Ready For The New Season

The recent cold front reminds me that I might not be able to spend my time in the garden in my favorite spot, contemplating the pine trees, much longer. My chair will remain empty until next spring. Not that I got to do too much of that this summer due to my travels to viola da gamba workshops and musical events. However, even the cold weather I don't favor has its charm, as it brings pumpkins to our tables and later on snow to our gardens. Still, I am hopeful for a wonderful Autumn and Winter season, during which I will share more blog posts with you on music and education.

I am grateful, though, that I am back home and in my office, ready to begin another season of writing with positive energy and a willingness to reflect on what I have learned during my travels, setting new and more ambitious goals for the new season.

And in learning, as we do all of our lives, reflection is another essential aspect of it. As we consider how to proceed with our quests, it is also necessary to look back and reflect on what we have discovered and where we want to go from this point forward.

Years ago, when I taught in Los Angeles, I would ask this question daily of my students. What have you learned today? I asked them to reflect and journal. Similarly, I would like to do the same, and upon reflecting on this summer, I had several overall revelations that I would like to share, without delving into too many details.

At one of the viola da gamba workshops I attended, as part of an Early Music program, I played in a consort for the first time—meaning, playing with a group of viol players. And learned how different it was from playing in an orchestra or even in chamber music settings. In modern playing, we can rely much on our colleagues as we play together, but somehow, in my experience, I realized that in consort playing, I was pretty much on my own. One mistake could lead to disaster.

Also, I managed to attend a concert put on by the same organization every night. As a modern instrument player, I had never been among so many performers and musicians, all of whom were interested and passionately involved in Early Music. The latter, a world I knew existed, but I had not been exposed to it before. And I was this summer. And it was the best thing that I did for myself. And to me, the experience was exhilarating, watching all these performers play Early Music.

I had listened to Early music performances and played the works of some composers, and I realized that I had not been exposed to this world in the same way before this summer. One thought that crossed my mind was that I was unsure if I had known before that this world existed. And it was like discovering another part of music and being happy to participate in it in a meaningful way.

In yet another musical event, I performed solos on my cello and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing. That also gave me a perspective on my performances, as to where I want to set my goals for the new season or academic year. There again, it was lovely connecting with people and performing with them. I appreciated that greatly. And being immersed in music, as I had imagined my life to be, was something I cherished.

In addition, I was fascinated by the fact that there were so many people who love music and want to learn how to play better and enjoy the experience. Therefore, it was also quite beautiful to connect with people who shared the same interests and play music with them—linking to them on a personal level as well. After all, music making happens not in a vacuum; we as musicians play with people and for people. It was also lovely to connect with peers to find solutions for our difficulties and challenges. What made it more memorable was the experience of traveling to the countryside and discovering new places, as well as enjoying nature more.

In terms of learning, my summer was successful, as I brought back many ideas to incorporate into my playing. Since I have been playing the viola da gamba for almost a year and a half, I had the opportunity to encounter various performers and teachers to listen to and observe. And learned yet again and again that there are no magic wands in music learning, one must practice and put in an appropriate amount of time to learn and practice to excel at what they do. Additionally, we can learn from various situations and people; learning is not limited to our immediate environment. That we learn everywhere, and as an avid learner myself, every moment counts. And that is important.

Having said all that, I look forward to a season of music-making and writing my blog posts, and I welcome you back to my space.

Do you have any similar experiences you'd like to share with us from your summer? Please write in the comments below.