What ‘Whiplash’ Gets Wrong About Music (Hint: EVERYTHING!)

All we could do was laugh. We had to dig deep to find the right laugh that would hide tears and express incredulity all at once. Our world, our craft, had just been dealt a huge disservice, and as the credits rolled and the theatre lights brightened I saw the last remaining Twizzler sweaty-red in my palm as a surgeon’s tool, a state-of the art needle to stitch the wounded reputation of music and jazz education.

People who previously had no idea about ensemble rehearsals or the route to improvisatory genius now thought the highly-acclaimed film Whiplash had shed some insight on these subjects and that what they saw on screen was how it is actually done.

But really, nobody smacks anybody in the face on beat four in the real world, and nobody hurls floor-toms and cymbals, or lurks about the late night practice rooms to seek talent when there are audition systems in place. Yes, Whiplash got it wrong. Whiplash got musicality and music teaching entirely wrong. Its not about scare tactics from abusive big band leaders, practicing “fast” till you bleed, impossibly punching a fist through a drumhead, or competing, or stopping rehearsal every two seconds to address tempo. No one stands at attention like drill soldiers in a 3 hour rehearsal, and no one gets the Papa Jo Jones and Bird story incorrect (a cymbal was dropped to the floor to have a “gong out” effect, not thrown at Charlie Parker).

Instead, jazz education is about improvisation (but there are only two improvised solos in the entire film) and leading each individual student down a path of voice-discovery as an instrumentalist and a composer. Big band ensemble takes a back seat to jazz-combo rehearsals and the projects that develop amongst classmates that become lifelong collaborators. The competitive and toxic environment depicted in Whiplash would rarely foster creativity or allow genius to occur as a result of friendships and like-minded artistic intentions. Jazz is discovery and freshness and freedom, while Whiplash is strangulation, manipulation, and imitation.

Dr. Terence Fletcher—who was portrayed by the seasoned and imaginative actor J.K. Simmons in what would end up being an Oscar-winning role—is revered from the beginning of the film as an epic musician but sadly is never shown demonstrating his ultimate wisdom as director or performer himself (his moment on the keys in a bar later in the film is nothing more than a lounge ballad). We only see him whine about tempo and insult and abuse the young musicians in his ensemble. But the real and amazing jazz ensemble directors across the country however, sing rhythms and passages in rehearsals, talk style & form & compositional intent, break down the music into sections to be rehearsed at various tempi, and shout words of encouragement while students take new risks each time they breathe imagination into their instrument.

One of the more laughable moments was when Dr. Fletcher kicked a trombonist out of the band for playing a note out of tune. Intonation is addressed in all bands collegiate and professional. Certainly in the professional world, out-of-tune notes are fixed instantaneously, but in college, a director would take a moment to isolate a chord and even build it one note at a time to hear all the intervals, thus addressing the out of tune moment in the piece with the intentions of improving the music and not just demoralizing the young humans playing it.

To those of you who bought into the world of Whiplash, with its tyrannical leadership and unmusical environment, please know that we who live and breathe that world daily feel disheartened that this opportunity to peer behind the curtain was squandered. Musicians across the country, one conversation at a time, one blog at a time, and one social media post at a time, are trying to sew the wound, debunk the myths, and hand out Twizzlers and neck braces to all those experiencing Whiplash.

John Altieri is a teacher and a musician based out of NYC. Recent performing credits include tours with David Byrne, St. Vincent, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Red Baraat and Alarm Will Sound. As conductor, he has led various film & television scores and chamber music performances around the city. Of note, Jonah Hill’s FOX TV show, Allen Gregory, and NPR’s 100+ BPM. He also teaches at Mannes College Prep, Hunter College, and in NYC public schools. Learn more at: Altierimusic.com.

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