Welcome! Village Virtuoso has two main goals: to support the efforts of community musicians, and to educate the public about community music. Read on to learn what you can expect from my blog, and for a little personal background. Responsible comments are welcomed.
Why am I Blogging?
“Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured.” –Anthony J. D’Angelo
When possible, it’s worth your time and effort to fill your life with gratifying pursuits, provided they are not illegal, immoral, dangerous, or mean-spirited. Enjoy a pastime with good company. For me and many others, listening to and playing music fills this role.
Why blog about community music when the performing arts have historically been forced to take a backseat to other pursuits of happiness?
Because most people at some point need an outlet, an escape from daily life. Some folks travel, read, garden, cook, go dancing, hike in the mountains, volunteer at their local shelter, build computers, relax on the beach, etc. The list is endless. Are any of these your passion?
Mine is music—not just listening to it, but creating it.
Don’t currently play an instrument? That’s okay. Always been interested in learning an instrument, or taking it up again after many years (or decades)? One way to achieve this is to learn about and join a community concert band, orchestra, jazz band, or other ensemble. Ask yourself:
- Where and when do they perform? Does their schedule fit into yours?
- What styles of music do they play? Do you enjoy their repertoire?
- How talented are the musicians? Do the players know their craft?
- How social/fun are the rehearsals? Is the conductor likeable, knowledgeable, dedicated?
- Would you enjoy their performances? Attend a concert and see how you feel afterward.
Whether you’re a musician or not, community ensembles can help you bring excellent music of any style into your life without paying an arm and a leg for it. Taking nothing away from the professionals (who usually deserve every penny they get), I’m here to support the underdogs of the music world—community musicians—and to educate folks about these talented townsfolk and village virtuosos.
What Will I Be Blogging About?
A “community musician” may be a different kind of animal than what you might expect. Community music organizations combine the member-driven, usually non-profit world with the efficiency and quality control of the professional, along with the creativity and emotion of the performing artist.
I will make every post about either a musically inspiring topic or an aspect of the community ensemble experience. For instance:
- Advertising/Publicity
- Arrangers/Composers
- Conductors
- Equipment
- Events
- Genres and styles
- Hobby versus income
- Relationships among ensembles
- Relationships within ensembles
- Scheduling
- Sheet music
- Travel
- Volunteers versus employees
Professional musicians deal with many of these subjects as well, but sometimes it’s a different situation when approached in a community ensemble setting.
As my blog grows, you will likely encounter the following features:
- Factual articles
- Guest bloggers
- Interviews
- Opinion posts
- Personal stories
- Practical advice
- Questions/Polls
- Reviews/Recommendations
Who Am I Blogging For?
Ideally, this blog is for everyone who has ever blown into, bowed, strummed, plucked, struck, shaken, rattled, or rolled a musical instrument to create notes and rhythms (not just random sounds, but actual tunes or rhythmic patterns):
- College students in a music program: If you enjoy playing in your school’s ensembles, there is absolutely no reason for you to quit your instrument after graduation (except certain medical situations, most of which should allow you to return to playing after recovery/treatment). The post-college world is full of responsibilities and other “adulting” duties, but if you know you truly enjoy playing, continue with your instrument after graduation. It really does help.
- Adults who want to return to playing an instrument: When people find out I’m a musician, many will say stuff like “I used to play clarinet,” “I played trumpet in high school,” or “I still have my old flute.” Cool! If you enjoyed making music, go dig out your old instrument and start again, because it’s never too late. If you can carve out a sliver of time each week for a lesson, a rehearsal, or practice time, and you can get your hands on a decent instrument, I say go for it.
My Blogging Goals
- Teach. As I alluded to earlier, the unsung heroes/heroines of music are your relatives, friends, co-workers, and neighbors who can play a musical instrument, and play it well, in a community group. If any post (or three? or seventeen?) in this blog inspires you to go learn an instrument or retrieve that old trumpet/clarinet/whatever from your high school days that’s still lounging in your closet, I will be very happy. And probably so will you.
- Learn. How can we dispel the myths and assumptions surrounding community music? What are high school music teachers doing to get/keep kids interested in band class? What are other community musicians doing to entertain and otherwise expand the minds of listeners? What posts have been successful for other music bloggers? I hope to learn and converse with you about the answers to these and other burning questions.
