top of page
Writer's picturenestrada20

Workshop Reflection

Lee Higgins workshop was very fun and insightful at the same time. I feel like after this workshop it helped me grow as a musician and be more confident about my skills. One of the main focuses was on improvisation and it is something that has always scared me because of all the people around me and what they might think. Also, there are many different levels of comfort that people have with improv and I feel like I was one of the weaker ones. The three main activities that we did really force me to break out of my shell and try new things. During these activities, I did not play my principle instrument which was my fault but made things a bit trickier for me whether I sang or I played a percussive instrument.

I really liked this workshop because it really helped me think and be more aware of being in an ensemble setting. It was interesting working with other students from different classes and the type of musicality that they brought to the group. Specifically, I got to experience this when we were broken into small groups ranging from 3-8 people. It was challenging to try and figure out who would start or lead and in the beginning, I just wanted to follow. A common thing that we noticed was the more melodic instruments like a saxophone or trumpet led the group rather than someone on the piano or singing. It was interesting to hear the responses from some of the bigger groups that realized that they did not pay attention to everyone in their group throughout the performance.

My main concern throughout the process was forcing myself to not play such simple ostinato rhythms and challenge myself to think outside of the box. I really liked this type of exercise because it had ensemble work, but also had some jazz elements by forcing us to improvise and try things out on our instruments by using our ears for what key we are in and balance and blend.

If I were to go back to my high school and help lead one of the ensembles then I would work with them on the first activity we did focusing on breathing. Breathing together as an ensemble is one of the most important things to help you all come in together and acknowledge that you are all ready. In ensemble work, if you are ever lost it is good to watch how everyone breathes in together for the next phrase or big rehearsal number. Also, breathing helps you enter with a better tone and stronger sound. In my opinion, breathing is one of the most important steps in ensemble work and personal performance and will always be one of the biggest focuses as a musician.

Overall, I learned lots from the workshop and it was very helpful to my personal practice and in my section when playing in the ensembles. I look forward to continuing working on these exercises and hopefully apply it if I follow the education stream.


2 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

MUS3852: Chapter 2 Assignment

Overall Concept: Communicating Justice and Equality based on chapter 2 of Music and Social Justice: A Guide for Elementary Educators by...

Comments


Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page