Leonard Bernstein and the Mystical-Magical 5 Levels of Musicianship

My Best-Man and mentor, Mark Downey, shared this with me some 20 years ago.  Thankfully, it  resurfaced.  It is such great information that it must be shared.  My favorite part of his lesson was the story of Leonard Bernstein performing a work from the piano (with the LA Phil) at the Hollywood Bowl.  During the performance, a bumble bee sat on his nose.  When asked by a critic how he was able to continue performing, he said he didn't even notice.  Such was the maestro's level of concentration!!

Leonard Bernstein was an excellent teacher; helping hundreds of students who attended his master classes. A student asked, “maestro, what is the one quality that distinguishes a good musician from a great one?”

His response was quite interesting. Here is a summary. I’ve adapted for singers, especially those singing in churches. Many musicians learn notes, rhythms, phrasing and dynamics, then call it a day. The really good ones realize this is only about 10% of the process. Here is a short summary.

Level	Technique/ Skills	Left-right brain/ creative soulfulness
1 Many singers hate this level because it focuses on the left brain.	What are the correct notes and rhythms?	Almost all left brain.
2 Church choirs often get stuck here and as a result, the music seems “boring” to the listener.	Notes and rhythms learned	Body starts to relax, some right brain experiences
3 The body now begins to relax and even movement within the body takes place. The body wants to move while singing. Give it permission to move.	Dynamics and phrasing, nuances in the music begin to appear	Most musicians stop here! It’s a shame because the really good  music is ready to be sung and blossom forth
4 The CSO most likely achieves this level with certain conductors. You can often tell how musicians respond to certain conductors. Think Solti-Barenboim-Muti!	Much more feeling in the musical line, more nuances within the notes, phrases and chord structures	Body becomes very relaxed, right brain is now in control. Body doesn’t think about fingerings, breath support, where the cut-off is… BUT the person is aware of their surroundings.
5 The most difficult level to achieve because it requires discipline to block “stuff” out and to empty the mind. It’s really letting go!	Creative process now takes over. The musical line is free and not obstructed in any way.	The performer is not really aware of his/her surroundings, temperature, coughs in the audience, being thirsty. This is when music is truly created.

 What level are you singing at? Challenge yourself to dig deep into the music, never singing two notes alike, singing with color and energy. You will be richly rewarded for your efforts.

Summary by Mark J. Downey