A Soprano on Her Head: Right-Side-Up Reflections on Life and Other Performances

220 Pages·1982·29.865 MB·English

by  Eloise Ristad

CheckAtBuyback-WinACar!
on
reflections
liieaiidot performances

"This is a fascinating work. Eloise Ristad discusses the problems of
nervousness and/or nervous energy with a physiological under-
standing of human behavior under stress, imaginative and original
psychological insight, andjustplaingoodcommonsense. Thevaluable
solutionsshesuggestsforthe problems ofmusical performancecan be
applied just as readily to the vast gamut of physical and intellectual
actionsand reactionsanyindividualisconfronted withindailyliving."
—Samuel Sanders, concert pianist, professor, Juilliard School of
Music.
"This book turns traditional music teaching on its head. Control by
— —
letting go excellence by not trying learning by simple awareness.
T—heprinciplesaretrue; theirexpressionlyrical, readable,andhelpful."
Timothy Gallwey, author of The Inner Game of Tennis.
"Itmovesmedeeply. I sangthroughit, Idancedthroughit, Ilaughed
through it. It is the natural, universal way of growing and learning.
You said itall. Itwas likea rush ofall I havedoneand feltand wanted
to do with my students——young and old. You have put sense into the
years of my teaching." Mona Dayton, National Teacher of the
Year, 1966, and professor emerita. Long Island University.
"There are many ingenious—and useful ideas here for teachers,
learners, or makers ofmusic." John Hoh, author ofHow Children
Fail, How Children Learn, and other books about learning and
education.
"How grateful I am to Eloise Ristad! She could have used lots of
—
heavy-duty '-ology' words to tell us what she's learned the message
—
is valid and profound but she chooses to invite us to a party instead
of a lecture. It's only later, with the smile still on your face, that
y—ou realize how much good the book has done for you as well."
Denise McCIuggage, author of The Centered Skier.
"This isagem ofa book forall studentsand teacher—s oflife-learning.
May thejoy and fun oflearning dance on forever!" AI Chung-liang
Huang, T'ai Chi master and author of Embrace Tiger, Return to
Mountain and Tao: The Watercourse Way.
"Eloise Ristad brings playfulness back into playing the piano, the
flute, clarinet, drums or vocal chords. Yet musicians aren't the only
ones who will discover something new and refreshing in this book, for
what sh—ewritesofherexperimentsand observationshastodowithlife
itself." Barry Stevens,authorofDon't PushtheRiverand Personto
Person,
"Eloise Ristad emerges as a gifted writer as well as musician and
teacher. The book is a pleasure to read and an adventure in achieving
the kind ofinner freedom everyone longs for. We see objectified with
great wit those authority figures who have unwittingly deprived us of
our inner freedom. Without that freedom, there is no center out of
which to speak, to sing, to dance, to make music, to live. I confidently
predict a wide appeal, and not by any means only to musicians."
—
Gladys Weibel Goldman, Librarian for English and American
Literature, emerita, University of Colorado at Boulder.
"Eloise Ristad is a splendid musician and one ofthe best, and most
successful,teachersI'vemet. I predictthatfewwillcomeawayfromher
bookunchanged. Althoughsheiswritingspecificallyaboutmusic, she
is really writing more generally about human beings who are involved
in, and excited about, learning something important to them."
—Tony Kallet, Ph.D. psychology, musician, editor of OUTLOOK,
"Asaprofessionaldancerand singer, it isindeed encouragingtosee
theseimportantconceptssoclearlyand passionatelyarticulated. I was
particularly interested in the universal meaningand cross-disciplinary
application of concepts that are crucial to unlocking and freeing the
—
creative process —a wonderful guide for all ofus, musicians as well as
non-musicians." Paul Oertel, Nancy Spanier Dance Theatre.
"Wonderfully refreshing, honest and clear, this is a life-affirming
book with tremendous practical value. In one chapter, for instance,
Eloise Ristad addresses the would-be pianist in a way that
— —
demystifies in utmost simplicity the whole process of reading
music. Throughout, she speaks directly to the musician and the per-
formerineach ofus, encouragingustocelebratetheauthenticityofour
innerwisdom and todiscoverourwholeness. It'sabouttimethis book
was written!" —Virginia Veach, Ph.D., therapist.
Dedicated to Millie and Bill Stein, my
ninety-one-year-old parents, who have fol-
lowed the progress ofmy work and my writing
with keen interest, even to the point ofpartici-
pating in one of my upside-down workshop
sessions.
Digitized by the Internet Arcliive
2012
in
http://arcliive.org/details/sopranoonherheadOOrist
