Dispatches from the 2011 State Solo & Ensemble contest at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside . . . my craziest day of the year and my favorite day of the year. . .
5:50 a.m. – Out of bed easily because I’m too hyped up to stay there any longer. I take an especially thorough shower even though I’m about to work up one heck of a sweat – and opt for my famous Easter Egg shirt (a multi-colored Brooks Brothers dress shirt that has become almost as iconic a Holy Communion Easter tradition as my wife singing “Resurrection.” Almost.) Then it’s time to re-check my schedule for the day and load up my canvas bag with everything I will need. In an absurdly optimistic moment, I actually put one book in the bag (something I need to read for the radio station.) Not surprisingly, I don’t touch the book nor so much as think about touching it. What was I thinking?
7:15 a.m. – My cell phone rings and it’s Max Dinan, a private student of mine who is my first event of the day … at 8. He was sick the day I came to Tremper to rehearse with everyone, so he’s hoping we can gather for a quick rehearsal. I suddenly need to quicken my pace of preparation so I can get out the door.
7:27 a.m. – After placing my order in McDonald’s I sit in the drive-thru lane for 45 minutes, not moving. Well no, more like 45 seconds I suppose – but with four cars ahead of me and no sign of movement, I decide I can’t wait and roar off, wishing there were gravel in the parking lot so my exit could sound a whole lot angrier.
7:36 a.m. – Burger King manages to feed me in much timelier fashion.
7:46 a.m. – I run into the head of WSMA, who I know from his days as a percussionist for the Racine Symphony. With mock gravity, he asks me how many people I’m playing for today. “Five,” I reply with a sweet smile . . . the biggest lie, at least mathematically speaking, I’ve ever told, since I’m actually playing for seven times that many. Shhhh. . .
7:42 a.m. – My first preemptive “damage control” of the day. I visit two different rooms where I am likely to be late because of double-booking in the schedule and leave word with the room monitors- and in one case, actually leave a note for them to give to the student (since I am likely to be actually a whole hour late. That’s a student I just added to my docket because his scheduled pianist bailed on him at the last minute. I do like that feeling of being the Knight in Shining Armor.)
7:48 a.m. – Max and I cross paths, but by the time we get to his competition room, the judge is already there – so a quick practice/ warm up right there is out of the question, and there are no empty classrooms close by. So all Max gets is a pep talk – plus a silent prayer from his voice teacher that the high C at the end of “Corner of the Sky” will be there.
8:00 a.m. – The singing begins in room 149, and the judge is overwhelmed by what is a veritable Hall of Fame of young male singers. . . Max, Mike, Nathan, Ryan . . . four of my most capable and gifted private students. . . who each sing close to their very very best. And that’s just how the morning starts. After that, singer upon singer gets up there and sings joyfully and confidently. I think part of the reason is that the judge was a very warm, affirming presence (she reminded me a little bit of Sue Cawley, a legend around here amongst music teachers and a contest judge without peer when it comes to making the singers feel welcome and comfortable.) By the way, it was so fun to have both my Racine and Kenosha students all in the same room at the same time- a miniature version of the special pleasure you get at a big event like one’s wedding when people from various chapters of your life are suddenly all together.
pictured below: Mike Anderle, a private student of mine from Case H.S. in Racine receives the judge’s critique while Max Dinan, a private student of mine from Tremper H.S. in Kenosha listens in. Mike and Max are two of the most gifted young singers I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching.
8:34 a.m. – I notice some unexpected smiles in the audience during someone’s performance – and then heard out-and-out laughter once the song had finished up. I didn’t know what had been so amusing until I slipped back to my desk to grab music for my next singer and saw the big Canada Goose that had planted itself on the ledge right outside of the window and looked in as though intrigued by what he or she was hearing. (It’s a good thing it didn’t join in. Canada geese do not make particularly pleasant or cooperative duet partners, or so I’ve been told.)
8:54 a.m. – I find myself with an unexpected pause, which means that I might in fact be able to play for one of the saxophonist for whom I was an emergency sub at their appointed time rather than an hour later, as I had suggested in a note I left. I race to the room in question, hoping that the saxophonist has decided to just camp out there and hasn’t left – but when I get there , the door monitor hands me a note from the young man which reads “a little after ten is fine. See you then.” Arrrgh!
