Hello all
This update will be devoted to reflectiosn that have come upon me in about the the past 2-3 hours.
Let me look back on something that happened at this past New Year's party in Dallas.
Before I left SMU I knew a horn player wery well. He graduated out the same year that I trasnferred. You couldn't walk the halls of the SMU music building without hearing heroic sounds of movie music via french horn played byt his individual. He was just known for it...if you heard Robin Hood whaling downt he hallway...it was him. It was a fact. It was his defining factor. Well, as you would imagine, he is an avid movie buff who has a vast collection of movies in just about every ganre. When he played this music, his sound was at its best...hsi style was immaculate...and his playing had a fine impact. He went on to grad school to study Law...he was a smart dude. Even though he was a good player at SMU he was somewhat shadowed by other players and he was always seen as the good person that wasn't the other good people...if you know what i mean...
At this past year's New Year party, I had the fortune of reuniting with him and catching up. We werent that close but we were real cool with each other...never had any problems with each other. Of course, we were very happy to see each other... At some point, we were looking back at our days at SMU and I jsut blurted out to him with upmost intensity..." you know what man? You always played that movie music...and I love that...that's in your heart...and you played it...and I could see that it was in your heart...people aroudns chool jsut practiced for the sake of making money in the future-all theyd o is practice excerpts and shit...and there you were...playing your song...with only an intent to play what's in your heart"...he looks me strait dead in the eye after a slight pause and a moment of somewhat accomplishment and says, " thanks man, that really means a lot to me". At that moment, I could have cried...i dunno why...but i couldve...but im a stud and I have to maintain stud status...so i didnt. I think (even if he doesnt knwo it or think) that is one of the most beautiful moments I have encountered in my life. I really do think he was speaking truely from his heart ... I just feel that maybe that's what he's always wanted...for someone to understand and appreciate his love...
It is truly beautiful to know when someone plays (or does anythign else for that matter) with no intention other than to answer to their heart...too many people fix their eyes upon a wordly goal...and though that is healthy ...it cant be the ultimate motivation of why we seek to express...to find cases of true expression are quite rare in music school these days and im glad I embraced this case.
-JL
