Gustave Flaubert said it best when he said that "there is no truth, there is only perception." I recently had a discussion with a gentleman that promptly lead to a heated political debate. This man is a very far right wing conservative and I find myself to be a centrist, with liberal tendencies on some issues, and conservative on others. The way I classify myself as a centrist astounded this man as it is his belief that people are "black and white" in respects to being liberal or conservative, with little to no gray area between. Well after having my political standings described as misinformed drivel I promptly struck back.
WE ARE ALL GRAY AREA! This world is made up of people of all walks of life. Different races, colors, creeds, orientations. It is impossible to generalize the thoughts and beliefs of billions of people into two generalized categories. The spectrum of people on this world is vast, exceeding 6.5 billion now, and I find it rather ignorant to believe that you don't have in that 6.5 billion very different individuals.
This particular gentleman found it more disturbing that I could have anything in the way of liberal tendencies. In his mind, liberals are everything that is wrong with this country and will eventually be the downfall of our government, a sentiment which I grew up with. When questioned about specific liberal beliefs we settled on the topic of gay marriage. I happen to be for it. Though I am not myself a homosexual, my best friend happens to be. I've never seen him as any less of a person than I am, and therefore I believe he should have all the same rights that I enjoy. This idea was of course appalling, to say the least, to the gentleman. Though he claims to be accepting of all people, he gives away his own hypocrisy when he would deny them the same freedoms that he partakes of. The argument became very heated at this point with me feeling as though I was fighting for the honor of my friend and this man struggling to prove me wrong. He then said, "well if you're going to redefine marriage as being between same sex couples as well as 'normal couples' then were do you draw the line?" It was at this point that I replied "if you say what about between a man and a goat I will leave." He quickly replied with the scenario of a man and a sheep and I promptly stormed out, realizing that this was a one sided debate with a completely closed minded and ignorant individual.
I got in my car and left, furious at the ignorance and intolerance some people still possess, even in such a progressive age we live in. As I thought to myself of the argument I thought that this man is the personification of everything that is wrong with this world. Blind intolerance of people can be found at the heart of every war, every dispute. Our need to be right, true, and just tends to out way our ability to reason. What many people fail to realize is that most people are good, true, and just in their own right. The couple who adopts a child believes that they are doing the right thing in giving an unwanted person a good life just as the biological parents do when they are trying to be part of the child's life years later when they realize the mistake they might have made. The man fighting overseas in defense of those who cannot defend themselves believes he is just as just as the man who fights against him in the name of God who's will he believes is to crush the infidel. The man arguing for gay rights out of love for his comrade believes he is just as right as the man who would argue that a homosexual union would be an abomination to God...
It was at this point that I realized my own hypocrisy. All the while that I was arguing for my own beliefs I failed to realize that I was also saying that this man's beliefs weren't valid, just because I disagreed with them. As much as I might strongly disagree with this man, he is still part of the broad spectrum of people that I was arguing the tolerance of, and has just as much a right to them as myself. I was very humbled. There is no truth in life, there is only perception of what is right and just. This is not to say, of course, that we should not still act according to our own moral compass. If a man decides to gas thousands of his own people I can concede that it is reasonable to end his reign of terror for example. However, what I do urge is that we all be willing to educate ourselves about our fellows. Blind intolerance is the path of ignorance, and many conflicts could be resolved if people would be more willing to learn and reason than to blindly hate. Every man is just in their own mind, as I am in mine. It is only our perception that differentiates.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
There is no truth, there is only perception
Friday, February 1, 2008
Performance Majors and Marching Band: Friends or Foes?
Marching band is and has always been a common fall ensemble that most music majors have performed in since they were in high school. This is true. It can be very beneficial to those who would someday aspire to be a band director. This is also true. But what would you say if I told you that the marching ensemble is the most detrimental ensemble to those who would aspire to be a professional performer? This is a truth that many would rather not recognize.
Marching band is not a required ensemble for the music performance degree. When the government decided on the minimum courses to satisfy the education of a performance major, they realized that performing in the ensemble no longer benefitted their musical education. The scholarships, however, do require the participation in the ensemble. According to Collegeboard.com Inc. the majority of students in America are dependant on a scholarship to go to school.
