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Phillip Johnson Practices His Way to the Philadelphia District Orchestra

Philip Johnson has his brow furrowed and his lips pursed. He is calculating. “Over an hour a day, for five days per week, for fifty-two weeks per year, for eleven years,” he says. It takes a moment, but he figures it out. “About three thousand hours.” Philip has practiced violin for over 3,000 hours in his life so far. And he’s only in ninth grade. “That doesn’t count my orchestra time,” he adds, raising a finger.
Noted.
Practice is what it took to earn a place as a freshman in the Philadelphia District Orchestra, an orchestra that is comprised of high school students from Montgomery and Bucks counties. Philip had to audition against 160 other violinists to be selected. Only forty violinists were accepted. He placed tenth, which would have secured him a seat in the Regional Orchestra, but students must be in tenth grade to participate and gain a shot to move on to Nationals.
Philip was very matter-of-fact in describing the District Orchestra audition process. “They sent us a piece a few months in advance. We had to learn it. Then during the audition process, we were evaluated on three things: scales, sight-reading, and the piece.” Once he was accepted, he worked with the orchestra over a period of three days: two days of 8-hour rehearsals, one dress rehearsal and then the performance.
In Unity, As One
Philip enjoys playing with an orchestra more than playing solos. “I’m much less nervous,” he explains, “because if you make a mistake, it’s all right. You just get back on. In an orchestra, you have to play in unity, as one. Orchestras are fun.” Except, he notes, when he has to play particularly long pieces. “We played a fifty-minute piece for the District Orchestra. After about 15 minutes, your arm starts to wear out. It’s really adrenaline that keeps you going.”
Music: The Culture of the Family
Philip credits his family for encouraging him to practice and make music a part of his life. “I got a violin for my fourth birthday. It was a requirement in our household that we play an instrument, and I chose violin.” Every Saturday from the age of six, Philip, his mother, and his younger brother traveled into Philadelphia to take a day of violin lessons from Temple’s music program. “There was music theory and singing. We had little breaks. Then I’d get together with a string ensemble that was comprised of about 20 kids, and we’d play pieces.” When Philip outgrew that program, he became part of the Suzuki system in Wilmington, Delaware.
Just Something You Have To Do
It was there that Philip’s competitive nature emerged. “There were older kids at the Wilmington music school who were really good. They practiced about three hours a day and that brought out my competitive spirit, which I definitely have.” When asked if he likes practicing, he answers plainly, “No one likes practicing. It’s a daily grind. After homework, after dinner, you have to go practice for an hour and fifteen minutes five out of seven days a week. Not even the concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra likes practicing. He told me. It’s just something you have to do. And it has to be the right type of practice. It has to be disciplined. Methodical. And slow. The temptation is to play everything fast and reckless, but you can’t do that if you want to excel.”
The Dying Donkey
Stringed instruments are not like other instruments, Philip explains. They’re particularly hard to play. “There are no frets. You have to get a feel for it. It’s all muscle memory. And if your finger is just slightly off, you have to make a split second adjustment.” There is a period of several years, he explains, during which the sound is not always pleasant. “My dad’s friend describes it as the dying donkey sound.” But, he explains, every kid goes through it, and they just have to keep working. “It’s rewarding once you can essentially pick up any song and play it.”
I’m Starting to Believe Her Now
It wasn’t always easy to stick with the violin. When Philip was younger, his mother helped him maintain his rigorous practice routine. He remembers when she told him, “Philip I know you don’t like it now but you’re definitely going to be thanking me when you get older.” He admits with a laugh, “I don’t think I believed her when I was younger, but I’m starting to believe her now. I’m definitely going to stick with it. After spending 11 years with it, I’m not going to give it up now.”
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.