I recently came across some short articles I’d written a long time ago and compiled into one document full of massive realizations and transforming perspectives.
Would you like it?
It’s now revised and updated.
You may have read it before, but if not, here it is:
If you have any technical issues, let contact us and we’ll email it to you.
More and more musicians are doing it.
Apparently there were over 40 reported incidents worldwide in 2013.
Fortunately, many of them were caught on camera.
Which of the following incidents from the past few years are worthy of international attention, and which are lucky not to find themselves in the Establishment’s penal custody for flashing in public?
I’ll tell you my fave if you tell me yours! Share your thoughts and your favorites in the comments below…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Haven’t reached my favourite one, yet! Remember – I’m a percussionist at heart…
5.
6.
7.
Er, yeah. That’ll be it. Love it! What a welcome off the commute train 🙂
8.
Share your thoughts below, as well as links to any other of your favorite orchestra flashmobs
I have to say, though, it was tough limiting this to orchestral music – there are so many dance and singing flashmobs I thoroughly enjoy, especially the original train station one of the Sound of Music that started the modern public movement, quickly heading to 30m views!
(Of course, this was, in turn, inspired by the 2001 prison “Thriller” flashmob, now on 53m views:Â http://youtu.be/hMnk7lh9M3o)
I’m working hard on my next #PsalmQuest piece – a concerto for Bass Clarinet and Strings, and it is going well, but with the holidays and lots of travel it’s been hard to keep up. Should have something to share with you in a month or so.
In the meantime, here is a list of 12 books all budding/ growing… people should read (At first I wrote “musicians” but realized there is a great deal of info here that is relevant for anyone trying to grow a business or even just their own career, even in the music-related books!).
If you or someone you love is trying to build a [music or other] career, these books will come in most useful. And if they say they have no time to read, unsubtlely mention that reading 10 pages a day (about 10 minutes) takes about 20 days to read an average size book. All 12 of these recommendations can be read in 2014!
That’s a list of my favourite most useful reading over the past year (I read a total of 32 books). It’s one book per month if you want to take it slow during 2014. Or you can plow through the list and finish them sooner. The choice is up to you.
Question: What book would you recommend reading this year? Please share your recommendation in the comment section below and help out your fellow readers.
Over the past few years I’ve noticed I’m usually the slowest car on the road.
Today, find out why.
And hear about one of the decisions/ choices I’ve made that causes it!
And then, if you dare, listen to how your own driving decisions are directly affecting the society we live in today.
Click to play the video below to reveal all.
In case you’re wondering: yes, my wife gets totally embarrassed whilst everyone else is passing us!
We all have a multitude of decisions to make everyday, and I’d love to know why you think it is OK (or not) to exceed the speed limits. Seriously, whilst I am not yet convinced that my own desires and assessment of safety are more important than the law of the land I choose to live in, you may have some valid reasons for speeding that I’d like to hear about.
Please let me know in the comments below what you think about speeding/ ignoring the laws of the road/ whether or not driving has become a right more than a privilege, and any other related thoughts.
As always, I reserve the right to delete any inappropriate comments.
Time for a rant/ rave/ vent, methinks. It’s been a while. Bear with me:
Everywhere I look there are stories of musicians being yelled off their stage, performers crying for “decent” pay, orchestras and opera houses closing down, music schools diminishing beyond recognition, and a host of other music-related news that simply doesn’t play a pretty tune.
So, who actually still cares about music?
Who else?
But despite the seemingly exhaustive list of supporters, first: look how many people who experienced music directly in their lives are those who remain passionate about it, and second: I can’t help but feel an underlying podium of obligation and hidden-agenda persuasion.
The fact is, in 2013 there are very few people who care about one of humankind’s most fundamental forms of expression. “Music” has been around for as long as birds could whistle and people could control the pitch of their voices. For centuries it was just a part of everyday life for just about everyone.
