Articles

Too Much, Too Soon?

Apr 29 2006

Janet Horvath, Minnesota Orchestra’s Associate Principal cellist and author of Playing (less) Hurt – An Injury Prevention Guide For Musicians, has agreed to excerpt parts of her wonderful book for polyphonic.org.

Janet’s first column addresses the issue of young players and whether hours of playing (repetitive action) can damage developing muscles and bones. She presents some basic rules to prevent overuse injuries, and offers sound advice to teachers and parents.

Janet goes on to discuss ergonomic issues, such as choosing the right-sized instrument and accessories (shoulder pads, chin rests, etc.), and sitting correctly. Jaw pain is a frequent complaint of violinists and violists, and Janet has many suggestions for dealing with it.

Finally, Janet presents an Injury Susceptibility Quiz, which can help you determine if you are at risk for a playing injury.

Polyphonic.org is very pleased that Janet has agreed to share her wealth of knowledge with all of us through our website. Check back often for additions to Janet’s column.

Apr 16 2006

To IBB or Not To IBB

Interest-based bargaining (IBB), non-confrontational negotiating, mutual-gains bargaining, win-win bargaining – no matter what you call it, symphony musicians disagree vehemently about whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Robert Levine has written a thoughtful essay that explores this disagreement about IBB. Robert presents a brief history of the evolution of symphony players’ negotiating their own contracts, and then goes on to discuss the pros and cons of adopting non-traditional bargaining techniques.

Whether you believe that IBB can encourage more creative solutions, or believe that IBB results in bad outcomes for musicians, you’ll find this essay provocative yet balanced. To continue this discussion, the Orchestra Musicians’ Forum has selected Robert’s essay as the subject of our first Virtual Panel Discussion, moderated by Drew McManus and beginning on April 17th.

To IBB or Not To IBB first appeared in the July/August 2005 issue of Symphony, the magazine of the American Symphony Orchestra League. Used by permission.

Apr 08 2006

Are you confused about Orchestra Committees, Locals, Player Conferences, CBAs, AFM, ASOL, SOI, etc., etc.? The orchestra world often begins to seem like alphabet soup. But here’s a quick and easy way to sort your way through the basics of contracts, labor law and unions, and find out just exactly how your orchestra is run.

Robert Levine, Principal Violist in the Milwaukee Symphony, former Chair of ICSOM, and President of AFM Local 8 in Milwaukee, has written an article in question & answer format that walks you through all these issues. From defining collective bargaining to discussing why orchestras are unionized, Robert presents a clear (and often amusing) picture of what you need to know to participate meaningfully in your orchestra and your local.

Robert goes on to describe how an orchestra works, from both the musicians’ point of view, discussing such topics as peer review, tenure, auditions, and revolving seating, and the industry’s point of view, touching on orchestra categories and funding. This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) article will continue to grow – please send in your questions and Robert will add the answer.

Apr 06 2006

Bill Hunt is a violinist with the Rochester Philharmonic, and he’s also a professional tax accountant, specializing in tax returns for musicians. We’ve asked Bill to present a column of tax tips specifically geared to the orchestra musician.

His first installment explains a little-known tax category, the “qualified performing artist,” that could save you some money if you’re just starting out on your symphonic career, or if you’re playing with several orchestras while still a student. Bill clearly explains who can take advantage of this tax status.

Apr 06 2006

Ever wonder how to define your perfect Music Director candidate?

Scott Freck, General Manager of the North Carolina Symphony, has lots of suggestions for doing just that. He passes along a warning from a colleague about avoiding “Anti-Last-Guy Syndrome,” and gives detailed advice about how to construct a survey that identifies what you want in your Music Director. The survey enabled them to define three categories of traits: the “Must Haves,” the “Would Very Much Like to Have,” and the “Not a Top Priority” items.

He then goes on to describe the research their Search committee did on the top candidates – all excellent advice if your orchestra is embarking on a Music Director search.

Apr 06 2006

Dr. Alice Brandfonbrener needs no introduction to many orchestra musicians – she is arguably “the” pre-eminent physician in the field of music medicine. She is on the faculty of Northwestern University Medical School and is the founder of the Medical Program for Performing Artists at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, where she edits the journal, Medical Problems of Performing Artists.

Samantha George and I asked Dr. Alice to write an overview of some of the medical symptoms encountered by instrumental musicians, and how one goes about finding the good specialized care required by musicians. The good news is that a lot of our problems will go away by themselves, but Dr. Alice has a lot of excellent advice about self-diagnosing our problems.

She warns us about “diagnosis by stand partner” and the reliability (or lack thereof) of medical information you can find on the Internet, and discusses some alternative care approaches. In summary, she asserts that diagnosing musicians’ medical problems requires “a unique combination of medical skill and musical knowledge” and offers suggestions of where to find such care.

