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“Old Dogs” Can Learn “New Tricks”!, Who Knew?, Thomas McCauley
“Old Dogs” Can Learn “New Tricks”! Who Knew?
Thomas McCauley John J. Cali School of Music, Montclair State University Mccauleyt@mail.montclair.edu
Iwas “stuck.” Stuck in my ways of thinking, in my ways of teaching, and in my ways of conducting. And I knew it. What I didn’t know was how to get “unstuck.” It was time for a change, but what kind of change? After attempting some of my past methods of moving through my inertia that, this time, produced no real improvement in my situation, I decided to leap outside my comfort zone to search for answers. So, I went to Bulgaria.
Yes, Bulgaria. It was my “American Band Director in Bulgaria” experience that rocked me from my safety net and the mind-numbing boredom of my cozy professional life, and gave me the insight and motivation to move forward. Why Bulgaria, you ask? Because that happened to be the site of the 2016 International Conducting Workshop Festival. The International Conducting Workshop Festival is held each summer in locations throughout the world. A vast majority of its participants are orchestral conductors, mostly young orchestral conductors, from around the globe who come to the festival to deepen their knowledge of the orchestral repertoire, refine their conducting technique, and to make professional connections that will serve them well throughout their careers. This was no place for an aging, college band director with only a surface-level familiarity of orchestral repertoire. But, if I was to break through the chokehold of apathy that had me tightly in its grasp, I had to try something out of the ordinary. So, I submitted an application to participate in the festival.
Never believing, even for one minute, that I would be accepted to participate, for reasons that are still not entirely clear to me, I was. This particular workshop was especially attractive to me because one of my long-time musical heroes would be one of the teachers at the festival. Maestro Larry Rachleff has been an inspiration to me since I first became aware of him in 1991. I have observed dozens of hours of Rachleff’s rehearsals, both in Chicago and Rhode Island, over the course of many years. But, other than having the opportunity to work with him in two wind conducting symposia, I never had the chance to work with him in a setting like the ICWF. The prospect of conducting a professional orchestra, engaging with repertoire that I’ve never before conducted, and doing it all in front of Rachleff (and his colleague, Donald Schleicher, from the University of Illinois) excited and terrified me all at once. It was certainly enough of a motivator to study and prepare the festival repertoire (Brahms, Mozart, and Mahler) to the highest degree I was able.
Armed with as much confidence as someone like me could muster (and still scared to death!), I set off for Eastern Europe. My ten days in Sofia, Bulgaria were simultaneously enlightening, uncomfortable, and exciting. Rachleff’s influence was, as always, incredibly motivating, and the professional musicians—both in the sextet and full orchestra setting—were a joy to work with. I learned many lessons, too numerous to mention. However, here’s the most important of them.
Over the years, areas of my teaching and conducting have improved and have become “mine” (as opposed to me trying to be a bad imitation of someone else). This is a good thing, but like all things worth having, it had come at a cost. The price I paid was an imbalance in my use of energy on the podium. I was working hard, to be sure, but not in the most effective and efficient manner. With his hand literally on my shoulder, Rachleff continuously urged me to “calm down”—to use my energy more effectively and efficiently. The professional musicians were a huge help with this, although they probably weren’t aware of it.
The orchestra and I got along swimmingly; they seemed to like me, and I certainly liked and respected them. But it became increasingly clear that, at points when I would give too much energy and motion, they would reflexively respond by holding back. It was as if they were saying: “We’re with you, but we can’t allow ourselves to make sounds that are less than beautiful, so we have to pull back a bit.” What those wonderful professionals reinforced in me was, in part, something I already knew: that my students at home were amazing, and that they always “give their all” to try to honor any musical request. However, my students aren’t yet professionals and, because they haven’t yet developed that sense of knowing when enough is enough, they are always willing to try to follow me to the “top of the mountain,” no matter the cost. It became clear that, perhaps, I had been musically leading them to places that were not always in their best interest, and, at times, less than beautiful sounds were the result. In other words, to quote a great teacher I once knew: “Be careful…the group might actually be watching you!”
It appears that this “old dog” still has many “new tricks” to learn, and it has been both a pleasure and a challenge for me to try to incorporate a more refined, focused, and balanced use of energy while on the podium during the past academic year. Thanks to my 10 days in Bulgaria, I am no longer “stuck.” In fact, I’m more excited then ever to get back to work! I will forever be grateful to all those wonderful teachers, students, and professional players during my short time there.
It’s easy to become comfortable, even complacent, about how we music educators work. After having lived in several places across the country, I have observed that it’s particularly easy for that to happen in New Jersey. I have grown to love New Jersey, though our state is divided into 584 different school districts; most with their own school boards, administrators, and educational standards. It can be quite safe and comfortable to simply remain in our own, small worlds, ignoring most of what happens beyond them. Because our state is so fractured, it’s particularly here in New Jersey that each of us must constantly strive to expand and deepen our view of mu-
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sic, teaching, conducting, and the outside world in general. This is why organizations like the National Association for Music Education, the New Jersey Band Association, and many others can be extremely helpful in raising our awareness and expanding our view of the musical and educational worlds. These organizations constantly offer conferences, workshops, concerts, symposia, and other opportunities for personal and professional growth. Nearly every major college and university in New Jersey offers the same kinds of opportunities.
Taking the time, money, and effort to attend workshops, conferences, and symposia can be challenging. Sadly, many school administrators don’t place a great deal of emphasis on the professional growth and development of their faculty. Therefore, it’s up to us to teach our bosses about the need and value of attending such events. Happily, most organizations provide a rationale for attendance, and some even provide a letter to school administrators explaining the educational value of their conferences and workshops. So, you needn’t “reinvent the wheel” with regard to educating your administrators. You just need to buy a ticket, get on the bus headed for self-improvement and reflection… and enjoy the ride! If we expect our students to continually grow and improve as musicians and human beings, so must we.
There is no real growth without risk. And it’s never too late for all you “old dogs” out there. Make yourself uncomfortable on occasion…it’s worth it!
Thomas McCauley is the Director of University Bands in the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He is the New Jersey State Chair of the College Band Directors National Association, and the author of the book, “Adventures in Band Building” published by GIA Publications. McCauley is also a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician.
