 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Carmen Izzo
Date: 2002-01-17 03:20
Okay, Sorrry about this whiny post but i need to vent and i think you clarinetists will appreciate what im going through. . .
Okay, this week we have Finals (im sixteen in high school), of course and im taking the full load of eight classes, so i have at least one final everyday, which encompasses a LOT of studying. And on this coming sunday, I and doing a concerto competition with my youth orchestra. I am performing the enitre first movement of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A, by memory. All this practice is tough. If that isnt enough to keep me occupied, (that damn piece requires sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much perfection. :o( .... ) I also have All-State Seating and festival on next wednesday, so im trying bring out the ol' district etudes (its looking a bit more optimistic, since I was third in my district, which is supposedly the most competitive clarinet district). Anyways, I am coming to grips with how much stress music can really put on a person, and it isnt too enjoyable. . .So, wish me luck in thecoming weeks y'all.
Good Clarineting
Carmen
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Author: Cindy
Date: 2002-01-17 03:27
I wish you luck, and I know the feeling. I have finals next week, a solo to perform in about a month, my all state seating, a concerto competition, my honor orchestra and honor band concert, huge hard solos in band, and an oboe/sax to learn. Not to mention a huge homework load. I hate stress, but I wouldn't give it up for the world.
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Author: William Hughes
Date: 2002-01-17 04:28
Carmen:
I am now 54 years of age. It has only been in the last five years or so that I stopped having the "finals" dream. In this dream, which I understand many people have experienced, it is finals week at a school. You realize that you are scheduled to take an examination for which you are totally unprepared. You have not attended the classes or studied the material. In one particularly vivid version, you do not even know where the class meets or how to find out. I came picture myself staring futilily at the class schedule on a bulletin board tryingto locate the site of the final that I know I will fail in any event.
The good news is that I completed both my undergraduate and graduate degrees (not in music, I hasten to add) and have lived, so far, a successful an fulfilling life. The oint i:
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Author: William Hughes
Date: 2002-01-17 04:31
Oops!
Let me complete my thought.
The point is:
1. Your stress is real.
2. You will survive and be stronger for all your efforts.
Best wishes.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-17 05:04
William...Thanks for letting me know that I am not the only one who has had that dream (nightmare).
I can breathe again...GBK
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-01-17 14:51
Although this won't help you immediately, here are some tips to reduce fututre stress in a busy life.
1. Keep up with your studies and make sure you thoroughly know the material as it comes up in class. That way you won't have to "cram" at the last minute. A basic review will suffice.
2. Keep up with your clarinet practice and make sure you start working on pieces well in advance of when you will be performing/competing/auditioning. That way you won't have to "cram" at the last minute. This way you know them well and only maintenance practice is needed as the performance, etc comes up.
3. ALWAYS get a good night's sleep before any test or any performance. Your mind and body will work much better. It's better to take a test and miss a question that you didn't have time to review rather than blank on the entire test because your brain is too tired to function. Similar principle applies to music. It's better to make a small mistake or two than blow the whole thing due to exhaustion.
4. It is often helpful to relax the evening before by doing some non-stressful and unrelated activity like reading a good book or watching a good movie.
Good luck.
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Author: William
Date: 2002-01-17 16:13
Also, regarding your quest to play Mozart "perfectly," if you listen to numerous recordings by players each of whom think that they are performing the "definitive" interpretation, you will find that they all hve reached different conclusions. There really is no "one way" to perform any piece of music--you need only to adhere to the generally accepted performance practices of the time period (in this case, Mozarts time) and choose acceptable tempi and musical expression to present your performance to the public. Sometimes, analysis can become paralysis. Don't ever let the fear of not being "correct" or "perfect" keep you "out of the game." Be prepared, and GO FOR IT!!! Good Clarineting!!!!!!!!!
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Author: James
Date: 2002-01-17 18:17
it is quite competetive here. I am thankful atleast that i took my finals before christmas or else i wouldn't have to work on state. Don't over kill mozart, im sure you will do an amazing job as always. We are blessed/cursed with one of the (or the) best/most competetive youth clarinet competetion anywhere in the country and its hard to try to be sucessful at times but do you best, don't stress out. Becuase you will do fine and of course i do wish you luck! even though you may not need it...
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2002-01-17 19:54
Carmen,
I wish you the best of luck for your upcoming challenges.
Here is a bit of advice from a professional student (I am now entering my 10th year of university...)
It is important that you sleep and eat well, it will keep you in shape. It is also important that you take a bit of time for yourself doing some activity that has nothing to do with clarinet or school. Watch movies, play video games, go for a walk whatever can free your brain from working too hard and will help you keep your sanity.