This is a must-read article for all instrumentalists!

Apr 04 2006

“Young people are ignorant” and “old people don’t listen” are two stereotypes which persevere in the rank and file of orchestra musicians too often. Even though some stereotypes can be rooted in truth, Richmond Symphony violinist Tim Judd is proof that young musicians aren’t all ignorant.

As a musician who isn’t even a full season beyond his 20’s Tim has been with the RSO since 2002 and began serving on committees and actively participating in other sponsored professional development activities shortly after his arrival. During that time, he has come to realize that being a productive member of his orchestra includes more than just being a good musician.

After reading his contribution, I think you’ll agree that Tim’s perspective on the business demonstrates an understanding which exceeds his tenure. The rationalization behind his belief that having the musicians act with a collective will is a key component of effective institutional stewardship will leave you thinking about whether or not the musicians in your own organization communicate well enough to accomplish this task.

Any orchestra would be fortunate to count among its ranks a young musician who has such a conscientious understanding of their professional responsibilities as does Tim.

Apr 04 2006

Have you found yourself in the position of being asked to put together an ensemble performance with some of your orchestra colleagues for in-school performances or a community outreach program, and not quite knowing how to go about it?

It was almost ten years ago that Yvonne Caruthers, National Symphony cellist, first met Gary Race, a consultant who was working with the NSO Education Department to develop their education and community outreach programs. She was very impressed with the work he did to get them started. So when I asked her to solicit articles about outreach programs, it was natural that she should turn to Gary to write down the approach he’d used with the NSO. Gary credits his extensive experience with the Head Start program and developing outreach programs for several opera companies for his expertise in this area.

Gary has written an excellent three-part series, leading orchestra players through the process of putting together an educational or outreach ensemble program. The first installment, Ideas, lays some ground rules and describes the first meetings, where players take on various roles (such as the Idea Stimulator and the Conversation Director) to get those ideas rolling. He goes on to present a list of questions the group can discuss to help put together an agenda. The goal is to generate enough ideas that, at the second meeting, the group can write a script for their performances.

Stay tuned for his next two installments: Part II: Preparation and Scripting(already posted), and Part III: Rehearsal and Performance (coming in July).

Apr 01 2006

And the Band Stopped Playing is an account of the demise of the San Jose Symphony, written by Thomas Wolf of Wolf, Keens & Company and Nancy Glaze of the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, who funded the research for the book.

When the Hartford Symphony received a complimentary copy of the book, my Board President, David Roth, purchased a copy for every HSO Board member because he believed that the book told an important and timely story about our industry, and because the Hartford Symphony, like so many orchestras, is in the process of trying to figure out how to restructure itself. I asked David to write a review of the book, given how strong his reaction to it was.

Because the topic is so vitally important, I then asked Cheryl Fippen to write a review as well. Cheryl was a cellist with the San Jose Symphony at the time it ceased operations, and is a former Vice President of ROPA.

Both reviews discuss the merits of the analysis presented, and both concur that much was amiss with the SJS management. Cheryl corrects some mis-assertions she found in the text, and both point to the possibility of a conflict of interest vis-à-vis the Packard Foundation. David strongly recommends that the book be required reading for anyone involved in the symphony industry because it raises such valuable questions.

Apr 01 2006

Did you ever wonder what happens behind the scenes to get your music on your stand in time for (or in your possession a few weeks before) the first rehearsal?

Karen Schnackenberg, Chief Librarian of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, will reveal all her librarian secrets. Karen was a violinist with the New Orleans and Oklahoma Symphonies, and wrote a column about classical music for the International Musician for many years.

Karen has agreed to write a column, and solicit articles from her librarian colleagues, about all aspects of being an orchestra librarian. Karen is quite active in MOLA (Major Orchestra Librarians’ Association) and already has several of her colleagues working on some of the topics she lists in her introduction.

Karen’s first article, “Who Is That Orchestra Librarian?,” addresses that most annoying question asked of orchestra librarians: “Are you a musician?” She explains emphatically that, of course, orchestral librarians are musicians and goes on to extol their many talents and skills. After reading Karen’s article, you should have a whole new perspective on your own orchestra’s librarians.

Too Much, Too Soon?

To IBB or not to IBB? Why musicians so often say “no” to interest-based bargaining

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Labor Relations, Negotiations, and Contract Administration

Beneficial Tax Treatment for Qualified Performing Artists

Modeling the Ideal: Constructing a Music Director Profile

Things Are Seldom What They Seem

Moving Beyond The Music: Why An Orchestra Musician’s Job Is Not Over After The Last Note

Getting The Show On The Road, Part I: Ideas

Book Review “And the Band Stopped Playing: The Rise and Fall of the San Jose Symphony” by Thomas Wolf and Nancy Glaze

Orchestra Librarian Column Introduction