9:32 a.m. – More of my private students sing – and sing very well (Landon in his John Jacob Niles song with 400 verses and 5000 words. . . Andrew with a sturdy and assured performance of Vaughan Williams’ s “The Vagabond” . . . Brian Nielsen in VW’s “Roadside Fire” . . . all earning one ratings) but I feel especially happy when Scott gets up to sing with his elementary music teacher, Sandy Lindgren (another legend among local elementary music teachers) in the front row of the audience, beaming with such pride and pleasure. She’s the one who helped arrange for Scott and me to meet and she told me that has always loved to sing and would be a complete pleasure to teach. She was right. Scott sings Gounod’s setting of the 23rd Psalm and sings it marvelously. And having Sandy there to hear it makes it even more perfect.
10:15 a.m.- Imagine my surprise bumping into our dear friend Cathy Marschall and her daughter Caitlin, from Waukesha, who are at this State competition instead of the one in Whitewater because of some sort of conflict. It’s fabulous to see them, even if our hallway chat lasts maybe 90 seconds at most. 🙁
10:18 a.m. – As I’m waiting to play for the sax player for whom I’m substituting, I overhear his mom saying “there’s so-and-so. . . I wonder if he got a pink slip” and she races over to him to ask him about it. This will end up being the first, last, and only time all day that anyone makes any sort of reference to the horrendous state of affairs for teachers right now, which is amazing to me. It has to be hanging over just about every teacher here- and for that matter, over many of the students as well who have to be afraid that the music programs at their particular school will suffer… or even be eliminated altogether. But this seems to be a day for putting aside those feelings of fear and frustration and even bitterness. This is a day for making music.
10:40 a.m. – One of my favorite judge-singer moments from the whole day. Taylor, one of Polly’s singers from Tremper (the all-conference wrestler I blogged about on March 13th) sang “Gia’il sole dal Gange” and really did a nice job. But what was really touching to me was watching him afterwards listen to the judge with such profound attentiveness and appreciation. I’m pretty sure that most, if not all of the Tremper singers receive the judge’s comments with similar respect (Polly has a knack of making already good kids into incredibly good kids with impeccable manners in these sorts of situations) but this was a rare instance in which I didn’t have to run off to another room or quickly get ready for my next singer – so I got to watch this particular interaction. He listened so carefully and responded so thoughtfully to her questions and it appeared to be a genuine learning moment, which is what this competition is about…. SO much more than what rating you get.
11:10 – In the first of several instrumental performances I played for in which the judge was basically left speechless – that is, basically unable to offer a single criticism – Justin Udry offers up an utterly glorious performance of the Glazunov Saxophone Concerto. He has fingers that fly at incredible speed and accuracy and his tone is gorgeous, but in some ways the most impressive thing about young Justin’s playing is his exceptional musicality and expressivity. A definite high point of the day.
11:44 – In my second Knight in Shining Armor moment, I fill in for a pianist who was unable to be there because of a family emergency. Polly is the broker of the transaction, which actually involved a Bradford singer rather than one of hers, but Polly thrives on being helpful. Through the wonder of cell phones, she was able to connect with me – and by some miracle, there was a pause that portion of my day which allowed me to do this. It was a fascinating little Spanish song by Manuel de Falla and the singer was extremely well prepared, and we managed to pull off a fine performance- and both she and her mom were incredibly grateful, as though I were donating a kidney rather than just playing for her. But I guess when you’ve worked hard to prepare a solo that you might not in fact get to sing, it’s a big deal to have the situation rescued.
12:04 – My 25th and final event of the morning is trumpeter phenom Jacy Ripley – for whom I’ve been playing since middle school (since she’s been in middle school, that is. I don’t know who was playing for her when I was in middle school!) It felt like the end of an era, in some ways, after so many glorious collaborations, which among other things have earned her exemplary ratings the last three years running. She got one this year as well, but no thanks to her pianist, who fumbled a couple of moments. (She and I hadn’t had a chance to practice this week, thanks to our mutually nutty schedules.) Tears are shared between mother and daughter afterwards- and I suspect that dad shed a few as well. It is the closing of a chapter.
