concert etiquette
You may have noticed that the font on my entries has changed... It's because for some reason, I can't find the font button anymore on blogspot! What happened to it? Weird...
Anyway. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm a big Classical Music Snob. This is because music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. The facts, however, are that I started piano at age 7. When my parents took me to pick out our beautiful baby grand, they say that I "promised" them that I'll play forever. A couple years later, I also started the violin. My mom found us the best teachers in the City. We were with the Mori violin studio for a loong time and I took lessons from the late Robert Turner, most of whose students went on to Juilliard.
But it was really at the Mori studio during my most formative years that I got my main training. I wish I could explain what the Mori family studio was like... it seems almost crazy looking back now but we really were one big family. They had a huge house with lots of small rooms so they would have their students come over to their house on Saturdays and Sundays. It was like a mini-music camp, EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. We would practice for 10 hours each day and we would take turns receiving lessons and instructions for the Moris. During the summer, we went there several times a week and when we didn't, we would practice at home for hours.
We were with them for what felt like a looong time; probably 5-6 years? and then we switched to Ms. Rose who changed my life. She taught me to be a well-balanced musician, unlike at the Mori studio where we were all brain-washed into thinking that Violin was Life and Life was Violin. Ms. Rose appreciated our academic endeavors and she encouraged outside interests. We started out a little frightened of her because there's this story going around in the "music world" that she made a boy cry who had come to audition for her... but she turned out to be gentle in her harshness. :)
So throughout all of this, we would go to these concerts and our teachers would take us backstage to meet the artists. I have autographs from all the famous violinists from Perlman to Zuckerman to Sarah Chang. I also played in an honors youth orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen on whom I had the BIGGEST crush ever. But then I met him and he was short and had this annoying voice.
I say all of this to say... my mom and I were at a Joshua Bell concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last week. These are my pet peeves:
1. Loud breathing... it's really annoying when someone near you breathes audibly. I know you can't really help it but please.
2. Clapping between movements. A few people even gave standing ovations to Joshua Bell after the first movement!!! Hello? The piece is not over and you're interrupting the flow. My memory may be a little distorted but I think Chicagoans do this a lot... The Angelinos don't! They know their etiquette!
3. Any sort of giggling or rustling of papers or crinkling of plastic. There were these kids in the next section over who were trying to muffle their laughter because someone's stomach growled. They should have been kicked out.
4. If it doesn't have lyrics, then it's not a SONG. It's a piece.
Anyway. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm a big Classical Music Snob. This is because music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. The facts, however, are that I started piano at age 7. When my parents took me to pick out our beautiful baby grand, they say that I "promised" them that I'll play forever. A couple years later, I also started the violin. My mom found us the best teachers in the City. We were with the Mori violin studio for a loong time and I took lessons from the late Robert Turner, most of whose students went on to Juilliard.
But it was really at the Mori studio during my most formative years that I got my main training. I wish I could explain what the Mori family studio was like... it seems almost crazy looking back now but we really were one big family. They had a huge house with lots of small rooms so they would have their students come over to their house on Saturdays and Sundays. It was like a mini-music camp, EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. We would practice for 10 hours each day and we would take turns receiving lessons and instructions for the Moris. During the summer, we went there several times a week and when we didn't, we would practice at home for hours.
We were with them for what felt like a looong time; probably 5-6 years? and then we switched to Ms. Rose who changed my life. She taught me to be a well-balanced musician, unlike at the Mori studio where we were all brain-washed into thinking that Violin was Life and Life was Violin. Ms. Rose appreciated our academic endeavors and she encouraged outside interests. We started out a little frightened of her because there's this story going around in the "music world" that she made a boy cry who had come to audition for her... but she turned out to be gentle in her harshness. :)
So throughout all of this, we would go to these concerts and our teachers would take us backstage to meet the artists. I have autographs from all the famous violinists from Perlman to Zuckerman to Sarah Chang. I also played in an honors youth orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen on whom I had the BIGGEST crush ever. But then I met him and he was short and had this annoying voice.
I say all of this to say... my mom and I were at a Joshua Bell concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last week. These are my pet peeves:
1. Loud breathing... it's really annoying when someone near you breathes audibly. I know you can't really help it but please.
2. Clapping between movements. A few people even gave standing ovations to Joshua Bell after the first movement!!! Hello? The piece is not over and you're interrupting the flow. My memory may be a little distorted but I think Chicagoans do this a lot... The Angelinos don't! They know their etiquette!
3. Any sort of giggling or rustling of papers or crinkling of plastic. There were these kids in the next section over who were trying to muffle their laughter because someone's stomach growled. They should have been kicked out.
4. If it doesn't have lyrics, then it's not a SONG. It's a piece.
posted by Vivian | 2:27 PM
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