(In case there’s someone out there who hasn’t seen it, the title of this blog entry comes from the movie Being John Malkovich.)
I’m taking an Oboe Class so I can teach the basics someday in a high school. Really exciting! However, don’t be in practice room within 3 doors of mine or you will be annoyed.
Nancy Ambrose King, oboe
Stephane Levesque, bassoon
2006, Austin, TX
Um. Okay … I’m humbled. Again. And again.
Sometimes called a Chinese oboe:
One interesting thing about posting these is that I have no clue if the person playing is good or not! Someone who knows the instrument(s) will have to fill me in.
What future do you see for classical music reaching the next generation?
If it’s presented and packaged rightly, then there’s a great future for classical music reaching the youth. To some extent we artistes are to blame in making classical music sound sanctimonious and meditative. What is this classical music? It’s a label that we’ve given. Music is music. Either it is good music or bad music. Classical music should be presented to the youth just like any other music. Artistes should not make classical music as something very serious and revered and, thus, condition the young mind towards it in a certain way. If one is friendly towards the young audience and if in turn they like the experience, they’ll take naturally to classical music. After all it’s got a 2,000-year-old history to it. If classical music has survived this long, it’s simply because of its inherent strength. And i believe in this strength.
So are you saying that you’d like to make classical music contemporary so that it’s less intimidating for youth?
No, as an artiste i feel i should not do anything that will dilute the purity of the music. In fact, it’s my duty as an artiste to preserve the sanctity of classical music. But at the same time, one should refrain from making a big hullabaloo about it.
“What’s that,” you say, “2000 years?!”
Well, yes, if you are talking about the classical music of India.
We aren’t the only ones trying to figure out what to do about our art.
Read more: ‘We are to blame in making classical music sound sanctimonious’ – The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/We-are-to-blame-in-making-classical-music-sound-sanctimonious/articleshow/7348150.cms#ixzz1Bsa2ao5q
I dislike double-tonguing on oboe. It’s just not fun… It’s like I’m trying to imitate a full-power fan or a freaking machine gun! Ugh.
