All Debate articles – Page 2
-
Debate
Opinion: Mind the gap
For classical music students, bridging the divide between training and employment is often a case of being entrepreneurial, writes Jacqueline Vanasse
-
Debate
Opinion: The long and short of it
Using short bows when teaching beginner string players is a useful practice that should be more widespread, writes cellist Naomi Yandell
-
Debate
Opinion: Go your own way
Musicians today are encouraged to play it safe by a recording culture that encourages perfect homogeneity. But, writes violist Paul Neubauer, it is still possible for individuality to thrive
-
Debate
Opinion: In the Public Eye
The primary purpose of a musician is to be heard by an audience – yet so many performers are self-conscious about the idea of their practice being observed and judged. Perhaps it’s time to practise out in the open, writes Toby Deller
-
Debate
Is it ever acceptable for professional musicians to play for free?
Hazel Davis asks string players where they draw the line between opportunity and exploitation
-
Debate
Bows of the 18th century have been ignored by string players for too long
Long neglected by the majority of string players, the bows of the 18th century make a huge difference to the way the music from that period is played, argues Jérôme Akoka
-
Debate
Opinion: Into the Mainstream
In the years since Gregor Piatigorsky first set out to boost the cello’s profile, the instrument has seen a massive growth in popularity, particularly through the efforts of crossover artists, says Yoshika Masuda
-
Debate
Play it again: composers can’t survive on premieres alone
A high-profile premiere might help young composers launch their career, but the story shouldn’t end there, says Tom Stewart
-
Debate
Are conservatoires preparing young string players for the music world?
Violinist and professor Rodney Friend argues that music colleges are admitting too many students in the first place
-
Debate
Classical musicians should play more sports
String players often shy away from sports for fear of damaging themselves, but the benefits far outweigh the dangers, says cellist and tennis enthusiast Maria Kliegel
-
Debate
Opinion: A limit to learning?
Do some string students have a ceiling when it comes to their capacity to learn? Naomi Yandell explores the question through her experience of teaching a cello student with special needs
-
Debate
Investors should loan prized stringed instruments to top players
Rather than storing instruments in a vault, investors must allow them to be played, for the benefit of owner and musician alike, wrote Jonathan Moulds in 2014
-
Debate
Orchestral Overload: Opinion
Conservatoires and youth orchestras in the UK too often timetable an excessive number of orchestral rehearsals and concerts. These rob students of precious hours of private practice, writes violin teacher Simon Smith
-
Debate
Young students must learn to listen if they are to practise effectively
String students who struggle in the early stages of learning often don't know how to listen. Patiently help them to train their ears, says Peter Quantrill, and practice sessions will become ever more fulfilling
-
Debate
A musical outcast? Harold en Italie as metaphor for the viola itself
Toby Deller argues that the title character of Harold en Italie is a social outsider whose isolation is a metaphor for the viola’s struggle for acceptance throughout musical history
-
Debate
Young musicians too often make musical decisions based on impressing the listener
As artists grow older they hear more in the music, says Orion Quartet violist Steven Tenenbom, who urges younger musicians to learn as much as they can from their mentors – and delve deeper into the music themselves
-
Debate
Is Germany's orchestral paradise as good as it seems?
The country’s Unesco-protected orchestral system may look ideal to the rest of the world, but it’s by no means a bed of roses, writes Hugo Shirley
-
Debate
What do the new UK ivory regulations mean for bows?
A new UK requirement to register all ivory-tipped bows will affect music shops, auction houses and the musicians themselves. Peter Somerford examines what the implications are for the industry
-
Debate
Building confidence around the absence of sound
Music students have the confidence to engage with silence, whether before, during or immediately after a piece, writes Naomi Yandell
-
Debate
Are competitions inherently problematic?
Charlotte Gardner checks recent Joseph Joachim Competition rumours against reality and cautions against letting young musicians get caught in the crossfire