Norfolk Academy: The other new adventure

Norfolk Academy

In addition to my new position as Principal Conductor of the McLean Youth Orchestra (MYO), I am equally fortunate to begin working with the orchestra programs at the Norfolk Academy (NA). While the MYO is more of what I have been doing all my life, at NA I am getting used to a newer angle to music education.

NA - Roystrings Orchestra

In orchestral training, young musicians very quickly get used to the rhythm of the process:  rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal, concert. Within the rehearsal time, there are also consistencies that are easily grasped:  play, analyze, rehearse, change, play again, etc. The rate at which these elements occur changes from rehearsal to rehearsal, but basically the structure is the same. Then there are the dress rehearsal and performance(s); no surprises there.

In secondary schooling—especially in an independent, liberal arts setting such as NA—the approach is a bit different. The goal of rehearsing toward performance is the same, as are the raw mechanics needed to play an instrument and participate beneficially in an ensemble. However, the ultimate goal or reason for the students being there is transformed.

Bay Youth Orchestras of Virginia

Certainly, the students are moved by the sounds, which is likely what inspires them to play an instrument in the first place. As well, they desire to produce a better product in performance than they were able to at the beginning of a rehearsal cycle. The difference is in the bigger picture:  music performance becomes one of many areas of interest. At this age (middle school through upper school), most have not decided what they want to do in life, nor is there any hurry to make such a big decision. They are still free to explore, test, manipulate, and enjoy any interest they might have. Surely, the age and situation of the members of a youth orchestra are the same as at NA. However, those that have chosen to participate in another music ensemble (i.e. Bay Youth Orchestras of Virginia & Hampton Roads Chamber Players)—frequently in addition to their school ensembles—have indeed made a significant choice to engage further, both in time and effort. The liberal arts students' time is purposefully split to offer them a rich experience in many different areas.

Hampton Roads Chamber Players

"A lesson is a journey—
Knowledge is a landscape"

So, how does this impact ensemble studies? Rather simply:  the need for more metaphors. Metaphors are the bridge between abstraction and real life application. Since musical language is only descriptive of life, not concrete as in spoken language, metaphors can smoothly convey the "how" or "why" of music making.  Note, this is not a process of giving or telling a student what to play, but instead drawing on their own common experiences of life to show they already have the skills to produce a moving performance. (Here is a great illustration of this concept, excerpted from Teaching in Mind, by Judith Lloyd Yero) In a liberal arts setting, offering a bevy of metaphoric relationships between life and music can engage, excite, and excel the learning process. Additionally, it is a needed element to keep even a fraction of the students' focus as they bounce from one significant learning experience to the next all day long.

In a way, this setup does not necessarily allow for the deepest of musical exploration. It does, however, have the possibility of revealing a passion the student may not have known existed within them-self. Even in the absence of such a dramatic epiphany ("Performing music is the ONLY thing I want to do for the rest of my life!"), the metaphoric connection remains. The learning remains. The memory of being moved by a performance that the student participated in, remains. This is no small event. Music performance, and art creation of any kind, teaches us about ourselves. Being moved by art is the nature of being human, the very core of our differentiation from all other mammals. Truly, a wonderful reason to spend even the smallest amount of time practicing and listening.

Whereas in MYO we all come together in the pursuit of the highest musical experiences, at NA the orchestras are not going to have a "spit and polish" performance, nor is that really the goal. Instead, we seek greater self-awareness and enjoyment, above all else. And if along the way we chat with Tchaikovsky and jam alongside Led Zeppelin, all the better!