The Getting of Wisdom (!)

The triumphal conclusion is in sight: we’re building to the climax of our two-week musical adventure. By now, adrenalin is kicking in to take its role in keeping us all going, as we approach the challenging final stages of stuff-strutting.

For the Department of WAM, the deadlines for delivery of program notes, radio features and the Camp newsletter have by now all been, by some miracle, met, giving us the opportunity for a couple of days to reflect upon the wider context of the symbiosis of music and writing. To aid in this endeavour, we’ve met with three sterling fellows who’ve shared their insights and experience to provide us with some trajectories for future cogitation, contemplation and even action.

Mark Carroll, Music Historian and Associate Professor here at the Elder Conservatorium, presented a Schenker-like model for the task of program note writing: a layering approach, of firstly establishing our in-depth knowledge of the particular piece to be written about, then adding further dimensions of enlightening the reader and finally (last but not least) of entertaining them. Graham Strahle, Adelaide’s pre-eminent music critic, outlined the challenges and principles for approaching this important task, again emphasising the need for sound preparation and background-building, but in the context of elegantly articulating a personal response to the performance. Whether this is to be achieved by immersion or objectivity, that is the question… And Vincent Ciccarello gave us an insight into his own career path from musician to musicologist to artist manager and now, journalist – a fascinating tale of the contest between aspiration and reality and of the importance of serendipity. Vince also gave us an insight into the world of journalism, its pressurised environment and demands for balancing the hard and the soft.

All three gave splendid amplification to the themes we have been drawing out from our two chosen role models in the realm of music and words: Richard Taruskin and Alex Ross. Heroes, really, for the contemporary writer about music, and perhaps also for everyone engaged with the future of classical music. I'm seeking out a copy of Taruskin's "The Danger of Music", not to mention Bob Dylan's "Chronicles", pronto...

Thanks to Mark, Vince and Graham for their contributions to the “getting of wisdom”, supporting the students of WAM as they seek their directions for the future.

James Koehne

WAM Tutor