Marching Band and Hearing Loss:
According to a study done for the Duke University Marching Band by Joseph Keefe in 2003-2004, performing in marching bands will eventually lead to permanent hearing damage. Some studies have shown the decibel reading to reach as high as 130 dB in the large university bands. This is louder than a construction site (110 dB) and that of a jet aircraft taking off at 60 meters (120 dB). It is a fact that these ensembles can and do reach these high decibel ratings and sustained over time will cause irreparable damage to one's hearing. This is bad for a music educator, but far more catastrophic to a performer who relies entirely on the accuracy of his/her hearing.
Marching Band and Playing Life:
The style of playing in a marching band is generally "ver loud, fast, and exciting." This, over time, has become what football crowds expect. What if I told you that consistently playing in this fashion will drastically reduce your playing life? As Fred Shuster states in his article "When Your Chops Are Shot" which appeared in the October 1995 issue of Downbeat Magazine, "in sports and dance, performers often 'play through' injuries, attempting to put mind over matter in order to get through an important date." The article mainly tells the story of Freddie Hubbard, a great jazz trumpet player whose career "dates back to the gloery days of bebop, the growth of Blue Note records and the emergence of fusion and jazz-rock." According to the article, Freddie, now at the age of 57 (as of 1995) can no longer play for long stretches of time. This is due to a split lip that he got from overplaying on gigs regularly over a period of time which later became infected. As of the writing of this article, Freddie had been off the road for 18 months because it was truly too painful to play anymore.
Marching Band and the Practice Room:
It is a simple fact that the amount of time required to be a member of a marching band takes away extremely valuable time that needs to be utilized for practicing. Most music performance majors are required to practice a minimum of three hours per day. This is the bare minimum to continually make progress on the their instruments. Something that many people outside of the music programs are not aware of is that many music classes (namely ensembles) are only worth one credit hour a piece, marching band included. These classes still meet 3-4 times a week for a full class period, despite the minimal credit. Many music majors go from 8 or 9:10 in the morning to 5:40 for marching/concert/symphony band. When marching band season is in session there are also Friday rehearsals to 6 or 7, a rehearsal Saturday morning at 9 or 9:30, and a football game or marching band competition exhibition show. The old theory goes that each hour in class equals two to three hours outside of class for study. The simply fact is that there are not enough hours in the week for a music performance major to be in marching band, regular classes, study properly, and get the amount of practice time in necessary to be successful.
My Proposition:
I would propose to the university to put in place something in the way of a "Studio Scholarship" available to music performance majors that are upperclassmen (sophomore and above in credit hours). This is similar to a scholarship that has been available at the University of Kentucky for some years. I would suggest that it requires more playing opportunities for the individual; such as two juries, a midterm jury with a solo, and a final jury with a solo and scales. There could also be a performance major recital that the scholarship would require each semester. This would ensure that the students are putting in the same if not more hours than if they were in marching band, but it would be in an activity that would further their musical education beyond that of what performing in marching band can do.
In Conclusion:
The purpose of this has not been to in any way belittle the fine tradition of marching bands in this country of Morehead State University. Marching ensembles have a respected place in our society and our culture. It is simply my point that a music performance major need not be required to perform in an ensemble that may be detrimental to their musical growth, simply because they cannot afford to go to school on their own. It is my great hope that Morehead State University and any other university with a similar scholarship system in place will take this information under consideration in the coming years. The future of music in our world depends on those who will take the time to listen.
Marching band is not a required ensemble for the music performance degree. When the government decided on the minimum courses to satisfy the education of a performance major, they realized that performing in the ensemble no longer benefitted their musical education. The scholarships, however, do require the participation in the ensemble. According to Collegeboard.com Inc. the majority of students in America are dependant on a scholarship to go to school.
Marching Band and Hearing Loss:
According to a study done for the Duke University Marching Band by Joseph Keefe in 2003-2004, performing in marching bands will eventually lead to permanent hearing damage. Some studies have shown the decibel reading to reach as high as 130 dB in the large university bands. This is louder than a construction site (110 dB) and that of a jet aircraft taking off at 60 meters (120 dB). It is a fact that these ensembles can and do reach these high decibel ratings and sustained over time will cause irreparable damage to one's hearing. This is bad for a music educator, but far more catastrophic to a performer who relies entirely on the accuracy of his/her hearing.
