What are the three ways you can help others improve and grow in their work? How can you empower yourself and others to improve?
A few years ago, I traveled to Australia
and New Zealand to play a concert tour and give master classes in Melbourne,
Sydney, and Canberra, Australia and in Christchurch and Wellington, New Zealand
at their concert halls, Universities, and music schools. A master class is when
a musical artist, an expert, comes in and listens to exceptional students play
and makes suggestions to improve the musicians performance. Each master class
was for three and a half hours.
Our master class opened with a violinist
and pianist playing Wieniawski's Etude-Caprice, Op. 18, No.4. After they
played, I began the applause for the audience to acknowledge the musicians. The
students, like a student chef, had the raw materials, the ingredients, but
didn't know how to put the music together to create a masterpiece. They needed
help shaping the music into beautiful phrases and melodies.
I suggested the violinist begin the piece
with the bow on the string accenting every first and fourth beat of the piece,
emphasizing the musical phrase and rhythm continuing his vibrato, moving his
left hand fingers by rocking within the pitch and change the speed to enhance
the sound. Also I asked him to add crescendos, (gradually getting louder), as the
melody moves up to the top note and, decrescendos, (gradually getting softer)
as the violinist played the lower notes of the melody. The violinist and I
worked on a few phrases of the Wieniawski together for 5 minutes. I moved my
hands conducting him through the new accents, continuous vibrato, crescendos
and decrescendos.
I asked the pianist to add in the accents,
the crescendos and decrescendos into her performance also. She and I worked
together for 5 minutes through several phrases and I conducted her through
these accents, crescendos and decrescendos.
Next, the violinist and pianist performed
the Wieniawski with the changes and I conducted them emphasizing the accents,
vibrato, crescendos and decrescendos; just as a musical conductor from an
orchestra would. An air of excitement filled the hall as the audience listened
to the gorgeous music surrounding them.
The two talented musicians played the
piece with sparkle, excitement, and brilliance the way Wieniawski intended his
piece to be played. When they finished their performance the audience applauded
wildly. The professors listening gave the thumbs up! After hearing several more
soloists with their pianists, the chamber music part of the master class began.
Four talented students, a violinist,
violist, cellist, and pianist, played one of Mozart's celebrated piano
quartets, (the first Allegro movement), at a fast and lively tempo. After they
played, I began the applause for the audience to acknowledge the musicians.
These students like their colleagues needed help in shaping the music into
beautiful phrases and melodies. First I asked the pianist to add accents,
emphasizing certain notes to outline the rhythm of the musical phrase to add
structure for the Mozart piano quartet. Then I asked the pianist to add in
crescendos and decrescendos into the performance. I asked the pianist to play a
few phrases like this and I sang the phrases and moved my hands as a conductor
to show the pianist where to place the accents and the crescendos and
decrescendos.
Then I worked separately with the
violinist, violist, and cellist, for a few minutes, on continuing their
vibrato, to enhance the sound, showed them where to place the accents for
emphasis while adding crescendos, as the melody moved to the top of the phrase
and, to add decrescendos, as each of the musicians played their melody, their
counter melodies, and harmony lines. I worked with them by demonstrating for
them on violin or viola, singing the phrases with them, and moving my hands as
a conductor as they each played their section of the Mozart.
After about 15 to 20 minutes of work we
put Mozart's piano quartet back together and the musicians played the Allegro
with me conducting the performance moving my hands for accents, vibrato,
crescendos and decrescendos as a musical conductor would. The Mozart became a
living-breathing piece full of energy and vitality.The audience applauded
vigorously with great enjoyment. The performance by these young people was just
glorious! By stepping back with a fresh approach the music was taken apart and
put back together into beautiful flowing melodies with harmony.
We worked on turning the solos and chamber
music into beautiful performances in a very short time. The three and a half-hour
master class flew by.
Helping these young people make their
music come alive was a privilege for me. These talented, hardworking, students
were so happy to be involved in making exciting beautiful music. They enjoyed
seeing their audience hear their new version of the music. Smiles abounded.
Several of their teachers thanked me too! It is such a rewarding experience to
help others.
What are three keys to helping others improve and grow in their work?
1) Turn a mundane
performance; into a living-breathing masterpiece by connecting with an expert.
2) By taking a step
back and looking with a fresh new approach to reassess the parts of the work,
you will be able to put the work back together into a dazzling spectacular gem.
3) If you want to
connect and empower others work through the necessary steps to achieve
excellence.
Madeline Frank,
Ph.D., DTM is an Amazon.com Best Selling Author, John Maxwell Team Member,
Certified World Class Speaking Coach, sought after speaker, business owner,
teacher, researcher, and concert artist. She helps businesses and organizations
"Tune Up their Businesses". Her innovative observations show you the
blue prints necessary to improve and keep your business successful. She writes
a monthly newsletter "Madeline's Monthly article & Musical Tips
Blog" and a monthly radio show "Madeline's One Minute Musical Radio
Show". Her book "Leadership On A Shoestring Budget" is available
on Amazon or Kindle. Contact Madeline Frank for your next speaking engagement
at mfrankviola@gmail.com
