Thursday, May 14, 2015

Parenting and Musicianship Collide: Naming Emotions

I am a parent of children of a certain age. A certain age during which I am encouraged to help them "name their emotions" by saying things like, "It sounds like you are angry right now." This is REALLY difficult for me, and I think I have discovered part of the reason why. In the moment, I often start the sentence, and then end up saying, "It sounds like you... might be... angry? Or sad. Or frustrated! Or maybe lonely?" Obviously, I am not clarifying much for my children with regard to their emotions. I also hate putting words in their mouths about how they feel. How should I know what they are really feeling? And more than that, what about the emotions that can't be named?
I had that last thought on the way to a gig this morning, thinking about the power of music and the mysterious ways it serves humanity. I think it may be precisely that it taps the emotions that cannot be named. It is the meeting of intellect with intuition. The melding of the tragic with the divine. Within a single performer, it can be the meeting of physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental energies with something entirely mysterious and unknowable. Music is both fleeting and eternal. I sure as heck can't name with a word or two what I'm feeling when I give a great performance, or witness one.
Perhaps next time I have the urge to help my children "name their emotions," I'll put some music on instead.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Brief Update

I haven't posted in more than two years now, and want to provide a little informaiton about some of my activities since then. I perform regularly as principal oboe with the Colorado Chamber Orchestra in addition to my work as 2nd oboe/English horn with the Boulder Philharmonic. New experiences included playing with Opera Colorado, the Central City Opera, and performing a recital as guest artist with the Highlands Square Ensemble, a fabulous string trio. Guitarist James Cline and I continue to perform together; our next show will be presented by Fresh City Life at the Denver Public Library on May 9. Please check out the links above and come out to some shows! Thanks for reading!