{"id":17628,"date":"2020-02-25T10:21:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T18:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/?p=17628"},"modified":"2020-02-25T10:21:51","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T18:21:51","slug":"kubler-ross-and-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2020\/02\/25\/kubler-ross-and-music\/","title":{"rendered":"K\u00fcbler-Ross and Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Elisabeth K\u00fcbler-Ross is most famous for her work in charting the grieving process – a seven stage (in the modified model) process<\/a> that help to explain and express bereavement. I started work on a new piece of contemporary music yesterday, and found that approaching a new, unfamiliar, and challenging piece of music can evoke the same emotional journey. What follows is my own attempt to categorize the stages of musical bereavement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shock<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oh my God.
This piece is simply impossible to play.
I’ve got no time to learn this piece.
[stares dumbly at music]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denial and isolation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why did I agree to play this piece? There is no way I can do this! Everyone else in the group clearly is having no problem with it, but I have spent two hours looking at one line of this darn piece. Is it too early to have a drink?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What the f**k is up with the damned piece?
Why would anyone write something like this?
Do they even know how a stringed instrument works?
Why didn’t I practice more when I was younger – then I wouldn’t be having these issues now.
My viola sucks.
I suck.
Music sucks.
Composers suck.
Everything sucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bargaining<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

God, if you just let me learn this measure, I promise that I’ll practice my scales more. Dear [Insert name of composer here], please just take this passage down an octave, it is written for the viola, not the violin – I’ll play with much better rhythm if you make this one tiny change for me.
Okay, if I can just learn this one page, then I can go outside in the sunshine for 20 minutes.
Okay, if I can just learn this one bar, then I can go take a nap for 20 minutes.
Okay, if I can just learn this one shift, then I can put my viola away until tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depression<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My life is worthless because I can’t play the viola.
Everyone must hate me and think I’m lame because I can’t play this piece.
Music makes me sad.
I can’t decide if I’d be happier cleaning my toilet or working on this piece.
I went to eight years of music school for this?
If I were a better person, this would be going better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okay, I just need to remember what I tell my students.
What do I tell my students?
My teacher had some great ideas about approaching pieces like this.
If only I could remember what she said…
I’ll set aside time every day to work on a small portion of this piece.
Don’t get overwhelmed.
Work smart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acceptance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If I work through this slowly and methodically, it will be ok.
No one is perfect, so why should I expect myself to be?
If everything were easy I don’t think I would be happier – no rewards without effort!
Challenges are good for the brain, heart, and spirit.
I’m getting older, and learning can take a bit longer, so I’m going to go easy on myself.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elisabeth K\u00fcbler-Ross is most famous for her work in charting the grieving process – a five stage process that help to explain and express bereavement. I started work on a new piece of contemporary music yesterday, and found that approaching a new, unfamiliar, and challenging piece of music can evoke the same emotional journey. What follows is my own attempt to categorize the stages of musical bereavement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"New blog post: K\u00fcbler-Ross and Music","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2706,22],"tags":[3966,3965,3687,3660],"class_list":["post-17628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practicing","category-viola","tag-humor","tag-kubler-ross","tag-practicing","tag-viola"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-4Ak","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4814,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/06\/16\/horrors-of-maiden-performances\/","url_meta":{"origin":17628,"position":0},"title":"horrors of maiden performances","author":"Charles Noble","date":"June 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It's a well established fact that the first performance of any piece, no matter how simple or complex, is one of the most terrifying things that a performer can do.\u00a0 I'm not necessarily talking about a premiere, just the first time that one adds a piece to one's performing repertoire.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "soloists & recitals"","block_context":{"text":"soloists & recitals","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/soloists-recitals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/21_11_79_prev-266x400.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1060,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/08\/02\/cycling-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":17628,"position":1},"title":"cycling = music?","author":"Charles Noble","date":"August 2, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I was reading a great collection of diary entries and columns by the great Bob \"Bobke\" Roll, who had a career racing both road bikes and mountain bikes in the 80's to the early 90's.\u00c2\u00a0 He was also a training partner for a young upstart Lance Armstrong as he made\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "cycling"","block_context":{"text":"cycling","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/cycling\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":310,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/05\/05\/orchestral-sandwich-construction\/","url_meta":{"origin":17628,"position":2},"title":"orchestral sandwich construction","author":"Charles Noble","date":"May 5, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"The Chicago Symphony bassist Michael Hovnanian writes a delightful blog, and here is one bit of terminology that I've not heard used before. He refers to the classic orchestral programming scheme known as the \"shit sandwich\". I'll let him explain in this excerpt from his blog: The program of Strauss,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"875316close-up-of-sandwich-posters.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/05\/875316close-up-of-sandwich-posters.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1163,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/09\/23\/alex-ross-is-a-genius\/","url_meta":{"origin":17628,"position":3},"title":"alex ross IS a genius","author":"Charles Noble","date":"September 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"At least according to the MacArthur Foundation, who made Ross one of its 2008 Genius Grant Fellows. Here's his bio from the Foundation website: Alex Ross is a critic whose writing captures the often-elusive aesthetic and technical aspects of classical and contemporary music with clarity, grace, and wit. A staff\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/alexmichalek2-400x487.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1129,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/09\/15\/viola-viola\/","url_meta":{"origin":17628,"position":4},"title":"viola, viola","author":"Charles Noble","date":"September 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Tonight I just finished a rehearsal with my longtime friend and stand partner, OSO principal violist Jo\u00ebl Belgique, of George Benjamin's 1997 work for two violas, Viola, viola. It's our second time through, and I'm reminded of an aphorism often cited by our pianist friend Cary Lewis, namely that no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "contemporary"","block_context":{"text":"contemporary","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/contemporary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/gb_vlavla_sm-400x249.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":216,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/02\/20\/216\/","url_meta":{"origin":17628,"position":5},"title":"practicing, why bother?","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 20, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I went to the home of a wonderful local pianist who is accompanying a student of mine for the district solo contest. The pianist is a veteran of the concert stage and has played just about everything written for violin, viola and cello (with piano) over the years. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17628\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}