2012 Year End Reflection

When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.

- Walt Disney

This year several students distinguished themselves by their superior involvement and achievement in a variety of collaborative events ranging from Graduate Student composers' concerts, undergraduate shared and solo recitals to the Class Recital.

Thanks to those of you who, by your exceptional commitment to practice and performance, have upheld the ideals of the Saxophone Class.

Those students who have achieved authentic success as performers and learners have consistently demonstrated:

1. passion and artistry;
2. a positive attitude and integrity;
3. a high degree of self motivation and mature conviction;
4. an ability to engage peers and bring out the best in others;
5. support for their peers and enthusiasm for the class;
6. an ability to overcome personal bias and a willingness to explore ideas and stylistically diverse music with real conviction;
7. a love of performing.

It has been a real delight to have shared with students those times when the music has come alive. There is nothing more satisfying than to be able to celebrate the accomplishments of individuals whose determination and daily commitment to music making has produced real fruit. When students demonstrate a deep connection to the music, those moments are such a lasting joy.

I never teach my pupils;

I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. 

- Albert Einstein

It is my hope that students will continue to develop a wide and deep appreciation of the saxophone and its varied music which spans more than 150 years and many compositional languages and cultures. There is, after all, much more to music than the present era's often dominating vapid pop culture. We can explore living history by encountering varied personalities through their music. The music offers us the opportunity to experience something of the times in which those composers lived while attaining a deeper understanding our own times. Our own storytelling deepens when we sit at the feet of masters (e.g., by way of recordings, attending concerts, playing great music).  Our narrow perceptions are stretched beyond an ahistorical perspective and we become engaged and our music making is humanized by our encounter with history.

People who are unable to motivate themselves

must be content with mediocrity,

no matter how impressive their other talents.

- Andrew Carnegie

It's far too easy to slip into a pattern of third rate behaviour. An approach such as "doing just enough to pass" is usually detrimental and often affects others in adverse ways.

An ensemble is defined by the level of commitment demonstrated by each and every member of the ensemble. If one member refuses to practice or habitually misses rehearsals, the ensemble will be characterized as substandard due to that individual's weak contribution to the group. An audience has no interest in why a performance is lacking, they just perceive it (and the ensemble) as poor.

The achievement of excellence, by contrast, requires a willingness to exceed expectations. The individual who manifests a love of learning and a desire for excellence has embraced curiosity, a commitment to practice to facilitate artistry and a commitment to his/her teammates in a class or ensemble to help them achieve their educational goals.

To achieve great things, two things are needed:

a plan, and not quite enough time.

- Leonard Bernstein.

It is my hope that all students embrace our rich legacy of learning and performance by seizing opportunities to think big(ger and better):

1. by exploring educational opportunities such as the NASA Region 9 Conference (Saskatoon, 2013) and regional gatherings such as the Vancouver Rousseau/Nolan clinics;
2. by attending concerts;
3. by exploring audio and video performances on the internet; and,
4. through the use of technology and various social networking media, communicate with saxophonists from around the world to exchange ideas and experiences.

It is better to make a piece of music than to perform one,

better to perform one than to listen to one,

better to listen to one than to misuse it as a means of distraction,

entertainment, or acquisition of "culture."

- John Cage