Why go to concerts? There is a special quality to live music that you feel in your body, touch with your feet on the floor, see in the faces of the performers as well as in their body language and their technique, and hear through your inner and outer ears. It is a moment shared with other people who have a love for the art form, or perhaps a familial connection with a performer, conductor, or composer—someone extending gratitude for the dedication and work that goes each musical performance. This is the moment music comes alive in the human realm. There is much to be learned from recording and videos, from books and scores, and from the practice room. But that is all part of the process that leads to the experience of the performance. There is the unknown: will there be imperfections? Will there be moments of sublime connection with the your soul? There is a remarkable beauty in experiencing the process of becoming the artist you aspire to be. There is remarkable beauty in seeing others likewise bloom. Performance is in the present moment. That is precisely where life happens. When you are fortunate enough to know one or more performers, perhaps even to be their friend, student, teacher, mentor, confidant, classmate, roommate, or philosophical sparring partner, the entire experience is magnified. It isn’t just a human body performing; there is a relationship with you, an extra conduit of connection with the possibility of utterly electric gratification. You are a part of the music because you are a part of the performer’s life. When assignment deadlines loom, work schedules become difficult to manage, juries, rehearsals, lessons, and performances start to feel like a freight train running you down, consider this: When your mind is contracted or frustrated or stressed it is possible to recall knowledge but rarely to recognize wisdom. Wisdom reminds us that we musicians are here to make music and to be a part of the making of music. In the heat of battle—studying music in college—it is so easy to take this for granted. It is also difficult to make the commitment to return to school in the evening to hear a performance after you have spent the day practicing, rehearsing, and studying music. Time is the most precious and rare commodity during the semester, and even more so as the semester grinds toward juries and exams. Take a breath. Why are you here? At some point in your life you had an awareness that music meant more to you than you could possibly verbalize. Being a music major isn’t about making a living as much as it is about making a life. Music is made through relationships: relationships with pitches, gestures, phrases sections, and other pieces, but also through relationships with other people. To be in a relationship means you both give and receive and that you benefit tremendously from that generosity. Orient your life around the deepest truths you have. Be generous with your spirit, time, attention, presence, support, and energy to yourself, your music, and others. Pay attention to how you spend your time. These are two questions I like to ask back-to-back: 1) Is this true? The primary purpose of music is to transcend the human condition. 2) Is this true: The primary purpose of music is to experience the human condition. In either case, the place this will happen most frequently, easily, and deeply is when hearing live music making. Make time for concerts.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 07:30:00 +0000
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