Prelude
‘Music is the universal language of mankind’. As a musician it is impossible to dispute those words, which were penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who was one of America’s most popular 19th Century poets. Music is the universal language of mankind; but music is much more than just a language.
Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle Plato, is credited with saying, ‘Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything’, and the Chinese philosopher, Confucius, informed us that ‘Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without’. Think about it: Where would we be without music? Music is a kind of pleasure, which we cannot do without!
According to the German novelist, Berthold Auerbach, ‘Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life’. What a wonderful sustaining truism that is? And isn’t it rewarding to be engaged in an art that enables you to communicate beyond linguistic borders, and that washes away the dust of everyday life?
So it follows that according to Longfellow, Plato, Confucius and Auerbach, music gives us the gift to speak a universal language, to bring insight and pleasure into the souls of those nearest us and of those we reach out to, and refreshes and uplifts daily life. However, I believe that music is much more than that and that the ‘art of music’ is synonymous with and inextricably twinned to the ‘art of communication’.
Fanfare
For almost ten years I had the privilege to be at the helm of the Royal Australian Navy Band. The themes in this music conversation are ones that enabled me to develop the band's reputation as a powerful musical force within the Australian Defence Force, at home and abroad, and ashore and afloat. It is a great band that nourished my soul, and it was a wonderful musical voyage.
In this music conversation I challenge you to add your own counterpoint to each of my four main themes and to then develop your own ideas to assist you to bring out the colour and emotion in your musical journey; and to assist in that process, I propose a series of questions within each of the four themes for you to consider. The themes that I have chosen are dealt with broadly—I will leave the detailed development of those themes and underlying motifs to subsequent conversations. So, what is it that enlivens you to bring out the best in your musicians and how do you communicate that to them and your audiences?
Music Leadership
The eternal truism ‘you define the environment or it will define you’ is worth considering in any discussion on music leadership. When I first became the Director of the Navy Band it was an entirely different organisation to the one I left almost ten years later. At that time, the Royal Australian Navy had seven separate bands of differing size that were positioned in six naval bases around Australia. The seven bands came under different Commands and my predecessor, despite being responsible for the wider organisational management of the musicians, had little ability to influence the direction and outcomes of each of the bands. Worryingly, each band was moving in a different direction. There wasn’t a clear focus on what their roles were, who their customers were, or where they were headed. Furthermore, despite the significant differences in size and capability, each band was trying to deliver the same range and style of musical products; even though they didn’t have the skills and resources to do so. Consequently, there was a huge difference in quality across the brand and reputational outcomes were not being advanced.
With the help of the senior leaders in each band I collated the history of Navy’s musical ambassadors so that we could tell the proud story of ‘where we had been’ and set about redefining ‘who we were’, ‘what we stood for’, and ‘where we were headed’. The seven bands were incorporated into a ‘one band’ with a seven detachment concept (the Royal Australian Navy Band), and output was realigned to better meet the requirements of the Navy. This new operating model gave direct ownership of the outcomes to the band’s senior leadership team. The customer model was redefined to include the Government as Owner, Navy as Stockholder, and our people as primary stakeholders. Placing our people as the primary stakeholders highlighted the requirement to balance their professional development needs with the broader Navy requirements.
James P. Lewis in his book Working Together: 12 Principles for Achieving Excellence in Managing Projects, Teams, and Organizations says ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got’. And so it is. What is it that you and your musicians do, who are your customers, where are you and your band or orchestra headed and importantly, how will you organise and communicate those messages to achieve the mission?
Sound
Tuning, intonation, and balance are the most important elements of a band or orchestra’s sound.
I don’t intend to turn this theme into a detailed discussion on the three main forms of tuning (pythagorean, just, and equal temperament). Nor do I intend to prescribe various exercises for achieving good intonation. However, I cannot state strongly enough my belief that good tuning and good intonation in ensemble performance cannot be achieved without a good concept of balance. In his book Effective Performance of Band Music W. Francis McBeth described pyramidal balance. This concept can be developed to include balance within sections, between sections, within groups (for example brass, woodwind and strings), and between groups. Good intonation will be enhanced by good unison playing also within sections, between sections, within groups, and between groups. Additionally, good tuning will be achieved through the application of pyramidal concepts when tuning the band. Pyramidal concepts can also be applied to enhance the tune up process and to demonstrate harmonic exercises, which in turn add a richness and strength to the ensemble’s sound.
