The Quotable Stephen P Brown

"The driver can't see the road underfoot, so the horses must talk to each other whilst following their leader's directions."

Perceptive Insight 16

"I occasionally play works by contemporary composers, and for two reasons. First, to discourage the composer from writing any more, and secondly to remind myself how much I appreciate Beethoven." Jascha Heifitz

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

I want to be a kitten in a loving home.

Perceptive Insight 15

Conductor Sir John Barbirolli equated contemporary music to "three farts and a raspberry, orchestrated." He wasn't far wrong in many cases.

Why music is cut in schools

I've held (since Mr Gingrich & Mr. Holland's Opus) that one of the primary reasons music is usually the first subject cut from education is because the decision makers are usually inexperienced in the benefits of music-making (creativity, social, self-discipline, teamwork, sense of achievement, focus, sense of occasion, etc). Some may have participated in music at some point in their lives, but unless the actual benefits were shared with them, they still consider music as a nice extra (refer to my previous "Perspective Insight" blog post that quoted Isaac Stern: "Playing music in America is like selling a luxury item...")

It's nice to see how a decision-making Principal (Head Teacher) realizes how useful music can be to the development of children/ teenagers. Click here to read one version of the full story - the focus of the story is a reduction in detention/ misbehaviour, but the real benefit is that without class disruption, more students are able learn more.

My two concerns remain using [any] music as a deterrent - instead of inviting students to listen and learn about the incredible language of audible music they get turned off completely - somehow, though, it seems at least being exposed to it will have a positive impact later in life in more people than not. My other concern is using gentle music to lull young children to sleep. Every time they hear a slow movement from a Mozart symphony for the rest of their lives, they will be inclined to fall asleep and completely miss the entire musical journey Mozart created for us. Just a warning, is all.

Perceptive Insight 14

"In 1912, the London Symphony Orchestra was the first British orchestra to visit the United States, only narrowly avoiding travelling on the Titanic."

Brahms? Oh... HIM.

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Do you like the music Brahms wrote? Have you even heard of Brahms? You'll probably recognize some of his music if you heard that, at least. In the growth of 'the symphony' he immediately followed Beethoven, and had a hard time doing so. Brahms' first symphony took 20 years to compose and was often referred to as "Beethoven's 10th" (Beethoven wrote 9 symphonies).

A preview to an LSO concert series last season reveals what orchestral musicians think. In this video find out what Andre Previn considers "insane", and what Tchaikovsky thought of his contemporary! Most revealing:

WNYC - Soundtracking Surgery

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We all know music has unexplainable benefits/use for our daily lives. This program discussed using music in the surgery room and hospitals:

WNYC - Soundcheck: Soundtracking Surgery (January 08, 2010)

My response:

"Such a fascinating subject. As a conductor of a variety of styles (including some contemporary rock/pop, theater & film music as well as classical), I find it intriguing that music has so far not played a more integral part in all our lives. The psychological, emotional and physical benefits of PARTICIPATING in music (listening as well as performing) far outweigh our understanding... so why don't we embrace it in everyday life? I like that Dr Conrad is formalizing reasons why we should.

"Some of my concerns, however, are not just bad associations (the reason why someone died whilst listening to a particular song could be interpreted a number of different ways) but using music to lull people into unconsciousness - such as Mozart. I'm afraid that we have a generation of children who will fall asleep whenever they hear the slow movement of a Mozart symphony or concerto when, in fact, they are missing out on an incredible aural, emotional & meditative journey! There are also dangers in using music to subdue (or inspire) behaviour as a background medium - in shopping malls, stores, and even public lavatories!

"We should remember: There's more to music than music. Isaac Stern is reported to have said, "Playing music in America you feel like you're selling a luxury item. But in England you're providing a necessity." Maybe he's right - maybe in the USA we should incorporate music into our lives far more than we do. It is obvious that certain music works to everyone's benefit in the hospital environment. Well done!"

Perceptive Insight 13

"Wilberforce knew somebody had detuned a string on his viola. He just couldn't be sure which one."

