evasharman It’s been a while. It’s been a while since I’ve written on this blog, it’s been a while since I’ve gone to school, and it’s been a while since any form of “normal” has happened. We always talk about what will be the new normal, but especially for musicians, a lot has changed. Music in the modern world is so dependent on live performances and collaboration. But with concert halls closed, performance seasons cancelled, and ensembles separated for an indefinite amount of time, most musicians find their lives completely changed.
When the pandemic first reached us, I shifted to making music completely by myself. Music is so often shared with other people, live, that it’s strange to not have this privilege that I quite frankly took for granted. My youth orchestra and school orchestra were cancelled for the remainder of the year and summer. And I could not meet with my piano trio or perform in any of our eagerly awaited upcoming concerts and competitions. Although I took a few virtual lessons, I found myself mostly alone and self-guided.
I’ve heard it said that young musicians especially did one of two things during quarantine: practice non-stop, or not practice at all. While this may not be entirely accurate, there’s certainly some truth to it. I think I fell into the former category, but I know of many people who did not pick up their instrument once. But for me, I found solace in music: it was one of the few times where I didn’t have competitions to stress about, performance anxiety, or anything to rush me. It was completely up to me to use my time, and it was wonderful. I spent a lot of time on my hand shape and weight distribution to improve my piano technique. I revisited etudes that I haven’t worked on in years. And I began some of the Bach violin partitas (I know, I’ve been missing this integral part of the repertoire for far too long). But, I often lacked motivation, a clear goal, or a reason for what I was doing, beyond playing for my personal enjoyment. And, I missed my teacher so much!
Of course, the coronavirus has not gone away. But it’s something that we’ve begun to deal with, and I’ve seen many orchestras, ensembles, and conservatories begin to re-open to some level. The first thing I did with other people during the pandemic was rehearse with my trio. We rehearsed in a very unusual way, spread out with masks and all windows open in late July and August. This always brightened my quarantine mood because the cellist and violinist in my trio are both amazing musicians and amazing friends. We put together a program consisting of movements from Shostakovich’s 2nd piano trio and the Tchaikovsky trio and held an outdoor concert. These were both dream pieces for me to play, and I really appreciated the opportunity to rehearse them and to have lots of fun during the process.
The moment I reunited with my trio and played the opening to Tchaikovsky with them, I really was immediately reminded of how wonderful music is when it’s shared with others. I was surrounded in this big bubble of sound, and I was able to listen to other musicians who would inspire me and give me motivation! The first thing I noticed was how loud everything seemed. I’d forgotten how good string musicians with good instruments are really able to project! The only time I’d heard anyone other than myself play for months was through a recording. It was really this moment of realization for me, when I saw how lucky I was to be able to play with amazing musicians such as this. But, pretty quickly, I was able to remember how we could make a good ensemble: how the music fit together, how we could listen to each other, and breathe together, despite the masks! Especially now, chamber music is a good option if you have access to resources for a small group to meet safely.
Other than that, my youth conservatory has started a new and much different season. We meet outside in a tent, similar to what some other colleges and conservatories are doing. We’ve split the orchestra into two parts, meet for slightly less time, and some students tune in virtually. However, it is great to have a somewhat more normal schedule, although I’ve become very busy again. I’ve also started in-person piano lessons again, and spent a large portion of the last month recording music because most competitions and applications are completely virtual.
So, there have been a few things I’ve noticed as I re-adjust to making music with other people. First of all, I think my listening sense has changed. It’s so easy to get out of practice with orchestral music, because you forget that it takes such a trained ear to do so well. If anything, this has shown me how ensemble playing is so important for musicians of every instrument. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to participate in a large ensemble, especially now, (and the opportunities are always few with instruments such as piano and harp), make sure that you take the opportunity to play chamber music with friends! Second, I realized how valuable it is to talk about musical ideas with others! There’s something really difficult about communicating what you want to do that ends up making you know how to do it better. Even if you’re still entirely locked up in your house, I encourage you to reach out to someone and just talk about music. Talk about what you’re struggling with, and what you’ve been listening to, or anything at all! Third of all, I realized that playing with other people can really give you new ideas in finding characters and special sounds in music.
With this new change and a gradual return to collaborative-music making, I’m becoming more grateful everyday for the opportunities I’ve been given and the amazing musicians I’ve gotten to work with. However, I must say that as a high school musician, I am not reliant on music as a primary source of income. So many artists right now are missing out on so much in a career that depends on live audiences and the subsequent opportunities. So, take the opportunity to support music and the arts, and encourage your friends and family to do so, because music will last until the end of time, and we need to support our musicians.
