Smith 1 Cory Smith November 3rd, 2013 English 1101 Fuentes

The Orchestral Community ! Note "orth Ta#ing

"hen one thin#s o$ the music community the image o$ %eo%le &ust %laying and listening to music %o%s into mind' This is very contrary to (hat in reality the music community is' "ithin this community are many di$$erent ty%es o$ grou%s that are )uite di$$erent $rom one another' There are bands, choirs, clubs, and also orchestras' From years o$ e*%erience in orchestras it is very sim%le to see that they are the most distant (hen it comes to the $eatures o$ the actual community (hen com%ared to the other ty%es o$ music grou%s' "hen getting together the resources to $ind out $rom others (hat truly sets members o$ an orchestra a%art $rom other grou%s +i'e' bands, one must be surrounded by both grou%s to e*%erience the similarities and di$$erences bet(een the t(o' From, %ersonal e*%erience some general conclusions can be made about the orchestral community' The grou% most certainly has a common discourse, (ays o$ communicating, and (ays o$ establishing authority, amongst any other things' The orchestral community has one common goal in (hich is to learn and %er$orm music $or audiences to hear' This goal is consistent $rom orchestra to orchestra and has very little variation $rom grou% to grou%' This grou% has e*isted since the 1-00.s (hen the renaissance

Smith 2 %eriod sa( a large gro(th in the creation o$ orchestral music' Since then, nothing too much has changed in the sense that the grou% has retained the same goals' The $undamentals and the (ays that %eo%le communicate have changed (ith the times though, this along (ith the (orld around the community' Things such as the (ay %eo%le %ractice or a%%roach music has changed very much since then and has hel%ed to ma#e the orchestral community (hat it is today' ! very common $orm o$ communication through the community tends to &ust s%ea#ing to one another, but there are times (hen things are &ust understood bet(een grou% members' Things o$ this nature can include rules or (ays to %lay things and ho( individuals should a%%roach them so that the grou%.s overall musical )uality can be retained or bettered' To $urther dee%en the understand the characteristics o$ the orchestral community an intervie( (as conducted (ith /atthe( 0athbone a student that is %art o$ the 1NC Charlotte orchestra that %lays the French 2orn, some very use$ul in$ormation (as obtained to hel% broaden the vie( into the orchestral community' The $irst )uestion as#ed during the intervie( (as, 3"hat distinguishes you $rom other music grou%s45 "ell according to /atthe(, the orchestral community is $or %eo%le that are much more serious about music than %eo%le that are &ust in things such as sym%honic band (hen %ertaining to (ind %layers' This is very im%ortant (hen vie(ing the individual.s goal (hen %artici%ating in such grou% because it gives a small glim%se into %ossibly (hy a %erson (ould %artici%ate in orchestral grou%s' 6t also allo(s the vie( o$ the orchestral community to begin to mor%h into its o(n original thing7 something that is not li#e any o$ the other musical communities' Then going on a$ter that /atthe( e*%lained that the orchestral community uses music as a language to e*%ress emotions and also use the music as a release $or one.s o(n emotions' This is something that is very common throughout most o$ the musical community and is something that hel%s bond all o$ these communities o$ %ractices together' Even

Smith 3 though a %erson might have di$$erent reasons unto (hy they communicate (ith music it normally ends u% being the same result, to dis%lay or get across an emotional thought to an audience or grou% o$ %eo%le' Something else that (as e*%lained (as ho( the establishment o$ authority (as %retty much the same $rom grou% to grou%' The conductor (as established and then that %erson (ould lead the grou% and be the central $igure o$ %o(er $or that grou%' This is something that is a constant throughout most o$ the music community and normally is a (ay to avoid con$licts and tension bet(een members o$ the community' 6$ con$licts do arise they normally are disagreements in inter%retation o$ ho( things should be %layed' "hen this occurs one (ould then go to the conductor and they (ould settle the issue there, thus ending the con$lict' The last thing /atthe( (as as#ed (as 5(hy do %eo%le (ant to &oin the orchestral community45 "ell, according to /atthe( and other %eo%le.s e*%eriences, the ans(er to this )uestion is that %eo%le %lay in the orchestra because o$ the %assion and love o$ music that one has' 6t is the same reason (hy a %erson that loves baseball %lays baseball7 it is because it is such a big %art o$ that %erson.s li$e that it cannot be %arted (ith' Something that one must do to be acce%ted by the grou% is learn ho( to %er$orm in a musical grou%' 8laying an instrument in a grou% is very di$$erent $rom %laying a solo %iece in that the balance o$ others must be ta#en into consideration' !nother e*tremely im%ortant thing is that the %erson must be able to read and %lay music, because (ithout this the %erson (ould be lost (hen it comes to actually %laying the music' "hen &oining any music based community one must be ready to be vie(ed by the %ublic in a negative (ay' This %articularly %ertains to the grade school years in (hich %eo%le are labeled as 5band gee#s5' For some this is a very big turno$$ $or %laying music but as time goes on this vie( goes a(ay' 9y the time %eo%le are in college, %eo%le res%ect others i$ they are in any ty%e o$ musical community because it is not seen