This 16thC songbook in Seville Cathedral contains many chants “composed” over hundreds of years
Then, about 500+ years ago, someone figured out a way to write it down so others could repeat what was being expressed. (Actually, music was used in the church to aid priests with their memorization of liturgical text – a trick that is still used today.) I’ve seen one of the earliest songbooks known to exist, currently housed in Seville cathedral, and when people stop to consider what it represents, it is an awesome thing. But, like so many museum pieces, most people just wander by and say ¡QuĂ© Bueno! (“That’s nice.”) You can hear the apathy in their tone.
Since then, there’s been a direct split between formal music and popular music. Even these words seem insufficient to describe the horrors of classifying and labeling just about each individual’s specific tastes, desires, likes and academic output of organized sound-based expression.
But what really scares me are these two facts:
1. Older generations are telling younger generations that music is unworthy, not to be valued, and an interrupting annoyance. Instead, we are taught by decision-makers and influencers that it is a gimmick, a sometimes useful but very expensive tool of persuasion, and wholly unessential or unnecessary for anyone’s well-being. Example: “Our youth groups don’t want to see an orchestra on stage – that’s not our vision for them.” Example: “Oh! That youth orchestra is just way too loud whilst we’re shopping. C’mon, let’s leave.” Example: This whole flashmob was commercially staged, including the little girl at the beginning – the bank the performers were in front of was celebrating its 130th birthday.
2. Musicians are out to prove their relevance/ worth/ value, demand certain rights, and are using Music as a political means to get what they want (be that income, satisfaction, their own worth/ value, proof that they matter or haven’t wasted their lives pursuing something pointless, etc.).
Ouch.
And I’m fed up with it.
In today’s technological digitized world, is there even a future for music? At all? We have created machines that compose and conduct, and devices that source every piece of music that has ever been recorded or constructed as an audio file. [And that’s a whole other rant – are we listening to the performers, or the sound system? More on that another time.] Music provides some sort of background sensory stimulation in almost every activity many Western humans undertake, including shopping, using public toilets, driving, office work, jogging, and so on.
The recent spike in popularity of orchestras playing music whilst a film is displayed above them is an extension of the old piano-playing cinemas of… wait for it… not even a hundred years ago. In Beethoven’s time it was rare for concert halls to have seats. People mingled, chatted, ate & drank, and had a good old time hanging out. In Mozart’s time, operas told stories of faraway places and unknown cultures with drama and costumes and scenery and, of course, dramatic music.
Mention opera nowadays and most people yawn.
What’s happened? What’s going on? Where are humans headed next? Hardly the dearly desired World Peace, that’s for sure! And I fear the loss of music and the senses that rely on it for their useful/ proper/ full development, will transform humans into unthinking creatures of survival habit.
And yet we’ve come so far…
What do you think? Add a comment below and let’s talk about it…
Maybe it’s just in specific cultures. Maybe this is all totally imagined. Regardless, I’m upset so many humans around us are dismissing live music making, and I’m getting angry enough to do something about it in my little circle of influence. More about that soon!
But here’s one thing any valuable and interesting article or document shouldn’t start with: a definition.
The term “Classical Music” is difficult to embrace for three reasons:
– It conjures up images of rich elitism, boringness and dead white men.
– It actually refers to a specific period in musical history (1750-1830)
– Much of society is prejudiced against anything associated with it.
The enigmatic Founder and Artistic Director of The Discovery Orchestra, George Marriner Maull, visited two inner-city schools one week and worked with young children on “listening.” The heart-warming outcome is that every child was fully engaged, improved their communication skills, and loved the music.
Interestingly, when Maestro Maull starting working with the music he deliberately did not mention the composers’ names or when the music was written or give it a stylistic label, which is the normal practice when giving a workshop or lecture (heck, I even did it when giving this post a title!). The children just thoroughly enjoyed the music which happened to be written by some chaps named Bach and Vivaldi some 300 years ago. To them, it could have been last written last year.
Fascinating. And we have a problem.
Unfortunately, by the time these children become adults they may very well be turned off of the “Classical Music” genre or style they’ve come to appreciate and enjoy, just because society tells them to.
We could explore the sociological and psychological reasons why that might be, and perhaps that should be the topic of a future missive, but it’s not this one. Instead, let’s recognize that the term “Classical Music” has, despite it’s actual reference to a specific period in history, come to refer to anything not in the popular mainstream realms of music, or which has another generic label.
