a conversation with Joshua Smith
interview conducted by Madeline Lucas
note: Maddi Lucas, who recently earned her Bachelor of Music degree from CIM, interviewed me to satisfy her Pedagogy credit. I liked the way the interview turned out, and I'd like to share it here, in several episodes.
Part Three: Teaching and Artistry
ML: Moving on to a new topic area. Regarding students' personalities, how can a student develop without feeling like work is a chore?
JS: That depends on the student. I hope that I can encourage students to realize that we can cultivate the idea that practicing unlocks secret parts of ourselves that are interested in how all of this works. Practicing is not about sitting and pressing buttons, and it's not a task. It's an adventure, I really believe that. Hopefully, this is encouraging, but I think the key to whether a student is ready for this approach lies in his or her personality.
ML: What sort of an attitude does a student need to become successful? When you are dealing with students, do you have a rigid philosophy or do you take it on a student-by-student basis?
JS: I definitely go by the student. I don't believe that teaching with rigidity works. I hope that what I can present is a very high standard of what my expectations are. Very few things upset me when dealing with a student. Sometimes that's a problem-- some students respond better to penalty and negative reinforcement, but providing that for them doesn't come naturally to me. Not only does everyone learn differently, everyone sounds different, so I don't expect everyone to sound like I sound. I can push, for example, in the sense of, "this is the kind of sound I have in my head, and this is how you sound different," but I do that in order for a student to develop a consciousness about how close they are coming to giving what they think they're giving. I'm pointing out a level they might attain, and a means to get there, and then trying to help them understand the difference between where they are and where they want to go.
ML: If a student isn't playing expressively, or doesn't seem to be really engaged, how do you motivate her?
JS: Well, you can't really make someone be more musical. But you can, I hope, encourage the possibility by demonstrating that it's possible to be interesting, possible to be committed, and that it's actually more fun to be so. What can irritate me the most when listening to musicians who are recognized for what they do is the realization that there is a lack of personal investment. What this whole thing is about is communication, communicating with passion and intensity, communicating creatively and beautifully. I mean beautifully in a broad sense, here, not that it always has to be pretty. That it certainly always has to be artistically driven. When I begin to sense that someone is not taking the risk to go for that kind of expression, I get frustrated. I share that with students. But, how to help them get better? Everyone is creative. Some people need to be invited to become vulnerable, encouraged to take risks, applauded when they say something in an interesting way. Sometimes, it's a matter of inviting someone to discover something he hadn't considered before, something that can open doors.
ML: How much do you play for your students in lessons?
JS: It totally varies by student. One of the things that is so challenging about teaching is that everyone needs something different, at a different time, in a different way. I try to be aware of this, but I give what I have to give, right? Knowing that each student learns in a different way encourages me to be a chameleon. I do think some learn by ear and by example, some by explanation, some by question, some by answer. I do play more, rather than less, if only to illustrate possibilities and/or expectations. Playing along with some students can help, too, for developing ear awareness and for cultivating a sense of how to phrase. I do find myself playing more now in lessons than I used to, and usually find it a pretty efficient method. But some people would rather have you explain than demonstrate.
ML: Do you recommend exercises, either warm-ups or études?
JS: I do. I think that playing anything is important, again, to cultivate awareness of how you do what you do, and études tend to throw a very particular problem at you and force you to figure out how to solve it. Always start by asking yourself, "Why was this étude written? What is it trying to teach me?" Études that are "musical" are maybe more useful than the kind of rote exercise you're going to get from scales and arpeggios anyway. Even more important than études are warm-up exercises. These can be rote, but what they need to be first and foremost is body-and-mind-awakening, so you start consciously reacting to what you sound like and adjusting things in order to sound different.
ML: What kind of warm-up exercises do you do, or recommend?
JS: I have been interested in some new ones lately; I'm always changing them around. Recently, I found a couple of really great tone-opening and body-relaxing exercises in Moyse's book How I Stayed in Shape, and also some great ones in Trevor Wye's tone development book. The Moyse exercises throw interval jumps at you that are uncomfortable, where one or both of the notes won't easily speak, in keys that are difficult to play in, so you have to figure out how to navigate your airstream so that the interval won't break. The ultimate goal, then, is to figure out how to make the phrase sound smooth and beautifully sung. The Wye exercises are similar, but involve closer intervals, with the goal of consistency and color development. These ideas are wonderful to include in the morning exercise routine. Long tones and half steps are great, too, in pairs or in longer strings of notes. Here, you're listening to how notes sound next to each other and how well they match as you go along.
