Here's a recording of my 8-minute set for the LAUNCH! Festival that smooches together three songs: Pacific Rain, Trickle Down, and Cirque that I recorded on the deck of my faerie godmother's house on Saltspring Island. Its a little rough, completely unedited, unmastered (you might have to crank the volume a bit), and live... Enjoy!
It was the first week of January 2014 that I decided I would start writing a weekly blog to share my thoughts on how to make the world a better place, but sometimes, life happens and we just need to put the computer to sleep and walk away. I took a bit of a hiatus from my blog to put together a month of free outdoor cello concerts, rehearse with two wonderful collaborative projects that I'm currently a part of (Allegheny with Rodney Decroo and the band Thereafter from Bowen Island), perform at the LAUNCH! Festival at SFU Woodwards, and get ready for an exciting summer adventure to Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Halifax, Montreal, and Portland. If you'll be in any of those cities this summer give me a poke as I'd love to get together and share some music with you. I understand that is a slightly dangerous proposition for the internet, but I think that anyone that is nice enough to entertain the idea of this blog would be a wonderful person to hang out with! Here's a recording of my 8-minute set for the LAUNCH! Festival that smooches together three songs: Pacific Rain, Trickle Down, and Cirque that I recorded on the deck of my faerie godmother's house on Saltspring Island. Its a little rough, completely unedited, unmastered (you might have to crank the volume a bit), and live... Enjoy!
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On basic principle I believe in the free exchange of ideas and information, therefore, I would like to share some wisdom from my former teacher at the University of British Columbia, Professor Eric Wilson. Eric Wilson is an accomplished cellist and chamber musician, I was fortunate to study with him for four years and hear his Three Golden Rules for being a Good Musician, included here with my own annotations. 1. Do Your Best. Don't try to be the best, you'll end up with an out-of-control ego, no friends and a broken heart. Just, be your best. Always strive towards greater happiness for yourself and others, and with that intention, continuously work towards a great understanding of both yourself and your surroundings. A personal best can be anything and life is full of teachers help one reach their potential. 2. Be Sincere. Don't be fake, phony, false, or do it just to pretend. If you are playing music to get rich and famous, hoping or believing that you are going to be the one to make it big, remember the cold hard fact that the odds are against you. There are so many musicians out in the world "trying to make it," and there aren't enough dream jobs to go around. Music is a beautiful language, and like all creative mediums has an incredible power. Make your art - whatever that is, for the sake of making that art, do it because you enjoy it. If other people enjoy it - consider sharing it with them. That brings us to our third golden rule: 3. Be Realistic. All three of these rules apply to being a good musician, but I believe they also contribute to being a good human being. Being realistic means having unattainable goals, but it also helps you get behind your goals to take a look at your motives... At this point it is very easy to get philosophical about what our purpose is and the meaning of life... What are our sub conscience motives, and how do they relate to our conscientious motives..? However, let me leave you to ponder the universe for yourself with one of my favourite quotes, one by Picasso: "The meaning of life is to find your gift,
The purpose of life is to give it away." |
Clara Shandler is a full-time cellist currently based in Vancouver, Canada. This is my personal blog where I write about my travels, projects, and passions. Feel free to leave a comment or click here to see where I'll be popping up next!
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