Something I often do when brainstorming topics for articles to write is I always try to find a way to write about music and the power it has over everyone. But I've found that writing about music is like dancing about architecture. Describing the combination of qualities in a beautiful piece of music seems impossible. To those with a musical mind, using the power of music to express yourself is so much more than something that can be put into words. The best way to understand music is to look at a concert band through the eyes of the conductor.
The leader of the band sees things in a way that the musicians and audience can’t. The conductor puts all the different brass, woodwind and percussion instruments together to produce a concert band. The musicians look to the conductor for guidance and leadership. It is the conductor’s responsibility to control the different sounds and styles of each instrument. The conductor is like a zookeeper, and the instruments are all wild animals the zookeeper must tame.
In the front of the band, the conductor sees the tiny yet powerful flute. To the conductor, the flute is a humming bird, hovering its high-pitched, alluring sound around the band. Behind the birds sits a row of saxophones. The half-brass, half-woodwind instrument is a wild zebra staring at the conductor in readiness to pounce its unique sound toward the audience.
Still to the right, behind the saxophones, sits a row of long-necked trombones. Trombones are giraffes who calmly roam throughout the band with serene notes and tranquil harmonies. Audiences enjoy looking at the long-necked instruments because they are unlike any other instrument in the band. The extended slide gives the musician freedom to play a substantial number of various notes like the giraffe’s lengthy neck gives it the ability to eat leaves from tall trees and see predators from far away.
The conductor then glances over to the mighty tubas who rest patiently in the back. The slow and steady base sound of these great instruments make them tamed elephants. The sound of the elephants sets the tempo for the other animals. The elephants must watch the zookeeper very carefully to keep their monumental sound structured and controlled. A mighty animal like an elephant must keep itself disciplined to prevent chaos among the other animals.
The trumpets are their own species. Trumpets are like wild horses, too deranged to be controlled. The zookeeper does what she can to manage these crazy horses, but they tend to wander off to new lands and do their own thing. As crazy as they are, the chaotic sound of the horses always takes the audience's breath away. Behind the trumpets stands the percussionists. Percussionists are monkeys who get pleasure in hitting, striking, stroking, beating and smacking things in shockingly stunning rhythms that brings the whole song together.
The zookeeper steps up onto the podium, and the animals get ready to perform. Suddenly, the zookeeper turns into a strong lion, so proud and courageous that it would put the Wizard of Oz to shame. The king of the savannas lifts its fearsome arms and motions the band to start the show.
For that 20 minutes, every person’s world stops. No one thinks about the stresses outside the four walls of the beautiful auditorium. That’s what music does. Music makes you forget. Music changes one’s perspective. Music triggers emotion. Music makes the body move. Music makes a room full of strangers connect. Music is a language that speaks to people in ways that words never could. Music can paint a picture in the minds of its listeners in precise detail. Music is an opportunity for personal expression. Music is passion. Music is a place for escape. That is what music really is.
