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It doesn’t matter how articulate or eloquent you are if you don’t have anything to say.

This is true in both music and the liberal arts.  In music, being hyper-expressive is almost as bad as being completely inexpressive.  Imposing your ego and idiosyncrasies on a piece obscures the music and what it has to say.  It’s like seasoning food: a little goes a long way.  The point is to bring out the flavors that are inherent in the food, not to cover them up.

Likewise, in academe great emphasis is placed on the ability to speak and write well, to express oneself clearly and precisely.  While this an essential requirement for being taken seriously as a professional, it’s actually a proxy for thinking clearly and precisely, and deeply.

How does one come up with something interesting to say?  First, by living; from reflecting on your life experience, from being curious and learning about the world and the experiences of others.  More specifically, by living with a subject (a piece of music, an article or idea) long enough to think laterally and reflectively on it; by having a broader base of knowledge to sift through for other relevant facts and ideas from other fields and experiences.  Putting two and two together, making new connections, comes next; this is the essence of imagination or creative thought.  Then we play with the new idea to see how well it holds up and what the implications might be.   (In music we ask: does a new idea about interpretation help reveal more about the essential character of the music, or does it distract or detract?  What do I know about another piece that might apply to this one?)  Once an idea is developed and examined, then we can consider how to express it with clarity and precision.

The elements of reflection, imagination, creativity, and play are crucial to having something to say and to saying it well – whether in words or in music.

2 Responses to “Random Thought – What Do You Have to Say?”

  1. Bill says:

    I had a great experience with this recently. I was asked to learn a Telemann Fantasia (originally for solo flute) for a recital, so I ordered the music and played through the piece and found it pleasant enough. I played it the next day in front of my studio class just to show them what I was working on, and I found the reaction to be very unenthusiastic. I decided that, if I was going to have something to say about the piece, I would have to memorize it, and in the process, I gained a much deeper understanding of the music and developed my own real opinion about how it should sound. By the time I performed the piece on the recital last weekend, I knew exactly what I wanted to communicate and could focus on that message in my performance. I learned that it really takes that kind of commitment to discovering the message if I want to find my own voice. Otherwise, what’s the point of performing?

    • admin says:

      So glad you brought up the issue of memorization, Bill! The kind of memorization you’re talking about goes beyond literally learning the notes, which can keep the music “in your head” at a surface level. You’re describing living with the music and engaging with it, thinking and experimenting with how the music “wants to be played,” until you’ve gotten it into your system at a deeper level. Literally memorizing the piece is part of this process, but there’s more going on.

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