- Earn. Just like any other blogger, I’m reaching out to you, my future adoring fans, because I feel strongly about my chosen blog subject. Yes, I would like to earn at least some pocket change by making this blog a business, but just as important is earning the trust and support of readers with various backgrounds. Music is the universal language, no matter what style you’re talking about, and when it can bring people together (via a concert, classroom, blog, movie soundtrack, or what have you), then lives are fuller and more enjoyable. We need that.
These goals may grow or change over time. Let’s see what this blog might morph into!
Who am I?
Kudos for getting this far. I appreciate it. At this point, you may be thinking, “Who is this Len guy, anyway? Why should I bother reading his music blog?”
Music has always been a part of my life and I can’t imagine not making music in some way. My parents had a plethora of albums, from ragtime to rock, Broadway to Beethoven, and other genres. As a kid I began guitar lessons and trumpet lessons simultaneously, but soon left the strings—too confusing!
I focused on trumpet throughout high school and college, then gravitated toward percussion. I’ve honed my percussion playing “on the job” in a couple of community bands for the past couple of decades, while continuing to improve my trumpet chops and repertoire in other ensembles.
I’m constantly inspired by dozens of musical artists and performances, always adding more as I get older. The names below represent a tiny fraction of who you’ll find in my digital/CD collection. If you’ve heard of any these people, you have an inkling of where I’m coming from, musically:
- Marin Alsop
- Brian Balmages
- Leonard Bernstein
- Canadian Brass
- Lady Gaga
- Gordon Goodwin
- Michael Jackson
- Billy Joel
- Scott Joplin
- Huey Lewis
- Winton Marsalis
- Glenn Miller
- Postmodern Jukebox
- Richard Saucedo
- John Philip Sousa
- Sting
- Straight No Chaser
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Each of these people/groups has composed or performed at least a handful of tunes that got my attention. Have you ever heard a song that immediately made you want to sing along, go see a live performance, or even learn how to play the piece? For me, each of these brilliant musicians (and many others) did exactly that.
I’ve performed in six concert bands, five full orchestras, six swing bands, at least two dozen pit orchestras, and numerous small ensembles (brass quintets, jazz combos, etc.). I’ve also directed a handful of large and small amateur groups. Some of these gigs earned me some coin, some didn’t. All of them garnered me some new friends and uncountable musical acquaintances.
While I now have decades of life experience in music, I’ve also learned to deal with those times that I was turned away from a potential gig/job because I don’t have the pedigree of an actual music diploma. “Go back to school,” I hear you say. I considered and researched, but my current full-time job and the thought of mucho debt turned me away from it. Still on the back burner.
Do I live, breathe, and eat music? Almost. In my day job I work for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Not much room for creativity there. But I also freelance edit, dance East Coast Lindy Hop, spoil my cat, and constantly guard against my weakness for Krispy Kreme donuts.
How Can You Get Involved?
You can share your voice and/or give feedback via comments, guest posts, and emails.
Comments
I encourage responsible, insightful, supportive comments that cultivate a community of intelligence, caring, and creativity. I’m not saying you have to agree with everything in every post, but you should at least play nice with the other kids. Also, while I welcome your feedback, comments should be relevant to the post. Please do not hijack my writing by changing the subject, even if you mean well.
- Have a related thought-provoking question? Ask.
- Did I miss an interesting or informative fact in my post? Tell me!
- Disagree with a post? Be tactful and I’ll read your response.
- Want to let others know about one of my posts? Please share.
- Know of another blog’s related post? Link.
On the flip side, it’s easy to hide behind internet anonymity and be snarky. Don’t fall into that black hole. Hateful, disrespectful comments have no place online or in public and will be removed, and the I.P. address will be blacklisted. Go somewhere else if you crave that kind of attention. And don’t get me started on spamming. Just don’t do it.
Make no mistake—trolling is different than merely disagreeing. You can disagree with an opinion and tactfully, intelligently explain your viewpoint without getting nasty. Nuanced, verbal (or digital) conversation is one of the abilities that sets us apart from the other animals. Don’t abuse it.
Guest Posts
I have a list of people I’d like to interview, or ask if they wouldn’t mind submitting a guest post, but if you have a post idea, let me know! Anything relating to community music ensembles is fair game. This includes your experiences or other personal stories. You don’t have to be a professional writer of course, but just be aware that I reserve the right to edit your spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
Emails
Realizing that sometimes life will get busy or technical glitches will occur, I will do my best to respond to any responsibly-written emails. You can reach me at Len@VillageVirtuoso.com.
Share!
Are you a community musician? Did you take lessons or learn on your own? When was the last time you played a musical instrument? What instrument have you always been curious about? Tell us your story in the comments below!