Professor Kristy Morell was kind enough to invite me to play drumset for a reading session with the USC Thornton Horn Ensemble. Undergraduate and Graduate students arrange various pop tunes for French Horn choir, and today we read through everyone’s arrangements. What a great way to structure an activity that develops creative agency and a useful, accessible product for a variety of outreach performances!
I wonder if composers ever tire of the thrill of hearing their music brought to life? For me, that’s one of the most enjoyable parts of the entire composition process, especially when great musicians perform it even better than you imagined. However, I noticed that for some of the horn students, the discomfort of having to present their own work seemed to outweigh the enjoyment of hearing their arrangements brought to life. The arrangements sounded great and everyone in the horn studio was rooting for each other – why is this making them so uncomfortable?
In one of our many discussions, my brother says that he thinks it takes a certain amount of courage to be creative. I agree – for some, it’s courage, and for others, a lack of inhibition. Depending on the person, a fear of being judged, showcasing your original thoughts and ideas – it can be all be a very personal process and a challenge for those that are self-conscious or unconfident in their abilities.
This Ted Talk by David Kelley describes how being creative is not binary, a yes or no. I found it very interesting, and may prove inspirational for those who would consider themselves as “uncreative.” It reminds me of Pixar’s Ratatouille – “Everyone can cook!” – and in the same vain, “Everyone can be creative!”
HUEI-YUAN PAN 