Perceptive Insight 12

"If you have an apple and I have an apple, we can exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." George Bernard Shaw

Perceptive Insight 11

"Music has a very great deal for which to thank the BBC, which has taught the uncultured public that a symphony is not so deadly as hyoscyamine, nor as painful as mumps."
Ernest Irving, 1947

Perceptive Insight 10

"Never try to tell a man how to play his instrument: he knows far more about it than you do, and will immediately resent your effort. Instead, explain exactly what it is you want, and leave it to him to produce the desired tone, effect, or whatever it is."
Sir Adrian Boult, 1947

Perceptive Insight 9

"Berlioz is France's greatest composer, alas. A musician of great genuis, and little talent."
Maurice Ravel

Perceptive Insight 8

"The grandeur of Beethoven's thirty-second piano sonata (in c minor, op.111) represents the opening of the gates of Heaven."
Robert Browning, 1982

Perceptive Insight 7

Mozart said about Ludwig van Beethoven: "Keep your eye on him. He'll make the world talk some day."

Perceptive Insight 6

"A single man (Sir Thomas Beecham) did more for British music than was done by the massed battalions of the BBC. He was not only the greatest British conductor, he was also the greatest impresario of the age, endlessly stimulating and naturally DISLIKED BY EVERYONE except his appreciative audiences."
A.J.P. Taylor, 1965

Perceptive Insight 5

In 1936 Sir John Barbirolli was appointed conductor of the Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra of New York (now the New York Philharmonic) in succession to Arturo Toscanini. After six months Toscanini returned to conduct a concert. He said to Barbirolli, "John, my orchestra is just as I left it." Barbirolli's contract was then renewed for a further two years.

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

Thanks must go to Christopher Swann for this one:

"The plural of orchestra is 'Berlioz'."

A man after my own perspective!

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Having very rarely subscribed to many conducting industry propoganda-norms, especially the politics (perhaps one of the primary reasons for the lack of a 'successful' full-time conducting career), I am extremely pleased to have heard this:

Just heard on a British classical music radio station that the vastly-recorded Valery Gergiev prefers to perform with an orchestra just slightly under-rehearsed. Apparently he thinks that over-rehearsal (which to a British musician means more than once, perhaps twice) is the bane of orchestral life, and he likes to keep musicians on their toes: a concert with some 'wits' about it produces a far better experience for everyone.

Yippee! Finally, concordance from an established household name!!!
I feel justified in another of my own perspectives, at last.

Perceptive Insight 4

Besides being a celebrated conductor, Hans von Bulow was also a remarkable pianist. He was once asked his opinion about a performer who experienced a memory lapse during a recital, and resorted to improvising. Bulow's comment on the improvization: "Well, it wasn't as bad as what he could remember."

Live Music Survey Prize goes to...

Click here to have my blog sent to your inbox

Thank you SO VERY MUCH for all 214 responses to my 'Live Music' survey. After printing them all (but before cataloging them), I threw them up in the air and picked one up. Congratulations, Susan Chara! Your $50 Amazon gift card is on it's way to you!!!

It's taken me quite a while to read everyone's comments, but these made me smile, laugh, or cry!:

• Definition: "Live music is when you and the musician making the music are in the same room." (Leslie)


• Technology: "...there is no accounting for taste." (Ruan)


• Recordings: "The outside world is shut out." (Martha)


• Mental: "It's medicine for a troubled mind." (Ann, quoting Walter Haddon)


• Physical: "Reduce stress." (Harry)


• Social: "People are... less uptight!" (Jane)

Again, thank you so very much for sharing your opinions and insight. Collectively, it will create a good foundation for reading someday!

Perceptive Insight 3

During the Versailles Peace Conference, Clemenceau met Paderewski and said to him: "So you abandoned your music career to become a politician? What a come-down!"

Are you nuts?

If an unresounding "YES!", then you'll fit right in to what built the great USA (before the 21st C financial corporate moguls took over)!! Read on, dear fellow freaks:

The heart of The Hypomanic Edge [by John Gartner] is case studies of a few of our most potent nutters. Appropriately it begins with a true crazy ... Christopher Columbus. ... Here's how Dr Gartner concludes:
"America has been good to hypomanics--a land of opportunity that has liberated their energies and lifted their spirits. In return, hypomanic Americans have been good to America, powering a wilderness economy above every other nation on the planet in just a few hundred years. They may be our greatest natural resource." --Tom Peters

Great snippets

Sorry for so many posts this week - there's so much to post about! And I still have several drafts waiting for a week when I don't have anything to blog about. Maybe those days are over!

So, thank you, Tom Peters, for some precious insight. I don't know who organizes, selects, and distributes your daily quote of the day, but these past two were truly inspiring:

"18-44 stupid, Stupid."
If you get that you will laugh and appreciate it tremendously. If not, don't worry - you're not alone!

