At 02:33 PM 2/3/2007 -0800, you wrote:
Sorry for the double post. I am in desperate need of
information. I have proposed a recital program to my department for
my senior recital, which is about a year from now. They are
starting to make a requirement that our recitals must be memorized,
and so I have to petition to not memorize something. Here is the
proposed program:
sacred piece (less than 5 minutes, memorized)
Mozart horn quintet (15-20 minutes, no repeats except in last
movement, not memorized)
Franz Strauss nocturne (5-6 minutes, memorized)
Hindemith horn sonata (15-20 minutes, not memorized)
The area where the friction lies is the Hindemith. My teacher
does not want me to memorize it, but 2 of the 3 people making the
decision want me to. One of the professors (who is not a horn
player) claimed that the Hindemith is easy to memorize, and is not
a hard piece. I have already informed the department that I won't
play it unless I don't have to memorize it. I am also only a music
education major, not a performance major. So my questions are as
follows: Is this a legitimate college-level (music education)
program? Should I be required to memorize this piece? Does anyone
have any suggestions for a 20th century piece that would be easy to
memorize? If the people responding to this can also supply their
credentials in their responses, that would be helpful. Thanks.
As a former college student, college administrator, and someone who
has performed recitals,
let me offer my opinion and some suggestions:
First, what are the requirements for your recital as spelled out in
the college's course catalog
in effect the year you began your program of study? Seems to me the
requirements, including
memorization of pieces, should be spelled out there. (If you didn't
know, the course
catalog in effect the year you began your program of study is
essentially a contract stating
your requirements for completing your program, and any later changes
to these requirements
cannot be enforced upon you. Check with the college's Registrar for
the statement of your required
credits plus check the college library for a copy of that
catalog.) I remember from my undergrad days
that the MusEd majors were required to perform one piece from memory,
while the Performance
majors were not. However, we did 2 recitals to their 1.
Second, why are *you* arguing with the committee when your teacher is
"releasing" you from this
requirement? Why isn't he/she speaking to them on your behalf and
why isn't he/she being given
the final say in your required program? Talk to your teacher, then
talk to the department head
one-on-one. Giving departments an ultimatum never works. When you
back them into a corner they
usually come out fighting, and between you, me, and the door, you
will not win. Ask for help, don't
go in demanding.
Third, ask why you are being required so much memorization. You
already have 2 pieces, the Strauss
will not be easy, so why do they insist on Hindemith? Ask for an
explanation. Might be they are looking
at length of piece vs number of pieces. Carry a copy of the
Hindemith with you so it can be reviewed
by all. Do not go into this meeting alone. Again, where is your
teacher and why is he/she not speaking
on your behalf.
Fourth, accept the final decision and move on. No one ever said you
will get everything you want in
life. You will graduate, you will get past this, and you will vow to
never make your own students go
through it. Step up to the challenge. If there is a problem, you
will not be the first person who has
had a memory slip mid-way through a piece, and you will certainly not
be the most famous performer
who has ever done this. Learn to handle adversity in a concert with
grace and aplomb, a much harder
experience to overcome.
Margaret
(okay, credentials. BM/Peformance, Boston Conservatory. Worked there
for 6 years, then at MIT for
3, then at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for 4 before becoming an
independent consultant. Yes, I
still play, but I am not gigging. Just playing.)
Margaret F. Dikel
Horn / Librarian / Webmaster
JCC Symphony Orchestra
11218 Ashley Drive
Rockville MD 20852
301-881-0122
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.jccso.org
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