By Olympia Nelson
This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Detmold, Germany to take a private lesson with one of Europe’s finest violists, Diemut Poppen. Thursday evening at 6:06pm I hopped on the 4.5 hour long train to Berlin, then the 4 hour train to Bielefeld, Germany, and then finally the 50 minute train to Detmold. It was a bit of a journey but definitely worth it.
I arrived at 7:30am on Friday and while I was walking through the town I was amazed at how beautiful it was. It was like it was taken right out of a German picture book. It was so cool to see the traditional German architecture with the Fachwerk style of steep sloped roofs and oak beams set into the faces of the buildings. Because I arrived so early in the morning, the town was quiet, and it added to the tranquil, cute atmosphere of this beautiful town.
I stayed with some other students who study at the music school in Detmold where I was taking my lesson, and they were wonderful hosts. They were excited to hear about what it is like being an American student studying in Prague, and they loved hearing about where I am originally from, Las Vegas, and they asked about my life there. When I told them the weather was 100° in the summer, their eyes bugged out of their heads. I had totally forgotten that they didn’t use Fahrenheit, so I had to laugh and convert the degrees to Celsius.
I also asked the students about music school in Detmold and in Europe in general, and it was an eye- opener to me. First we talked about the cost of school and compared school prices. The Detmold students told me that they only pay €300 a year for school! Definitely less than the grossly overpriced NYU tuition. We also talked about cultural differences in American and European universities, and it was super cool to catch another perspective on education from a totally different part of the world.
When it was time for the lesson I had to hike up to the building. Literally hike. It was a gorgeous building in the woods, but I had to take about 200 stairs to get there … in my dress and Dr. Martins. Now I know why all the students are so in shape there! When I got inside the building I met the viola professor with whom I was to study. She was dressed smartly and wore a smile. We began talking a little bit about the school, and she laughed at my comment about all the stairs. She offered to let me watch the lessons of a couple of her other students who were going before me.
She taught one lesson in English and one in German. I don’t know an ounce of German but I was surprised that I understood what the Professor was teaching the student thanks to the common gestures she was using while teaching as well as her singing and playing some of the phrases and making corrections for the student. Music is a universal language.
During both of these lessons I noticed how kind the students were. They were both excited to have me watch the lesson and they smiled at me, something which is often nonexistent between students at conservatory level training, even among NYU students. The competitive nature of our art form leads some students to put each other down, but it’s never worth it. When we are kind and support each other’s individual talents, we carry on the beauty of our art. Sharing our music with others is what we all have in common, so why aren’t we kinder to each other?
During my own lesson I was amazed at how easily the professor explained complex topics. She helped me to understand things I had struggled with for a long time, and she helped me build confidence in my playing and in my personality outside of music. She said, “you’re a great violist, so why don’t you act like it! Don’t make yourself smaller than you are.” She taught me to make a big sound on my viola and the technique to achieve a more beautiful resonance in my music. Among many other things she also taught me tips to not be so nervous and to be more in tune with my body before a performance.
The next morning I got to do some sightseeing. I visited the Detmold castle, explored the town squares, walked the picturesque streets, went in beautiful, unique shops and went to a local market. The serenity and gratitude I experienced that morning was like nothing else. I got to see Germany’s pretty rolling hills, take pictures of cute German homes and see the way people in Detmold interact with each other in the market. I kept thinking “what a great day to be alive!”
Detmold taught me that there is more to life than stressful competition. There is kindness in music. That’s why it is considered a universal language. Who knew a small town in Germany could make such a huge difference to my outlook?