Ask Aaron April Mailbag
ASK AARON MAILBAG
Submit your question to Ask Aaron, the new online column featured in our monthly newsletter. This interactive column is no holds barred! Simply email your question(s) with your name and town to askaaron@spacecoastsymphony.org.
From: Joyce, Viera
Do you have a photographic memory?
Hi Joyce! I don't believe so. As much as it would make a good story, I have no such power. I did a series of online tests just to make sure and it solidified my plainness. In regards to often not using scores in rehearsal and concert, it is only because I spend so much time with the music. My usual routine is: study the score for one to two weeks prior to a performance (average of 9 - 10 hours), and a day before the concert, I often listen to a few recordings to hear other interpretations of the work. Time to go play 'Concentration.'
From: Nancy W., Melbourne
Hi Aaron. Do you hang out with the musicians of the SCSO outside of concerts and events?
Hello Nancy. I do fraternize with musicians from the SCSO. I fraternize hard. There is no policy prohibiting me from hanging out with them. Many of these musicians were friends for many years prior to the start of this group. So, naturally I party quite a bit with many of the musicians in the SCSO. I am lucky to have quite a few friends outside of the group I get to spend time with as well.
From: Gary B., Melbourne
If you had to pick your most and least successful concerts with the Space Coast Symphony, which would you pick?
Yo Gary. Well, let's approach this from an artistic standpoint, rather than a financial one. Two concerts come to mind when I think of concerts I would like to "redo." Our very first concert which was headlined by Mahler's First Symphony. We had a huge orchestra and their was plenty of excitement. However, the chemistry between the musicians and myself just wasn't there. I liken it to an All-Star team in sports. You throw together a group of top-tier players, but it often takes time for things to gel. The second concert which comes to mind is 'A Russian Festival.' Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5 was a bear, especially with only two hours to rehearse it. It wasn't as clean and compact as I would have liked it. It is a very complex and deep work. I feel we didn't have a chance to get to the heart of it. Musically, the most successful concert in my opinion was our all Dvorak program. Throughout the entire night, things just clicked. The tempos were on the edge and the musicians really put it on the line.
From: Heather, Cocoa Beach
My 10 year old daughter has been playing violin since the age of 6. She's good, but wants to quit. Do I let her quit? She enjoys her lesson time and enjoys learning a piece, but only practices when told to and refuses to perform in public. No orchestra is present at school, just "band" and the band director is not too friendly, so she doesn't get to use her instrument in a group setting. Help!
Heather, perhaps a new teacher who offers "Group Class" setting every week, plus the individual lesson, might be a solution. I believe all of the schools in Brevard County have excellent string programs. Or, if your daughter is very attached to her private teacher, perhaps try the Brevard Symphony Youth Orchestra. They offer several "age-appropriate" levels of Orchestral training which is weekly, fun, and full of exciting events and places to perform. Plus, your daughter would have an opportunity to meet new friends.