I have always rotated my warm-ups. When I first realized that it was important to improve and that exercising would help me to do so, I had a need for variety. I'm the kind of person who does not like to do the same thing in the same way every day; I resist routine. I also realize that there can be some comfort in routine, but balancing this with my personality is a good trick. Most important, your exercises need to address real issues in your playing. The minute I realize I'm having a particular problem, like, "gee, my middle register doesn't sound good today," I start looking for an exercise that will help me to improve that aspect. Tailor your warm-ups to what you need in real time.
ML: Where do you begin in the flute repertoire? Once you have the basics, many teachers have a strict plan about which pieces to move through.
JS: I don't know if there's a good "should" for that; I think this will vary from student to student. Frank Bowen, my great teacher in grades 5-12, directed me towards Flute Music by French Composers early on. Chaminade, Enesco, Fauré develop an awareness of bel canto style and include passages that are about building technique. I sort of hate to say this, but I think all music is difficult on some level, if you are truly trying to get everything possible out of it... But the challenges in French salon music are not insurmountable and the pieces are fun to play. They build an openness of expression; you want to be extroverted in how you approach them, sometimes dramatic, though sometimes intimate. So there's a lot of possibility for creativity. I would steer younger students toward these types of pieces.
A little later, Frank and I dove into the Bach sonatas. I wouldn't recommend this for every student, but I do think that Bach is also a great place to start becoming aware of phrasing and musical details, just in a completely different way from the French salon pieces. It's a good thing for young students to be faced with need to adapt their basic approaches entirely to suit the specific style of each piece. Obviously, moving from Chaminade to Bach can teach this lesson clearly.
ML: Do you think it is better for a student to be playing something that is a little too difficult, or can this be discouraging?
JS: I think it is best to play something within the realm of possibility. Too easy is silly, too; having goals is important, but reaching them needs to be possible. Finding a balance here is an important element of teaching.
ML: I know from experience that you allow a lot of liberty when it comes to picking pieces and developing recital programs. Many teachers have a rigid curriculum. Why do you choose a freer approach?
JS: Simply, I think you will play a better recital if you actually picked the program. Students really need to learn what constitutes a good program, and will be a lot more motivated by and dedicated to the music if they are in charge of this process. I'll weigh in once in a while when I think that a student is having issues with something and I can think of a piece that will help him to battle these specific problems.
ML: What are some keys from your teachers that you always make sure to include in your lessons? Not just flute things, but along the lines of artistry and musicality.
JS: Frank Bowen talked a lot to me about music as art. He taught me about the strong difference between being a good flute player and being a good musician. Even if I don't tell a student what that difference is, the invitation to think about this is important. Julius Baker and Jeffrey Khaner were good for me because they were both very good at directing me towards becoming a better flute player, raising the level of what I expected from myself.
ML: Why are you an artist, and in this rapidly changing world, where is the role of the artist going?
JS: I don't know... that's a good question. I don't know. I am. I have never really tried not to be.
I think I have always allowed myself to express myself by making, by creating. That applies to everything from playing the flute to cooking, doodling, teaching... I basically do everything with some thought about how it can be better, how I can do it differently. I don't know if that answers your question. Art is important for life, creativity and beauty and poetry in the world around us foster love and peace... I know these are really broad ideas but they are timeless, and I don't see them ever disappearing. I think as long as humans are around, there will be creative output. Vehicles of expression might change and evolve, but the goal will always be the same.
ML: There seems to be a lot more input into the art world than ever before, so there is a lot more opportunity for different art.
JS: That's cool! Especially the collaborative aspect that technology allows. Working with partners to build something that hasn't been built before is ultimate progress. Change is good. Change is creativity, actually. If you allow yourself the possibility to realize that, then you are opening yourself up to many more possibilities.
ML: As an artist, how do you handle self-doubt? Or is it even a problem?
JS: I don't know if it is a problem, but it certainly is a constant. Sometimes doubt expresses itself as a problem, sometimes it doesn't. Consciously building an awareness of both self-doubt and self-confidence is helpful. Self-doubt, in a way, will never leave, so how you manage it becomes the important question. There are aspects of it that allow you to be open to change and creativity, because self-doubt forces you to look at yourself honestly. If you realize there's something that needs to change, you can choose to change it positively and constructively, and evolution can't hurt. I'm finding it really effective (though I've known this for a long time, it's a lesson that keeps coming back to me in different ways) to remind myself that I can approach difficulties with an open-minded question. Instead of the negative, "What's going to go wrong?" you can choose something more like,"What am I going to do that's cool today?"
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