How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall?
As I walked through the hallowed halls, onto the stage that had held the best musicians in the world, the importance of what I was about to do was at the forefront of my thoughts. My hands were shaking, my heart was racing, and yet I knew that this was where I was meant to be. Not even my nerves could mar this momentous occasion. On I played Carnegie hall. “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” is a common question. When violinist Mischa Elman was famously asked this question, he simply replied “Practice.” This joke has circulated for many years now, but there is much truth in the statement. For any musician who aspires to play at Carnegie, practice is essential. My own journey to Carnegie was much more complicated, however. In my town, music
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I played as quietly as possible, fearing most that someone would hear me. I was happy to sink into the background, hiding myself away from the world. Towards the end of freshman year, however, I was forced to change. The orchestra program had grown immensely, so the director decided that everyone had to audition to join one of three orchestras. Furthermore, she made it clear that to participate in a trip to New York City, where we would play at Carnegie Hall, students had to make it into one of the top two orchestras. I had been looking forward to this trip for years, and I couldn’t fathom the notion of missing the trip because of my own perceived shortcomings. I knew that I had to make a change, and quickly. As soon as we got the audition piece, I began my journey. It was extremely difficult, with a tempo that flew by and soaring sixteenth note scales. The determination I had once had was back, however. I practiced the piece as much as humanly possible, took the music to my guitar lessons teacher who graciously helped me practice and played for everyone that would listen. I quickly noted improvement in myself. When I went to the audition, however, I was still nervous. I still held onto my former lack of confidence. However, I did better than I had ever thought possible. I played loudly, clearly and confidently. The teachers who had once looked over my playing as mediocre actually complimented me. The weeks
I played as quietly as possible, fearing most that someone would hear me. I was happy to sink into the background, hiding myself away from the world. Towards the end of freshman year, however, I was forced to change. The orchestra program had grown immensely, so the director decided that everyone had to audition to join one of three orchestras. Furthermore, she made it clear that to participate in a trip to New York City, where we would play at Carnegie Hall, students had to make it into one of the top two orchestras. I had been looking forward to this trip for years, and I couldn’t fathom the notion of missing the trip because of my own perceived shortcomings. I knew that I had to make a change, and quickly. As soon as we got the audition piece, I began my journey. It was extremely difficult, with a tempo that flew by and soaring sixteenth note scales. The determination I had once had was back, however. I practiced the piece as much as humanly possible, took the music to my guitar lessons teacher who graciously helped me practice and played for everyone that would listen. I quickly noted improvement in myself. When I went to the audition, however, I was still nervous. I still held onto my former lack of confidence. However, I did better than I had ever thought possible. I played loudly, clearly and confidently. The teachers who had once looked over my playing as mediocre actually complimented me. The weeks