Danielle “Queen D.” Scott performs for 2023 Berklee College of Music’s Opening Day – photo credit: Michael D. Spencer

Wanting to Take Your Passion for Hip-Hop Music to College?Ěý

While most college-level hip-hop programs focus on dance, more are starting to cater to musicians who want to find ways to incorporate it into their college and career plans. As Danielle “Queen D.” Scott, professor in the Ensemble Department specializing in hip-hop at Berklee College of Music, says, “Part of hip-hop culture is an emphasis on authenticity (‘realness’) which allows individuals to use hip-hop as an expression of their authentic selves.”Ěý

Hip-hop classes, minors, and certificate programs are showing up in schools throughout the world. Typically offered as a single class, a certificate program or as a minor, there are now a couple of U.S. schools offering hip-hop as an undergraduate major (Peabody Conservatory, Loyola University New Orleans).

The focus of hip-hop programs and courses vary, from performance to production to music education to songwriting. And there are also options for students who want to focus on the historical and cultural roots of hip-hop; on the stylistic differences throughout the world; or on sociopolitical relevance and impact.Ěý

Why Study Hip-Hop in College?

Studying hip-hop on the college level may provide fundamental education about the political, cultural, and historical roots of hip-hop. It can also offer hands-on experience in music production and audio technology.Ěý According to Dr. Melvin Earl Villaver, Jr., former assistant professor of Audio Technology and Global Black Studies at Clemson University, “Colleges offer access to equipment, mentorship, and community that might be out of reach otherwise. It’s a structured entry point into a complex, living culture.”

Studying hip-hop in college also helps legitimize the genre and its impact. “When universities treat it as a serious subject of study—with dedicated courses, professors, and research—that sends a message: hip-hop matters,” says Villaver. “This shift opens doors for people outside the culture to engage with it responsibly and can lead to wider recognition of hip-hop’s intellectual, artistic, and political contributions. For those of us teaching it, the goal is to preserve and expand the culture with integrity.”

Dr. Melvin Earl Villaver, Jr. performing at Purdue University, 2021

Areas of Concentration

The focus of college hip-hop programs varies. Which school you choose depends on the skills you want and need to learn:

• Music production skills – songwriting, arranging, beat-making, turntablism, DJing. Traditional and creative contemporary innovations.

• Audio technology skills – recording, mixing, mastering, sampling (reusing part of a sound recording in another recording).

Ěý• Academic focus on culture and history – the sociopolitical relevance of hip-hop, exploring the historical, cultural, and political roots of hip-hop and understanding hip-hop as a form of community building, identity formation, protest.Ěý

• Music education – hip-hop for classroom teaching including teaching neurodivergent populations.

Music Education Degrees and Hip-Hop

“Traditional music education often centers on European forms,” says Villaver. “Including hip-hop challenges that, by broadening the curriculum and reflecting the cultural reality of students today. Hip-hop is deeply connected to Black American roots music—blues, jazz, gospel, funk, rock—and brings these traditions into the present.”

Dr. JosĂŠ Valentino Ruiz, a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer with four Latin GRAMMY wins, is a big proponent of incorporating hip-hop into the curriculum for Music Education majors. “By studying its history—how it grew from marginalized voices to a global movement—you learn to approach teaching with respect for your students’ backgrounds,” he says. “This is critical in diverse classrooms where kids bring a mix of cultures and experiences. Hip-hop lets you center their stories, using their music and references as a starting point instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all approach.”Ěý

Ruiz sees hip-hop as “a vital skillset for future teachers, especially if you’re headed for public schools, special education, or urban and suburban districts.” Ěý

In his work in higher education, Ruiz has found hands-on training essential. “Imagine taking a workshop on using digital audio workstations (DAWs) to make beats or learning how to facilitate a rap cypher,” he says. “These skills let you bring hip-hop into your classroom authentically. Colleges also need to hire faculty who know hip-hop pedagogy inside and out, so you’re learning from people who’ve lived it.”Ěý

Ruiz encourages prospective music teachers to learn the following hip-hop skills as teaching tools:

• Beatboxing (vocal percussion using the mouth, lips, tongue, voice)

• Lyric pedagogy (encouraging creative/personal expression raps)

• Cypher circles (taking turns sharing spoken word, rap or poetry)

Hip-Hop and Neurodivergent Students

Andrew Wang is a Yonkers, New York music educator who works with students with disabilities. Wang, a.k.a. Mr. Hip-Hop, discovered beatboxing while growing up as a way of dealing with a speech impediment and his own neurodivergent issues. Now, with a master’s degree in Music Education, Wang is considered a leading pioneer of hip-hop and neurodivergence. Along with JosĂŠ Valentino Ruiz, he has authored numerous articles focusing on the value of hip-hop for students struggling with ADHD, dyslexia, and other attention/literacy challenges.Ěý

In a presentation Wang and Ruiz did for NAfME (National Association for Music Education), they shared the following:

• • Hip-hop beats incorporate rhythm into note-taking, brainstorming, or movement-based activities.

• • Lyric deconstructionĚýmakes literacy more intuitive and engaging.

• • Student-created rap versesĚýfacilitate learning in a variety of school subjects including history, science, and math.

They also describe hip-hop as a way to reach and support students on the autism spectrum who may excel with oral rather than written expression. “Hip-hop’s cypher culture, where individuals take turns freestyling (spontaneous rapping) in a circle, provides a structured yet fluid space for expressive communication,” they explain.

For anyone doubting the relevance of hip-hop in the classroom, listen to Wang and Ruiz : “Hip-hop is not just a genre—it’s a pedagogical tool that empowers neurodivergent learners through engagement, self-expression, and cognitive development. By embracing hip-hop as a legitimate form of music education, we can create inclusive, culturally-relevant learning environments that validate the diverse ways students process information.”

