There's A Forest Somewhere by Christopher Bill Buy it! - http://www.classicaltrombone.com/store Penn State Trombone Choir - Mark L. Lusk, Director Wes Thompson, Graduate TA Sean Durkin, Austin Oprean, Maridel Fredericksen, Shaine Lepley, Brandon Buterbaugh, Brad Snyder, Dan Sherman, Caleb Bohanan, Nathan Zeek, Mark Pages, Natalie Byers, Jeff Denver, Emily Elinsky, Brett Slifer, Abigail Koehler, Ian Denny, David DuCharme, Jacob Hartranft, Kevin Lynch, and Derek Rechberger! ----- Hey all! So much fun being on the road again, performing for human people, and now WITH human people! Let's talk a little about live performance :) So when I left this performance, I was positive it was the worst I'd ever played. I thought the choir was phenomenal, but I was having trouble accepting any sort of compliment from anybody, even if they were just saying they enjoyed the composition. Listening back, I know that's crazy. It sounds fine. I played a GNARLY sharp "A" in the pretty solo part I wrote. That one note is all I could think about for the days following this performance. Listening back to it, yeah it's WAY out of tune, but it's fleeting, and so is live performance. That's what makes it so great. (If any of you are wondering why I played it so sharp, it's because I was getting ready for the G that comes right after it, which is in tune in a very sharp 2nd position, so that G was great! :p) Anyway, many colleagues and professors over the years have said they can't listen to their performances for weeks, months, or even years without being too harshly critical of themselves. This one luckily didn't take so long, but I get what they've been saying. I couldn't listen to my senior recital and actually enjoy it until a full year later. You just remember everything you could have done better so passionately. Live performance is a beautiful thing, and worrying about the "recording" ruins it. It's also the reason what I typically do is often lacking in emotion. There's only so much that can be left when every note has been methodically picked for the best take and the most in tune version, let alone the lack of interpersonal ideas being expressed in real-time. It was such a great experience performing with these guys. It made me let go again and just enjoy being in front of people to share my craft. When I started performing live alone just under a year ago, I had to learn that the hard way. Getting nervous in front of bigger crowds and over-preparing. Finally I let go and learned to enjoy the silence, enjoy the stage presence, and let both the audience and myself be comfortable. I performed this morning for 100+ high school students just outside of Washington DC. So much energy and excitement to hear me play, so it was great to feel comfortable again. So!! Do you get nervous?! It's okay! Nothing can be worse than playing in front of a room FULL of high quality trombone players... but I learned a lot, and listening back you'll often have a very different outlook on the performance. So there it is. Next week I'll be releasing a MAMMOTH medley from a famous rock opera/broadway show. It's one of my favorite videos so far, so look forward to it!!!

• published: 28 Mar 2015
• views: 301