It was a vivid day for a number of reasons. Not
only had I been anticipating seeing Yo-Yo Ma perform the Haydn D Major Cello
concerto with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for weeks, but my teacher had
acquired back-stage passes for him and his students to meet him after the
performance.
Then a turn of events occurred. The day before
the concert, the Twin Towers fell. I was in 8th grade and remember not fully
understanding the impact of this event until the following day in Denver, when
my Mom pointed to the Sears Towers on our way to the Boetcher Concert Hall. As
we looked up at the Sears Towers, which looked rather large to a small-town
girl like myself, she explained that the Twin Towers were several times as high
and wide as those buildings. This July, I visited ground zero in New York City,
and the air felt thick with the loss of years ago. The surrounding Wall Street
Buildings are still heavily guarded, and my heart pounded as the countless news
images played through my mind of people running for their lives from the area I
was standing in.
Of course, Haydn D Major, an up-beat, joyful
concerto, was no longer appropriate for the concert. An hour before the
performance, the program was changed from Haydn to the Elgar Cello Concerto—one
of the most soulful, heart-wrenching pieces of music ever written for the
cello. This is also the work that inspired me to stick with the cello when I
was young—I saw it performed at the age of ten, and I knew I would never quit
the cello after seeing the true magic this instrument could create.
Most events were cancelled after the attack, but
the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Yo-Yo Ma continued on with the concert with
an altered program as a tribute to the lives lost.
After the concert, Yo-Yo Ma spoke with my cello
studio backstage, and I will always remember the wisdom he imparted. He
discussed the tragedy of the previous day with us, and I was struck by how
gracious, generous, and completely humble this man was.
He went on to discuss cello playing with us, and
said that practicing is about quality, not quantity. He said that some days he
practices for five hours, other days he will only practice for five minutes. If
you aren’t having a productive practice time, you are most likely just
reinforcing bad habits. He also discussed the importance of having a balance of
the three ways to practice.
Those methods include:
1) Practicing by yourself
2) Practicing with others (rehearsing)
And,
3)
Imagining yourself practicing.
I remember being surprised by number 3 on his list.
It seems silly, right? But it has been scientifically proven that the brain
forms the same neural connections by imagining yourself doing something as
actually performing the task. He said, “Just because your cello is in the shop
is no excuse to not practice!” This piece of advice saved my music career in
college—I was injured and the time I could practice was very limited. But I
learned to practice in my mind, and work out fingerings, bowings, and other
musical ideas before even touching my instrument. This is a great way to give
your body a rest, or prevent injury, and still improve musically.
Yo-Yo Ma was a child prodigy, performing in the
White House for President John F. Kennedy by the age of five. However, in
college, he studied Humanities at Harvard University. Yo-Yo Ma stressed the
importance of learning about the world. He said to develop yourself in many
areas—to learn about history, humanities, art, and math & science. Yo-Yo Ma
stressed that being a well-rounded person is as important to virtuosic
musicianship as are practicing your scales and etudes. You can’t be a truly
mature artist unless you are educated and aware of the world you live in.
As well, he said that he is always pursuing new
musical interests. Yo-Yo Ma has largely popularized the cello because he
doesn’t just play standard works—he is continually pursuing new projects,
playing music from different cultures, and learning, growing, and challenging
himself musically.
“When you learn something from people, or from a
culture, you accept it as a gift, and it is your lifelong commitment to
preserve it and build on it.” ~ Yo-Yo Ma
– Alexa Reeves Massey
The Suzuki Method is a rich musical philosophy
based on the life work of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki. As I come close to the end of my
first year of studying Suzuki Pedagogy at the University of Denver, I have
found myself reflecting on several significant points of the Suzuki method
which have not only nurtured me as a person, but also shaped me as a musician
and teacher.
Music Studio 