beauty Archives

Enharmonically Equivalent: Greetings from Kingston! — by Avery Waite

What a month is has been! It has been an absolute whirlwind of teaching, cultural discoveries, new friends, new landscapes and rainy October downpours. Despite the consuming teaching schedule, I've been able to absorb different aspects of Jamaica bit by bit. From the breathtaking views of mountainous junglescapes, to stunning sunsets, to torrential thunderstorms, the natural beauty is both staggeringly vivid and refreshingly wild. But, it's a place of extremes and contradictions. The downtown area in which I teach five days a week is definitely tough and worlds away from the well-guarded mansions that dot the mountain-sides above the city. One of the schools, St. Andrews Technical High School, is bordered by a maximum security prison and several violent ghettos. There is a constant turf war in these neighborhoods as rival gang-lords called "dons" [...]

By Avery Waite|2017-09-21T04:25:35-04:00October 22nd, 2013|Categories: Artistic Vision, Interpersonal Relationships, Performance, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: neighborhoods, energy, Waite, violence, after-school music, Teaching, Community, contradictions, cello, culture, El Sistema, music, Enharmonically Equivalent, students, balance, fruit, beauty, activities, gangs, safety, passion, healing, Travel, exploration, Jamaica, Kingston, challenges, Avery|

The Swan — by Arnold Steinhardt

When I was eleven years old, my violin teacher assigned me The Swan by Camille Saint-Saëns. I had no idea that The Swan was a famous cello solo or that it was part of a much larger work, “The Carnival of the Animals.” I had never even heard of its composer, Saint-Saëns, or seen his name in print before. I wondered why there was a funny line between his two-word last name and what could be the purpose of those strange dots perched on top. And was Saint-Saëns actually a saint? I thought that The Swan was very pretty and probably associated the music’s title with its general mood in some vague way. As a child, I often saw swans gliding regally through the water on the lake near where [...]

By Arnold Steinhardt|2017-09-22T04:04:13-04:00September 10th, 2013|Categories: Artistic Vision, Interpersonal Relationships, Performance, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: Cleveland Orchestra, work, beauty, double major, phrasing alterations, Boston Symphony Orchestra, intonation, essence, respect, piano, creativity, accompany, exceptions, melody, re-evaluate, phrase, assistant concertmaster, phrasing, extended melodies, arpeggios, rocking, artistry, Camille Saint-Saëns, improvement, fiddlers, string quartets, scientists, Beethoven, Carnival of the Animals, Hess, Boston, sections of music, bow, child, ideas, intimate, changes, swaying, vibrato, CIM, Jules Eskin, bow control, The Swan, cello, connections, singing, Mary, musicality, tone production, cellobello, depth, discussion, musical essence, Cleveland Institute of Music, violin master-class, music, difference, musicianship, permier music school|

THINKING IN A NEW WAY—Overcoming Habits (Part 4 of 6): The Arm Becomes the Bow — by Selma Gokcen

The whole organism is responsible for specific trouble. Proof of this is that we eradicate specific defects in process. —F.M. Alexander To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders. —Lao Tzu We now come to the bow, the most challenging aspect of cello playing by far. There are so many fantasies and fallacies surrounding the technique of the bow, as well as profound differences of opinion regarding sound production and articulation. Rather than address these directly, I would like to introduce another way of thinking about the bow: as an 'instrument' whose function exists in relationship to the whole body. By starting from the general (the whole of ourselves) and eventually arriving at the specific (the 'bowing instrument'), we might view the process in the right perspective, rather [...]

By Selma Gokcen|2023-10-30T13:36:03-04:00February 25th, 2013|Categories: Alexander Technique for Cellists, Beyond the Traditional, Playing Healthy|Tags: Alexander Technique, thinking in new ways, beauty, powerful arms, Gokcen, bend and extend, process, pressured sound, body at ease, flexible, principle of opposition, Selma, cello playing muscles, neck, pull and push, sensory awareness, importance of quietness, challenges, repeated sensory stimulation, function, increased resistance, energy, sensitive gesture, bow strokes, Casals, inner pitch, simple gesture, arms, fingers, misguided effort and unease, Habits, teaching table, collapse, wrist, nasal sound, perspective, unwanted sound, Six Part Series, cello, partnership, dynamics, volume, contraction, cellobello, powerful accents|

