| As I played some Wii with my coworkers (and lost | | | | keep myself from knowledge. It's the antithesis of |
| badly at that tennis game), one of their kids came | | | | being a scientist. |
| around the corner. He looked around with large curious | | | | Living The Character - I had a friend who sang in |
| eyes, poking at everything. It reminds me of myself as | | | | opera last year explain this to me. She said that when |
| a kid, with everything so new and exciting. Every little | | | | she is on stage, she literally becomes the character for |
| thing was a wonder to look at and explore. | | | | that particular moment. Her thoughts, actions, and |
| In many ways, this is how I've always viewed music. | | | | speech become completely congruent with the |
| It's a fabulous thing that soothes the soul and warms | | | | character's for that particular moment. In this way, the |
| your heart. It has the power to motivate you, or drive | | | | emotional appeal of the music may penetrate any kind |
| you into hopelessness. Listening intently to music | | | | of 'analysis barrier' that tries to spot imperfections in |
| (especially dramatic pieces like musicals or operas) is | | | | the music. After all, music is about telling a story and |
| like looking at a whole new world through the eyes of | | | | conveying emotions. If that is sufficiently strong, any |
| a child. | | | | kind of logic that you can come up with for why the |
| I recalled a moment about a year ago when I was | | | | singing is bad is pretty meaningless. |
| looking at a sheet of music and wondering if I should | | | | A Greater Appreciation - Knowing more would allow |
| learn all the intricacies of singing well. As you can see | | | | you a greater appreciation of the music. While you |
| from [[Running And Singing]], I can become extremely | | | | would lose the magical feeling that comes with |
| motivated by music. That is one of its primary | | | | innocence, you may appreciate the more intricate |
| attractions for me. I had wondered if learning all the little | | | | complexities. For example, you might now give a |
| details would ruin the experience of an otherwise | | | | standing ovation for a guy who sang a high C well, |
| inspiring performance. | | | | whereas that was just a letter before. |
| For example, say I don't know the piece of music at all. | | | | We Can Temporarily Forget - The technical stuff can |
| When a person starts singing it, I can admire the piece | | | | be set to one side for a short period of time, still |
| of music and the story that it tells. However, if I was a | | | | allowing you to fully appreciate the music in the state |
| world class director who has heard most pieces and | | | | you were in before. |
| knows how to sing extremely well, my experience | | | | It seems like the middle two explanations are more |
| would be very different. Instead of admiring the music | | | | congruent with growth and the process of a child |
| and the story being told, I may instead compare the | | | | learning to become an adult. Every time we grow, we |
| performance to the other ones I have heard before. | | | | lose a little part of ourselves. The innocence and magic |
| Instead of hearing an inspiring rendition, I may instead | | | | disappears. However, we also lose fear and |
| hear the few errors that 'stand out'. The magic of the | | | | uncertainty along with those. In their place, we have |
| moment may be interrupted by the minute | | | | knowledge, confidence, and other things to capture our |
| imperfections that I haven't even noticed before. | | | | imagination. The more you learn, the more you have to |
| There's a few arguments on either side of this: | | | | learn |
| Ignorance Is Bliss - Not knowing is better as I'll be able | | | | I guess specific 'magical' things can really only stay |
| to maintain the magic. I don't know about this route | | | | magical for so long. |
| though - it seems like being a perpetual child, trying to | | | | |