Jared Ross998968247

THE ART OF LETTING GO:

A REPORT OVER “CONDUCTING WITH AN INNER VISION”1

Disney’s hit song “Let it Go” from the enormously popular movie Frozen is an

ode to the power and benefit of being able to, as the name suggests, let go. However,

letting go is not always as easy as in an animated fiction movie. The idea of letting go is

highly uncomfortable for me personally, but like building muscle, the idea of who we are

must be challenged and broken down before growth can begin. A great deal of learning

occurs through letting go – a skill musicians should cultivate in order to improve their

craft.

“Conducting with an Inner Vision” begins with an anecdote demonstrating the

intangible concept of letting go2 and continues to stress the importance of this concept

throughout the entirety of the article. The situation may change, but the concept remains

constant: symposium participant Steve Arsenault is uninhibited by anxiety or fear when

he approaches the podium to lead the ensemble,3 he believes the mark of a great musician

is the ability to stop thinking and allow the feeling of the music to be communicated,4

conductor Gillian McKay reflects on the value of leaving behind visual perception in

music.5

The article sees eminent value in each of these examples. When Steve is not held

back by fear, he is confident and his conducting has such a free expression to it,6 which

actually coincides with his view of a great musician being someone who has something to

1 Susan Raponi, “Conducting with an Inner Vision: A Profile of Steve Arsenault with Gillian MacKay,” Canadian Winds, Spring (2014): 12-15.

2 Ibid., 12.3 Ibid.4 Ibid., 14.5 Ibid., 14.6 Ibid., 12.

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communicate and express.7 His lack of inhibition allows him to communicate. According

to Gillian MacKay, leaving behind the music score and other visual distractions increases

auditory perception, which can lead to a deeper level of meaning within the music.8 The

principal theme, equally valuable in application to almost any situation, is to let go. It is

from the realm of freedom and lack of inhibition that musicians can truly express and

communicate the fundamental feelings of music. This is of unparalleled benefit.

Although quite far from my personal comfort zone, there have been instances

where I have seen firsthand the effects of letting go. During my first year of university, I

decided to step back from classical music and try a type of music completely foreign to

me. I enrolled in a Native American song ensemble led by Pura Fé. Opposite to classical

pedagogy, we learned songs through aural transmission, and when we sat in a circle

singing, the meaning of the songs, the feeling of the music, and the sense of community

was the most valuable aspect of our creation. I remember feeling so free by not being

required to express this music in the proper style or with proper technique, as is the case

in my classical training. I know that letting go is as important as Raponi’s article argues,

because if I was inhibited and didn’t enroll in the song ensemble, or when I sang in the

ensemble, if I was concerned about being “good,” I wouldn’t have experienced how

powerful the force of music is.

Just as the article shows letting go in a variety of contexts, I am able to apply the

concept to a wide variety of situations. Over the past month, I have been in a small-group

conducting class that taught the basics of conducting in a choral setting. Although

intimidating to stand before colleagues and to conduct them through song, leaving behind

7 Ibid., 14.8 Ibid.

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fear and reservations resulted in a positive learning experience. Even in a non-musical

setting such as my linguistics course, if I let go of my anxiety of speaking in a large

lecture hall, I’m able to engage with the content, asking questions and gaining a fuller

comprehension.

Letting go is difficult and certainly uncomfortable. As the muscle, though, how

can we know that growth is happening without that sense of discomfort? The article and I

see the breaking down as integral to becoming a better musician. Despite the difficulty in

doing so, with practice (a concept well-known to musicians), letting go can become

easier. The muscle becomes stronger, and with strength, hardships can be overcome.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Raponi, Susan. “Conducting with an Inner Vision: A Profile of Steve Arsenault with Gillian MacKay.” Canadian Winds, Spring (2014): 12-15.