The Good Musician

This short essay was handed to me by Billy Atwell.

This is a notion that can and should be argued for ages. I have always said that I’ll take a pound of passion over an ounce of
technique.

But in reality it’s that tension of the two extremes that make for the most explosive music and art.

Personally I would not be a fraction of the instrumentalist I am without having gone through a pretty demanding public school band program. My private studies were limited in my youth. The private studies I did in my 30’s only made me realize how much time I
had wasted not taking advantage of more educational opportunities sooner. The fact that budgets for the arts in our schools are being cut left, right and center is most disturbing.

I feel that if any of our youth presently tempted by the drug use and other cheap thrills they seek to establish their independence could only tap into the limitless expression of’ inanimate mediums such as music, painting, photography, etc. the world would indeed be a better place. I have been an island unto myself at times and the only thing that has kept me sane and present is the ability to create through sound. Some may call it music but we’re treading on relative perspectives at that point.

It’s quite empowering to review a work of art that is the result of non-verbal self-therapy and perhaps even an altered (albeit drug-free) state of consciousness. The sense of self that is created when one gains a samurai mastery of their medium is something hard to shake in other areas of the life of the artist. Too much thought sterilizes the work. Too little objectivity renders a catastrophe to the eyes and ears. There are exceptions to these rules, but every great artist can find a balance. Ultimately the art never says “no”. Beyond the staff lines and key signatures there are also life skills that came from those years despite the resentment I had in the marching band. My mother wouldn’t raise a quitter and somewhere along the way I started to agree. Without persevering the demands of the curriculum I would have likely given up long ago; not just on a musical career but maybe even life itself. There is something to be said for fixed determination and the realization that even a half-hearted commitment can surrender great results.

I have had the good fortune to pass on these experiences both as an instrument teacher and guest-speaker for the Music Department at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. I am always interested in finding ways to inspire and pass on my perspective to those that are following similar paths. It is a responsibility for the gifts I have.

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