by Dr. Beth Chouinard-Mitchell
The life of a Los Angeles musician can be a little crazy. As a typical Los Angeles freelancer I go from thing to thing: concert to next gig, to rehearsal, to teaching university classes, masterclasses, then practice music that is coming up, jump into teaching lessons, recital prep, then sneak in a bit of writing on my etudes and books, off to more concerts, bouncing around town, clocking in hours, each event separated by traffic. It is normal to juggle a lot. Everyone does. As this summer approached, I was feeling a little burnt out.
So, when asked to teach online Music Appreciation AND teach at the Eurobrass Workshop in Germany, my first reaction was: YES! My second thought was: I BET I CAN DO ALL THIS IN EUROPE! And so I did.
First, I set up a six week Music Appreciation course that would practically run itself, recorded online lectures with killer powerpoint, set up a course that easily lead the students from composer to composer, each module full of information, concepts, recordings, history, great visuals, creating interesting writing assignments that would get my students outside to the Hollywood Bowl or some other live summer concert, set up a Midterm and Final Exam, set up efficient ways to check in on students, and made myself easy to contact via email.
Then I packed, kidnapped my mom (I told her we were going to celebrate her birthday in Prague – which we did and it was awesome), grabbed a German phrase book, and off we went. For the first few weeks, we toured Eastern Europe, visiting the lands of my family as I taught online. Then we headed to eastern Germany for the Eurobrass Workshop.
I have toured with Eurobrass 3 times since 2002, and each time it is an enriching experience of playing fantastic, challenging music with fine brass musicians. THIS TIME, I was privileged to be able to teach at the workshop in Eichsfeld. Eurobrass is a Christian organization and the Eurobrass Workshop happens once every three years. Like any other summer brass camp, it is dedicated to excellence in teaching, performance, and brass playing, while enriching the body, mind, and spirit. This year we had about 70 brass players, advanced amateurs who grew up playing in Posaunenchor and have been playing their whole lives. Some were at the level one might expect, most were quite good, and many were exceptional. All were there to study and learn.
In Eichsfeld we played faculty concerts, and as a Tuba/ Euphonium tutor I taught lessons, led warmups, masterclasses, coached chamber music, worked with students in the large ensemble, and more. There was little need to advertise for the final concert as the sound from our rehearsals wafted through the air, down the hill, into town. Thus, our final workshop concert was well attended by the whole community and neighboring towns.
The Eurobrass Workshop was a rewarding time of fun, good brass music, and a great opportunity to hang out with some pretty spectacular people.
Now back in LA and back at “work”, I think about this outrageous summer, and smile. I would do it again in a heartbeat!
