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Wen
Leviathen
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Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 585
Location: Deanburn
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| Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:20 am Post subject: Dust off those musical instruments! |
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There seem to be lots of efforts made to encourage children to make music. What happens when we grow up? My Mum encouraged me. I learned the flute. I own one and it's a good one.
Of all those children in the school concert maybe a half a dozen will go on to music college and individual or orchestra performance. Another half dozen might be confident enough and good enough (grade 8 ish) to play in existing bands and orchestras. What happens to the rest of us, who can play, and would like to get that instrument out, but who're not-quite-that-good and not-quite-that-confident?
I would just like a place to play my instrument, with others who don't judge my level of competency and just to get together and make music. In other areas I think they call these community bands. I am just looking at the feasibility for now. Do you own an instrument that you'd like a chance to practise with? Do you know anyone who would be interested?
If there's any interest then I'll book a room for August (when the children go back to school) for us to meet and plan. There are some good, cheap venues in Penisuik - for now I've checked with Ian at Ladywood and they have a suitable room, at a good price, from 8-10 on a Wednesday.
My initial idea was - because you've got to have a gig to practise for - that we consider performing at the Christmas Street Fair and May Street Fair for some local charity that is acceptable to all involved - the old people, Aid for Africa, something like that. I'm quite open to other ideas, as long as they are easy.
My main purpose is to meet other people who just want to play and make music.
I'd like it best if we were collectively deciding what music we wanted to play any term, with a mind to varying ability levels and giving everyone a fair peice of music to play that fits in.
I think we'd have to hire someone to give us musical direction. Someone who can take the score for your favourite piece for your instrument and give me a suitable flute piece that I can be confident in.
If we pay at the point and do not accumulate funds then we don't need a committee. (That's one lot of work dispensed with!) I'd really like to keep this about playing music together. (Of course, it would be a good idea for someone to keep a notebook to make sure all payment is fairly done, at lest until we get to know one another.)
Maybe you're that musical director and would like to start the class? Great! That would suit too.
If you are at all interested in a Penicuik not-so-brilliant band as a place to make nice music then please post or PM me with your ideas.
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Ben_Ledi
Drookit
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| Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:34 pm Post subject: |
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A musical director is not really essential. Finding someone to assist would be helpful. Most people who play regularly "tend" to want to play a basic style of music. If its folk music try the folk club, or the accordion and fiddle club. Is there a silver band/brass band here, great fun if thats your thing? Definitely one in Peebles. If its classical music, why not try the High School music dept. for information. There is also the tried and tested Town Crier. Try not to use money to get people or accommodation for practice. It is not easy, I have been looking for years. It is worthwhile pursueing though.
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Wen
Leviathen
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Location: Deanburn
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| Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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Thank you for the suggestions Ben_Ledi, you may be right. Until I have a feeling as to other interest I can't say.
| Ben_Ledi wrote: |
| Most people who play regularly "tend" to want to play a basic style of music. If its folk music try the folk club, or the accordion and fiddle club. Is there a silver band/brass band here, great fun if thats your thing? Definitely one in Peebles. If its classical music, why not try the High School music dept. for information. |
I'm talking about people who don't play regularly, like me, and would like to. Either we don't have the confidence or we aren't sure of competence levels that are required in those places.
As you know I have, through my life, sung publicly quite often - so I have confidence in my singing. I lack that in my flute, but I'd still like to play it with others. Practising on your own doesn't cut it.
When my eldest two girls were in infants school I managed to get a part-time job that paid enough so that I could be a bit of a Mum. I used to go into the school with a friend and teach recorder and get basic music out. You don't have to be brilliant to get nice music out - for a lot of these bands you do. I absolutely believe that we can all make music, just as we can all sing, and nice music at that. It may be simpler music or more comples, I'm just setting the boundaries lower.
| Ben_Ledi wrote: |
| A musical director is not really essential. Finding someone to assist would be helpful. |
If there is a sufficient range of instruments then I feel a paid facilitator would be very useful. I certainly would not have the ability to make arrangements between lots of different instruments in different pitches.
