I had the privilege of observing today's Wind Ensemble rehearsal at South Salem High School, and Director Mrs. Boderman said many things that made me think, but the point which most stood out was her admonishment that "Speed does not energy make." They were playing Peter Mennin's Canzona, a piece with a rapid middle section, and she went on to explain that increased volume or speed is not an adequate substitute for energy.

I realized that I could apply Mrs. Boderman's proclamation to my own life as well. Just because I'm rushing around and doing a million things at once, I'm not necessarily getting a lot done. Sometimes it pays just to sit still and do one thing really well, and finish it in one go.

Prof. Linsell, Willamette's director of bands, made exactly the same point in our Commencement Band rehearsal later that afternoon. We were probably playing David Holsinger's Fantasy on a Gaelic Hymnsong, and we were probably speeding through the breakdown to give it extra character. If I recall, Prof. Linsell actually wrote "rushing ≠ energy" on the whiteboard, and I got really excited that I'd heard two different people say exactly the same thing (ostensibly without consultation) on the same day.