An ensemble’s sound is a complex set of vibrations and harmonic overtones that cause a unique auditory and emotional effect. You only have to listen to a number of different ensembles to hear the different types of sound being produced. I particularly like a sonorous sound. The Macquarie Dictionary describes a sonorous sound as full, deep, rich and resonant. So what auditory effect do you want to envelop your musicians and your audiences with, and how will you develop, communicate and deliver that sound?
Rehearsal
Obviously, and most importantly, you must know the score. However, you must also be able to communicate your knowledge of the score to the people who will help you deliver your interpretation of the score to the audience. You can communicate that knowledge through a mix of verbal and non verbal rehearsal techniques, which should be incorporated into a thoroughly prepared rehearsal plan.
You know your musicians better than anyone else, and you will also be aware of rehearsal time constraints and other limitations that you and your team face. First of all, when planning your rehearsal (after you have studied the score) determine whether or not you will be conducting a technical rehearsal—looking at issues such as balance, blend and intonation—or a more informative interpretative rehearsal which looks at stylistic issues. You may have sufficient time to conduct your rehearsal over a number of sessions. In any case, before you stand on the podium you must be armed with a plan about what you want to achieve.
During the process of actually conducting the rehearsal it is imperative that you are able to effectively identify, analyse, and correct musical discoveries and then communicate your will upon the musicians to reinforce those discoveries. Remember, it is easy to instruct but not so easy to inspire; so when you stop to make rehearsal points and correct identified errors consider whether your words will motivate the players or just instruct them. I like to use words that bring out the colour, the light and shade, and the story behind the music. Sometimes I will choose to rehearse in a very demanding, frenetic and unforgiving technical manner whilst on other occasions I will deploy words and body language to engage the musicians in a deeper story telling way. One thing I will never be during rehearsals is predicable!
As stated earlier, you know your musicians, rehearsal time constraints, and other limitations; so use that knowledge to employ a plan of attack that will achieve positive rehearsal outcomes. This is equally important whether or not you are a professional conductor or a school band leader. So, what style of rehearsal process will you employ when communicating with your musicians?
Performance
First of all, you should be passionate about what you do. Passion can be described as that inner force that is expressed outwardly—an inner fire that inspires others. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you won't be successful at it. And your passion should be on display during any dialogue that you have with your musicians and your audience. Similar to rehearsal technique, you can display your passion through a mix of verbal and non verbal techniques. For example, in your preamble remarks to the audience and by your body language during the course of the performance.
Secondly, your passion must incite emotional change. Igor Stravinsky once remarked ‘I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it’. To me, that simple observation sums up the rewards of a career in music. Some of the best performances I have been involved with or witnessed have not been the greatest displays of technical virtuosity; but rather, they have been performances that have moved me, the musicians, and the audience in a spontaneous and emotional way. Of course, as a conductor you must display technical competence; but if you cannot incite psychological change in your musicians and audience then, in my view, it is wasted expertise. How will you deliver your art to incite and inspire?
Codetta
In this music conversation I have argued that the ‘art of music’ is synonymous with and inextricably twinned to the ‘art of communication’. I have challenged you to determine what is it that you and your band or orchestra do, who your customers are, and where you and your musicians are headed. Additionally, I have asked you to decide what type of sound you wish to project and what style of rehearsal techniques you will employ with your thoroughly prepared plan. Crucially, I have asked you to find new ways to incite and inspire your musicians and then communicate that to them and your audiences.
I hope that my conversation will serve to enhance your passion and enable you to discover new ways to bring out the colour and emotion in your musical voyage, so that you can continue to enjoy delivering your story to your audience.
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