Wendel Patrick (center, arms folded) with Peabody’s Hip-Hop Ensemble – Photo credit: Michael Ciesielski for Peabody Conservatory

Careers and Hip-Hop

What’s the value of studying hip-hop in college?Ěý

According to Wendel Patrick, award-winning composer, producer, beatmaker, jazz pianist and head of Peabody Conservatory’s hip-hop undergraduate degree program, “There are exquisite musicians of all genres that don’t have degrees, and there is not a direct correlation between having the degree and being a performer—but that doesn’t make having a degree any less valuable.” Patrick, who has an M.M. in Piano Performance, sees studying hip-hop in college as “an opportunity for skilled students to learn from extremely skilled practitioners who can share insights into how to do what they do better, while being in a community of other artists and having access to resources like recording equipment, state-of-the-art recording studios, and hundreds of some of the finest young musicians in the country.” Patrick believes these experiences and opportunities will prove invaluable once students graduate and move on in their chosen careers.Ěý

Finding opportunities to gain hands-on experience is as vital in hip-hop as it is in any area of music. Consider collaborating with dancers, visual artists, filmmakers, and poets. Reach out to those teaching hip-hop classes for opportunities and ideas.Ěý

Melvin Villaver sees a varety of career paths open to those with experience in hip-hop.Ěý “Some go on to make music, perform, or produce,” he offers. “Others find work running live sound at venues, operating recording studios, or doing audio for houses of worship. Students also pivot into adjacent fields like journalism, podcasting, music education, law, or business. The skills they gain —technical, collaborative, creative — prepare them to navigate multiple industries.”

Danielle “Queen D.” Scott at Berklee suggests utilizing college job boards, job fairs and the school career center to scope out options. “With hip-hop being a part of pop culture infiltrating all types of music and music-related industries, I believe many industry internships will have some interaction with hip-hop in some form,” she predicts.

And for anyone interested in a career as a K-12 or special education music teacher, a background in hip-hop will be indispensable, as this article points out.Ěý

By Barbra Weidlein, co-founder and director of ťĆšĎapp

Resources

Stage fright, also known as performance anxiety, is one of the most common and perplexing problems we musicians face. It strikes at all stages of our development. In fact, one study found that 70% of professional orchestra musicians suffer from such intense anxiety that it gets in the way of their playing. You’re in great company if you become nervous when you perform.

by ĚýDavid Fish

Sadly, many musicians never find the way beyond their stage fright. There are a couple of reasons. First, they don’t understand the true nature of the problem. Second, they often don’t realize that part of the solution to their performance anxiety is found in accepting rather than trying to fight it.

Natural Phenomenon

Stage fright is more of a natural phenomenon than many performers realize. But it can keep you from achieving your full potential as a performer.

Some of the ways it can get in your way:

• Causes debilitating physical symptoms.

• Disrupts your concentration leading to mistakes.

• Impairs your motivation.

• Leads to procrastination that results in a lack of preparation.

• Takes the enjoyment out of performing.

In addition, stage fright can keep you from experiencing a sense of flow when you perform. This is the mental state where you’re completely immersed in an activity. Flow is the gateway to peak performance in many endeavors including music performance.

Three factors

Three factors are always at play when stage fright strikes.

• You perform for an audience.

• The audience judges you (or you at least feel it is doing so).

• A negative judgment would constitute a threat.

Sometimes, the threat behind a bout of stage fright is obvious. Let’s say you’re auditioning for acceptance at a prestigious conservatory or other school you have your heart set on attending. You may only get one chance at such an opportunity, and you feel like the stakes are high regarding your future. Both the judgment and the threat associated with it are real. It is understandable that you’re nervous.

Deeper fear

At other times, the threat posed by a performance is less understandable. I like to tell the story of one of the talented students I taught as part of the popular music program I direct at Catawba College. Sam obsessed about his fear of his voice cracking when he performed. While he knew it was unlikely to happen, and the audience wouldn’t care much if it did, he still worried.

A lot of musicians let stage fright tie them up in knots in a similar sort of way. They worry about something that may seem inconsequential to others and then beat up on themselves for worrying.

Sam’s anxiety over his voice cracking turned out to be a surface manifestation of what I call the fear of a “deep danger.” This is a legitimate fear about something that could have significant consequences.

Downward arrow

You can use what is known as the downward arrow technique to uncover the “deep danger” at the heart of your stage fright. You do so by asking a series of “If that happened, then what?” questions. Each consequence forms the next question until you reach the real underlying fear. When I led Sam through the downward arrow, it went something like this:

Me: If your voice did crack, then what?

Sam: The audience won’t take me seriously.

Me: If that happened, then what?

Sam: They won’t come back to hear me again.

Me: If that happened, then what?

Sam: I’d have no audience and I’d have to give up being a musician.

Me: If that happened, then what?

Sam: I’ll lose something that’s very important to me.

Saxophonist Dr. David Fish is the former director of Catawba College’s Popular Music degree concentration. He runs College Music Major and has authored a number of music-oriented publications including the book Goodbye Butterflies: The 5-Day State Fright Solution.

Photo Credit:ĚýCatawba College

Stage presence is an essential aspect of an enjoyable and memorable audience experience.

Observations of recitals of pre-college and college musicians, however, suggest that this vital element of musicianship is often missing in the education of young performers. Training in music school facilitates immense musical growth, and students spend years in practice rooms refining their technical and artistic skills. However, the end goal of a performance may be forgotten: effectively communicating to an audience.

Visual cues

Nonverbal communication (body language) accounts for the majority of how we process a message conveyed to us by another person. Recent studies show a significant link between the visual cues a performer gives the audience and the audience’s overall takeaway regarding the quality of the performance.

All of these provide information to your audience and affect their perception of the performance:

• The stage set up
• Your entrance on stage
• Your level of confidence as perceived by the audience
• Your attire
• Your physical expression and movement within the performance
• Interaction between performers on stage

Music is still the top priority. We prepare for a performance with the expectation that audiences are coming to listen. But, whether or not they realize it, our audiences are conditioned to crave more than sound: they want an experience. Though the repertoire is the main event, the energy we project serves as a pivotal ingredient that enhances or detracts from the experience as a whole.

The good news: stage presence is a skill you can practice and refine. By following a few basic guidelines, you’ll gain the confidence needed to effectively communicate with your audience.

Performance stage set up

• Know the basics of the setup appropriate for your performance, from the position of the piano relative to the audience, to where to be placed as a soloist, so that you can communicate with your pianist (or ensemble partners) and the audience.

• How are you setting up your music and accomplishing page turns?

• Are there distractions on stage that could detract from your performance?

Attire

• The clothing you perform in should be appropriate to the event type, location, season, venue temperature, and time of day.

• Your performance attire can impact your level of physical comfort. Consider your comfort level if you’re planning to wear bowties or neckties, jackets, stiletto heels, off-shoulder or shoulder straps.

• Practice your entire performance in your performance clothing. It’s psychologically reassuring to know that you have rehearsed every element of your performance.

Your entrance on stage

• What side of the stage will you enter from? How will you make it to your place on the stage? With some venues, you may even be walking through the audience to get to the stage!

• For ensembles, what order will you walk on stage, and who will initiate the bow? Will you exit the stage in between selections?

