HAPPY SUMMER, COLLEAGUES!

I’ve been thinking a lot about transitions lately. Of course, we are focused on transitions all the time in music; it is an art that beautifully evolves in real time as one idea leads to the next, and it is often that development that keeps music interesting and vibrant. For those of you who conduct, transitions are also central to being physically expressive. Just like a dancer, it isn’t just the position that defines the emotion, but the way the body gets from place to place that truly illuminates expression. Those kinds of transitions when we make music are vital, and connected to the more global type of transition that has been on my mind: when something in our life changes, whether personal or professional (or both!)

Change is stressful, plain and simple, because it represents a potential loss of our hard-earned security. However, it’s so important to remember that it is change that makes music so powerful. If the emotion in music is amplified by development and change, so too can our lives be invigorated by transitions, whether they be planned or not. Where would Beethoven’s music be without its development? Without all of its risk (courage), and innovation (growth), and surprises (adventure and new experiences)? It would be a collection of neat and familiar little motifs, and probably not much more. The great composers always embrace the magic inherent in transitions and the opportunities to move forward and through an open door even when they aren’t always sure where that door will lead. As we all move forward through our years, I want to encourage each of us to embrace the magic possible in our own transitions, wherever and whenever they present themselves. As we so often experience, sometimes it just takes the impetus of that first step, and we soon find ourselves off and running on a wonderful path we didn’t even know was there!

Jason K. Fettig President-Elect National Band Association