It's All About Balance

We are lucky to have this conductor with us this week. He really is outstanding and I'm very much enjoying everything I'm learning. I'm also enjoying that he's really dealing with problems our orchestra has, in practical and effective ways. For example, during the second rehearsal he was asking for more third and fourth horn. He asked a few times and then he went on break early to move the sounds shells to actually close the right side of the stage. Simple genius! We actually were playing quite loud, but to no avail since all the sound was going straight out the back door off stage right.

Anyway, something I've noticed, besides his never wavering commitment to musicality, incredibly clear stick technique, overall enjoyable rehearsal demeanor, and bizarre haircut, is that he mostly talks about balance. More of this, less there, because of this. Bring out this, accompany this, background, foreground. It makes sense- really it should be one of the only responsibilities of the conductor, if everyone else is doing their job well. After all, he/she hears more of the full package then any one of us possibly can. Unfortunately, the conductor often starts trying to do everyone else's job for them, and it never works.

OK, back to the positive spin. So, all this attention to balance is making me think about bigger-picture balance. And how I think that might be the secret to it all.

Balance! Work and play. Friends and boyfriends. Alone and together. Internet and nature. Verbal communication and silent understanding. Plans and spontaneity. Activity and rest. Career and family. Classical music and pop music. Getting up early to go running and staying up late to go dancing. Health food and junk food.

OK, those last three might just be justifications, but maybe not. Too much of anything is simply that, too much. The trumpets can sound fantastic, but if they're too loud, it doesn't matter. You can have a great boyfriend (who happens to play the trumpet) but if you spend too much time with him, it doesn't matter. You can be really organized, but if it's too extreme, it doesn't matter. I'm working these things out as I go.

Now, the secret may be balance, but the trick is finding it. That part I still haven't figured out.

I guess I'm going to need a lot more good conductors around to help me with that one...