Smith : as 5(eird5 (hen com%ared to (hen it (as in high school' Once in the orchestral or musical community, one (ill $ind that the %eo%le in the grou% itsel$ are (elcoming and in a sense are a $amily +a$ter all that is (hat a discourse community really is,' So, (ith this all being said, one may deal (ith ridicule $rom the outside but, they (ill $ind a generally embracing community $rom the inside' !$ter studying and having time to e*%erience (hat it is li#e to be %art o$ the orchestral community and other musical communities it has become very clear that there are some distinct similarities and di$$erences bet(een them' For e*am%le, the mentality o$ %eo%le in a choir is very di$$erent $rom that o$ a musician' This can be seen most o$ the time (hen one (al#s into a choir classroom things become more about a %erson;%eo%le than it does about the music, (hile in any other ty%e o$ music class the concentration is solely on the music not on the %eo%le themselves' "hen tal#ing to both o$ my %arents +Cindy and "alter Smith, this became very relevant' Cindy, (ho (as a vocalist u% and %ast the college level did have a dee% love $or music' This (as only con$ined to the singing as%ect though, along (ith her many singers only gras% the singing %art but don<t recogni=e instrument %laying on the same level and see it as almost in$erior' "alter, (ho %layed the trombone and eu%honium %ast the college level vie(ed music as most musicians, as all ty%e o$ music (ere e)ually im%ortant' !nd (hen s%ea#ing to him he brought u% a very interesting %oint 3"hen you as# a singer to %ic# u% a trum%et and start %laying almost none o$ them can do it, but i$ you handed a band some choir music nine times out o$ ten they could sing it %er$ectly5' This sho(s ho( the grou%s such as the choral grou% that thin# %laying instruments is too easy but yet can.t %lay one is very common, but yet musicians (ho have a more modest a%%roach can %er$orm other as%ects o$ music but yet vie( singing as an e)ual rather than an in$erior ty%e o$ music'

Smith > !s seen in the case o$ many $amilies, the gi$t or %assion to %lay music can be %assed do(n $rom generation to generation' 6t can be seen in many cases, $or e*am%le, "ol$gang !madeus /o=art.s $ather (as a $amous violinist and the e*%osure to music at a young age led to "ol$gang being one o$ the most in$luential com%osers o$ the renaissance %eriod' The same %rocess occurs to this very day and is the reason (hy many %eo%le %lay instruments' "ith this being said, %eo%le may also enter the musical culture on their o(n merits' One may hear a song they really li#e then %ursue ho( to %lay the guitar' !nd (ith something as sim%le as that, a %erson can &oin a musical community' Once a %erson is in a community +$or instance the orchestral community, it normally becomes %art o$ one.s li$e so much that it that %erson decided to cut ties (ith the community, a lot (ould be ta#en out o$ that %erson.s li$e' This could include $riends, activities, and even in some cases %eo%le (ould lose the drive to do things in li$e' This is due to the $act that %eo%le use music as a co%ing mechanism to deal (ith things that they have going on' !$ter tal#ing to %eo%le and conducting intervie(s, it became very clear that the orchestral community is very uni)ue and li#e all other music communities strives to bring music to others' There (ere also some ma&or di$$erences that a%%eared that set a%art the orchestra $rom something such as a band' This is necessary though because (ithout those di$$erences all o$ the musical grou%s (ould be e*actly the same and thus have no distinction $rom one another' 6n the (ords o$ "alter Smith, 5There is nothing li#e %laying in an orchestra, it really brings out the best o$ the music (orld, and 6 could as# $or nothing more'5

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"or#s Cited

?ohns, !nn /' 5@iscourse Communities and Communities o$ 8ractice /embershi%, Con$lict, and @iversity'5 1AAB' Writing About Writing A College Reader' 9oston, /! 9ed$ord;St' /artin<s, 2011' :ACD>1A' 8rint' 0athbone, /atthe(' 8ersonal 6ntervie(' Oct 30 2013 Smith, Cindy' 8ersonal 6ntervie(' Nov 1 2013 Smith, "alter' 8ersonal 6ntervie(' 1 Nov 2013