I think it is essential that all musicians be able to articulate the power of music. This inspiring message helped me to better do that today. I hope you enjoy. Please comment.
P.S. – Let’s strive for “one buttock” playing at every rehearsal:) You must watch the video to get the reference.
uosymphony 
This is SO refreshing. It is people like this that will continue to keep classical music alive, making it less stuffy & more accessible to those beyond the 3% (and those within). It has certainly helped me this evening to be more inspired & focused when I do get the chance to play and to quit worrying about how I’m going to get all my school work done. Live life like every moment is your last (and on a related note, never end a practice session frustrated or upset, for it will only fuel your displeasure & stress when in school studying this wonderful art). I’m just as guilty as the next person for not always following this mindset, but a reminder every now & then can’t hurt.
“…it’s one of the characteristics of a leader that he not doubt for one moment the capacity of the people he’s leading to realize whatever he’s dreaming.”
Some teachers communicate to their students as if they don’t get it… I can’t stand that! I think colleagues tend to treat each other that way too.
I agree with Milo. We’re taught to take classical music very seriously. “How would you walk, how would you talk, how would you be if you thought” …playing is serious/ it is of great consequence/ it is not easy. “How would you walk, how would you talk, how would you be if you thought” …it is easy to play, I love it!
Of course there’s work to do and things to improve… that’s why we’re at rehearsal and in the practice rooms.
I had the great pleasure and fortune to be under Maestro Zander’s baton in Las Vegas about 5 years ago now. We were performing at this business convention (of all places), because Ben was on a sort of motivational speaking tour. I remember I played the cymbals for Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and he recognized me personally. There’s my fifteen minutes 🙂
Such a sweet guy! His catch phrase was “How Fascinating!”, when referring to making mistakes.
This was definitely a catalyst of my current feeling about music, that it doesn’t need to be taken so seriously.
This is a good reminder to us all to keep the end in mind. In life, just like in music, we sometimes get hung up on the “tough spots” and forget that that is not what it is all about. I think there is huge power in perspective, and this reminded me of that.
I love it when highly respected musicians have a desire to make classical music accessible to everyone. My favorite audience members are those that are experiencing classical music for the first time. It is those audience members that I like to think about when I perform because all my colleagues will have their ideas and concepts with how the music should sound, but those who have never heard it before are a clean slate.
This is absolutely hysterical and inspiring. I loved it. But I still think if he ever heard my brother try and hum a well-known tune, he might recant his statement of “everyone has a fantastic ear” 🙂
That was super inspiring. Thanks for sharing!