Written by Judy York, Class of 2023
Last week, Elizabeth and I were incredibly excited to organize and host RU NAfME’s “Teaching as a Performer” event which was held on Wednesday, December 2nd. Joined by three of our amazing Mason Gross Faculty, Dr. Hwang, Professor Nichols, and Dr. Urban, we explored what it is like pursuing career avenues both as educators and performers through the lens of their experiences.
In the first half of the event, our guest speakers presented insight into their backgrounds and how they navigated their journey so far.
Dr. Hwang:
Ever since she was young, Dr. Hwang had always wanted to be a teacher and has had a passion for exploring all different subjects. This prompted her to decide to pursue her undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, where she earned degrees in Clarinet Performance and Literature. Through this, Dr. Hwang took the opportunity to take an array of courses in various subjects, which allowed her to observe teaching in different fields and settings. To her, she believes that this is crucial in developing great teaching skills.
Another focal point in Dr. Hwang’s discussion was to always evaluate and actively reflect on your goals. Whether seeking a career in performance or education, or both, she emphasized the importance of keeping track and writing down what kind of performer/teacher you would like to be every month or so. Then, return to this, and evaluate and reflect if this is still in alignment with where you are now. Of course with everything, it is completely alright for your goals to shift and change, but being cognizant and checking in with them is critical.
Professor Nichols:
Professor Nichols offered an inspiring, yet realistic perspective of hard work and balance in his career as an active performer and teacher.
Throughout college, Prof. Nichols started developing these two paths simultaneously. He described how he started picking up freelancing (from free gigs, subbing, to church services) and working with high school marching bands. Once out of college, he held the position of a high school band director as his first teaching job, where his responsibilities not only included the curricular band program but also marching band and jazz band. On top of that, outside of school, he then went on to gig up to 5 or 6 times a week as a sub in ensembles including regional orchestras, service orchestras, and Broadway.
However, Professor Nichols emphasized that he came to a point in which he had a great deal of internal conflict reagrding whether he should perform or teach, and that he would ultimately have to decide between the two. Upon reflection, he realized that everything happens for a reason and there will always be ups and downs. Similarly, Prof. Nichols highlighted the importance of knowing your hierarchy of values and making sure you put whatever is most important to you (ie. family). That said, as long as you just keep everything in perspective and keep true to yourself and your goals, it will all work out, and you can pursue all that you want.
Dr. Urban:
Dr. Urban labels himself as a jack of all trades (master of none), having a great variety in several interests, including early music. Just like his interests, Dr. Urban has had great variety in his experiences, ranging from studying at the Kodaly Institute in Hungary, internationally performing in Taiwan and Brazil, performing in a concert series on a variety of different instruments, and teaching early music to Chinese students. Fortunate to have this great range of experience, Dr. Urban stressed that these opportunities did not come to him easily and that he had struggled in finding these opportunities.
Instead, as a performer and freelancer, you should take whatever gigs you may find. For instance, Dr. Urban’s previous gigs that he mentioned include renaissance festivals, the 1996 Presidential Debate between former President Clinton and Bob Dole, and collaborative concert tours. Likewise, on top of this, Dr. Urban made the point of creating your own performance opportunities. With a faculty recital in the Westminster Conservatory of the Arts at Rider University, Dr. Urban took this as an opportunity to create lecture-performances.
Afterward, we then transitioned into the Q&A portion of our event, where our professors offered incredible advice in two general areas.
Avoiding Physical and Emotional Burnout
Take a full day off when you feel a buildup of stress and tension
Understand the highly restorative power of breaks
Consider both your physical and mental health
Exercise
Take time to decompress
Find variety in your routine
Vary teaching jobs and performance gigs to keep things interesting
The Importance of Networking and Using Entrepreneurial Skills.
Don’t be afraid to contact other professionals and introduce yourself to organizations
Always follow-up with all your connections and stay in touch
Attend reunions and seminars
All gigs are good gigs
Always keep an open mind of your connections and what opportunities may lead to the next
It doesn’t cost anything to be nice to people
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