested.
Take Time Off
There is no better time to take time off from playing if you feel like you need a break. What other time in history have musicians had the luxury of no gigs or rehearsals for the foreseeable future??? We are all responding to the stress of this situation differently and sometimes that means taking a break. I honestly didn’t practice or play outside of digital lessons with my students during the first week of quarantine. Of course, you’ll want to take the break sooner rather than later to allow for time to get back into shape for when we FINALLY get to perform for a live audience again!
These are just a few of my thoughts on the quarantine routine! What does your quarantine routine look like and what have you been doing to stay active without public performances and rehearsals?
`@()