Teaching at Cello: An American Experience — by Mark Summer

As a founding member of the Turtle Island Quartet, I am grateful to Paul Katz for asking me to contribute to CelloBello. As a conservatory-trained, improvising cellist, I hope I can bring a unique perspective to this forum with thoughts on performing, teaching, and traveling with my cello. This past summer I enjoyed five days of intensely rewarding teaching and performing at the summer music program, Cello: An American Experience. The program attracted 18 young cellists from around the country, and is held at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, 44 miles south of Minneapolis. Left to right: Avery Johnson and Mark Summer My introduction to Cello: An American Experience began with a Facebook message sent to me from the director, and my old colleague, Anna Clift. Anna [...]

By Mark Summer|2017-10-04T03:00:10-04:00October 4th, 2012|Categories: Chamber Music, Performance, Teaching|Tags: rehearsals, transition, string quartet, traveling with a cello, inspiration, conservatory, improvisation, Teaching, local unions, beauty, perspective, Mark, ensembles, chamber music, recitals, Practice, Summer, freelance, Quartet, University, Travel, participants, coaching|

A Cellist in Kabul (Part 1) — by Avery Waite

On September 4th, I packed up my things, hopped in a taxi and drove to JFK airport. My destination, Kabul. My job, the new cello teacher at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music. When I first heard about the opportunity to teach in Kabul, I knew deep down that I had no choice but to go. Something drew me to it. I applied for the job without really thinking it through completely. But when I was actually offered the position, I had to really take a step back and give it some serious thought. In fact, it took me almost three months to fully accept the decision I had made to go. Some days I would be thrilled and excited, and other days I would be scared out of my [...]

By Avery Waite|2017-10-30T05:19:45-04:00September 21st, 2012|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, Interpersonal Relationships, Self Discovery, Teaching|Tags: cello, musical language, Waite, cellobello, adventure, students, learning, teacher, beauty, patience, intensity, success, Afghanistan, improvement, Avery, impact, Kabul, Teaching, language, traveling|

Three Cellos are Better Than One — by Lluís Claret

Greetings from Spain to all CelloBello people! This is a big honor and I am full of excitement to be joining your community! I would like to begin my first blog with some personal thoughts about: three cellists living together at home! Yes, my family is made up of 3 cellists: my wife Anna, a former student and assistant; our son Daniel, also a former student; and myself. (Our daughter Aina "just" plays piano...!) Some of my colleagues may find it hard to believe we could have a successful, "peaceful" family life when there are 3 different cello personalities sharing practice space and time under the same roof. But I can tell you, it works. So, what makes it possible? Gÿorgy Sebök, the great pianist, pedagogue, and one of my main musical [...]

By Lluis Claret|2017-10-04T03:15:35-04:00April 18th, 2011|Categories: Artistic Vision, Interpersonal Relationships, Self Discovery|Tags: cellobello, Claret, beauty, ego, family, performance, success, Lluis, making music, performer, ideas, personal ideas, Interpretation, connection, respect, expression, searching, soul, artistry, colleagues, cello, chamber music|

Two Minutes of Your Time — by Brant Taylor

Early in 2011, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will hold auditions hoping to fill two vacancies in our cello section. In my twelve years of hearing auditions as a member of this ensemble, hundreds of cellists have presented themselves on our stage. Some have done so several times. Their audience is a committee of nine members of the orchestra who sit behind a screen in our otherwise-empty hall. Some of us take notes during the performances, but the only thing that matters to the process is the simple "yes" or "no" each committee member marks on a blank index card after every player has finished. If a candidate receives at least six "yes" votes in a preliminary audition, he or she advances to the final round. To those unfamiliar with the [...]

By Brant Taylor|2017-08-04T03:27:35-04:00March 14th, 2011|Categories: Auditions, Orchestra|Tags: Practice, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Preparation, CSO, process, ensembles, Taylor, Concerto, Excerpts, Time, artistry, Experience, trends, cello, honesty, cellobello, nerves, Auditions, numbers, beauty, Brant, orchestra, cello section|