Amanda at Life’s a Pitch has touched on the age-old matter of first-hand participation leading to genuine appreciation. Her Olympian analogy is a good one, although I wouldn’t be volunteering my 1-minute-something attempt at 50 metres freestyle for comparison.
It’s a good observation that even those of us in the industry and the audience who have practical musical experience don’t necessarily refresh that practical connection immediately before going to hear a performance. Amanda suggests we’d be more appreciative of what it is the performers achieve if we did that. That’s probably true.
But from the occasions when I’ve done it – playing through bits of an orchestral work on a piano, or playing a flute or piano part – I would say that what I’ve mostly gained is a deeper appreciation of the music itself, and a clearer memory of its ideas and gestures. (The appreciation of what the performer has to do is already firmly ingrained.)
Then Amanda asks:
“when was the last time your orchestra’s administration played instruments? Perhaps the orchestra members could give them lessons as well. Make it a team-building day, and see if your local paper would cover it.”
Well I’ll leave talk of PR stunts to the PR experts. But…
I would so love to see my colleagues in orchestra administration make music together. (The closest we get is every time we sing “Happy Birthday” with some nice cadential harmonisation happening.)
The standard would be wildly varying: the proficiency level ranges from active professional musicians who take gigs on the side to the I-had-lessons-when-I-was-a-kid types. Some play several instruments (and sing); others have no experience at all. The “orchestration” would be mighty strange, too.
My guess is we’d be under on strings and have way too many flutes. But it was ever thus.