Music is no foreign or abstract idea to anyone. In fact, music is something that shapes so much of the society in which we are members. Playing through the speakers in the car, being strummed on the strings of a guitar, or quietly filling a room with its harmonies and melodies, music is everywhere we turn.
However, there is more to music than what meets the eye – or more accurately the ears. Sure, there may be some whom music doesn’t reach as powerfully, but the number of those that actually participate in the creation and performance of music is far fewer. It is this creation of music from the simplicity of notes on a page being transformed to sounds through an instrument that is the real way music affects our lives. There are few things that match the depth and positive influences that partaking in the creation of music can bring to a life.
My personal journey with music started in the sixth grade. It was that big transition to middle school, and like many of my peers, I was encouraged to attend an informational session about the music department. It was at this session that I picked up a viola for the first time. The slightly too big wooden instrument felt awkward in my hands, and when I raised the bow to the string something far from beautiful filled the air. Regardless of how rough that first attempt at playing was, there was something about the viola that piqued my interest.
Fast forward a few years, playing the viola was something I had come to cherish with a special part of my soul. There was nothing that matched the feeling of my eyes flying over notes on a page, fingers translating them into something that sounded and felt beautiful. There was nothing that matched the camaraderie I felt with my peers in the orchestra or the respect we had for our conductor who put his heart and soul into us and our music. Playing in the orchestra had crept its way into my heart, and there will always be a piece of me that cherishes those memories with all that I have.
Unfortunately, the key word there is memories. There came a day when I folded away my music, loosened my bow, and locked up my viola for the last time; it was time for me to move on to bigger things and close the chapter on my musical career. That being said, there is far more to this story. Even though I am no longer actively participating in music, it has left a print on my heart and soul that will never fade. There are countless lessons to be learned and ways in which one will grow if they take the time to pick up an instrument and fall in love with it.
One thing that music and performance rely heavily on is the ability to work hard. Those notes don’t just learn themselves; the time and effort must be put in in order for anything that was once okay to become good, and good to become great. The best musicians spend countless hours practicing and practicing to become as close to perfect as humanly possible. This work ethic is created in the music room but is not held up there. It is something that will follow musicians in all that they attempt because they have seen the outcomes that are possible when a little hard work is put in. Not all things are going to come easily, and hard work is not always fun. It is, however, worth it in every way possible. If music happens to be something that you become interested in, invest in it. Learn to work hard. Let that work ethic pour into all areas of your life, and you will be amazed at the results.
Just as with any athletic team, when a group of people works together for a common goal, a camaraderie between them begins to grow. The same goes for any group of people who are playing in the band, orchestra, choir, or other groups of performers. There is a process that you go through. Together you go from struggling bar to bar in a piece, to flying over the notes in front of hundreds of people and inspiring awe through the sounds you so eloquently created. This process from beginning to end is not an easy one, but if you make it through, you will share something with those people that will last far longer than the fading of the final note.
Possibly the most important aspect of participating in music is the way it enhances the creative side of your brain. We live in a world that can be so single-minded; people become enveloped with work and success, forgetting about what else is out there to pursue. I believe that creative ability is just like any other skill – if not exercised, it will become weak. Music is such a simple and easy way for someone to enhance their creativity. The more time you spend with it, the more creative you become, and the more confident you feel about that creativity. It adds color and happiness and relief to a life that is consumed in progress, and that is something all of us can benefit from.
Those who have taken the time to invest some of their life into music know that these few aspects are just a handful of the many ways that music enhances a life. My call to action would be this: take a chance on music and performance. I never thought playing in the orchestra would be something that I would love so much, but it became that and much more. You never know what can happen if you take the time to pick up an instrument or try your hand at singing; just that one leap of faith could open the door to a whole other side of yourself you never knew you had.
