Anyway, I was offered four tickets to see a performance of a world renowned symphonic orchestra performing the works of Pierre Boulez. I had never heard of the composer Boulez, but thought it was a great chance to see this renowned group of musicians perform. I talked my mom and dad into accompanying Jeff and I for the evening out.
When we arrived, the room was fairly full. The only seats left were 2 in one row and another set of two in the row behind. We settled in, with my mom and dad sitting in front of us, and waited excitedly for the performance to begin. Ok, if I'm being honest, I was probably the most excited out of the group. My mom likes classical music, so I knew she was at least looking forward to the performance. As for my husband and my dad, let's face it, they were there to earn brownie points with their wives. Whatever.
After the first few bars of music, it became abundantly clear that maybe we should have paid a little more attention to who the composer was. You see, it turns out that Pierre Boulez is known for writing atonal, dissonant, and discordant music.
***quick music lesson here*** the Wikipedia definition: In music, consonance is the harmonic chord or interval considered stable (at rest), and dissonance is considered unstable. Consonance is a combination of notes that sound pleasant to most people when played at the same time; dissonance is a combination of notes that sound harsh or unpleasant to most people.
My taste in music ranges from "you need to hear this" to "I know, please don't judge me."
Now, I have a broad range in my taste of music. I usually like everything. However, I discovered that night I'm not a huge fan of atonal, dissonance musical forms. Apparently, none of my family members are either. However, it is extremely rude to get up and leave during a performance. Plus, we were located closer to the stage than the doors. Translation, we were stuck there until intermission. However, I did find something that entertained me while we sat there, and that was the faces my dad was making. As the music continued to get more and more discordant, my father's face became more and more astonished. So much so, that I found myself getting the giggles (which is frowned upon more than leaving during a performance). When intermission finally arrived, we all, by mutual silent agreement, left our seats and never returned.
"I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning." Plato
"Music is the art of thinking with sounds."
I come from a musical family, at least on my mother's side. I have a musical family. My mom plays the piano, my brother the guitar, my sister in law can play the piano and has an incredible voice, my brother -in-law plays the trumpet, my sister-in-law I believe played the clarinet, my husband the drums and piano, my son the drums, alto sax, tenor sax and some trumpet (so far), and I sing. Music is big in our house. We usually have some form of it playing in the house. We like to watch the singing competition shows on T.V. I can almost guarantee that either Jeff or Keagan are drumming on something at about any given point and time in our home. When we travel, we are drawn to places where live music is being played.
But beyond my genuine love for music, I appreciate and acknowledge the benefits of music in my life. And, there are many studies that back up my belief in those benefits.
Studies show:
-Music improves auditory development which is directly linked to improved reading skills.
-Music improves analytical skills.
- Instrumental practice enhances coordination, concentration and memory. It also improves eyesight and hearing.
-A UCLA study shows that music more fully involves brain functions (both left and right hemispheres) than any other activity.
-High School music students have a higher GPA's.
-Involvement in music reduces high school drop out rates.
-Musicians read emotions better than non musicians.
-Music helps during physical activity by reducing the perception of effort and increasing endurance.
However, there is more to music than just the proven (according to the studies) cognitive and motor skills benefits. I believe there is a more spiritual connection to music that was ingrained into us when man was created by God.
"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent."
"Where words fail, music speaks."
"Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable." Leonard Bernstein
"Music is the voice of the soul."
"Music is the bridge between heaven and earth."
"Worship is not a result of how good the music is or whether my favorite songs are sung. It is not a consequence of whether I stand or sit, lift my hands or kneel. My worship must be an expression of my relationship with God-- in song, in shouts, and in whispers, sitting, or walking. Worship is my response to God."
"When I worship I would rather my heart be without words than my words be without heart." Lamar Boschman
I believe music covers the gap when words are not enough. Those times when we find it hard to communicate. When we lack the words to communicate. I don't know about you, but there are times when I just do not posses the vocabulary to express what I am feeling. Music is the great communicator. It helps us connect and communicate with each other and with God. I'm not a theologian, nor do I ever wish to be. But this is my simple understanding of the role of music in humanity. I believe that when God created us He knew that we would often lack the ability to effectively communicate everything with just our simple language skills. That somehow, sometimes, we would need something more. Something more complex, more meaningful, I don't know, just more. Somehow, music fills that gap. Music opens up these lines of communication.
"Music is the universal language of mankind."
Did you know that studies have found that all human beings express emotions in the same way in our music, regardless of culture? You see, researchers took western music that had an angry feel, a happy feel, and a sad feel to people groups across the globe who had never had any exposure to western music. When these people groups listened to the music, they could identify the emotions expressed in the music. Which leads me to my next point about music. It communicates across cultural, language, and other barriers. Music builds bridges in our relationship with God and other humans. Wow! There's a whole blogs worth of stuff I could write about this one, but I'll leave it alone for you to think about and process on your own.
"For those living in the most dehumanizing conditions....music offers a chance for them to transcend the world around them, to remember that they still have the capacity to experience something beautiful." Robert Gupta
"Music heals the soul."
Music is more than a communication tool. It can bring healing to the soul. Look at the story of David and Saul. It states that the music David played for Saul brought peace to his spirit. Robert Gupta, a classical violinist with the LA Philharmonic, a researcher of neurobiology, and an activist for mental health issues, discovered the healing benefits of medicine while studying the work of neuroscientist Gottfried Schlaug. He also tells a moving story of how he has seen the medicinal benefits music has on those suffering with mental health issues, specifically while working with Nathanial Ayers, a brilliant schizophrenic musician. You can look up his talk entitled Music is medicine, music is sanity on ted.com. Music is healing.
So, my love for music goes beyond a simple enjoyment of sound. I believe music is a God given gift. It is a passion that I want to share with you because of the many benefits it brings to your life. It transcends the basic communication of mere language. It touches the soul and allows the soul to express our deepest, most complex, thoughts and feelings. Music brings life, relationship and healing. Music builds bridges. Music improves our cognitive abilities. My blog is about joyful living, and I believe to truly live a joyful life you must embrace the gifts you have been given. So I hope you begin to truly appreciate music. What a Gift!
I'll leave you with a photograph of a group of amazingly talented performers we ran across while in Croatia. They were incredible! In fact, one of the most striking things to me about this previously war torn country is the amount of musically gifted performers we encounter while there. I believe that music has been one of the healing forces at play in this country.
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