Jazz is jazz, rock is rock, and so on. Many styles of music have their own sub-styles, but as far as you and I are concerned, let’s define Classical Music as:
Audio entertainment that is constructed around in-depth formulas and functions of sound presented with the intent of active and engaged listening and feeling, mostly using instruments that do not require electricity to function.
Sounds boring? Maybe.
Audio entertainment that is constructed around in-depth formulas and functions of sound presented with the intent of active and engaged listening and feeling, mostly using instruments that do not require electricity to function.
Have you really actively listened at a concert and engaged with what you hear? If you’re relatively new to classical music, probably not. Usually your mind wanders to problems of the day, what you’ll have for dinner later, or the lovely dangling earrings of the person sitting three rows in front of you.
It takes a certain amount of effort to listen to and engage in anything worthwhile, and classical music is no exception. But it’s hard for us when everything is so physical and instant these days. Instant gratification = surface material. Those who want more, who want meaningful relationships, who want something solid, grounded, stable, reliable, a cornerstone… can thoroughly enjoy classical music.
What do you think? Am I close? Is that definition too broad or too technical or just too plain… “huh?” Let me know in the comments below what you think of my definition, and if you have a better one – I really want to know!
If you have visited my website during the past month, you may have noticed a little floating bar on the right that says “sign in to play” and I know some of you have wondered what that’s all about.
Here’s the game:
Over time, you achieve badges and levels of competence that are great fun to keep track of. Really – it’s fun, and very easy to suddenly rack up some serious numbers! (Scroll down to the Leaderboard, and see Robert’s example below.)
But there’s a grand prize at stake: whoever has the most points towards the end of my #PsalmQuest will be invited to the last concert of the last Festival of Psalms in May 2020. Yes, this is a long-term game, but you could get an invitation to come visit me in Tampa Bay! And if you’re a musician, that means you’d get the chance to perform as the opening act in front of thousands of audience members and possibly even broadcast live globally.
Awesome, right?! I’d love to see you here, and share the stage with you, so let’s get to it! Sign in, and remember that every time you use the social media buttons to share/ tweet/ plus or comment, you get points. Look how many points Robert, a private car service owner in New Hampshire, received after first signing up and commenting and sharing: over 6,000!
Quickly earn points and be invited to attend the last Festival of Psalms concert! (Click it to tweet it)
It’s amazing how quickly the points add up, so please go sign in now to play, and start earning your invitation to Tampa Bay!
There’s a list of world-wide concerts of my #PsalmQuest pieces right here on my website. How do I know? Because every time someone plays one of my pieces, they simply add a comment on the #PsalmQuest Concerts Page telling us when and where, and that’s how performers can score massive points towards their invitation! Maybe you know someone to be the first?
Of course, you can also use that same page to see if there are any concerts near you that you would like to attend! Scroll through so you don’t miss any.
(Here’s the URL in case the link above does not work:Â https://www.stephenpbrown.com/concerts/)
Sign in to play, click to share, and earn those points!
As a Conductor I am often held responsible not just for the instant moment-by-moment success of live music-making, but also the entire image, direction and resourcefulness of the whole organization. Every action and decision a leader makes directly influences outcomes and sales. (Click it to tweet it!)
As you know, that basically sums up the outcome of every leader’s work.
So over the years I have studied and explored a great many leadership and management concepts and skills, including those espoused by Tom Peters, Michael Hyatt, Marie Forleo, Dave Ramsey, Richard Branson, John C. Maxwell, Michael E. Gerber, J. W. Marriott Jr., Charles Forte, Earl Nightingale, and a WHOLE host more (usually through biographies). In addition, since my teen years I have closely watched other leaders at work – conductors, business owners and corporate management – to learn what works well as well as what doesn’t seem to work well.
It’s been a fascinating journey. However, one thing I’ve noticed is how much Conducting orchestras, choirs and musicals not only incorporates almost every leadership skill out there, but very clearly and succinctly brings them altogether in one easily-observable package.
Really?
Yes, really.
