Thoughts during this weird time...

Musicians all over the world have felt the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We’ve not worked in almost a year; we’ve been isolated and many of us have taken to the online community and generated a lot of content.

For me, music making has always been a communal activity. The loss of interactions with friends and colleagues around the world has been jarring, to say the least. A large part of my identity was seemingly lost as I searched for ways to engage musically from my living room or from my workshop. The technological challenges with Zoom and FaceTime, the substandard sounds recorded by phones and computers, the lack of acoustic spaces and interaction with other instrumentalists, especially pianists, have all vividly reminded me of what we’ve all lost.

I live in New York City, one of the bright lights in the world of culture. To see the city culturally shut down for 9 months has been unbearable. Culture is what makes NYC tick and bustle. Broadway is dark as is Carnegie, Lincoln Center and all other cultural institutions. Musicians have left the city in droves because of the high rent and their inability to make ends meet. For many of us, we’re probably wondering how and when things can come back at all.

With some friends (Michael Lowenstern, Katherine Cooke and David Gould), we played a porch concert for Memorial Day that was just a short selection of 4 patriotic pieces. It felt like my debut at Carnegie Hall! People were hanging out of windows in the buildings all around us, cheering, clapping and yelling words of thanks. It was a reminder to us of the power of music to move people and create community. Our short little concert practically moved us all to tears because we were able to share something with other people and each other again.

Moving forward through these many months, I’ve been focused on my workshop, Reedworthy Woodwind Services and the New York Clarinet Workshop. I’ve created a line of barrels, engaged in development projects with a few manufacturers, learned new repair techniques and tried to push the ball down the field with the services that I offer and the knowledge that I acquire. It’s been rewarding, but there’s still a big void that desperately needs to be filled. 

Because of all the content generation that has occurred, I’ve been reluctant to start making videos, posting phone recorded versions of practice sessions and to use social media as a way of satisfying my musical longings. I asked myself, “what would I have to offer that others haven’t done?” I’m not sure I’ve found the answer to that question yet.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have 3 dear friends as a part of my Covid “pod”, all of them musicians, that have provided opportunities to at least listen and enjoy music together and occasionally play together or test some of my new products. I’m SO GRATEFUL for these opportunities and lucky enough that I only have to walk across the street for inspiration. 

I’ve started practicing again… finally. I’m hopeful that we can start to see the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine on the horizon. I wonder how many of us have gotten a mental boost from the news that it’s coming. Now the question is, how long do we wait? What happens next? How do we move forward in a world that is so radically different from where we were just 9 months ago?

Community is more important than ever; culture is vital, and our collective growth and health have been placed in the forefront of all of our minds. Moving forward is essential but looking back and reviewing all that we’ve learned as a result of this pandemic is also important.

Sometimes I’ve cursed my decision to be a musician because of the lack of funding, the rat-race and the constant ride on the struggle bus. Now though… the few times I’ve played have reminded me that smiles, tears, community and solidarity are all results of some of my efforts. At this time, I can’t ask for anything more. Keep playing everyone, the world needs you.

Warmly,
Michael