A hand holds a drumstick while it beats up and down on an instrument faster than Eminem raps. The player tightens his grip as the drumstick begins to slip due to the sweat dripping from his brow. The strong hold and intense effort create painful friction as the drummer begins to bleed. The blood drips down onto the drum and splashes on the cymbal. He stops. He exhales.
This scene in the award-winning movie “Whiplash,” directed by Damien Chazelle, portrays the extreme determination of musicians. The film is partially inspired by Chazelle’s personal experience, but mainly tells the fictional story of story of Andrew Nieman, a 19-year-old drummer.
Nieman, played by Miles Teller, is enrolled in a cutthroat music school pursuing a professional career as a concert musician. The character accepts an offer to join the studio band led by Fletcher, a renowned conductor, who demands nothing but the best from his students, particularly Nieman.
Throughout the film, Fletcher hurls insults, chairs and instruments, pushing Nieman to not only be the best player he can, but also the best drummer. However, with the pressure heaped on Nieman, he begins to neglect his social life, family life and, to an extent, his own life in hopes of being chosen to hold the core position in the band.
This brings up the questions, “How far is too far?” and “How much do musicians need to go through to be a lead performer at Carnegie Hall?”
“For the most part, people that really want to learn to play well, I mean really want to be first-rate, have to become a bit obsessive with practicing, with learning,” said Michael Kozubek, director of guitar studies at Azusa Pacific University.
With how outrageous he gets in the movie, Fletcher could actually be on the right track of developing performers to become the best. “Whiplash” provides an extreme, theatrical example of dedication, but it is common for aspiring musicians to practice multiple hours a day if they are wanting to be a professional.
Dennis Royse, professor and chair of graduate programs in the School of Music, explains: “People should expect to practice four hours a day. Violinists and pianists, they’ll practice 6-8 hours a day, because somebody that they’re going to be competing with is putting in that much time. So if they’re not, then they’re losing ground.”
It is often believed that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert, but this assumption is is clearly not going to cut it when one wants to be a concert musician. There is an unbelievable amount of dedication needed to get such a position, which people generally don’t realize. However, “Whiplash” brings attention to these extreme efforts and expectations.
As a kid, I played the violin and never wanted to practice. I liked the sound it made and how other people liked to listen. However, at the same time, I also liked television, friends, family and my dog. I was not ready to compromise my social, family and personal life to solely focus my attention on practicing the violin, unlike Nieman in “Whiplash.”
So the question is, where can we draw the line?
Well, in this case, the “line” separates good and great and the decent and excellent. I am not endorsing the tactics Fletcher uses in the movie, but I am wrestling with the notion of figuring out and doing what it takes to be the best, to be brilliant.
It takes time to get to the level of dedication where one is practicing their art a minimum of four hours a day, but whether a musician or not, it’s worth a try. The practice is worth it. The dedication is noticeable. The discipline is evident.
“Sometimes it’s rough,” junior music education major Carlos Pralta said. “You’ll have days that’s just like: ‘Why am I doing this?’ But then when it comes to just like performing and the thrill of, you know, entertaining people, sometimes you get that one person with emotions who [will] come at the end and say, ‘Thank you for playing that’ or, ‘You made my day.’ It’s worth struggling and losing sleep sometimes.”
As college students, we are the next professionals. Where will we stand? What will we individually do to be set apart from everyone else?
The answer is simple: We need to put in the time if we are wanting to reap the rewards.