Posted by Farah on February 29, 2000 at 17:19:18:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: College costs and beyond posted by Sorry, no name this time on February 28, 2000 at 10:49:29:
well said, mr. no name this time.
The thing I appreciate most about your post is that I had an ephipany. And I learned something. I love it when that happens.
I am in no means someone who has absolute say on whether this is right or wrong. But I have been thinking about the differences between those who win the serious orchestral jobs (not ONLY tuba jobs but all instruments) and our friend who sounds pretty good, but is just coming up empty handed, whomever that may be.)
I think the big difference is musicality. I recently attended a band concert, not telling you what band--my only hint is that they weren't a "paid" group. Really great band, though. All of the soloists for the evening had an even sound, and basically good technique. They were borring though. Why? Nothing musical happened. They did the softs and the louds and I'm guessing most of the ink. But it wasn't special.
I have heard plenty of players with good technique, no wavering sound, good articulation, and pretty good intonation. However, they are not musical in their playing. They struggle getting into the finals at auditions. When they do final, they just come up short of the job by someone who WOWed the committee.
WOWing the committee doesn't always have to be about which piece you play (although I wouldn't recommend playing Beezelbub over the John Williams Concerto) it has to do with your musical intensity.
All of your excerpts should sound different in styles. They are all different pieces by different composers. I have never gone to an audition where all the excerpts are by Brahms. Why do you think you see, "Prepare two contrasting solos/etudes/excerpts to be performed"? These guys want to hear differences. Yes, by all means, play the ink. However, the people who win interpreted the ink MUSICALLY convincingly. I call some of this stuff, "cheese." In my book, "cheese" is not always bad, it's a way I tell a student or friend to do to Schumann's "Adagio and Allegro" (for horn and piano). "Cheese it up." This is the WOW factor.
I'm sure you have all heard students or collegues who had something "special" but were not quite there yet--some call it potential, but there are plenty of people who have this--I'm talking the really "special" quality. Where this guy/gal knew which notes were suppose to come out of the line EVEN while sightreading.
The band I'm in did a saxophone symphosium in Jan. Now, as a horn player, I'm not typically a lover of saxes, however, we did a concert with two soloist. One guy, I don't remember his name, but he was a good musician, and then this soloist named Claude Lejunge (i think I horrible mispelled his name)--now this guy, had the WOW factor. This guy was a musician first and a sax player second. You could have put anything in his hand and he would have made music out of it. He had the something "special". Just like Mr. Jacobs had the "special." Pavaroti, my list really could go on. The difference between these two saxophonist was obvious to my ears. Claude would play and render me speechless, and the other gentleman, who is a fabulous musician and is really good.