Why Practice?

By Alberto F. Bent

As a musician, playing music with other musicians is one of the most fun activities, with which we can involve ourselves. Many years ago, I was part of a high school band called GLASAR (the first initials of each member of the band). We had this wonderful opportunity to play at a Battle of the Bands in Sheepshead Bay, New York City.

Well, at that time I wasn’t convinced that practicing my horn (saxophone), to learn the music completely, was as important as just feeling the music. I would have a cursory understand of the chart. Most of the other musicians in the band would practice, to know the music intimately.

During this legendary battle between several bands, the time came for GLASAR to take the stage. The tension was building as we took the stage. Our drummer – my brother – counted off the tempo and we were off to the musical races. In this song, Just the Two of Us, by Grover Washington, Jr., there was a very prominent saxophone solo section, and my job was to “nail” that solo (because EVERYONE in the audience knew the solo from hearing it on the radio). With my lack of preparation, I obliterated this iconic sax part. It was a total disaster not only for me, but for my bandmates. I completely let them down.

That night, I learned several lessons:

1. Messing up in such an epic way doesn’t help your cause when you want to talk to the girl afterward 😊

2. Spending time developing my craft is important because becoming proficient in the down times helps you shine when it’s crunch time

3. When you are part of a team, you show love and respect to your teammates by putting in the time necessary to hold up your end of the bargain

So, happy practicing, my friends!