Welcoming your audience

Your posture, facial expression, eye contact, and pacing all provide nonverbal cues to the audience as you walk on stage. They indicate your level of excitement in welcoming guests to listen to your performance.

I encourage musicians to walk with a calm confidence that projects ease. Show at least a hint of a smile –– or to at least be aware of what your face is projecting! Make some eye contact with the audience before you bow.

Before the day of your performance, try taking a video of yourself walking on stage.

Observe your:

• Pace entering and exiting the stage – is it hesitant, rushed, or relaxed? Can you walk comfortably in your attire and shoes?
• Posture and eye contact – what do they communicate?
• Facial expression – is it nervous, stiff, or friendly?

Also look to see how you:

• Acknowledge the audience while walking on and off stage
• Handle your instrument and accessories as you enter/exit
• Acknowledge your audience with eye contact and a bow before setting up

Your bow

Bowing has traditionally been associated with greetings and farewells. It’s also a display of respect and/or gratitude. It continues to be an expectation for classical performances. Consider it your way of greeting the audience and expressing your gratitude for their support.

Talking to your audience

Performers are opting to speak directly to the audience in place of or in addition to providing program notes. Here are a few tips on speaking at a performance.

1. Come to a full stop at stage center. Wait for applause to die down before you start speaking.

– If you have a tendency to fidget or rock, try clasping your hands together, holding them at waist height.

– If using a microphone, consider holding it with both hands.

– Stand tall and think about rooting your feet into the ground.

2. If you are the concert organizer (especially if it is a special event), greet the audience and share a little about the occasion, program, and performers.

– You may also use this time to remind the audience to turn off cell phones and smart watches and to clarify your policy on photos and recording.

3. If you’re new to public speaking, you may tend to talk quietly and rush your words. In a larger venue, speak out louder and more slowly than you think you need to in order to be heard. Finish your thoughts as opposed to trailing off. If you’ve started a sentence but can’t think of what to say next, restate your most recent point as an assertive concluding statement.

4. Standard works by well-known composers typically don’t require an introduction. However, if you are presenting an unusual work or contemporary selection, sharing some insight can really help the audience’s appreciation. You might want to include:

– A few interesting facts about the life of the composer

– Context of the piece – and what to listen for

– A short conclusion along the lines of “I hope you enjoy this work”

At the end of the performance

We don’t always have the best sense of how our performance went, especially immediately afterward. No matter how you think it went, it is important to stay in character as a performer. Bow with gratitude, smile, and walk offstage with a calm presence. If your audience is still clapping, don’t take too much time before returning for a subsequent bow.

If there is a meet-and-greet after the performance, take time to really listen to your fans and hear what they enjoyed. Thank them for their support and focus on the positive. Even if there was room for improvement, your performance may have been a very meaningful experience for members of the audience. If they feel moved to speak with you, accept their praise with gratitude and humility.

Owning your stage presence

There is no cookie-cutter style of stage presence that works for everyone. The energy in your walk, gaze, and bow should be a reflection of your personality and style. Whether or not you are a professional performer at this point in your life, your goal is to present yourself in a manner that transmits self-respect as well as respect for your audience. Good luck, and have fun with this!

Elizabeth Borowsky, MM Piano Performance, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, is a pianist, composer, educator, speaker, and recording artist. She is executive director of the and presents workshops on a variety of topics to enhance performance skills, including stage presence.

Photo Credits: Top – Mark Lyons; Lower – NPR/From the Top

Music master classes offer an array of benefits to performers and audience members alike. Just ask high school student musicians who attended the 2016 . They got to spend an evening with Christopher O’Riley, world-renowned pianist and host of NPR’s “From the Top” radio show. Working with a handful of students who were brave enough to perform for him, O’Riley inspired and awed performers and audience members alike with his ability to communicate new interpretations of the music along with technical suggestions that proved transformational for everyone in attendance.

What’s special about master classes?

In music master classes, a highly proficient artist/teacher works with one student and/or a small ensemble in front of an audience. The intention is to provide a learning opportunity for performers as well as observers. Mary Beth Shaffer, pianist and director of the Lamont Summer Academy notes, “New ideas are often presented to the student and concepts are expressed in a different manner” from what the students are accustomed to. This “frequently results in an ‘ah-ha’ moment or experience,” she adds.

How to prepare?

To prepare for performing in a master class, Shaffer recommends the following:

• Polish the piece and know the score thoroughly.

• Be prepared to stop and start at the whim of the master teacher.

• Number your measures for reference, especially for ensemble master classes.

• Be prepared to accept criticism in front of an audience and to respond in an open and engaging way. Your technique, sound, and overall performance are all fair game.

Becoming aware of your expectations for the master class before it happens will also be helpful. Recognizing that you may receive input from a teacher who’s very different from the one you’re used to, will help you listen better. And taking time after the master class to integrate what you’ve learned will serve you well.

Significant performance changes

16-year-old Sophia, an incoming high school cellist from Colorado, performed the first movement of Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34 for O’Riley’s master class with a string quartet of fellow students. Was she nervous? “Of course!” she admits. “I always get some degree of anxiety before performing because I want my piece to be as flawlessly executed and musical as possible.” But with a few deep breaths and the ability to appreciate the opportunity in front of her, she was able to proceed.

What will she do differently as a result of the feedback she received? “I will take more time to relish each musical note,” says Sophia. “Brahms’ time is different than that of other composers; it’s more of a musical time than a rhythmic time, and I need to always play toward the greater picture, not just perform a single note.”

Vivyan, a junior piano student from California who performed the Tarantella from Liszt’s Years of Pilgrimage, says she learned to distinguish “the space or the timing between the notes in the left versus right hand to make the piece more interesting.” She adds, “I also learned that repetition is an invitation for variation.”

How did she cope with performance anxiety? “I was nervous before the master class and my hands were really cold,” Vivyan recalls. “In order for my hands to be warm enough to play, I wore mittens. Also, to get rid of the nerves I just ran the piece over and over through my mind right before the master class and thought about all the tricky parts.”

Audience members react

Most people who attend music master classes will be in the audience. Those at the Lamont Summer Academy master class with Christopher O’Riley felt as transformed as the performers. Julia, a recent high school graduate and violist from New Mexico, commented that as a master teacher, O’Riley “bases his corrections on the ‘why’ in music and not simply the ‘how.’ Often I personally find myself caught up in the technical aspects of ‘good’ playing and I ignore or miss the goal of establishing an outlook on music as something warm and evocative of emotion. Christopher O’Riley stressed this point of approaching music with a warmer approach rather than simply learning finger patterns. Everything important lies in the details.”

