MASTEROFCONCERT

Just a few random thoughts that popped up in my mind last week.

–  An important aspect of being a leader is the attitude towards the group: a good attitude can build a team, but a negative one can destroy a group. Recently I took part in a sectional rehearsal in which everybody was asked to play alone in front of the whole group – not being (mentally) prepared for this. In my opinion this is definitely a very bad idea. Many people will be able to do this, but some people will feel overtaken and won’t play as well as they’re capable off. In the worst case this creates gossip.

– An interesting video of Igor Gruppman, concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, about being a leader: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3J5JyBDKGo

(Note that he’s speaking about the psychological aspect of leadership as well!)

– Cécile Huijnen, the concertmaster of Het Gelders Orkest, offered me a lesson. I could ask her some questions for my research!

– As far as I know, a tutti player needs to play like a “mannequin”: (s)he doesn’t give any personal imput to his/her playing. But being a leader means you have to add a certain glance/glow to the group, says Charlotte Potgieter (principal of the second violins at the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra).

– A book that could be of interest to me and that was recommended by a fellow student, Jacobus: Leadership – the Power of Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Coleman.

– And last but not least, a temporary research question might be:

Being a concertmaster consists of many aspects. How can I help myself improving two of these, namely the psychological/mental part of leadership and playing concertmastersolos (in musical and mental sense)?

What does it take to be a leader? Being a concertmaster involves several concepts, which are discussed below. It could be interesting to think about the aspects of leadership in general, or to try to find out if there is a difference between being a concertmaster and, for example, being the leader of the second violins.

Several concepts:

1) Psychology, the mental aspect. Does a concertmaster need to prepare him/herself mentally? Is it different from being a tutti player, and if yes, in what sense? Could things like Alexander Technique be of help?

2) Playing solos. How to play them: as an orchestra member or as a soloist? How can a concertmaster express him/herself? How to deal with the mental part involved, meaning switching between tutti playing and solo playing within a very short amount of time?

3) How to create a group? This consists of several aspects as well: the musical aspect – how can a group of 12 violinists sound as “one”? The leader might need to work on sound. Secondly, creating a group also means creating a group sense, a group feeling. What does a concertmaster need to do and what is absolutely not done? Interesting things might come up here, since the personalities of both concertmaster and group members can be quite decisive.

4) How to prepare from a musical point of view? Does the concertmaster need to be able to help his/her collegues? If yes, how? And is that socially acceptable/accepted?

5) How to prepare physically? Does a concertmaster need to train him/herself on this? Are there exercises or possibilities to improve the physical part of leadership?

6) How to create good bowings? Why is it that bowings sometimes work individually but that they don’t make sense in a group?

7) How can a concertmaster form the connection between a conductor and the orchestra?

8) Does a concertmaster get involved in the organisation of an orchestra? Does he need to?

9) Does the concertmaster of an amateur orchestra need to behave differently in comparison to the concertmaster of a professional orchestra? Does the amateur orchestra need a teacher (i.e. the concertmaster)? Are there differences in what to expect from these two types of concertmasters?

10) How to deal with stress, pressure, expectations, studying more scores at once?

11) How to lead a good group rehearsal?

It might be interesting to:

1) do interviews with concertmasters of orchestras such as the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (the concertmasters, the leader of the second violins), or to speak with a conducting concertmaster (this might turn out to be completely different when compared to concertmasters of orchestras with a conductor!).

2) watch recordings from concertmasters, or make recordings of myself when working as a concertmaster.

3) do tests with my orchestra: several ways of leading, how do the members react?

4) describe group rehearsals led by the concertmaster of an orchestra, what did work for some members, but didn’t work for others (here the influence of different personalities becomes part of the discussion)…

After the clinic and the first AR design class, formulate 3 questions related to your research and the course.

– How could Artistic Research help you in a musical sense?

– What forms could you give your research? Blog, portfolio, written thesis, playing a concert? Are there any resources for it, and how long should it be/what size should it have?

– Are there any differences between writing a thesis and doing Artistic Research? If yes, could you mention (some of) them?