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21st Century Connections
The Effect of Social Networking on the Modern Flutist
Date : 01/03/2016
Author Information
Uploaded by : Lindsay
Uploaded on : 01/03/2016
Subject : Flute
21st Century ConnectionsLindsay BrydenOctober, 2015 The 21st
century has seen many exciting developments in its short 15 years. The new
generation of flutists has grown up with extended techniques, modern music is
at a pivotal time between experimental and contemporary classical, and conservatories
are filled to the brim with outstanding pedagogues closely connected to those
who propelled the legacy of the flute in the mid-20th century. However,
the greatest achievement of the 21st century is the advancement of
technology and the worldwide web. Through
social media, musicians have direct access to audiences, colleagues and
teachers. It is easy to advertise performances and self-promote through the
online sharing of recordings and compositions. With the right marketing, people
can get a multitude of followers on websites like Twitter or Facebook. This
means thousands of potential listeners who can share these promotions through
their own accounts. Online networking also gives the ability to message friends
and colleagues directly to organise rehearsals, initiate collaborations, and contact
composers to commission pieces, adding to the repertoire. Social
media isn’t simply for aspiring professionals this platform is key in the
lives of famous performers, orchestras, professors, composers and conductors. These
websites are most commonly used for posting recordings and videos, advertising
concerts, and sharing information on masterclasses, courses and teaching
philosophies. YouTube is
the most well known website besides Google. Since it was first activated in
February 2005, it has attracted millions of hits per year. Professors
frequently tell students to go on YouTube to listen to repertoire they are
learning, and is the go-to source for watching orchestral performances when
preparing for auditions. It is used for promoting personal recordings and seeking
criticism from the online community. Videos of masterclasses or instructional
material on new techniques are readily available, allowing flutists to learn
even when not undertaking studies. Applications
such as Skype and FaceTime, created for keeping relationships alive across the globe,
are useful to the modern-day flutist. They enable connecting with potential
ensemble partners, job interviews for teaching positions, and – when coupled
with the right microphone – orchestra auditions. Consultation lessons with
professors at conservatories of interest can now happen trans-continentally
without paying an exorbitant amount for flights. With online
sources like the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP), flutists
have free access to sheet music that are out of copyright. Getting scores for
courses, auditions and orchestral work through sites like this means flutists
can properly prepare for any situation. IMSLP is great for practicing
repertoire that is difficult to purchase in the flesh. Other
children of modern technology are online listening libraries like Naxos and
Spotify. These resources are perfect for comparing recordings, ideas on
interpretation, tempo indications and sound quality. This helps when learning
new pieces and deciding what kind of repertoire to explore next. Like YouTube,
these are used for listening to full orchestrations in preparation of auditions
or rehearsals and listening to the recordings of pedagogues. Search
engines like Google are used daily in all facets of life, whether it be new
recipes or looking for information on the flute. It is used for researching masterclasses,
job openings in orchestras and ensembles, teaching positions and college
auditions. Flutists are now able to better prepare for auditions by finding
information about orchestra members, conductors, repertoire preferences, and
performance and recording history. They can study local culture and language,
and know if they would want to live where the job is available. The
millennial generation will never understand the not-so-distant past of
isolation and not being constantly attached to people via email or mobile phone.
Growing up with the internet and talking with friends and family at the touch
of a button, people from the .s are fortunate. I’ve had one experience in
particular that showcases how lucky I am that it happened in 2012, and not 1992. I was in
the Netherlands for the first time going to a course run by Emily Beynon of the
Royal Concertgebauw orchestra. It was supposed to be easy: get a train from
Schipol, ride for a few hours, get picked up from the station by a shuttle and
be brought to the course location. I didn’t understand the Dutch signage in the
station, however, and it wasn’t until 3 hours later that I discovered I had
boarded a train in the opposite direction. I was stranded on the other side of
the country, and in a panic I got on Whatsapp, messaging my mom in Atlantic
Canada, begging her to call me. She jumped in the car with her cell phone and
laptop, and immediately drove to where she could access the internet – the
marina across the lake. We talked on the phone while she used Google to find my
location, brought up train schedules, then emailed me directions to get back on
the right track. Had it been 20 years earlier, I’d have been trapped on the
boarder of a country where I didn’t speak the language, not knowing how to get
to where I was supposed to go or contact anyone. I now look back on this day
with a kind of dry humour, but can only imagine how awful it could have been if
not for modern technology.
While there have been a great number of advances directly in the flute world, the evolution of modern technology has been the development of the century. Never before has so much information been right at our fingertips thanks to the likes of YouTube and IMSLP. Never before have communications and advertising been so simple with Twitter and Facebook. And, finally, never before has the world seemed so small and easy to conquer.
This resource was uploaded by: Lindsay