LIFE WITHOUT MUSIC WOULD BE A MISTAKE No.6/15.05

Music is life itself. Whether, what, and how we can learn.

Does it require studying? Isn't it just enough to live?

It's not that simple. We learn how to live throughout our whole lives, whether we want to or not. Sometimes without realizing it. And continuously, we pass individual exams with different results.

Why study music?

The answer to this question has been given for a long time. One of them was given by the great Greek philosopher Plato (424-348 BC): I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy, but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are keys to learning. Musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul... Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to imagination, and life to everything.

Great and sublime.

Music is the soundtrack of your life. Isn't it enough to listen to music? Maybe yes, but often a person wants more. On the other hand, the decision is not always easy. It requires some effort like everything, even eating breakfast. Not to mention running or playing tennis. But it's for health and pleasure. Of course, just like music.

Learning music develops children (I believe adults too!) intellectually, emotionally, socially, and even physically.

Intellectually. We learn abstract language, reading and writing, and playing text on an instrument. Rhythm is arithmetic tutoring. The structure of the piece is a sort of 'architecture'. Memory training, because it is impossible not to take your nose off the page at some point. (Thousands, then millions of notes, connections, information, and motions.) The list could go on for a long time. Don't worry, it's possible.

Prof. Stanislas Dehaene from Collège de France said that 86 billion cells work in this learning process. And what is learned is stored in 30 different places in the brain.

Perfect training, isn't it?

Emotionally. Socially. You learn about beauty, its understanding, creation, and sharing. Over boundaries, without translators. You learn to perform in front of people. To be approved, even admired. You would share your secrets without any risk, frankly and safely. It's magic. When words fail, music speaks.

Physically. You're training coordination of your motions. Sometimes acrobatic...

Everybody says: you must have an absolute ear for music and talent for music.

Ad 1/ Only 3% of people suffer from amusia - lack of musical hearing. Working on singing and listening, we often also work on self-confidence and self-acceptance.

Ad 2/ Yes and no.

If you want to win a grand slam in tennis, you also need to have talent, but apart from that, it is also the result of great work and a strong will to win. Also over yourself... Just like music.

A brilliant pianist from the turn of the last century, Ignacy Paderewski, when asked about the secret of his career, answered like an accountant: 90% work, 9% luck, and 1% talent.

What about his beginnings? After the first year of studies at the Conservatory, he was told that he should play the helicon (huge trumpet) because he had a great embouchure.

And he is no pianist!

Years later, he was recognized as one of the greatest pianists in history, with popularity comparable to rock stars nowadays. So internationally recognized and respected that he became Prime Minister of the Polish government after World War I.

However, most of us are simply content with the joy of playing the game and the health benefits. Not from winning grand slams. Just like playing music. Simply the joy of playing, and not necessarily winning, for example, the Chopin Competition.

And how does a modern person react to the question above? Aretha Franklin, a great American singer, explains: 'Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It's transporting, for sure, it can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It's uplifting, it's encouraging, it's strengthening.'

Enough words.

Let us play: Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Menuet, Op.14, No.1 from 6 Humoresques de Concert

🎵 https://youtu.be/jVp1AhIjO08?si=FUZ9VeCoFaHOhVaG

Written by

Cezary Owerkowicz

Co-founder of Kuwait Music Academy and

Director of Treasure of Talents Festival in Kuwait