Motivation by Love | Steven Banks

Mahalia Jackson and Duke Ellington at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1970. These are two musicians that exuded incredible amounts of love through music during their lifetimes.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the music community has found so many inspiring ways to stay connected and active. Thanks to Nathan Nabb, professor of saxophone at Stephen F. Austin University and teacher at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the saxophone community has created a series of masterclasses and Q&A’s with professors and performers from around the country.

In one of these masterclasses, given by Zach Shemon, saxophone professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, I learned about three different types of motivation that exist.

Motivation by fear
Motivation by reward
Motivation by love

Motivation by love is certainly the ideal form. In this uncertain time full of cancellations and waiting, Zach encouraged us to look inward to think about what it is that we truly love about playing our instrument. Connecting with what we genuinely love can give us a healthy motivation to push forward and continue working hard.

This discussion inspired me to reflect on some things that I love about music and playing the saxophone!

Sound

I LOVE thinking about creating sounds that transcend description. I love trying to get all of the tone colors possible out of my instrument. For me, the core sound of the finest clarinet players is something that I often dream about emulating.

Anthony McGill (clarinet) and the Pacifica Quartet - Mozart Clarinet Quintet | Movement II

Afendi Yusuf (clarinet), Brian Thornton, and Spencer Myer - Brahms Clarinet Trio | Movement I

I LOVE listening to artists that seem to make sounds with their instruments (or voices) that I could never imagine being possible. To me, these are sounds that have no semblance of reed, string, hammer, or whatever happens to be creating the sound.

Luciano Pavoratti - Der Rosenkavalier | Di rigore armato il seno

Harmony

I LOVE hearing and playing a juicy chord progression! Plain and simple…

Jacob Collier - Moon River

I LOVE playing and listening to music that uses harmonic progression as a vital part of its development and expressive language.

Steuart Pincombe - J.S. Bach - Cello Suite No. 2 in D Minor

I LOVE hearing and playing chords that are perfectly in tune. There is such a deep, inward satisfaction in a justly tuned chord - like the last chord of the video below!

PRISM Quartet - Bop by Jennifer Higdon

Transcendence

I LOVE hearing performers that transcend their instruments (or voices) and communicate their message with the utmost clarity and intention.

Mahalia Jackson - Lord Don’t Move the Mountain

Vulnerability

I LOVE seeing and hearing performers that are not afraid to put themselves out there in a genuine way, regardless of what the critics might say. I aspire every day to have the freedom on stage that Andre Watts has.

Andre Watts - Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor

Connection

Most importantly, I LOVE being able to connect with others through music. Somehow, it feels like connecting through music is the easiest way to see another person’s true self, even if for a brief, fleeting moment.

I LOVE knowing that a composer, at some point, had to dream of the music that I’m performing. I LOVE feeling the responsibility to do justice to their brainchild.

I LOVE the fact the everyone experiences music in a different way.

We connect with the other performers we make music with. We connect with the composers that write the music we play. We can develop relationships with living composers and can connect with those that have passed on through their scores and learning as much about their lives as possible. We also connect with our audiences every time we perform. What is meaningful to one person today, could have a completely different significance to the person sitting right next to them. One of my favorite things to do after a concert is to talk with the audience and hear about the wide range of things that people took away from the performance.

These are, of course, not the only things that I love about music. However, they did speak to me today, and I hope they might connect with some of you! I am always looking for inspiration, though. I’d love to know what YOU love about music or playing whatever instrument or voice type you have. Let’s spread the love and stay motivated!