Prepare well for your exams, if you do, you will be much less stressed.
As far as the music goes keep in mind that what makes you a good musician is not wether or not you win an audition, but the amount of concentration you put in the practice room. A competition is just a snapshot of that work think about the big picture...
Best of luck,
-Sylvain
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Author: Ashley
Date: 2002-01-17 23:44
Carmen,
I totally know what you mean. I'm 16 and a junior in high school going through a hellofa lotta stress. I arrive at school at 6:50 to set up my alto sax and clarinet for and hour of Jazz Band with inferior musicians who don't really want to be there, followed by another hour of concert band on the clarinet. Aside from dealing with teaching the music to myself, I have four other incompetent clarinet players to try to teach Finale by Antonin Dvorak to because I am the clarinet section leader. After concert band I proceed to attend 2 AP classes and 2 Honors classes which brings me to 3:00 pm. Then I spend an hour in sectionals with my clarinet section and emirge broken down and frustrated because I have managed to teach them 11 measures. At 4:00 I whip out my mallets and practice on the xylophone with the drum line until 6. At this point I go home eat dinner and fall asleep by 7. Then I get up at 3:00am to do homework and do it all over again. Aside from the daily drugery, I deal with pissy Band Booster parents and Band Council members who think I'm plotting a conspiracy to take over the band. I receive this privelage only because I got suckered into being the Band Council president and next year I get the joy of being Drum Major (which I think is easier because no one questions what you say, they just accept it because you are the all-knowing "Drum Major") On top of this I worry about my own musical progress because my band director is constantly throwing "Honor Band" and "First Chair Band" forms at me because he "doesn't want to see me waste my talent." Oh yeah and thanks for reminding me, Carmen, finals are coming up! This all may sound like gripping but it's actually what I love doing and I wouldn't give it up for anything. I'm totally under this "spell" that band has cast upon me. I really love it with all my heart and soul. I plan to endure this stress for another year and then go to college where I plan to obtain a teaching degree in music so I can go back to my high school and be the band director there. I just hope that you love your music just as much as I do because I don't think anyone in their right mind would (or should) endure all this is they didn't really love it.
Ashley.
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Author: willie
Date: 2002-01-18 04:53
I really can't add anything to the great advice from the good folks above, but,,, If you can play that piece all from memmory, my hat's off to ya. Good luck and "break-a-leg"!
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Author: Ashley (the college one)
Date: 2002-01-18 18:43
Just wait till you get to college.... I *wish* I could go back to high school.....only when you get to college do you realize how easy you had it in high school (and how annoying and immature high schoolers can be sometimes...really.)
~Ashley~
HMB Saxes '01-'05
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Author: Larry Liberson
Date: 2002-01-18 19:29
Gee Ashley, compared to the real world, you have it pretty easy in college, too.
There is stress at all levels. It's how you learn to absorb and deal with it that counts.
Think experience, perhaps?
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Author: Ashley
Date: 2002-01-19 00:13
I'm not saying theres not stress at all levels, I'm saying theres more stress in college than there is in high school.
Don't read between the lines because theres nothing there.
~ashley
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Author: Kim L.
Date: 2002-01-19 03:32
Especially since some high schools don't prepare you for the college work load!
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Author: Jason
Date: 2002-01-19 05:09
I'd like to relate a story that one of my instructors told me when, during a lesson, I pined for leaving highschool and getting to a place where I could focus on just becoming a better player:
"When I was in High school, all I wanted to do was to get to college so I could have all this extra time to practice and such. I got there and found myself busier than I was in High school. So by the end of college, I was hoping to get out and start working so I could get home at the end of the day and have time to myself. Well, I was wrong about that too, and here I find myself on the verge of retirement, and I have the feeling that as soon as I do retire, I'm going to be ten times busier than I am now, since everyone knows that I have nothing else to do."
Just goes to show that life is always busy, but I'd much rather a full, busy life than the alternative.
-Jason
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Author: Clarice
Date: 2002-01-19 07:51
wow,
After reading all the messages and life stories above i am super worried! I live in Perth in Australia and am in year 12 this year turning 17. All this talk of finals and more finals, states and honours makes me really confused!
In Australia in our final year we have : A performance exam where which we perform 5 pieces and a number of scales for a score out of 50
Then we have an exam on music lit, theory etc etc. They then combine these scored to make out grade and thus our TEE which is a national competing grade.
As you can see its Pret-ty simple.. but ofcourse worrying now I am worrying that when i venture into the rest of the world i'm gonna be way below standards.. which is freaky since i put in so much effort into music ( its my dream to be a professional player) practising and stuff.
By the way - what are these state anf final things anyway?
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