Fitting In

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

A student surprised me by expressing concern about “fitting in” by playing the same repertoire as everyone else, especially with regard to Harp Society programs (and this is not a competition-entering student). How common is this attitude?

[kay-lister]

Wow – too bad!

[tony-morosco]

I guess fitting in depends on your goals.

If the student isn’t going to be entering competitions, and if their goals do not include things like playing in an orchestra where they would do well to have experience and familiarity with a certain repertoire, then I don’t see any point in fitting in.

I know I took up the harp as a means of self expression, and so what I do with it is unique to what I feel I want to express. I was fortunate to have had a teacher who encouraged that.

Of course I learned a lot of music in the early learning process that she picked because they were part of her pedagogy. They were how she taught certain techniques and skills for playing. But since she knew my goals she always told me that all she asked is that I try out what she suggested, and that if I didn’t like we would find something else.

I also think she appreciated that I often brought music to her I was interested in that she wasn’t familiar with. I think she really enjoyed the challenge that presented to her as a teacher. We kept each other on our toes.

Some approaches are all about fitting in. The Suzuki method for instance seems very focused on everyone playing a predetermined repertoire with little deviation for instance.

I think the approach needs to fit the student, and some students will need more guidance in figuring out what they want to do, and what they want to get out of it, than others will.

I have to admit, however, that I do find a concern to fit in a bit funny coming from a harpist. I mean, we play the harp. That automatically makes us not fit in in a lot of ways.

[jennifer-buehler]

Is it really about fitting in or is there some other issue?

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

Do you think there might be some peer pressure? If this student is not interested in doing competitions, then there is no reason to re-hash the same pieces unless they are masterpieces and the student loves them. I think you already introduce your students to the great standard repertoire, so I assume you are alarmed by the student’s desire to learn something just because it’s on a list. Has your student gone to any harp conferences or festivals to hear a wide variety of music? If not, this student might benefit from browsing Youtube or Itunes to get a sense of how much wonderful obscure harp music is out there.

[jennifer-buehler]

Another thought.

[Julietta Anne Rabens]

This could be a desire for credibility if the student sees a harpist as someone who can play certain pieces that demonstrate their skill. This is not necessarily a bad place to start. It can sometimes help to think outside the box if we first know what is inside the box. It can also happen that by thinking outside one set of constraints, we replace these with another set, which has certainly been seen in the development through modernism into post- modernism.

It’s ironic in a way that we have a cultural value of being unique and standing out from the crowd which certainly can produce progress, but sometimes as artists we can actually fit in by matching this value. There are artistic traditions the world over that have developed by staying true to a certain aesthetic and repertoire, so it is worth stepping back and reflecting on what it means to fit in or stand out in terms of artistic expression and progress.

When someone has an expressed desire to “fit in” it makes me think that they might struggle with feeling too different in most contexts. This is common for young people who are still developing a sense of self. I would not look down on that attitude, but instead encourage a refocus on the music. I like the comments that refer to learning the masterpieces.

[Trista Hill]

Wish I could “Like” this reply, JAB!

I so agree with “fitting in” possibly being an indicator of not yet having found his/her voice. And sometimes trying on others’ voices is the quickest way to find what ours is / is not.

Ultimately the goal is to uncover (vs “discover”, which implies it doesn’t yet exist) what we want to say and how.

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