Note-worthy Experiences Music Studio
F E A T U R E
Interview with Nicholas Ford
F E A T U R E
Interview with Nicholas Ford
How old were you when you first learned a musical instrument?
I must have been about five years old when my fairy godmother (our church's minister of music) plucked me from the pew and had me start singing. For a long time, my only musical education came from hearing and singing church music, as where I'm from most schools don't have developed arts and music programs, and I never attended a school with a band. Luckily my non-musician parents could see how much I loved music and searched high and low for opportunities. After a few summer music camps, I joined a boy choir in a nearby city, and that eventually led to an arts high school, where I finally had some formal training in theory and voice. I started writing music during my senior year at the Mississippi School of the Arts, and went on to study composition in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Over the years, I picked up piano and guitar thanks to school and my own interests in American and folk music. But, everything started with the voice, and my voice is still my best and primary instrument.
Did you always think of yourself as a musician?
Musicianship wasn't really a concept for me as a child. Written music, people who could play piano or guitar, it all seemed a mystical thing that was unapproachable. I just felt like a singer. I don't think I developed a sense of myself as a musician until I started writing music in addition to performing. As a young musician, the ideal of great musicianship was very important, and I had to work hard to keep up with peers who had begun formal study at a young age. Now, as someone who regularly writes and premieres my own music, and the music of my friends and colleagues, I worry less about the title of musician. I just think of myself as an artist.
Who were some of your most inspiring teachers?
I have had so many teachers over the years that it's hard to choose a few. Of course, there's my musical fairy godmother who started me on the journey, but I also think of the founder and director of the boy choir I joined at age twelve, truly a rare opportunity in that place and time. The teachers at the Mississippi School of the Arts taught me not just the HOW but the WHY of art. In college I had amazing teachers, and teachers who were not a good fit for me, and there were lessons to be taken from each. I learned as much from my peers as from my professors, and I was most inspired by those who actually made new art regularly. I've also been inspired and taught by the work of other artists; I learned so much about the voice from Meredith Monk, so much about writing music from folk and jazz musicians, artists like Alice Coltrane, and so much about performance from my theater experience and visionary artists like Marina Abramovic. It's important to cast a wide net of inspiration when you're young.
What was your most memorable performance?
This one happened recently! I produced a concert called "Magic." with the Nightingale Vocal Ensemble here in Boston. I was able to pull together music I loved and work with other composers to create a program where I coached and performed in two world premieres of my own music, premiered a solo piece written by a friend, and performed a wild duet called "Hocket" by Meredith Monk. The work and faith of my colleagues in pulling together some truly difficult music and buying into my vision was the best part by far. Creating a concert from the ground floor concept to the full realization was the most rewarding experience, and something I'm eager to repeat.
What is your advice to students who want to learn a new instrument or improve their playing?
Hold onto the initial inspiration that brought you to music in the first place! When you're having formal lessons, it can be easy to get lost in the wide world of learning music, theory, and technique. But the people who stick with music are those who are able to play and practice music they LOVE! Of course, it's important to develop the habit of discipline, but this takes time and motivation! If you allow yourself to be motivated by the music you really love and want to play, then you can learn discipline by working towards goals that are important to YOU. When you do this, practice becomes play, and it's a lot easier to play your instrument every day than it is to practice your instrument every day. To be the best we can be, we have to balance passion and discipline.
Learn more about Nicholas on his Teacher Page.
I must have been about five years old when my fairy godmother (our church's minister of music) plucked me from the pew and had me start singing. For a long time, my only musical education came from hearing and singing church music, as where I'm from most schools don't have developed arts and music programs, and I never attended a school with a band. Luckily my non-musician parents could see how much I loved music and searched high and low for opportunities. After a few summer music camps, I joined a boy choir in a nearby city, and that eventually led to an arts high school, where I finally had some formal training in theory and voice. I started writing music during my senior year at the Mississippi School of the Arts, and went on to study composition in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Over the years, I picked up piano and guitar thanks to school and my own interests in American and folk music. But, everything started with the voice, and my voice is still my best and primary instrument.
Did you always think of yourself as a musician?
Musicianship wasn't really a concept for me as a child. Written music, people who could play piano or guitar, it all seemed a mystical thing that was unapproachable. I just felt like a singer. I don't think I developed a sense of myself as a musician until I started writing music in addition to performing. As a young musician, the ideal of great musicianship was very important, and I had to work hard to keep up with peers who had begun formal study at a young age. Now, as someone who regularly writes and premieres my own music, and the music of my friends and colleagues, I worry less about the title of musician. I just think of myself as an artist.
Who were some of your most inspiring teachers?
I have had so many teachers over the years that it's hard to choose a few. Of course, there's my musical fairy godmother who started me on the journey, but I also think of the founder and director of the boy choir I joined at age twelve, truly a rare opportunity in that place and time. The teachers at the Mississippi School of the Arts taught me not just the HOW but the WHY of art. In college I had amazing teachers, and teachers who were not a good fit for me, and there were lessons to be taken from each. I learned as much from my peers as from my professors, and I was most inspired by those who actually made new art regularly. I've also been inspired and taught by the work of other artists; I learned so much about the voice from Meredith Monk, so much about writing music from folk and jazz musicians, artists like Alice Coltrane, and so much about performance from my theater experience and visionary artists like Marina Abramovic. It's important to cast a wide net of inspiration when you're young.
What was your most memorable performance?
This one happened recently! I produced a concert called "Magic." with the Nightingale Vocal Ensemble here in Boston. I was able to pull together music I loved and work with other composers to create a program where I coached and performed in two world premieres of my own music, premiered a solo piece written by a friend, and performed a wild duet called "Hocket" by Meredith Monk. The work and faith of my colleagues in pulling together some truly difficult music and buying into my vision was the best part by far. Creating a concert from the ground floor concept to the full realization was the most rewarding experience, and something I'm eager to repeat.
What is your advice to students who want to learn a new instrument or improve their playing?
Hold onto the initial inspiration that brought you to music in the first place! When you're having formal lessons, it can be easy to get lost in the wide world of learning music, theory, and technique. But the people who stick with music are those who are able to play and practice music they LOVE! Of course, it's important to develop the habit of discipline, but this takes time and motivation! If you allow yourself to be motivated by the music you really love and want to play, then you can learn discipline by working towards goals that are important to YOU. When you do this, practice becomes play, and it's a lot easier to play your instrument every day than it is to practice your instrument every day. To be the best we can be, we have to balance passion and discipline.
Learn more about Nicholas on his Teacher Page.