December 11, 2014

Mysteries about the Life of a Musician

Tomoko muses about the many mysteries about a musician's life.

The music performance field is very competitive, and it is sometimes a wonder as to who becomes a professional, or who becomes famous. “There are so many good musicians who are unknown,” Tomoko maintains. That’s one reason that Tomoko usually accepts students at the Conservatory; “You never know where you will find talent – or when it will emerge from the student.”

Tomoko thinks that mystery is good. She advises her students, “When you go to a recital or other performance venue, remember the importance of first impressions. Be most careful at the start. Keep a little mystery about yourself that will feed people’s curiosity.”

Tomoko continues, “The most important part is the performance, and the most important part of the performance is communicating emotion with the audience. That interaction is a wonderful, mysterious feeling.”  Tomoko harkens back to that first impression: “Once you perform, you have a different kind of connection with the audience.”

Even if we plan, we live in the “now.” We don’t know about tomorrow. Tomoko reflects: “That’s good. There’s always hope."