"Find Heroes. Do Demos. Tell Stories."
Wow. Sums up life, really. If you don't subscribe to this, look out - you're on your way out the door! If you don't recognize who is a Hero (and let them do their thing), look out - you're about to be the recipient of some serious backlash from your bosses (who may actually be your paying customers)! If you don't demonstrate first, look out - no-one will believe you! And if you don't tell stories... look out!

It's still exciting...

I still get a thrill from being on the radio! Thank you, Dave, of Star 99.1 FM!

Click here to listen to the segment.

BTW - Dave is really good at editing, too ;-)

Rare Victor Borge

I've seen many Victor Borge sketches but came across this one only today. Remarkable. The guy really was a genius in many ways. Of course, it helps to have a basic knowledge of the classical music repertoire, so something like Borge's humor probably wouldn't be all that funny these days. Such a pity - we've lost so much in the past 20 years.

ENJOY

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

"Stop talking about it and try doing it."

Amateur Excellence

I've often been chastized by close friends and colleagues for being a perfectionist, and I've stopped referring to my musical experiences in the UK because they have caused resentment and responses along the lines of: "we're not good enough for you", or "of course the British are so much better than everyone else", or even "you really are mightier than thou." Serious Ouchness. (anyone who can claim to know me well knows how much this hurts).

So rather than share my stories and offer reasons why I like things to be done with our best possible efforts, I just do it. If the results are excellent, Great! If they're not, that's OK too. Yes, I compromise and justify it as 'survival' (!). It's also very interesting to witness so much trendy talk about 'excellence' without any backing commitment to it. I guess one needs to understand what excellence is before one can even attempt to achieve it!

So, I was pleased, VERY pleased to recently come across this article by Douglas Yeo, a US professional musician who witnessed first hand, the kind of musical environment I grew up in. His article has given me confidence and a little satisfaction that I'm OK - I'm alright. The things I worry about are worth worrying about, regardless of what friends & peers often say. Almost beaten to the ground, this article came at the right time to boost my spirits, and I truly look forward to maintaining the pursuit of excellence Douglas himself experienced.


This is one of the brass bands I played for in the UK, The Medway Band. At the back center is my dear friend Mark Andrew, and one of my ex-students, Richard Scarff is now playing for Aveley & Newham - another band I often played with. Good on ya, boys! Keep up the great playing...


I have often felt that the amateur brass band scene in the UK is one of the most intriguing outlets of self-expression that exists, and through it I learned much about dedication, hard work, loyalty, EXCELLENCE, team-work, reliability, presentation, my role amongst others, and society: although fierce enemies on the competition stage, players from different bands will drink beer and laugh together with players from many other bands (usually about conductors, I might add) but all are welcome! The real kick in the teeth? These players engage in these qualities by choice. For Free. At their own will. They're not paid, forced by gov't, or have nothing else to do. Remarkable, endearing, and very convincing.

It's ironic that as I make contacts in the USA brass band world, Doug's name came up as a potential resource! Timing is everything, and I am still convinced nothing is coincidental.

Go on, be a daredevil: don't settle for anything less from yourself. You can accomplish amazing things with the right guidance, so give up any self-centered-ness, and allow perfection to shine through you.

45 lessons from a 90 yr old

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio. "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written."

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful..
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

It's estimated 93% won't forward this. I'm in the 7%. Remember that I will always share my spoon with you! Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

Credit for this goes to Sue Young, although I've heard it before:

Better to be a "used-to-be" than a "never was".

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

Melissa: "Did you hear they're coming out with a musical about the Addams Family?"
Stephen: "I'm still waiting for 'Tom & Jerry, the Musical'."

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

Whatever you think of Karl Marx, he was interesting:

“Sell a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man how to fish, you ruin a wonderful business opportunity.”

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

Actually, this is the quotable Michael Miora of California. He recently said, and I fully concur and subscribe to this:

“The biggest cause of failure is human error – closely followed by human laziness… It’s usually not deliberate malice, but accidental.”

Perhaps I’d use the word “ignorance” rather than “accidental” – people are more often ignorant to the fact that they are lazy. At least, I'd like to think so.

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

"I like it when you think."

The Quotable Melissa "P Brown"

"They'll say he lived his life like a fart in the wind."

Thanks, love.

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

"I need to get my head around this."

[ouch!]

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

"I love this music."

The Quotable Stephen P Brown

"Just throw it in a pan and boil it".