It's a snowy day here in Colorado, and it comes at the end of both winter break and a long weekend at a retreat here in town. And, as befits a snowy day, I'm staying in and preparing for the first week of a new semester. I'm also feeling pensive and sad in the face of yesterday's violence in Arizona, and like many, I fear we are reaping what we've sown. The way people talk to and about one another has been casually violent for a long time -- I know it's a part of my own vocabulary since I was a little kid. No one bats an eye when someone says, "Ugh! I think I'm gonna commit a murder!" or the like. It's just a way we vent our frustration, right? Maybe not. Maybe violence in our language and in our thoughts is a bigger problem than we realized. Maybe it has everything to do with how out of control we feel and how angry we are about some things.
Personally, I think it looks like a symptom of the political climate, but I believe the political climate itself may only be a symptom of a larger disease: passivity. See also apathy, the absence of meaningful engagement or expression, an inability to use one's own mind and heart to create and find purpose. It might seem that any individual's lack of personal fulfillment is far from a newsworthy item, but the sad truth is that yesterday's shooter certainly didn't act from a place of fulfillment. And maybe it's true that no amount of hugs or art classes or music lessons could have healed the sicknesses in his mind, it's probably true that there is much that could have been done to prevent what happened, and it is our responsibility to reflect on the circumstances that lead to this kind of violence.
Any statement of this kind is inevitably going to be an overstatement, but here it goes anyway: I believe Kodály was correct in his assertion that a world that is more cultured has the potential to be a world that is more peaceful. I believe this has less to do with the calming powers of music itself and much more to do with the fundamental human need for expression, the need to make meaningful subjective decisions, and the need to be secure in one's identity. Art is what enables people to fulfill these needs, especially when human beings actively engage in making art in whatever way is meaningful and appropriate for them. Voting for your favorite performer on "Dancing with the Stars" or "American Idol" does not get the job done, and while there's nothing wrong with these activities on their own, people treat these passive pastimes as a substitute for real live artistic activities. They neglect the part of themselves that needs attention, that needs to be creative, that needs permission to reach out and make mistakes, and so it channels itself into other things. It transforms into unbridled emotions and unconscious judgments, because the creative self is always a little kid -- and I don't have to tell an audience of educators what little kids do when they're ignored.
So, the assignment this week is the same for everyone:
All Levels
1. Listen. Spend time this week dosing yourself with music that soothes you and inspires you. Go to pandora.com and create a free account and make radio stations based on artists who move you, who make you want to dance, who make you want to cry, whatever. Open yourself up to the experience of listening as you get ready in the morning or as you settle down for bed at night. Listen with your child, with your significant other, with a friend. Just a few minutes makes a difference.
2. Create. Spend time this week making music on your primary instrument. If that's stressful, use your favorite secondary instrument. Just jam out a little bit. Dig out your favorite piece from your senior recital and play or sing through it. Get together with some friends and sing some canons over cups of cocoa. Sing in the shower or in the car. It doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering, it just needs to get you making a little music that's just for you.
3. Reflect. At the end of the week, or during a rare quiet moment, take a little time to think about the impact your listening and creating has had on you. Did you find it hard to do? Was it rewarding? If you like, write down some thoughts about the experience. Call a friend and talk about it. Shoot me an email. Whatever you like.
If you hate it when I get all soft-core and touchy-feely on you, I offer my apologies. I'm happy to send some Ottmans your way if you'd like -- just let me know. It just occurs to me that we have to set the example for healthy creativity if we expect it from others. We have to make peace in ourselves if we want to see peace in the world around us.
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