[Trombone-l] Boos

Tue Feb 13 06:56:30 CST 2007

There is, in the end, only one compliment you can truly trust:

Do they hire you again?

(ps I work cheap)  

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Gamble [mailto:sgamble at tucsonsymphony.org] 
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 6:01 PM
To: Chris Tune
Cc: List Trombone
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Boos

Hi All,

The truth of the matter is that you don't really know why the audience
is applauding either.  They don't REALLY know what you are trying to
accomplish on stage, you don't REALLY know why they bought their
tickets.  And it doesn't matter why.  Believing that there can be actual
artistic communication is a matter of faith at best.  Sure, I enjoy it
when I can give someone something that makes them happy.  But who knows
why it makes them happy?  Just about every student I've ever had was too
concerned with what the audience thought of what they were doing,
usually having a negative effect on their playing.  I teach them a
little mental exercise: Whenever someone says something bad about your
playing, think to yourself "there are critics everywhere."  Whenever
someone says something good about your playing, think to yourself,
"there are critics everywhere."

Steve Gamble, Librarian
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
2175 N. 6th Ave.
Tucson, AZ  85705
520-792-9155 x118 office
520-792-9314 fax
520-991-7056 cell
sgamble at tucsonsymphony.org
www.tucsonsymphony.org

-----Original Message-----
From: trombone-l-bounces at maillists.samford.edu
[mailto:trombone-l-bounces at maillists.samford.edu] On Behalf Of Chris
Tune
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 9:04 AM
To: Daryl Burch; Daniel Pliskin
Cc: List Trombone
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Boos

Yes DP, and it is not just Erhard.  That is in every thorough treatise
on 
basic psychology.  It comes down to a built-in part of us that wants to 
"belong" and to be considered part of the group.  We are, after all
"homo" 
sapiens.  Intelligent beings who prefer being in groups--so we are
loaded 
with mechanisms designed to help us "fit in". However, you can learn, as
a 
performer, to control how you react to stuff like that.

DEFENSE:
If you are absolutely positive that you and your group put out a great 
effort and perhaps a very good performance (based upon your internalized

standards), then you can easily deal with situations like this. You take
any 
parenthetical note of anything you might have done different to
"entertain", 
and balance that against the idea that this group may have been
impossible 
to reach.

TALENT SHOW:
I just saw a similar thing at my kid's school  It is ia parochial school
and 
ths was the High School talent show.  The row we were in had several
teenage 
girls who absolutely refused to stop talking DURING THE PERFORMANCES.
My 
wife and I and a bunch of other neighbors spoke right to them and said 
"Would You STOP TALKING?"  . . .thus, despite their most likely
believing 
themselves to be Christian (most students at this school look at it this

way) they were nonetheless, immature and rude. . .of course anybody
familiar 
with theology knows that Christianity presumes FLAWS.   Well, these gals

sure showed theirs.

I couldn't help but notice even greater boredom and lack of appreciation

during the performance who did a very difficult and nice Chopin Prelude
on 
piano, and during the String Quartet and Piano piece (unknown composer.
. 
.modern, with Spanish ideas), and less distraction during the singer or 
singer guitar player stuff, as well as during the hip-hop dance numbers.

Obviously lots of this stuff is "social" stuff.  Who is more popular,
etc. 
The pianist doing the Chopin was undoubtedly the single most talented
person 
to perform.  That didn't mean she ever had a chance to win.  The first
place 
winner was a hip-hop dance group (who, even I would admit had worked
hard 
and turned in a very good performance and OBVIOUSLY had dance talent).

DANCE
Also, noteworthy--I'm not someone who normally likes anything Hip-Hop.
But 
I could see how young crowds, particularly those who like to dance,
could 
get involved in this music.  The dance steps are relatively easy to get
into 
on a basic level, and then they are like "line dancing" in that random 
groups can be formed to do dance routines. Dancing is where it is at as
far 
as most popular music eras are concerned.  The Swing Era (Lindy Hop),
Early 
Rock-and-Roll (Twist, etc.), The Waltz Era, Country Music (Two-Step,
Line 
Dances)--all have their dances, and crowds that like to go out to dance 
That is the link between musically schooled audiences, and non-musical
folk.

Chris

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daryl Burch" <darylburch at speakeasy.net>
To: "Daniel Pliskin" <daniel_pliskin at hotmail.com>
Cc: "List Trombone" <trombone-l at server5.samford.edu>
Sent: Monday, February 12, 2007 12:49 AM
Subject: Re: [Trombone-l] Boos

Good words, Dan. Good on ya for adding that.

-D-

On Feb 11, 2007, at 8:18 PM, Daniel Pliskin wrote:

> Jay, I agree with you. I don't think that people who do this have even
> the
> remotest idea of how much they are hurting all the artists involved. I
> think
> they think they are being funny. They aren't.

If I may borrow something from Werner Erhard, for a moment, what they
did was to say boo.  What each of you interpreted from that act was
something personal, but you'll probably never know what was actually
meant by their action.

With today's punk kids, who have no respect for anything other than the
acquisition of more high-end goods, they might have booed to embarrass
their classical music-loving aunt, who insisted they go to the concert.

Short of actually talking with whomever booed at the concert, so that
you might actually find out why that person booed, the very best thing
you can do in such situations is to put an interpretation on it that
empowers you, in some way.

"It wasn't me they were booing."

"That's the price you pay for playing something different, for a
change."

Or, "You can please some of the people all of the time or all of the
people some of the some of the time, but you can't please all of the
people all of the time."

DanP

_________________________________________________________________
Get in the mood for Valentine's Day. View photos, recipes and more on
your Live.com page.
http://www.live.com/?addTemplate=ValentinesDay&ocid=T001MSN30A0701

_______________________________________________
Trombone-l mailing list
Trombone-l at maillists.samford.edu
http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l

_______________________________________________
Trombone-l mailing list
Trombone-l at maillists.samford.edu
http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l 

_______________________________________________
Trombone-l mailing list
Trombone-l at maillists.samford.edu
http://maillists.samford.edu/mailman/listinfo/trombone-l