Comments on: unhappy? perhaps… http://www.nobleviola.com/2009/08/04/unhappy-perhaps/ Life on the working end of the viola. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:01:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Greg Ewer http://www.nobleviola.com/2009/08/04/unhappy-perhaps/comment-page-1/#comment-13895 Greg Ewer Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:56:18 +0000 http://www.nobleviola.com/wordpress/?p=2943#comment-13895 Sam's post raises some interesting questions about the psychology of orchestral musicians. He writes, "But if there is a kernel of truth in these studies, it can be found in the conclusion that orchestral musicians can grow to feel stifled by the very nature of orchestral life." Substitute just about any other profession for 'orchestral musician' and the conclusion still rings true. What is it about "the nature of orchestral life" that can feel stifling at times? The article that inspired Sam's post delves into the differences between a mindfully performed concert and a mindLESSly performed one, and how a conductor might go about achieving the former. In my experience, no single factor weighs more heavily in achieving a mindful performance than the trust a conductor has for the musicians. If a musician feels he or she has permission to perform with autonomy, the creative juices start to flow. If a performer feels the need to play defensively so as not to upset the conductor, neither autonomy nor creativity will be present, and the process of preparing and performing concerts can start to grow stale. Sam’s post raises some interesting questions about the psychology of orchestral musicians. He writes, “But if there is a kernel of truth in these studies, it can be found in the conclusion that orchestral musicians can grow to feel stifled by the very nature of orchestral life.” Substitute just about any other profession for ‘orchestral musician’ and the conclusion still rings true. What is it about “the nature of orchestral life” that can feel stifling at times?

The article that inspired Sam’s post delves into the differences between a mindfully performed concert and a mindLESSly performed one, and how a conductor might go about achieving the former. In my experience, no single factor weighs more heavily in achieving a mindful performance than the trust a conductor has for the musicians. If a musician feels he or she has permission to perform with autonomy, the creative juices start to flow. If a performer feels the need to play defensively so as not to upset the conductor, neither autonomy nor creativity will be present, and the process of preparing and performing concerts can start to grow stale.

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