Marching Band and Playing Life:
The style of playing in a marching band is generally "ver loud, fast, and exciting." This, over time, has become what football crowds expect. What if I told you that consistently playing in this fashion will drastically reduce your playing life? As Fred Shuster states in his article "When Your Chops Are Shot" which appeared in the October 1995 issue of Downbeat Magazine, "in sports and dance, performers often 'play through' injuries, attempting to put mind over matter in order to get through an important date." The article mainly tells the story of Freddie Hubbard, a great jazz trumpet player whose career "dates back to the gloery days of bebop, the growth of Blue Note records and the emergence of fusion and jazz-rock." According to the article, Freddie, now at the age of 57 (as of 1995) can no longer play for long stretches of time. This is due to a split lip that he got from overplaying on gigs regularly over a period of time which later became infected. As of the writing of this article, Freddie had been off the road for 18 months because it was truly too painful to play anymore.
Marching Band and the Practice Room:
It is a simple fact that the amount of time required to be a member of a marching band takes away extremely valuable time that needs to be utilized for practicing. Most music performance majors are required to practice a minimum of three hours per day. This is the bare minimum to continually make progress on the their instruments. Something that many people outside of the music programs are not aware of is that many music classes (namely ensembles) are only worth one credit hour a piece, marching band included. These classes still meet 3-4 times a week for a full class period, despite the minimal credit. Many music majors go from 8 or 9:10 in the morning to 5:40 for marching/concert/symphony band. When marching band season is in session there are also Friday rehearsals to 6 or 7, a rehearsal Saturday morning at 9 or 9:30, and a football game or marching band competition exhibition show. The old theory goes that each hour in class equals two to three hours outside of class for study. The simply fact is that there are not enough hours in the week for a music performance major to be in marching band, regular classes, study properly, and get the amount of practice time in necessary to be successful.
My Proposition:
I would propose to the university to put in place something in the way of a "Studio Scholarship" available to music performance majors that are upperclassmen (sophomore and above in credit hours). This is similar to a scholarship that has been available at the University of Kentucky for some years. I would suggest that it requires more playing opportunities for the individual; such as two juries, a midterm jury with a solo, and a final jury with a solo and scales. There could also be a performance major recital that the scholarship would require each semester. This would ensure that the students are putting in the same if not more hours than if they were in marching band, but it would be in an activity that would further their musical education beyond that of what performing in marching band can do.
In Conclusion:
The purpose of this has not been to in any way belittle the fine tradition of marching bands in this country of Morehead State University. Marching ensembles have a respected place in our society and our culture. It is simply my point that a music performance major need not be required to perform in an ensemble that may be detrimental to their musical growth, simply because they cannot afford to go to school on their own. It is my great hope that Morehead State University and any other university with a similar scholarship system in place will take this information under consideration in the coming years. The future of music in our world depends on those who will take the time to listen.
Who am I?
Nick Breiner is a Bass Trombone Performance major at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY. He's very involved at MSU as the bass trombone in Morehead's Symphony Band, Jazz I ensemble, MSU Orchestra, and co-principal bass of the Trombone Choir, and Trombone Quartet. He has had the opportunity to play with individuals such as Bill Watrous, Tony Baker, Mark Fisher, Greg Wing, Gordon Towell, Jeanie Lee as well as many others. He has performed in the pit orchestra of productions such as Hello Dolly and Beauty and the Beast . His teachers include Jeanie Lee and Dale Warren.
Nick is also an active freelance vocalist. He has performed at numerous church services and weddings. He is a graduate of the Governor's School for the Arts, class of 2004 in vocal music where he performed numerous works, including Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. He has had the oportunity to perform with artists such as Angelique Clay, Olivia Duval, Barry Lawrence, A.T. Simpson, Hope Kohler, Sonya Baker, and many others. He has performed in cast of productions such as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Mr. Womper), Into the Woods (The Baker), and Les Miserables (Jean Valjean). Feel free to contact Nick in regards to lessons and/or performing opportunities.
Nick is also an active freelance vocalist. He has performed at numerous church services and weddings. He is a graduate of the Governor's School for the Arts, class of 2004 in vocal music where he performed numerous works, including Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. He has had the oportunity to perform with artists such as Angelique Clay, Olivia Duval, Barry Lawrence, A.T. Simpson, Hope Kohler, Sonya Baker, and many others. He has performed in cast of productions such as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Mr. Womper), Into the Woods (The Baker), and Les Miserables (Jean Valjean). Feel free to contact Nick in regards to lessons and/or performing opportunities.
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