Posted by Steve Dedman on March 12, 2000 at 16:56:07:
I've been noticing a recent trend of younger and younger students posting and saying that they are "playing" harder and harder pieces. Earlier this week, we had someone suggest the Penderecki to a high school sophomore. Fortunately, calmer heads prevailed, and the student was also advised away from it.
But the question remains: are younger students being pushed into (or even allowed to) playing pieces, that while they MIGHT be within their technical range, probably are well outside their MUSICAL range? Think about it. How old were you when you were able to come to grips with the technical AND musical demands of the Hindemith? And then be able to put that together with that dastardly piano part? There are dozens of pieces out there that are just as demanding or more demanding thechnically that are MUCH easier to get ahold of musically.
Are young students being treated like some sort of prodigy if they can put the notes in the right place on the 1st movement of VW? I can't do that consistently yet, much less play the MUSIC. Is it a disservice to let a student play somthing at the edge of their technical envelope that has little or no chance for musical growth? I believe it is. It's almost as if we say that since a kid can read Romeo and Juliet, they can see all of the layers of meaning that play has, even though (I'm convinced) that you need to live a few more years to appreciate the true beauty of Shakespeare's writing. The last thing ANY orchestra wants anchoring their brass section is a technician, instead of a musician.
Besides, if they play it all now, what'll they do on their college recitals? Had I chosen to remain a music major, my recital description required all music that I'd never played before my recital semester.