From the Top
From the Top is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of young classically-trained musicians. It is on KBSU on Sunday afternoons (NPR) and I am constantly amazed at the gifts and stories of young musicians and how passionate they are about music. Passionate enough to practice for hours a day. Passionate enough to attend music camps in far away places. Passionate enough to fall in love with their instrument and how they can express themselves through it. Passionate enough to go deeper and deeper to better their skills and understanding of their craft. They are incredibly inspirational to me.
What these young people can perform is ASTONISHING! It is technically mind-blowing and artisically almost impossible to believe! These kids are from 12-19 years old playing at vertuosic levels. I am also fascinated by what drives them. (I mean, I know what drives them, I was there too but hang with me here.) “The first time I heard a violin, I was absolutely mesmorized. I knew I had to learn how to play.” This strikes a chord 😉 in most of us whether it refers to music, architecture, math, languages, sport, and horses…the obsession draws you in.
Listen to "From The Top" on Spotify or Apple Podcast
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Listen to "From The Top" on Spotify or Apple Podcast 🎼
The musician has the complusion to learn how to play. How to make music. How to create beautiful moments. Notice how it wasn’t, “I had to learn how to win.”
Hours upon hours are spent in lessons and practice not to win anything, but to become part of a transcendent shared experience: a performer releasing music to an audience and the comingling of communal emotion. An entire group of people moved by the skill, dedication, preparation, and soul-sharing of a musician. Speaking as a musician…this is unspeakable otherworldliness. Un. Speakable. The following track is the Biola Chorale from the Biola Conservatory of Music. Being a member of this ensemble was an honor, humbling, and moving.
I have not experienced winnning that can come close to this kind of intimacy and authenticity after competing extensively in both sports and equestrian pursuits. There are levels of excitement and satisfaction in having a really good go at a show and being recognized for it. There’s also a lot of stress. There are times when you are happy with you and your horse’s performance but the judge simply isn’t. So much of it is out of your control: what “the judge wants to see,” what the expectations are in any given class, (perhaps they’re simply not appropriate for the horse you’re showing), the limitations of how much the judge actually sees your best work….it goes on and on. The conditions/expectations at shows are arbitrary and the judging is subjective. It’s the nature of judged competition.
Horses simply don’t care about prizes and prestige. Maybe we need not as well if we take a page from the book of musicians.
The moments with horses that enrich my spirit like preparing and presenting music are moments of cooperation, clarity, generosity, and vulnerability. I believe these times enrich the horse as well. I can go deep, focusing on my education, technique and application. I can open my mind and heart toward my equine partner, listening as I would while singing with another musician. I’m not alone in this artistic and technical work. I cannot do anything without the horse.
I’ve found great inspiration in the French tradition of Légèreté because of the overall positive attitude toward the art of horsemanship and the great mass of time tested wisdom and experience of historic practitioners. For instance, in describing René Bacharach, it was said, "the horses were free to express their emotions, their curiosity and…so placing the head was not imposed and the attitude that the horses took came from inside of themselves....” This sings to me. This draws me in. These moments….these moments are what bring any kind of pererformance to life.
Not just movements but a cooperative effort.
Not just notes but music.
Transcendence.
Maybe you were (or are) one of those who feels compelled to be involved with horses. That’s an amazing choice to make and your life will be richer for it. I felt the obsession from very young age. I spent a lot of years “getting horses to do what I want.” It was alright. The prizes and such are nice.
For me competing just can’t rival deepening MY skills, studying and practicing to bring MY best for the horse. Why in the world would excellent horsemanship be any easier than learning a musical instrument to a vertuosic level? It’s not. But the journey is unbelievable!
Are you looking for soul-sharing, technical prowess, and transcendence?
Join me and let’s explore and learn together!