"I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of Peace on Earth, good-will to men!
(I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Grown-up Christmas List
I have one heartfelt Christmas wish, or perhaps it is more of a Christmas request, that I have been carrying around for many years. Please don't take this wrong, but I feel compelled to finally share it this holiday season. It is this - please be mindful of musicians and their equally busy and stressful lives during the holiday season, especially if you are a non-musician!
Speaking as a musician, most musicians I know are very generous with their talents and their time, and we enjoy sharing both most of the time. However, in general, we do not appreciate being called on to prepare and perform a difficult musical number at the last minute. We do not appreciate being handed a piece of music that we have not seen before that moment, and then be expected to be able to (or even want to) sit down and play it perfectly through the first time. Clearly, this is an unrealistic expectation! It can take weeks, even months, to get a piece of music to performance quality. (And quite frankly, we just might not be up to it this time/season/year!).
Musicians, in general, tend to be highly sensitive people who appreciate the beauty of music well done. We are not, however, magicians! Learning to play and execute a musical number well takes hours of practice time, and lots of skill and work. Most of us tend to be a little bit of a perfectionist, and we cringe at the idea of doing or participating in a shoddy performance. That's how we were trained. Let me be clear... failure to plan on YOUR part does not constitute and emergency on OUR part! If you would like a musical number for your Christmas Creche, your holiday party or your Christmas church service, then please, please, PLEASE plan ahead and show enough respect for our time and our talents (not to mention our families) to allow us adequate notice and lead time to prepare and provide a well done performance. It will benefit all of us in the long run.
Here's another musician secret I'll share, most of us welcome the opportunity to share our talents and we feel strongly enough about the value of music and it's ability to uplift, bless and inspire, that we don't like have to turn down the opportunity to share our gifts and talents, but sometimes we have to - especially during the already stressful and demanding holiday season. We feel sad when we have to refuse an opportunity due to poor planning (on your part) and lack of enough lead/preparation time for us. Often we sacrifice our own needs and the needs of our family, putting them on hold until after the concert, the party, the church service, etc., are over. And, if, by chance, we should have to say "no" to a request, then please accept and respect that as well (we, too, can get a little cranky during the Christmas "strush" - so don't add to it - you have been warned!!!). We honestly breathe a huge sigh of relief when Christmas is finally past, because we know that we will be able to take a breather for a little while (at least until Easter preparations start).
If you are a non-musician you may think it is "not such a big deal" or "it's easy" to ask someone to sing or play a lengthy or difficult piece at the last minute; but to us, it is not always easy and it can be a big deal! So, please take this into account when you are wanting that special musical number, or are considering asking someone to play the beloved Christmas Carols for the pageant or party. A successful "miracle choir" is actually quite rare, so don't push that luck. Practice, makes perfect! It is a good musician's job to make it look easy, but that doesn't mean that it is. So please, be respectful, mindful and considerate of the musicians you know and love during the holiday season, and give them a break, including enough lead time for them to be able to perform well and enjoy the Christmas holiday (and maybe the opportunity to see their own children participating in the Christmas pageant one year before they get too old). Oh, and please don't forget to thank them for the music! This will help to make it a Merrier Christmas and happier holiday for us all!
Thank You for the Music! (Amanda Seyfried)
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