Another student named Katie, a junior from California, was impressed with O’Riley’s focus on “drawing the purest sound from one’s instrument” and figuring out “how to interpret the music in one’s self in order to create a more original presentation of the music.” She was able to apply the feedback provided to the instrumentalists to her own experience as a vocalist.

Max, a junior clarinetist from Hawaii, who called himself a “master class witness,” was struck by the concept of variation in repetition, which he picked up from the performance of Liszt’s Tarantella. He also came away with the “desire to mimic the human voice in music.” He noticed this: “Many a time, Mr. O’Riley asked the performer to sing, not in a literal sense, but on their instrument. Rather, to play like a singer.”

Take the opportunity to attend

Most music schools and departments offer intermittent master classes. Some summer music programs, like the one at Lamont, do as well. These classes are often open to the public, sometimesĚý presented on weekends and evenings, and are typically free of charge. They provide a new way of experiencing music for performers and audience members alike, and the chance to see a master teacher at work.

Photo Credit: Rachel J. Shaffer

Christopher O’Riley with pre-college students from the 2016 Lamont Summer Academy at the University of Denver.

In honor of World Voice Day, choral conductor Mary Louise Burke shares some of her favorite tips for efficient and effective vocal warm ups. Whether you sing in a choral group or lead or conduct a choir or chorus, we hope you’ll find this information useful for improving your sound.

Q: Why are warm ups so important?

One of my primary objectives in warm ups is to help singers “get out of their brains and get into their bodies.” Through a series of physical and vocal exercises, I strive to bring their attention to their bodies/vocal instruments.

A warm up does not need to be long but it does need to be efficient. It should always cover your full range and involve the various muscle groups needed for singing repertoire, i.e. a variety of tempos and articulations, from legato-sustained to faster exercises.

I don’t, as a rule, do “diction” exercises in the warm up; I concentrate on vowels and not on consonants.

Q: What does a good warm up include?

1. Alignment

If you’re not well aligned, you’re not ready to make optimal sound. So alignment (posture) comes first. I start with a few stretches, specifically focusing on spinal extension; rib cage expansion; proper head position; shoulder release; and even checking the position of the tongue (forward) and soft palate (raised uvula.)

I want singers to be aware and responsible for their own alignment 24/7. Constant awareness of spinal extension (no slouching!), proper head and shoulder position, etc. are integral parts of fine singing. And it takes constant practice.

2. Breathing

After stretches, I have singers do some breathing exercises, emphasizing the need for rib and lower body expansion along with reminders about efficient inhalation and exhalation.

3. Sound

I then introduce sirens in a variety of shapes and using a variety of vowels. I like sirens because they are non-pitched (so singers won’t worry about intonation or correctness). Sirens can emphasize several basic elements of technique: proper airflow; crescendo into the upper range; open mouth more for high range; mouth less open for lower range.

Once the sirens are energized, efficient, and natural-sounding, I will do some pitched exercises. I often use two vowels and one (simple) consonant.

Ex.: A descendingĚý five-note exercise on “vee-vo.”

I might do about 3 or 4 vocalises in a warm up and then finish by using a phrase from the existing repertoire that might involve one of the elements that I emphasized in the warm up: octave leaps, sustained notes, controlled crescendo-decrescendo, etc.

Q: How long should a warm up last?

I usually warm up for 5-10 minutes, but during the course of the rehearsal, if needed, I will return to simple stretches, sirens, or a basic vocalise (singing a musical passage on a single vowel to develop flexibility and to control pitch and tone).

You can see and hear when singers are getting tired or tense, and need to just let loose with a good “singer sound” like a big, brave siren—to get the air flowing again and to get out of their heads and back into their bodies. Choral singers, in particular, have a lot of brain noise, especially during the initial rehearsals when they are sight reading and learning new repertoire.

Before a concert, I will do a longer warm up, perhaps 30-45 minutes. In addition to warm up vocalises, we will also review parts of the repertoire –– not to “fix” the repertoire but to remind singers of the variety of styles and articulations needed.

Mary Louise Burke, DMA, Vocal Performance and Pedagogy,Ěý, is associate director of the Colorado Children’s Chorale, associate director of the Colorado Symphony Chorus, and associate music director of Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver.

Preventing injury for instrumental musicians should be high on the list of priorities for anyone planning to go to music school or who is already there. A high percentage of instrumental musicians have reported at least one injury and many plow through playing in pain. Common injuries include: muscular pain, shoulder impingement, tendinitis, nerve injuries (irritation from the neck or different parts of the arm and hand).

by Brittany Seits

Performing in pain can be extremely difficult. Pain is a great body indicator that something is wrong. We need to pay attention. And paying attention may mean getting help to address what’s going on.

In this article, Dr. Erin Hayden, physical therapist and instructor of Clinical Physical Therapy at theĚý, offers tips on what we can do to prioritize our health as musicians and prevent pain and injury.

How can musicians avoid injuries and pain as a result of playing their instrument(s)?

“The most important preventative step is to take breaks, whether it be from practicing or playing,” says Dr. Hayden. “Imagine training for a marathon. You wouldn’t go from running 13 miles to running 26 miles overnight.” So if you have a big audition, concert, or festival coming up, don’t try and train for it overnight!”

Another great preventative measure is exercise. According to Hayden, “Cardiovascular exercise and moving in general are important. Especially for musicians who spend a lot of time sitting. Or if you’re standing and you stand in one position. We’re not designed to be in a static position.”

Hayden suggests doing “whatever you like, as far as walking or jogging or those same sorts of cardiovascular exercises. From an athletic perspective: athletes in the off-season will cross train. So from a music perspective, when you’re not in juries or auditions or those types of things aren’t coming up, it’s a great time to do other activities beside the repetitive positions and motions you do when you’re practicing.”

When to take a break?

“As far as intensive practice, try spreading the practice sessions out throughout the day,” Hayden suggests. She also recommends taking a break after about 45 minutes of practicing, when possible.

Musicians often struggle with tendinitis. What can be done to prevent this?

“Most of the time, the tendons involved are getting overused. Some of that you can’t help. It’s just the nature of how you hold your instrument or what particular muscles are working for playing particular instruments.

“But if you know that you’re going to work certain muscles a lot because of the nature of what you’re playing, and those muscles are going to get that repetitive use, you need to make sure that, as much as possible, you don’t overuse those muscles during other activities.

“Stretch those muscles out. Keep the different body joints in a neutral position if possible.”

