Eliesha Nelson » Music Education

Communicating with Baby

Eliesha — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:29:57 +0000

At first my son seemed like a plant that required mundane (and constant) care to remain alive – feed me, change me, help me sleep, love me, and repeat the cycle. I received no thank you’s, no voluntary smiles, but I remembered through my extensive reading on babies, that the first three months are like another trimester. They need a little more growth before becoming more human.

my son William in his plant-like stage

Then suddenly, one gets smiles, a little babbling, and a stream of steady changes from day to day, until one day, the child actually communicates something intentionally and your heart soars. For me, that day is today, where my son made the sign for milk, and I gave him milk, and he was satisfied. He is in his eighth month now, and I’ve been showing him the Baby Signing Time videos which seem to captivate him. He loves looking at other babies and young folk, plus he enjoys the music. I enjoy the videos too.

Perhaps the first way we did communicate was through music, though it was more subtle and basic. I played a lot of vocal music for him and sang silly songs, and I quickly learned which music calmed or excited him. I play Appalachian folk music, strophic songs, Renaissance vocal music, Chopin Nocturnes (which capture his attention when he’s upset), children’s nursery rhymes, anything by Bach, and the list continues to grow.

It’s also fun to imitate the sounds he makes, and listen as he mimics the sounds I make. It’s like a jam session without needing to know music theory. Each day is a new discovery of sound, signing and communication. I’m loving it!

Practicing – what’s the point?

Eliesha — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:17:26 +0000

I’ve been asked by many non musicians how much I practice and how long it takes to prepare for concerts, recording sessions, etc. Many are amazed that I play my instrument several hours a day, and I rarely take long vacations (more than a day) away from playing. That is what makes being a musician a lifestyle – if we want to maintain or build our technique and musical ability, we must continue to practice, study, and perform in order to grow.

The length of practice depends on what I have to prepare. On the rare event when not much is going on, I spend a couple of hours on scales, intervals, Dounis shifting and finger strengthening exercises, bowing techniques like up and down bow staccato and thrown bow, and etudes. If I have a recital or recording session to prepare, it’s usually around 4-6 hours of practice. This can get tricky to manage as I also have the Cleveland Orchestra rehearsal schedule to consider.

When I practice, I’m always listening for basic musicianship, which I consider to be intonation (playing in tune), good rhythm, phrasing, and a singing, beautiful sound quality. The point is to always listen, so I try to vary how I practice so I don’t get bored. I am, however, methodical. In my warm up, I always practice shifting, intervals, and scales, and if I’m not to overrun with pieces, I practice a technical etude. The music I practice constantly changes, so there’s no way to get bored there.

Having just had a child a couple of months ago, practicing has become rather erratic. However, it is getting more scheduled, like my son’s sleep habits. I have my longer sessions when he is asleep or someone else is watching him, but sometimes he practices with me when I do my warm up. If he is up to it, he can tolerate up to an hour, which I find amazing for a 10 week old.

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and happy practicing!

Music Video at Dorian Sono Luminus

Eliesha — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 01:30:21 +0000

I’ve never participated in a music video before, excluding being video recorded during a concert performance. A music video is different, with the music being as important as the videography and set. The piece chosen for recording was Blues Lointains by Quincy Porter, which was written in 1928. It has a dark, searching nature, so the videographers had the idea of a film noir approach. I and John McLaughlin Williams, pianist, dressed up, and I had my hair styled in a 40’s hairdo. I also wore some of my mother’s jewelry, which I’m glad she gave me since I have none. My practice of playing with the recording paid off as well as the more rigorous memory work to match all the bow changes. The sections that had a lot of rubato were tricky, but I think we got close enough, and the videographer can edit such things. The video was shot in the ballroom at the studios of Sono Luminus. It will be in black and white, but the ballroom is a gorgeous brilliant blue color.

Black Musicians and Classical Music

Eliesha — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:46:18 +0000

In this era of the “first black president,” I am reminded of all the “first black” moments I have witnessed and blacks I have known who are leaders in their own fields who were firsts. I am the “first black woman” musician hired in the Cleveland Orchestra, which seems to represent progress and opportunity to others. To me, I am just a musician, like many other successful musicians of other ethnicities, who practiced well, received good training, and made the right professional connections that eventually lead to my winning a job in the Cleveland Orchestra.

The Baltimore Sun had a good article December 7, 2008 about the seeming scarcity of blacks in classical music called A Solitary Stage, and my colleague, cellist Troy Stuart is interviewed. He is a fabulous musician and a wonderful teacher who’s life journey has been an inspiration to me.

There seems to be an assumption that classical music is not part of the “black” experience. Generalizing is usually a bad idea anyway, and I have met plenty of well-to-do people of European decent (white) who have no understanding or appreciation of classical music. Instead of making it an issue of race, I would make it an issue of accessibility. Most of my students at the Cleveland School of the Arts Lower Campus are black and poor, but they go to class knowing I expect them to learn, play in tune with a good sound, straight bow and good posture. They also eagerly go to class and expect to learn. Appreciation of an art form is not tied to skin color.

Classical music, like any other genre of the fine arts, requires a community for success. That community can be as small as one teacher and one parent. In my unscientific opinion, what makes one successful is a mixture of five things:
1. a supportive parent/s or individual/s who pays for and takes a child to lessons, music festivals, and helps them practice

2. good training from the beginning

3. disciplined student

4. positive professional network

5. talent

Benefit Concert for the Cleveland School of the Arts

Eliesha — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:39:02 +0000

For those in Cleveland who would like to support a good cause, there is a fund raiser for the Cleveland School of the Arts Lower Campus Saturday, January 17, 2009 at 3 p.m. It will be held at Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights (2806 Coventry Rd., Cleveland, OH 44120), and there will be students from the school performing on the first half hour of the program. I will also be performing, along with teacher/artists Dianna White-Gould and Dennis Reynolds, plus singer Norris Kelly and my good friend conductor/violinist John McLaughlin Williams.

I began my affiliation with the Cleveland School of the Arts last September when I was asked by the Cleveland Music School Settlement to teach viola for the fourth and fifth graders. I was not interested at first, because I felt that seeing students once a week when there is no parental involvement was not enough for deep learning. However, they agreed that I could come twice a week for an hour long lesson each time, so I agreed. I teach a group lesson the first day and then “private” lessons the following, which means seeing two students at a time so I can give more individual attention.

The students I teach are and inspiration to me and a healthy challenge. They thirst for learning and are eager to play the viola. What more could a teacher want? Well, maybe teaching in a real classroom and not a stairwell, but I’m more interested in motivated students right now!

csa-benefit-postcard