Recover, Reboot, Relaunch!
It has been a year like no other. You don’t need me to tell you that as there is not one single person who can honestly say they haven’t been affected in some way by the global pandemic. Now when I say affected, I don’t just mean the bad stuff. Of course there has been plenty of that but carefully panning through the fear and darkness, has uncovered little nuggets of hope, joy, unification and strength.
This time last year, I made my panic buy of the last available iMac in John Lewis and an audio interface in Guitar Guitar. I had no idea of how to use the latter but apparently I needed one! Confident there were enough loo rolls and general supplies for the next few weeks, I dashed back home and felt the heavy doors of “normal life” slam shut behind me. Separated from my loved ones, I calmly accepted my sentence and began my three months of solitary confinement.
I had always joked saying I wish there could be an 8th day in the week where we are only allowed to relax. Being a musician, I was used to working weekends and evenings and being a musician, I was used to teaching from early mornings. Being a musician is a way of life, and I love it. It can be exhausting and there have been many sacrifices along the way but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Now, suddenly I had my 8th day. A very long one at that. This was my chance to recover, reboot and relaunch!
The RECOVERY bit was easy. A couple of days of being grounded and I felt refreshed and ready for new challenges! That was fortunate, as many challenges were going to have to be faced over these three months.
The REBOOT was brutal! I had never been great with technology but I got by. There had always been someone at home or work that could get me back on track when the inevitable issues occurred but now I was really going to have to stand on my own two feet and learn fast! I have often been thrown in at the deep end throughout my life and now I finally get that being out of my comfort zone is my comfort zone!
The words Zoom and Teams suddenly became proper nouns and although previously unheard of became my lifelines very quickly. All of a sudden, the forbidden outside world was at my fingertips and I could communicate with everyone from the comfort of home! I was so grateful I could continue my teaching and my wonderful students accepted their new circumstances and just got on with it! I attended workshops, lectures, had world famous conductors direct me in my own living room, travelled thousands of miles without taking one step and generally connected with the world in a way I had never thought possible. Looking back, these things are so “normal” now that I don’t really understand why they hadn’t happened before. The technology was there…we just needed a push! To be fair it was more than just a push we got but if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, my students would never have met my colleagues’ students from Melbourne, let alone play alongside each other! This might seem a trivial outcome to many but for several of the attendees, it made a huge impact on them.
I’m not trying to take away from the seriousness of our predicament or the grief suffered by so many, but in a world where there is so little happy news, I really feel compelled to highlight some of the positivity I have been lucky enough to experience.
Noticeably, that positivity more often than not, involved music. It was different though. It was a RELAUNCH of life but not as we had known it. Suddenly, a world starved of its creativity and entertainment, had audiences flocking to their sofas to watch online concerts and take part in virtual workshops.
People were “having a go” themselves. Why not? What was there to lose, trying out new skills or dusting off old ones in the safety of your own living room, with expert tuition on the screen and your microphone on mute at home. The therapy of music spoke for itself.
As performers and teachers, musicians like other performing artists tried to come to terms with the loss of income and more importantly, the loss of identity. Many used their creativity to reach audiences in other ways.
There were many amazing projects launched during lockdown but one I have to mention was the Benedetti Foundation’s Virtual Sessions. These incredible sessions stretched right round the world and included thousands of children, their families, teachers, amateurs and professionals. There was literally something for everyone whatever age, stage or interest you might have in music. Having the wonderful Nicola Benedetti and her fantastic team motivate, inspire and share their musical secrets was a revelation and an inspiration. Health and wellbeing played a huge part in the sessions and the sense of community was immense, as with the help of social media, people supported and helped each other. It was a feeling of unity and that is just what we needed. This enforced physical separation gave a refreshed sense of community and respect between us as individuals, students, families, friends, colleagues and teachers. We were back on the same team (in all senses!).
I was inspired by this.
The pull together was powerful and the determination to carry on was infectious. I pulled my first all nighter in years, clumsily piecing together a video performance for my students. It was a joy as each submission kept me company as it was fitted into the bigger picture. For a while, time didn’t matter. I could choose to work through the day or night. Schedules were scaled right back. I was locked down but somehow freer. I was isolated but connected to the world more than ever before… because of music.
It may have taken a global pandemic, several lockdowns and isolation but finally I have taken the reins and feel in control of my dreams and ambitions. I learned the tech and built a new website that I could manage, I got over the camera shyness and made some videos, I worked on my playing as these recording projects leave you nowhere to hide! (I have always had great admiration for sound engineers…now I know that they are gods!).
Hopefully we are finally on our way out of these bizarre times but to be honest, I’m slightly apprehensive about returning to “normal”. I want to return to a better “normal” than before and stay firmly in the driving seat. So although it may seem to be a strange time to choose to launch our most recent project, I’m determined to stay out of the comfort zone and go for it, as we all now really understand that we never know what is round the corner!
What is the new project? Oh that’s in my next blog 😉…