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 Who Says We Can't GrooveBy NATALIE HAAS
Even those of you who know me probably have little or no inkling of my somewhat uncharacteristic musical life outside of Juilliard. Let me give you an idea of my background. Ever since I can remember, I have spent my summers between the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle School, directed by Alasdair Fraser, and the Mark O'Connor Fiddle Camp (what has now become his Strings Conference). My first time at Valley of the Moon, I was a gawky little 11-year-old for whom the cello was just a fun hobby. It took me a few years to get into the scene there; when I discovered late-night jam sessions, a whole new world opened up to me, and I was hooked. It was through these camps that I found my niche: The cello in Scottish music, an integral part of the tradition in the 18th century, had been elbowed out of dance bands by the larger piano, and I could help bring it back! Now I play cello professionally in groups with both Alasdair and Mark.
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| Natalie Haas |
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It may be news to most of you that the cello was once a fixture in Scottish dance music. Part of what I am trying to accomplish is to transcend the stereotypical gorgeous, melodic cello sound (not that it's a bad thing, but people need to know that that's not all we can do). The time has come for the cello to be reintroduced to its rhythmic soul. Just because we here at Juilliard are classical musicians doesn't mean that we can't groove. I had to go to fiddle camp to learn how to do it—but you, my fellow students, shouldn't have to.One of Juilliard's aims is to train well-rounded musicians. This should include exposing us to other kinds of music outside the Western classical tradition. Exposure is only the first step … if we could find some way to study alternative styles in more depth, to learn how to improvise, to become fluent in an idiom in addition to that of classical music, just think how versatile we could become! And we need not treat alternative styles as "alternative." In fact, many of the features of these other styles can actually help rather than hinder our classical training. For example, learning to groove heightens our sense of rhythm; learning tunes by ear helps establish a more direct link between our ears and our instruments; and learning to improvise gives us some insights into composing and provides a vehicle for true self-expression. Why should these different learning techniques be restricted to the jazz department?
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One of Juilliard's aims is to train well-rounded musicians. This should include exposing students to other kinds of music outside the Western classical tradition.
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How should we go about this at Juilliard? For one thing, jazz classes could be opened to classical students, even just as auditors. We could invite more musicians outside the Western classical tradition to perform and teach workshops in their art. And ultimately, we could create an "Intro to Alternative Styles and Improvisation" class. The possibilities are endless … and the more open our minds are, the greater will be the art we create.Natalie Haas is a third-year cello student.
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