I kind of see this as working as an evening class that we have set up. How much does an evening class cost? Well we pay that for the facilitator and the room. At least in the first instance.
| Ben_Ledi wrote: |
| There is also the tried and tested Town Crier. Try not to use money to get people or accommodation for practice. It is not easy, I have been looking for years. It is worthwhile pursueing though. |
Yes, I intended to get a listing in the Town Crier in July and August.
As I said above, I am treating it like an evening class at this point so am happy to pay for a room. When we get good enough, who knows, maybe they'll pay us - I suspect that might be a while. For now I would be happy to pay, on the basis I've described, to play my flute with others in sweet harmony.
Thank you for your basic support. Nice one! 
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SueDOnym
Kelpie
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| Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 9:11 am Post subject: |
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Sorry, Wen, but I have to disagree with you - we can't all make music and we can't all sing - I'm living proof of that! I took music lessons as a child and failed miserably - and as for singing, being made to sing in public would be my worst nightmare (and I'm not joking!) Nothing in this world would ever, for example, persuade me to do karaoke. Don't get me wrong - I love music and have fairly eclectic tastes in music, but don't ask me to try to make it myself!
I'm not dismissing your ideas in any way, by the way - I think it's a great idea - but it's not for me! |
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Wen
Leviathen
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| Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:16 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the support. I appreciate this isn't your thing.
On the making music - were you ever a whiz on the tambourine or triangle or bells or any of the rhythm stuff (maracas, castinets)? Spoons, comb and paper, kazoo? Humming, whistling, singing along to the radio? Maybe piano and standard instruments don't suit, but I'm sure we all have a way of making sound we like that can contribute to a pleasing overall sound that others can enjoy too. Or maybe you honestly haven't found one yet.
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SueDOnym
Kelpie
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| Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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No, I've come to accept that I'm just not musically-minded when it comes to actually playing any kind of instrument. I love music and admire (even envy!) those who do have musical talents, but I've learned over the years that we can't all be good at everything, and my talents obviously don't lie in any kind of musical direction.
Your idea sounds good though, Wen - I'm sure there are people out there who enjoy playing music, but don't feel they're at the necessary standard to join any kind of "formal" group or band. |
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Wen
Leviathen
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| Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks again for your support, Sue.
Like you, I am aware that I will never make a brilliant musician. My philosophy really is about breaking down the boundaries we put around ourselves.
As a teenager I learned that I couldn't do art, I stopped having to do any art, needlework or cookery in the third year because my class wasn't allowed to do those at O-level. At 15 I changed schools. I had some O-levels but the rest of the subjects were mostly quite different syllabuses, so I had a lot of catching up to get 2 years work into one for those subjects. Also, my school wouldn't let me do Physics and Latin together - I chose the Physics, but I had to do Art O-level.
I explained to the teacher that I didn't want to do it. I would prefer to sit in the library catching up other subjects and that I was hopeless anyway. He was not a bad bloke - though he was in an era where he was felt able to express his anger by throwing the board rubber at anyone who hadn't done their homework. (I'd never even heard of Art homework!) He told me it was mandatory but that if I just did the term and the homework, sit the mock then at that point he has the right to drop me from the class. If it was still my wish at that point then he would do that.
I attended, behaved, did the homworks and found that at life drawing (which I had never attempted before) I quite liked the stuff I did - so did he. I used charcoals and different textures in life drawing and really liked it. After the mock he simply said that I could have another O-level with minimal work if I chose to carry on - so I took it and passed.
I will never be a brilliant artist, but I can have a good eye sometimes and I can really enjoy trying out different methods and textures for the same thing - and sometimes others can like that effect too.
To summarize - I think most of us learn early what we 'can't' do. Sometimes challenging that a little can open up areas of great pleasure to us - even if we'll never be Van Gogh or Mozart.
I accept that you feel you'd rather listen than make music, and if you have lots of other pleasure-producing areas in your life, that sounds very sensible.
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