For example, to prevent wrist tendinitis, keep your wrist in a straight position when you’re not playing your instrument, instead of having it extremely bent or flexed. This will help alleviate the extra stress you’re putting on the tendons when you’re playing.

What about strengthening?

Hayden says it’s important to strengthen other muscles: your core, upper back, and shoulders, to help support the areas of your body that you use more when you’re playing – like your wrist and forearm.

Imagine a tree trunk. A large tree in a windstorm is not going to blow over because it’s so strong. “But if you have a tiny little aspen,” she says, “it’s going to tip over in the same storm. If you have good core strength, and a strong upper back and shoulders, those are going to provide you with the support that you need for other muscles when you move and hold those positions when you’re playing.

“For a lot of instrumentalists, it’s about the shoulder and upper back strength. If you think about pianists moving up and down the keyboard, it’s a lot of work!Ěý So you want to have good core stability to be able to do that.”

When watching videos of practice sessions and performances, what can musicians look for?

Hayden suggests you ask yourself:

• Do I have any excessive tension? Where is that tension showing up? In my shoulders? Hands?
• Do I make any extraneous movements? Do I move too much or too little?

What should an injured musician do?

“Even if you’re not sure what to do, at least acknowledge that you have pain and pay attention to it, says Hayden.” “See whether it changes, especially if it starts to increase. We’ve all been there where we think, ‘Yea, it’s no big deal, it’ll go away!’ But at least be aware so that you can pay attention to whether it gets any worse.”

It’s especially important for younger musicians to tell their parents or teachers when they experience pain. According to Hayden, “Parents and teachers can usually offer a great deal of help. Teachers can probably notice a change in their student’s technique or their style, and they can usually be a great help in addressing those changes.”

Brittany SeitsĚýis a freelance bassoonist in Southern California and is also the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission for theĚý

Are you someone who lives and breathes jazz and can’t imagine doing anything else in college? If you’re wanting to major in jazz, here are 8 top considerations from jazz faculty, students, and recent graduates for anyone thinking about majoring in jazz or already on their way.

by Barbra Weidlein –

1. Why Go to Music School to Study Jazz If You’re Already Performing?

While some young musicians at the top of their game will make a name for themselves without ever going to music school, careers in music are so highly competitive that musicians need all the knowledge, support, and connections they can get.

According to Alan Pasqua, professor of Jazz Studies atĚý, “Music school increases your chances of being a better musician. It’s a structured environment with other high level, motivated students,Ěý that offers networking opportunities and knowledge. It’s a way to become more fluent in jazz.”

Pasqua goes on to say that young musicians who think they can learn what they need to learn, by simply studying with a private teacher, will miss out on everything that happens after the lesson is over. “In music school, the learning is ongoing. It’s so easy to find fellow students to play with, to continue the learning. There are also opportunities to meet so many others in fields that will be important to you in your life.”

2. Choose a Direction

First and foremost: do you want to focus on performance? Or on the history of jazz? Do you want to teach? Or are you leaning toward a career in music industry, with jazz as your focus? Schools differ in their strengths, so a good starting place is to clarify what you think you want to do when you graduate. Richard Dunscomb, chair of the Music Department at Columbia College Chicago, recommends that you research and then ask each school you’re interested in to specify what type of jazz education you will get there.

For performance-driven students, Harry McKenzie, who got his Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies at USC Thornton School of Music in 2012, suggests looking closely at schools “in cities that have thriving jazz scenes, so you can start establishing yourself as a professional player while you’re in school.”

3. Become a Good Improviser

Music schools typically expect jazz students to know how to improvise by the time they audition. But how do you get there?

According to John Murphy, chair of Jazz Studies at University of North Texas College of Music, “Learning how to improvise, and to play jazz in general, is a lifelong pursuit. The best thing you can do is to listen with your full attention to important artists on your instrument (including voice) and on other instruments. Much of the listening we do these days is distracted. Anyone who wants to learn how to play jazz needs to listen with full attention, with no distractions, repeatedly. There’s no better way to learn what you want your tone to sound like, how to feel the time, how to play a solo that tells a story.”

4. Get the Most Out of Your Program

Take responsibility for finding out what you need to learn if you want a career in music. Don’t expect music schools to lay it all out for you. Talk with professors who are also performers or who have backgrounds in music industry, music education, or any area of music you’re interested in. Find out what they wish they’d learned when they were in music school. And, as professionals, what skills/tools they can’t do without.

“You get out what you put in,” Ěýsays John Gunther, composer and multi-reed instrumentalist, and associate professor of Jazz Studies atĚý. “Be active and pro-active. Study hard and practice a lot but also look for or create opportunities to play with your peers. Get familiar with other instruments (everyone should play drums and piano!). Be familiar with things happening outside your immediate environment (theatre, dance, classical concerts, etc.). You also have to take care of yourself….sleep, good food, exercise.”

Drew Zaremba, senior jazz studies major at University of North Texas College of Music, spends as much time as possible with faculty to learn as much as he can, and then practices everything he learns. “Your colleagues are an equally important source of inspiration and encouragement,” he adds, “so finding good dedicated musicians as friends is essential!”

Addision Frei, University of North Texas College of Music junior and an award-winning pianist, agrees. “One of the most important aspects of studying jazz in college is connecting to your peers and establishing strong music relationships. Playing with others outside school is the most helpful way to harness ideas obtained in class and to develop an artistic identity. Supporting peers at local performances is also crucial to becoming a part of a musical community.”

5. Find the Right Teacher

The importance of finding the right teacher can’t be underestimated. John Davis, director of Jazz Studies at CU Boulder College of Music, recommends: “Find a teacher who plays how youĚýwould like to play, but who also has been recommended as a good teacher. ĚýUnless the teacher/performer can relate ways to practice and play effectively, all you may end up with is a great player who sounds good but who can’t helpĚýyouĚýsound good. ĚýYou want to find a teacher who can effectively provide approaches and ideas that will help you grow.”

Alan Pasqua offers these suggestions:

• Find a teacher who can be a mentor.
• Find a teacher whose performance you can emulate.
• Find someone with whom you can work well, and with whom you have good relationship dynamics (i.e., chemistry is important!).
• Find out how much time the teachers you want to study with are really at the schools you’re looking at applying to. Many tour, so you’ll want to know whether they’ll actually be teaching your classes and how available they’ll be for your questions and concerns outside of class time.
• Connect with anyone you might want to study with, before you start applying to schools. They should be willing to email with you and hopefully give you a lesson, as a prospective student at their school.

