Post by stickshifty on Feb 12, 2009 23:22:07 GMT -5
So the head director of bands that usually conducts the Wind Ensemble here is on sabbatical this semester so he can write a book. So the assistant director of bands in now conducting us. While I disliked the Head because he was a complete creeper, he was an excellent conductor and had amazing guest conductors come in and we played some great music. And he instilled the fear of the Wrath of Him in our souls (I've explained his game of "Screw Your Neighbor" in a previous thread...) to help us get all of the music played to the best of our abilities.
The Assistant however... he picks some great music, I'll give him that. Even if all of the pieces we're playing were originally written for orchestra, they're still good pieces. But how he wants us to play the music... it's horrible. We're ruining the music.
We're forte-piano-crescendoing EVERYTHING OVER A QUARTER NOTE. I want to gauge my eyes out. I've never hated going to rehearsals like this before. He's constantly telling us to "tease*" the audience by getting really really soft and then crescendoing (usually followed by a fp< and the end). It's not music anymore. Everyone is fed up of it. But in the words of the principal trombone player, "What can do about it? Nothing... he's the boss. He tells us what to do and we do it." And it's the truth. 99% of us have a band scholarship, so in essence, they are paying us play so we can't complain.
Part of me wants to post a scan of my Shostakovich just to show the outrageous amount of "dynamic contrast" we are supposed to do.
*This came from his quote to the trumpet players. I'm just not quite sure it's board-safe to post...
The Assistant however... he picks some great music, I'll give him that. Even if all of the pieces we're playing were originally written for orchestra, they're still good pieces. But how he wants us to play the music... it's horrible. We're ruining the music.
We're forte-piano-crescendoing EVERYTHING OVER A QUARTER NOTE. I want to gauge my eyes out. I've never hated going to rehearsals like this before. He's constantly telling us to "tease*" the audience by getting really really soft and then crescendoing (usually followed by a fp< and the end). It's not music anymore. Everyone is fed up of it. But in the words of the principal trombone player, "What can do about it? Nothing... he's the boss. He tells us what to do and we do it." And it's the truth. 99% of us have a band scholarship, so in essence, they are paying us play so we can't complain.
Part of me wants to post a scan of my Shostakovich just to show the outrageous amount of "dynamic contrast" we are supposed to do.
*This came from his quote to the trumpet players. I'm just not quite sure it's board-safe to post...
