Blog Assignment 1: Creative Influence

    I decided during my high school career I decided I wanted to pursue music as a career option. When I started college, I decided to take on a corollary in video production... Which I have been called crazy for numerous times. Throughout my life as a musician, I have been asked who inspires me to do what I do...Or why did I choose music as a career? Without much thought, I came to my conclusion. I have one of the most influential mentors.
    I began taking bassoon lessons with Dr.  Matthew Morris during my junior year of high school and I am continuing to study with him in college. He is not only a fantastic teacher, but an amazing musician as well. He plays with spectacular tone and uses emotional contrast in is playing to create tension to keep the listener engaged. He makes the musical colors darker or lighter to represent a particular emotion in an orchestral excerpt or solo work. If the emotions in the work are similar, he uses musical affinity. This creates a more mellow mood, resulting in a relaxing atmosphere.
    The pieces Dr. Morris chooses to perform are often subjective and are open for the listeners' interpretation. He puts his own twist on the music, but each individual is affected differently. Music can be objective as well. For example, the structure of the piece is objective, referring to the "true reality" of the piece. This is what the listener knows about the work, such as being composed in a minor key during the 21st century.
     Dr. Morris keeps the audience's attention by reflecting different emotions in his playing. He uses dynamics and different articulations on the bassoon to build tension until the climax of the piece; which is followed by the release, or when the piece begins to wind down. During the release, there could be softer dynamics, ritardandos, or a repeat of a previous section. There can be more ways for the music to wind down, but those are just three examples.
     Dr. Morris is a fantastic teacher. He has great bassoon technique and shares this knowledge with his students in a laid back environment. Prior to studying with Morris, I was always nervous to play for my instructor. However, playing for Dr. Morris was different. When he was teaching me, I felt like he was actually trying to help me improve, rather than judge my musical abilities. He will go out of his way to help his students. He gives his honest advice about school and jobs. It is very unlikely that I would be able to find a stable job in music, which is why he encouraged me to double major in something else. This way I would have another career option if music does not work out. I could also combine my music degree with video production. This is when I joined AVW Productions and fell in love with the Ohio University School of Media Arts and Studies. Dr. Morris has helped make decisions about my college career, nurtured my creativity, and help me improve my musical technique.