6. Know What’s Required to Be Successful

“You must develop a repertoire of jazz standard tunes,” says John Davis, a trumpet player who has taught everything from jazz history to big band and vocal jazz.Ěý“These are tunes you have memorized, know the chord changes, and can improvise over. ĚýAll jazz musicians are expected to have a large base of jazz tunes in their ‘arsenal’ to be competitive and functional in the industry.”

Learning to network is vital. According to Alan Pasqua, whose background includes playing electric keyboard for TV shows and performing with legendary musicians including Bob Dylan, Santana, Ray Charles, Elton John, and Queen Latifa, “The networks you develop in college are the most important for meeting friends, fellow students, and for learning about other areas. Your friends will become your co-workers and the people who hire you.”

Los Angeles guitarist, Erik Miron, a 2009 graduate of USC Thornton School of Music, concurs. “The importance of networking and forming groups with my peers –– this was critical, and in my opinion much more important than coursework.”

Drew Zaremba, who plans to be a studio orchestrator and arranger as well as performer after graduation, says “determination, confidence, and humility” are all necessary for success. “One must be determined to face economic difficulties (jazz music is no longer the pop music of our culture) and still be driven to practice daily. Confidence is essential –– jazz music is based in improvisation, and without confidence it is difficult to deliver a convincing solo for audiences to listen to and enjoy. Humility is also incredibly important –– this goes hand in hand with confidence. Without humility, no one will want to help you musically, with getting gigs, and finding work will be all the more difficult.”

7. Learn to Be Versatile

According to Dick Dunscomb at Columbia College Chicago, who also conducts and teaches jazz workshops all over the U.S., “Many schools now require that you learn to perform a variety of forms of music, not just jazz. Anyone pursuing music these days needs to be prepared to work on projects in many fields.”

Along these lines, Harry McKenzie, now a jazz drummer in Los Angeles, advises: “Don’t put yourself in a box and say you only play a certain kind of music. Take advantage of every playing opportunity you’re offered.” Noah Fulton-Beale, a 2012 trumpet performance alum from CU Boulder College of Music who now performs and teaches, agrees. “Be as versatile as you can as a player, arranger, composer, teacher…You never know what opportunities might come up that you’ll need to be ready for!”

8. Invest in Summer Music Programs

“Do it!” says Alan Pasqua. “You’ll get to interact with more musicians who are at least at your level of ability.”

John Murphy concurs. Investing yourself in a summer music program “gives you access to two important things: college-level instruction and a group of peers of similar age who are also serious about the music. You can get a sense of whether you will enjoy being a music major and devoting every waking moment to playing, listening to, and thinking about music.” (SeeĚý.)

Majoring in guitar was a rarity in college music departments fifty years ago; programs based on band, orchestral and vocal music had little need for guitar components. Today, some string programs offer a classical guitar option, jazz programs typically include a substantial guitar component, and guitarists are especially common in Commercial Music and Music Industry programs.

However, many young guitarists enter college with inadequate preparation, and struggle as a result. Students planning on majoring in guitar in college should consider their current level of instruction and preparation in light of the substantial demands of a degree program. Like any other music major, students majoring in guitar will need to be focused, committed, and hard-working to succeed.

Learn the fingerboard

Serious guitarists should study movable forms, such as those produced by the CAGED system (an acronym for C – A – G – E – D, the five most common chord shapes on the guitar). Multiple fingerings of all scales should be mastered, with particular emphasis on seven-note (heptatonic) scales: diatonic major and minor, and the modes. Beyond just “open chords,” fingerboard harmony should include both barre and fingered jazz chords (Major-7, Dominant 9/13, etc.).

Learn to read music

Learning to read traditional musical notation is crucial to success in college and in the professional world as well; serious guitar students should not limit their music reading to ‘lead sheets’ and tablature (tab).Ěý A Modern Method for Guitar (William Leavitt; Berklee Press) is one of many excellent music-reading books for guitar.

Learn classical guitar

Beyond literature, classical guitar study reaps rewards in tone production, co-ordination between the hands, posture and relaxation, hand strength and endurance, and velocity. These are crucial in all styles of guitar playing. Many college guitarists are required to study classical guitar, even if their emphasis is in other areas.

Participate in school music programs

The serious guitar student should participate in school music programs wherever possible:

• Jazz ensemble
  Reinforces harmonic, ensemble and improvisational/stylistic skills.
• Musical theatre
  An opportunity to learn how to follow a conductor and play in an orchestra.
• Marching/field show pit bands
  An opportunity to use pop/rock guitar skills in an organized setting, as many marching bands perform popular music and feature a non-marching section on the sidelines.
• Guitar class/ensemble
  Students who are fortunate to have guitar instruction in their school should take best advantage of these.

Participate in groups outside of school

Performing in groups such as rock bands and worship groups offers opportunities for learning and growth. Serious young guitarists should not rely on these bands as their sole performance experience, as these styles are seldom sufficiently challenging — technically, harmonically or stylistically.

Learn about different guitar styles

Serious guitar students should be aware of the great and important guitarists of recent decades, and listen to their recordings.Ěý An introductory list includes:

• Classical: Andres Segovia
• Jazz: Wes Montgomery
• Blues: B.B. King
• Country: Chet Atkins
• Rock: Jimi Hendrix
• Flamenco: Paco de Lucia

Purchase appropriate instruments

The guitar is not so much an instrument as a “family of instruments.” A serious guitarist may need several guitars to be ready for college.Ěý Thankfully, the quality of inexpensive guitars has never been higher; a student guitarist can often acquire all the instruments below for less than the cost of one saxophone.

• Electric guitar
  Should have several pickups to cover a variety of styles. Use no lighter than gauge .010 strings (.011 if also used for jazz).
• Acoustic: nylon, steel string
  Steel-string guitars are popular, but classical guitar study will require a nylon-string guitar; purchase both if possible. Select solid wood models, which sound better than laminates. Electronics are a nice plus.
• Amplifier
  Select a compact, easily transported amp with a good “clean” sound and sufficient power (volume) for performances; effects can be added with pedals if necessary.

Select an appropriate teacher

Guitar instructors who primarily teach hobbyists are often not qualified to prepare college-bound students majoring in guitar. The most common reason college-bound guitarists don’t play jazz or classical guitar, know the fingerboard, or read music notation is because their teachers don’t. Select appropriate instructors: those who have earned a music degree, are outstanding players, and are experienced in teaching serious guitar students.

