Faith and Works

Don't worry, I do not intend to write a deep theological post on the long-standing tension between faith and works. (I'll let the smart people do that.) But I do want to share what is becoming a recurring theme in my own life.


"Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?" James 2:14 (MSG)

How many of us have "all the right words but never do anything"? I'm raising my hand right now. Anyone else in that group? Heck, I feel like I started the group. You could just about name it after me. 


You see, I'm a calculated person. Calculated and safe. I like to know exactly what I'm getting into before I dive in. I need to know how much it will cost, how much I get in return, how long it will take. Is it the best option? The absolute best option? Or is there a better one? I better keep looking for a better way.


It goes on and on, and you know what I end up doing?


Nothing.


There comes a time to act. To make a move even if it feels scary. To take a risk. To have faith. 


Maybe it's time to raise funds to record that album. Maybe it's time to set a date for that performance. To send in the resume for that audition. Maybe it's time to reach out to that person who hurt you. To say yes to that gig you don't want to do but you know you should.


I am struggling to really learn what this means. And why is it a struggle? Because in order to understand faith, I have to HAVE faith. I have to experience what it means to have faith.


"Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?" James 2:19-20 (MSG)


I haven't spent much time around dead bodies, but I'm not real interested in having a corpse on my hands.


What faith step will you take today?

Some frustrations

It happens nearly every summer.

Someone comes out with an update or upgrade, and I decide I need it. They take turns. Sibelius, Apple (OS X), Virtual Drumline, Kontakt, others.

And every summer, during marching band writing season, I spend a day or two scouring forums and FAQs looking for answers. And rarely find them. Sometimes it's an easy fix for a problem that is quite common among other folks, but too often, it seems like I'm the only one with the problem I'm having.

You might think I'm talking about Apple's new operating system "Lion", but I've learned not to jump into a brand new operating system until the kinks have been worked out. My most recent issue stems from a Kontakt Player update, which I mostly use within Sibelius. It will work out soon, I suppose, but never soon enough. I'm not a big fan of reading forums all day.

Advice: make sure you know what you're doing when it's time to make an upgrade. Be sure your programs will all be compatible with the updates, and if you can wait and not miss anything, it might be a good bet to just wait. 


Sweetwater has this helpful post regarding Lion and its compatibility with several music-related programs.

Greg Patillo

Apparently I am intrigued and impressed by beatboxing. It is pretty darn cool when done well. I hope you'll check out the subject of today's post --- beatboxing flutist Greg Pattillo.

Classically trained at the Cleveland Institute of Music, this creative flutist discovered a new way to make music on his instrument. And it has launched him into a career probably far different than the one he envisioned when he stepped onto the campus of CIM. See for yourself what this guy can do. And maybe it just might inspire you to think outside the box.

Check out Greg with his trio, PROJECT. (And of course, you'll be able find many more videos on YouTube.) Enjoy!

How teaching can make you a better player

I have had the privilege of teaching music/percussion for 8 years in a variety of settings. And I can tell you with great certainty that my teaching experiences have absolutely helped me to become a better player and performer. I will share just a couple of examples of how this has happened.

I taught the snareline at the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps in the summer of 2007. And when I say summer, I mean all summer, every minute of every day. I lived and breathed snare drumming. Now, I had played the snare drum all summer for the previous 4 years, but teaching was very different. Daily, I would be presented with challenges of how to fix someone's hands, or how to create a better or different sound, or how to control the rebound better on certain types of strokes. And until I was on the teacher side of the equation, I had never given so much thought to the details of what my own hands were doing. As I evaluated my own technique in order to help students understand the technique, I became much more aware of how to make changes to improve certain aspects of snare drumming that I could even apply to myself. I learned not just how to teach better that summer, but I learned how to play the snare drum better that summer. And, of course, techniques from snare drumming can cover a wide range of percussion, so I ultimately became a better percussionist from teaching that summer.

A second, and more recent, example is my experience teaching the front ensemble at Center Grove High School this school year. Similar to the above example, I have dug deep into the technique of marimba and vibraphone playing, and improved my own playing as a result. But beyond the technical realm, I have enjoyed growing in another area of percussion, and that is musical communication and performance. (Wait, I thought they were just drummers....) When I watch a pit perform, whether indoor or outdoor, I don't want to see robots, or choreographed foot shifts, or manufactured cheesy smiles. I want to see (and hear) honest, genuine musical communication. So this is something I have tried to instill and foster in my group.

When you're discussing such abstract and vague concepts as performance and musical communication with high school students, you get a lot of questions!

How do I do that? 
What does that even mean?
What am I supposed to do with my body?
Should I make a sad face? Happy face?
What if people laugh at me?
What if it feels fake?


So we had to discuss these things (and more), and some beautifully insightful conversations ensued. Just in encouraging students to think about these things, and talking about them often, I have given more thought to the subject than I probably ever had before this year. And when I step up to an instrument to play, I am armed with a deeper understanding of how I can communicate effectively through music. As I spend so much time trying to get emotions out of students, I find more emotion flowing out of me.

These are just two of several examples that could be shared. Do you have examples to share? Have you experienced improvement in your performance as a result of teaching music?

What Makes a Piece of Music Great? (Part 3)

The final one on this topic, this post probably involves more of my opinions than the first two. Just a warning.

We have looked at how the composer of a piece can affect its reception and fame, as well as how innovation in a piece can give it value and prominence in the world's eyes. I would like to argue a third point in what makes a piece of music great, and that is whether it communicates something and moves a listener in some way. Yes, I realize this is a broad issue, but hang with me here. Think about it for a minute.

What pieces of music do you qualify as being great? Why are they great? I will bet that there is something about each of the works you're thinking of that moves you, that draws you in, keeps your interest. In my opinion a great piece of music communicates a thought or idea in such a way that the listener must respond. A response might be one of nostalgia, sadness, or excitement. Maybe the music moves a listener to deep reflection and thought. Maybe a piece moves someone simply by its virtuosity (of course the performer(s) plays a large role in this). Something about a piece, possibly including the subject or inspiration of a piece, must connect with an audience, or least one listener, for that piece to really be considered great.

If I write a piece that is intended to depict images from my trip to East Asia, and upon listening, you think I took a trip to West Africa, then I would have a hard time calling the piece great. Or if, upon listening, you immediately lose focus and want to take a nap, I would again hesitate to consider this a great piece of music.

I must note that this can not be a sole qualifier in determining whether a piece is great, because it puts so much stock in the listener's ability to understand what is being communicated in the music. A great piece of music might communicate something clearly to a learned listener, moving him in a deep way, while the same piece of music does nothing for another listener.

Also, a piece may take several listenings/viewings before it communicates in such a way as to move a listener. Take for example, the music from the Rite of Spring (Stravinsky), which caused a riot at its premiere in 1913, and is now received as absolutely one of the greatest works in the repertoire. This ballet and its music took some time before they were understood and enjoyed by the public. Now, one could argue that the music of the Rite of Spring did move people, even if to a negative response. True. And this begs the question, could a piece be considered great if it garners widespread negative attention, moving audiences to respond with disdain? It's moving the audience, isn't it? Hmmm.... Well, I'll leave the answer to you.

What do you think? What makes a piece of music great in your opinion?