So I’ve summarized what I’ve learnt, observed and tested (meaning: tried out in live environments) and written them down from a conductor’s point of view in a cute little book. I think you’ll find it interesting. However, I’d like to marry these leadership concepts to non-musical examples that many others can identify with.
Do you have a leadership story to share?
If you are or have been a leader in any industry in any organization, I’d love to hear from you: Corporations, Small-Business, Community Groups, Governments, Sports, Church, School, Fundraising events, or wherever you have been responsible for leading others to achieve a mutual goal.
Check out the seven scenarios listed and if you have a story to share for any of them, add it to the comments (remember to log in FIRST, before writing your story!)
Thanks for your time and willingness to share your expertise and experiences. If you have any questions, please do send me an email
You give the ‘Go!’ A launch, pep talk or somehow getting your team off to a great start
You take note of how things are progressing and offer a little encouragement here, a little adjustment there…
You can’t help but smile at what your team is accomplishing! You show your team how pleased you are with their efforts.
Was there a time you or your boss didn’t trust the team to start on their own? Did you have to control how they began? Did such behavior prevent the most effective launch possible? How have you been a different leader since then?
Was there a time you or your boss didn’t trust the team to do their work? Did you control every move they made? Did such behavior demotivate people? How have you been a different leader since then?
Was there a time you or your boss were completely hands off and didn’t really know what the team were doing? Did such behavior prevent progress and/or quality outcomes? How have you been a different leader since then?
Did you ever actively encourage your team to grow and become better than you (at what they do)? Did your team benefit from expanded skills, new approaches and advanced learning? How did that affect the team’s productivity?
THANK YOU 🙂
 (Log in below to add your story)
6 Degrees of Separation: Can your network help someone in Tampa Bay make their day much more exciting?
So I’m wondering just what kind of impact you and I have in the world. Are our efforts truly worth something in a stranger’s life, or do we slog away for our own misguided satisfaction?
Let’s find out.
I’m going to write a short statement below and see how far your followers, friends and email list actually reach. Please participate! It doesn’t take long and you may be interested to see if the six degrees of separation are true – someone you know may know someone who knows someone… …who lives in the Tampa Bay area.
There are three easy steps to take:
Share this post (#6degrees): Over 19? STEP UP and SING! @Stephen_P_Brown conducts #ClearwaterChorus Tues Sept 24 6:30pm @RuthEckerdHall
If we do this together, we might actually end up with 100 people attending on Tuesday night, double our current projection. Wouldn’t that be AWESOME?! Try it. Work with me in this experiment. Together, let’s see how connected our circles and networks really are…
May they be as awesome as you.
OPINION. That’s all this is. Totally unmerited, unfounded, unresearched, unverified 🙂
I’m in the UK right now, where I spent my childhood and early professional career. My teens and current professional career were/are in the USA. My college life was mostly spent up & down the UK, throughout East & West Europe, and later a sojourn in a couple of countries in the Southern parts of Africa. Next stop? Ah well, wouldn’t you like to know!
But as I’m sitting here for a few moments, pondering the extraordinary life I’ve lived split primarily between two continents, cultures and languages (yes, I’m bilingual: I speak English and American), I find it remarkable how much our environment has changed but our enterprise has not. For example, in the late 1980s I predicted that orchestras would start dying out in 20 years or so if they didn’t radically change, and I was correct.
So what about 20 years from now? Hmmm…
First, I still believe that acoustic/ unplugged performance affects us in so many more ways than anything reproduced through loudspeakers (click it to tweet it) if only we can be bothered to listen & allow ourselves to fully engage in it, and it cannot be replaced.
The music score of “One for Vonnegut”
One thing I can assure you about classical music in 20 years’ time: it will still be here. It is not dying. There will always be someone scraping a wooden violin, someone tooting down a metal tube, and someone banging on an array of so-called ‘instruments’ (aka Percussion). It may morph, shrink and grow, expand and minimalise itself to 1 note (or nothing, in the case of John Cage’s 4’33”), but it will still exist.
After all, the community and youth orchestra scenes are enjoying unprecedented success and are clearly still on the upswing (if not just reaching their height).
What YOU think “Classical Music” will be like in 20 years…