Tom Hynes (MA), assistant professor of music at Azusa Pacific University, teaches Commercial Guitar, Jazz Combos, Music Theory and Composition.Ěý He also teaches jazz guitar for Idyllwild Arts Academy and classical guitar for St. Catherine’s Academy. Hynes authored “The Developing Jazz Guitarist” and Modern Harmonic and Melodic Practice (Hynesight Music). He has a BM is in Studio/Jazz Guitar Performance from , and a Master of Arts/Music in Composition from California State University, Los Angeles.

Butterflies in the stomach; sweaty palms; negative self-talk; stomach pain; dry mouth; excessive swallowing; shortness of breath; fuzzy thinking; avoidance; or giving up. These are some of the signs and symptoms of performance anxiety. It feels so unfair when your hard work in the practice room is thwarted by fear or discomfort. A little stress can improve your game, motivating you to practice so you are sufficiently prepared by performance time. And sometimes the rush of adrenaline can sharpen performance. If stress is manageable, then all is well.

But if anxiety limits your ability to develop your talent and music performance charisma, you may wonder whether you should pursue public performance at all. Some people who suffer from performance anxiety decide to play music in ensembles, rather than as soloists. Some become music educators. These are valid choices, but before deciding to change your career path, give yourself time to explore some other options.

You Don’t Have to Be Anxious!

Our biological systems are wired to alert us to danger so we can defend, protect, survive, and procreate. Rapid heartbeat and increased muscle tension are valuable if we want to attack the wooly mammoth or run up a tree to escape it. But when it comes to public speaking, studio recording, or performing on stage, we seldom encounter situations where our lives are literally threatened. Your system doesn’t differentiate between clear and present danger and the perception of it. If you have a conscious or unconscious belief “as if” performing music were life-threatening, your body may tighten, your thoughts may become fuzzy, and you may encounter a variety of uncomfortable symptoms. It is an understatement to say it is not optimal to be in the throes of performance anxiety when you need to delicately coordinate your voice, breathing, arms, or fingers. We may be hard-wired to survey our environment for danger, but we can learn to cope. You can learn to orchestrate the level of stress at which you rehearse, as well as reduce the level of anxiety the day of a music performance, the moments before walking on stage, and even during the concert.

Coping with Performance Anxiety

As a long-time singer and lecturer who used to worry a lot, I found the Alexander Technique helped me improve my vocal technique, and that helped my confidence. I continue to use my Alexander thinking to center myself before performance, and –– most importantly –– to guide my thinking away from self-defeating thoughts and towards constructive ones. Using every Alexander option available to me, I can feel comfortable and joyous while preparing and then performing in front of people. For instance:

• Lying in semi-supine (seeĚý) is a fantastic way for musicians to prepare for practice, rehearsal, auditions, and performance. It’s also a great way to unwind. When you literally stop and rest, you decrease the level of stimuli bombarding you, and anxious thoughts and feelings evaporate. When you resume activity, you’ll have more resilience to encounter new stress-producing conditions.
• Learning to sit or stand with ease while performing music can improve sound quality, breath control, and endurance. In addition, standing in the “monkey” position — where you bend your hips, knees and ankles simultaneously –– can be used during warm-up and practice to transform the quality of your sound.
• Special breathing techniques are often recommended as coping strategies. The Alexander Technique’s approach is the whispered “ah.” All musicians, including conductors, can reap the rewards from its calming effect.

Other useful Alexander practices help you shift your attitude or behavior to prevent confusion, panic, or getting hooked into negative thinking. By mentally preparing yourself ahead of time, there is less to deal with during a music performance. But if you do get triggered, stress hormones that course through your system are only effective for some 20 minutes. Once you know that, the feeling of your heart pounding doesn’t have to perpetuate anxious thoughts. Moreover, you can ask yourself what you want instead: clear thinking, easy breathing, and less tension. It may seem improbable that you could entertain these thoughts in the midst of performance, but that is what Alexander Technique lessons train you to do. The combination of skilled hands, gentle touch, cognitive instruction, and training in how to send yourself messages becomes a powerful and unique way of learning.

Conclusion

Becoming a professional musician offers tremendous rewards––and challenges. If your talent leads you to music performance, don’t let anxiety prevent you from experiencing joy and satisfaction in your chosen field. Students of the Alexander Technique learn many skills to reduce the harmful effects of music performance anxiety. They develop strategies to prevent and diminish discomfort, to put uncomfortable situations in perspective, and to continue organizing themselves to enable peak performance.

Ruth Rootberg is an AmSAT-certified Alexander Technique teacher, designated Linklater theater voice teacher, Laban Movement Analyst, and classical singer. After graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music, Ruth sang opera and symphonic literature in Europe and the United States. She teaches the Alexander Technique and voice to people of all ages in Amherst, Massachusetts, and gives workshops around the country, including her highly successful Moving Voices with Quiet Hands—weekend workshops for voice professionals. Ruth conceived, edited and published Teaching Breathing: Results of a Survey (2002).

Robert Rickover, Alexander Technique teacher, working with a musician.

Maybe you’ve heard of the Alexander Technique somewhere along your musical journey. If so, you’re probably aware that it has something to do with helping relieve excess tension. Perhaps you’ve seen people lying down on the floor with books behind their heads, or an Alexander teacher working with a student, and you’ve wondered what they were doing. Most importantly, you may have asked, “Can these ultra-subtle-looking activities help me play my instrument or sing better?” Yes, definitely!

by Diana Rumrill

Whether you’re having some kind of pain with playing, tension that you know isn’t working for you, or are just interested in playing with more freedom and ease, the Alexander Technique can help. For me, it forever changed the way I approached playing violin –– as well as singing, walking, sitting, and breathing, for that matter.

Origin of the Alexander Technique

Around the turn of the last century, F.M. Alexander, an Australian actor, suffered from chronic hoarseness whenever he performed. Through very careful self-observation, he discovered that he slipped into a pattern of unhelpful whole-body tension, similar to a tiny version of a baby’s startle response, even before he started to recite his Shakespearean monologues.

Alexander noticed that this tension began with his thoughts about performing. He also noticed that he had to first stop his pattern of tension before trying replace it with a more useful behavior. He found that his head and neck were crucial to controlling this whole-body pattern. When he stopped or “inhibited” the downwards and backwards tension of his head on his neck, it helped to unlock this overall body pattern of tension.

Then, he found a helpful way to use his mind: he thought of his body as having inner directions. These can be summed up as, “I will allow my neck to be free, and my back to lengthen and widen, so that my arms and legs can come away from my body, my knees can come away from each other, and my heels can go back and down.” He found that he could use these internal thoughts in any activity he was doing. This meant that he could have just the right amount of muscular tension in any position.