12:20- Lunch proves to be the most frustrating part of the day, when I swing by what used to be a fun little place called Wyllie’s Place (named after the first chancellor of Parkside) and discover that it’s been turned into a Subway. . . and worse, there are 27 people in line. Literally. I head for the other end of campus and the cafeteria, where there are also big lines . . . . except where they’re serving breakfast items. So lunch consists of a long-warmed breakfast croissant that makes Burger King’s look like something from the Waldorf Astoria. But it’s food.
12:50- On my way back to the competition, I run into two colleagues from NATS – Joyce Andrews and Frank Hoffmeister, husband and wife, who are voice professors at UW-Oshkosh. It’s a nice reminder that our singers are being heard and critiqued by some very learned judges who are also good people. And by the time the day is done, I will have the pleasure of seeing them in action as judges and will be most impressed.
1:00- The afternoon is almost laughably easy for me compared to the morning (only eleven students to play for) but it begins with yet another double booking. . .which manages to resolve itself when one of my !:00’s is late getting there because he’s competing with his ensemble down the hall. So I play for the one and by the time I’m done the other one has finally gotten to their room and is ready to go. Happiness is a Problem that Fixes Itself. (But what a rarity that is!) By the way, the 1:00 that I play for on time is a very talented flutist named Haley, who- like Jacy- is a senior for whom I have played many years. Her exemplary award (her second in a row) is well-deserved and a sweet way to end what has been a most exciting collaboration.
1:55 – Mike, one of my private students from Racine, sings a wonderful performance of “Torna Surriento” – one of those incomparable Neapolitan songs – but uses music, which is permitted but somewhat discouraged, especially at State. The first words out of the judge’s mouth (the aforementioned Frank Hoffmeister, as a matter of fact) – “Your pianist has this memorized. Why don’t you?!?” And it’s true- I did play it without music. “Uh oh,” I thought to myself. But Mike sang it so wonderfully that the judge still gave him an exemplary award, which elicits quite a cheer from the crowded room.
2:44- A private student of mine from Union Grove, Emily, sings for a judge who is quite picky about breathing and – like every other singer before and after her – has to undergo some poking and prodding by the judge as she works to get her breathing better. Peeking through the door, I am very skeptical. . . especially because I can tell she’s doing the exact same shtick with every single singer. But when I’m finally in the room to hear what she’s saying, I am impressed- and Emily is a real trooper and ends up really benefitting from what the judge does with her.
3:05- Imagine my bewilderment at actually having 45 minutes of free time on my hands….. but the free time quickly gets filled when I end up doing some quick warm ups with two of my private students and getting them ready for their upcoming classical performances. Since we’re in a room with no piano, one of the students quickly downloads a Pitch Pipe app. into his cell phone so we can put things in the right keys. Will wonders never cease?
4:05- My day began with four superb performances by my own private students, and it essentially ends that way as well. Max hits it out of the park with a magnificent performance of “Widmung” that’s among the best contest performances I’ve ever heard in my life. . . and Jacob right after him nearly matches that with a passionate performance of “Danza Danza.” After that come two duets, beginning with Purcell’s exquisite “Lost is my Quiet” with two of Polly’s brightest students, including my private voice student Nathaniel . . . which is sung exquisitely. Rounding out my day is Emily and a school mate from Union Grove singing the Andrew Lloyd Webber “Pie Jesu” and doing it twice as well as I’d ever heard them sing it before. It actually makes their choir director – who barely got there in time to hear it – cry. That was a beautiful reminder of the deep and rich emotional investment which the best teachers make in their students. Which reminds me- I saw a lot this year of Judy Kirby, one of the best middle school choir directors in Kenosha- whose program has fed some great singers to Polly’s program including some of her most gifted guys. She was in room 149 at the start of the day, reveling in the great performances which just kept coming… and many of which were delivered by students she had in middle school. I especially loved the priceless look of pride on her face when one of her former students, Andrew (now at Tremper) lit up the room with a heartfelt and beautiful performance of “Younger than Springtime.” Teaching is not only the great things you help to make happen in the moment. . . but it’s also the thrilling promise that you can help create the foundation upon which even greater things can be built in the years to come, long after that student has walked out of your room for the last time. There are not all that many people who can say that, but teachers can – and music teachers maybe most of all.
pictured above: This is the binder which Amy Maack made for me as I played for her two children in a total of five events. They sang beautifully, by the way- and what could be more heartwarming than a brother and sister singing “Pie Jesu” together?