Soprano
Head
By
EloiseRistad
on
Right^side^up reflections
and other performances
life
—
Art direction; cover and graphic design Roberta Haldeman
and Ed Huston
—
Cover Art Ed Huston
—
Line drawings Millie Pendergast
Copyright © 1982 by Eloise Ristad
Real People Press
BoxF
Moab, Utah, 84532
ISBN: 0-911226-20-6 clothbound $10.00
ISBN: 0-911226-21-4paperbound$6.50
Library ofCongress Cataloging in Publication Data:
Ristad, Eloise.
A
soprano on her head.
—
1. Music Instruction and study. I. Title.
MT2.R57 780'.7 81-23369
ISBN 0-9 226-20-6 AACR2
1 1
ISBN 0-911226-21-4 (pbk.)
5 6 7 8 9 10 Printing 85 84
Acknowledgements
It all began at Kendra's. I had fantasized earlierthat summerabout
gettingawayto"someplacenearoceanandmountains"towrite. It'sso
easytodreamthere'sabookinyourheadwhennewinsightsandideas
beginticklingtheinside ofyourbrain. Then Kendra Sherritt,aformer
piano student, called, offering me her home in Santa Barbara for an
entiremonth. Ocean, mountains,time,ahousetomyself,atypewriter,
—
piano and car there were no excuses left.
I wrote. Eight chapters of rough draft and back home again, I
discovered how many ofmy friends were proficient editors, readyand
willing to lend their help. The book is a celebration of support and
encouragement from friends, colleagues, family, students and work-
shop participants who cheered me on both in my work and in my
writing. Although writinga book can be a lonely task, it was rarely so
in this case, for someone was always waiting for the next installment.
—
There was Howie, for instance Howard Movshovitz, film critic,
friend, and English teacher, who believed in the book and believed in
me from the first tentative version to the last draft. Disconcertingly
honest, he never restrained his response, whether it happened to be a
growloverlack ofclarityora"Whew!"whenmywritingstruckadeep
chord. How many hours ofediting help he contributed!
Mary McDermott Shideler, theologian, author and current presi-
dent of The Society for Descriptive Psychology, offered not only her
enthusiasticsupportand help butalsoahavenathermagnificenthome
in the mountains whenever I needed inspiration. At a crucial point in
thewriting, I met Brian Brooks, poet,journalistandtherapist,whofell
in love with the book. Brian became so attuned to the rhythm of my
writingthathegavemenopeacewhenhesensed I had lostthatrhythm.
Tony Kallet, editor of Outlook magazine, psychologist, and fellow
——
musician, read the manuscript with a special earfor styleand content.
—
Leslie Hyde, buddingyoungwriterandfriend,tookgreatdelight as I
—
did in our many sessions together over the manuscript. The sparks
flewfromthewordsandphrasesthatcollidedinmid-airaswesearched
for more appropriate imagery for certain uncooperative passages.
Several of my children got in the act from time to time with similar
help.
So many more. There were people like Lorin Hollander and Larry
Graham,concertpianists,and PaulOertel,professionaldancer,urging
—
me on. There were colleagues and friends musical and otherwise
such as Lois Sollenberger, David Goldberg, Cheryl Bailey, Dorothy
Satten, Forrest Williams, Norma Register, Linda Jones, Virginia Sut-
ton, and Gladys Weibel Goldman, who gave valuable comments and
editingsuggestionsoncertainchapters. Thelistcouldgoon,forpeople
keptpoppingupwhowanted to read some ofthemanuscriptand who
always contributed in some way. Bobi Haldeman, who later poured
her heart into art direction, read the first draft of Chapter One and
announced, "I know what the title should be: A Soprano on Her
Head!"Ofcourse. Whyhadn't Iknownthat?WhenIwassearchingfor
asubtitle,anotherfriend, MarilynPitcairn, sparkedtheideafor"right-
side-up reflections." Millie Pendergast started out typing manuscript,
and responded to what she was typing by sketching characters that
later found their way into the chapter headings. Ed Huston spent
untold hours absorbing ideas from the book before he picked up his
paint brush to work on the cover.
My husband Adam, read proof with a keen eye, critiqued, and
constantlysharedmyexcitementaboutnewinsights. Andthroughout,
students and workshop participants explored new territorywith vary-
ingamounts ofcuriosity, resistance and enthusiasm, furnishing much
ofthe material for the book.
And at the end, Steve and Connirae Andreas did the importantjob
offinalediting,conscientiouslyalertnotonlytonecessarychangesbut
also to their wish not to edit me out of my writing. In addition they
allowed me the unheard-ofprivilege and delight ofparticipating in all
artistic decisions concerning the book.
I extend my appreciation and grateful acknowledgment to all
—
named and unnamed who are so much a part of this adventure in
writing.
Eloise Ristad