Ohio Trombone Day 2015 (Part 1)
I have been wanting to start this series for a month or so on this topic, and now I finally have some free time to gather my thoughts. Lately, there have been some great events occurring in Ohio (my home state) that are pushing the advancement of the trombone.
To start off, January 31st was a great day at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The Ohio Trombone Day 2015 had some great success and insight for performers of all ages. Last year, the event occurred with some un-delightful snow which hindered many (including myself) to attend. This year, however, the weather cooperated nicely and allowed for many participants from Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and other areas travel to Athens for the event
Group Warm-Up with Dr. Lucas Borges
Lucas Borges, the trombone professor at Ohio U, started the day off with a group warm up. His focus was mainly on warming the body and instrument using different exercises from Joseph Alessi and Peter Ellefson. The end of the warm-up focused on playing simple melodies. This concept resonated with me because I strive for my students to do the same – play a simple melody and let your ear guide you. Dr. Borges used the example of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” and performing the tune in a variety of keys. Many other teachers emphasize this teaching, so I have created a list of spreadsheets that include many different genres for the sole purpose of getting used to playing familiar melodies and training your ear to listen.
Maniacal 4 Masterclass
The next event for the day was a masterclass with the well-known trombone quartet, Maniacal 4. As I have blogged about them before, this was my first time to hear them live. One of the first things that was asked was their thoughts on memorization. A majority of their playing is done by memory so this was an excellent topic to discuss. Some quotes from this discussion were:
“Playing from memory is easier to communicate and be more musical.”
“Music stands and sheet music are super important… but that’s it.”
“Sheet music channels the story.”
“Music Stand is literally the thing between you and the audience.”
“Give yourself a chance to fail to know your limits.”
As the masterclass moved to student playing certain pieces, here are some quotes from this portion:
“Give clear image to the destination and to your statement.”
“Play [passages] in different keys to clarify compositional statements.”
“Keep phrases moving forward.”
“Speak softly but let it [the music] project to the back of the hall.”
After students had performed, the topic of discussion moved to their role as a quartet. What makes Maniacal 4 unique is their performance of quite a variety of styles. Everything from classical to jazz to rock. Their debut album features arrangements of some of the best 70s rock tunes. Be sure to check out the album! When asked why to go down the path they chose, their response, I believe, nailed the purpose of creativity – “A natural curiosity of adding certain flavors [to the music].” As a quartet their approach to collecting each member’s thoughts is also fascinating. Each member writes on a whiteboard their thought about the music and then they all combine the thoughts to see what best fits for the music.
Outside of the music, they continued to discuss the importance of bonding as a quartet. Communication is always important and sometimes working together has to be done with a non-musical activity (soccer, hanging out, etc.) They emphasized that you must “have a healthy balance of getting work done and why you want to get the work done.”
All in all, their masterclass was motivational and very enlightening. The thoughts mentioned in the masterclass gave each attendee a glimpse into what was to come later in their evening performance.