Music Majors Learn to Use the Entire Body

Often, we can get caught in thinking there is one magic posture for each activity that we just need to tighten ourselves into and then we will be “right.” No matter what it is that we do, though, a single posture doesn’t work past bowing the first downbow, singing the first note, breathing after the first phrase, conducting the first downbeat, or typing the first five minutes of your homework.

In the Alexander Technique, there is no one cure-all posture into which you can sit or stand up straight. Instead, you learn how to use your senses to stop subtly distorting your body with tension, and to allow your body to use its own inner support structure. Learning to include the entire body along with your breathing saves a lot of time in correcting many problems at once.

It’s especially important as a student to learn how to improve your body’s use because when you’re not in the practice room, you’re at the computer or typing on your phone. This can be a prime recipe for pain and discomfort if you’re not prepared!

Learning the basics of Alexander Technique now, at the beginning of your musical career, will save you years of undoing bad habits later as well as prevent injury over your lifetime. Most importantly, it will help you make breakthroughs in your music learning while feeling your best. Many schools offer group classes as a part of their coursework. If this is true for your school, take advantage of it!

Diana RumrillĚýis a physical therapist; soon-to-be certified Alexander Technique teacher; violinist; and singer in Washington, DC. She attended the University of Connecticut for physical therapy, the for voice, and the Philadelphia School for the Alexander Technique.

I’ve been talking with some recent music school graduates, asking them all the same question: Did you really need to go to music school to pursue a career in music performance?

The answers continue to be interesting and varied. One young woman, who graduated with a BM in performance in May, said that getting a degree in music was probably unnecessary. It just so happens I’ve known her since she started college. She’s showing a level of self-confidence she clearly did not have four years ago. She’s also in demand as a cellist –– performing more than ever, and getting paid to do so. Sure, it may be just a matter of maturation, but I can’t help thinking that her current career path has been paved by four years studying with professors who are also active performers; four years of performing in quartets and orchestras always followed by video and other forms of feedback; four years of music theory, history, and musicianship courses designed to inform her playing; and a smattering of business and entrepreneurship classes to help her figure out how to be a professional musician in the 21st century.

Another recent grad shared that, with the right teachers, he may have been able to advance to where he is now, technically. But he would have missed out on the rest of it –– especially the networking opportunities that have put him on his professional path. He’s well aware that there’s no way he could have amassed the experiences he’s had outside of his academic classes in a mere four years, without having gone to a music school that opened doors he didn’t even know existed.

Sure, there are stories of musicians who find their way into the profession of their dreams (or something equally sweet) with little or no music school under their belts. Look at Chris Thile, the 31-year-old mandolinist who just received a MacArthur “genius grant” (a hugely prestigious honor accompanied by $500,000 paid over five years). After a year and a half studying music at Murray State University, he was off and running. But for most, it doesn’t work like that.

Music is one of the most active college majors a student can pursue. Students will tell you that the education outside of the classroom is even more important and powerful than what takes place in the classroom. But there is really no separation; one piggybacks off of the other. Music school offers a safety net where students can test the waters and experiment within new areas of music while receiving the professional feedback and support they’re paying to go to school for. It also provides the training necessary for advancing instrumentally, as well as the framework for developing the self-confidence and skills like communication, networking, time-management, and professionalism that are all important to a viable career.

– Barbra Weidlein

Clifton Williams

Classical music performance majors have inherited an enormous challenge: how to revitalize classical music to protect its legacy and insure its longevity. Staring them in the face: audience decline, symphony bankruptcies, and questions about the relevance of the music and the way in which it is presented.Ěý Solutions to these and other dilemmas demand new approaches to presenting classical music that every current and future classical musician must address.

Author and music journalist Nick Romeo decided to follow some of the country’s top young classical musicians along their musical journeys. In an effort to see how they have been faring in this age of classical music upheaval, he selected six of the 2,000 gifted young classical musicians who have appeared on NPR’s weekly radio show,Ěý. His book,Ěý, explores their paths both before and after their appearances on the show. He focuses on their unique approaches to re-imagining classical music to keep it vibrant and appealing to a mix of generations.

Each of the individuals highlighted in Driven has a vastly different story:

• Soprano Nadine SierraĚýwas 15 when she appeared on “From the Top.” At age 20, she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, considered the most prestigious of all voice competitions in North America. She was the youngest soprano to ever achieve this accomplishment.
• Dasha Bukharseva,Ěýwho grew up in Ukraine where she was living with her mother in extreme poverty, was discovered by U.S. travelers who made her dream of studying piano come true. She studied at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, was featured on “From the Top”, secured a spot in Juilliard’s pre-college program, and eventually got accepted to The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
• Charles YangĚýis described as a crossover artist. He grew up in a traditional Chinese household where he was groomed to become a classical violinist especially by his mother, also a trained violinist, symphony performer, and teacher. As a teenager, however, Charles found passion in rock guitar. He went to Juilliard as a strings major but managed to perform in both genres. His performances on the guitar and violin are equally electrifying and eclectic.
• Greg Anderson and Liz RoeĚýstarted performing together in 2000 as freshmen at Juilliard. Their website indicates that their mission is “To make classical music a relevant and powerful force in society” as well as “To free the world from the constraints of sleep-inducing concerts.” Indeed, their exuberance and musical risk-taking provide audiences with one-of-a-kind experiences that keep them coming back for more.
• •ĚýClifton Williams,Ěýjazz pianist and Berklee College of Music Presidential scholar, grew up playing gospel and jazz piano in inner-city Washington, D.C. When he performed for “From the Top”, he had only been playing classical piano for three years. Music allowed Williams to transcend the harshness of the environment outside of his home and gave him something to reach for in his life.
• Matthew MuckeyĚýwas 17 when he was invited to “From the Top.” At the time, he had never performed on any kind of national scale. He went on toĚýNorthwestern University Bienen School of MusicĚýand at age 22 became associate principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic.

Romeo, a pianist himself, writes with the relaxed candor characteristic of his generation (he’sĚý27). He weaves creative takes on audience etiquette and performer/audience engagement with human interest stories of auditioning highs and lows, prodigy child/parent struggles, and the mixed experience of sudden acclaim. He also describes collaborative ventures and genre bending in which some of the six musicians are involved.

Romeo’s perspective offers valuable insights for high school and college musicians who envision a career in classical music. His persevering inquisitiveness reveals useful input for the rewriting of the classical music roadmap.