News
Sofia Joons: naturalness pays off in traditional music
18.05.2011
traditional musician and the Head of August Pulst School
The third national competition for instrument students which was held in the Traditional Music Center in Viljandi on May 6 delighted the jury with its diverse repertoire and the variety of different manners of playing displayed by the contestants.
There were slightly over 70 contestants but as some of them competed under more than one category, there were more than 80 performances given during the competition. The competition was carried out in the following instrument categories: violin, bagpipe, talharpa, zithers, bellows-driven instruments, traditional wind instruments and plucked instruments. In addition to these, the instruments which can be considered to be new from the point of view of traditional music, for example the recorder, formed a separate group, called the open-class category. The contestants were also divided into younger and older performers based on how long they had been playing the instrument.
The contest which is organised by Estonian Traditional Music Center has always been open for people from all around Estonia but this year's contest was the first where all the counties were represented. Due to the rules of the contest, this is not only a statistically interesting fact but it also influences the repertoire. Namely, every contestant had to play two traditional songs, one of which had to originate from the area from which the participant is from. Thus, those who listened to all the performers could say that today, they heard the whole of Estonia.
I was a member of the jury together with Neeme Punder, Maarja Nuut, Ando Kiviberg, Tarmo Noormaa and Aime Reier and I have to admit that it was extremely interesting to see and hear the results of the teaching which is carried out in music schools and by private tutors. The jury assessed both the technical skills and the creativity of the contestants. Differently from, for example, classical music, traditional music is organically linked to movement. Most traditional songs were born to accompany dancers. In a nutshell, the greatest challenge for the traditional musician is to fulfil the functions which in other music genres are divided between the melody and the accompanying instruments and drums. So what was the jury looking for? It was not about the complexity of the songs but how the songs were performed. We decided to award the contestants whose playing skills were as enchanting as their stage presence. We were looking for players whose performances are magical, natural and enthralling. During the competition, we and the audience were lucky enough to witness complete and natural performances which resembled miracles because some of the young musicians managed to make their fingers run over the buttons, holes or strings of their instrument so effortlessly and with such sparkle in their eyes that the instrument became a part of their body. One of the best examples of that was Toomas Ojasaar from Põlva who studies the Estonian diatonic accordion aka Teppo instrument under the guidance of Heino Tartes. The jury decided to award him with the first prize together with the invitation to perform at the forthcoming Viljandi Folk Music Festival. Thus, remember his name in case you plan to visit the festival in Viljandi in the end of July. His performances are pleasurable for both the ears and the eyes.
Becoming a musician is not easy. It takes time and effort but following the curriculum and improving the playing skills are only secondary to motivating your students and setting an example for those striving to be musicians.
An Irish proverb says that an instrument player has to study his instrument for seven years, develop his repertoire for another seven years and after that, travel around and play his songs for a further seven years. Only after all that, conclusions may be drawn about if there is something there or not.
Musical skills develop slowly. Estonian Traditional Music Center provides an opportunity to give an annual overview of the development of young musicians. Thus, the goal of the contest is not only to provide youngsters with an opportunity to compete but also to enable them to find out what their peers are doing and follow the leads of the best players. The audience can also listen to the contest and as there are no semi-finals, the youngsters and their teachers can also listen to the performances from players from the other instrument categories. This will hopefully introduce them to new songs and ways of playing from which to draw inspiration in the future.
During the first contest, it could be seen that the youngsters and their teachers did not know how to prepare for a traditional music solo performance but the situation has improved immensely during the last few years. The repertoire has become diverse and the performances differ from each other. Even though during the first year, it felt as if the youngsters were stolen from bands and made to perform alone and not as soloists, the situation has changed and this year, most of the youngsters sat or stood on the stage in a way that as if shouted "Hi! I am here! I will play you an incredible song! Just wait and see...!"
It is a pleasure to see that teaching and learning traditional music in Estonia is something that both the players and the teachers enjoy doing and that translates into the skills of the students. It has been an honour to be able to observe these positive changes and to support the students emotionally.