As I played some Wii with my coworkers (and lost badly at that tennis game), one of their kids came around the corner. He looked around with large curious eyes, poking at everything. It reminds me of myself as a kid, with everything so new and exciting. Every little thing was a wonder to look at and explore.



In many ways, this is how I've always viewed music. It's a fabulous thing that soothes the soul and warms your heart. It has the power to motivate you, or drive you into hopelessness. Listening intently to music (especially dramatic pieces like musicals or operas) is like looking at a whole new world through the eyes of a child.

I recalled a moment about a year ago when I was looking at a sheet of music and wondering if I should learn all the intricacies of singing well. As you can see from [[Running And Singing]], I can become extremely motivated by music. That is one of its primary attractions for me. I had wondered if learning all the little details would ruin the experience of an otherwise inspiring performance.

For example, say I don't know the piece of music at all. When a person starts singing it, I can admire the piece of music and the story that it tells. However, if I was a world class director who has heard most pieces and knows how to sing extremely well, my experience would be very different. Instead of admiring the music and the story being told, I may instead compare the performance to the other ones I have heard before. Instead of hearing an inspiring rendition, I may instead hear the few errors that 'stand out'. The magic of the moment may be interrupted by the minute imperfections that I haven't even noticed before.

There's a few arguments on either side of this:

Ignorance Is Bliss - Not knowing is better as I'll be able to maintain the magic. I don't know about this route though - it seems like being a perpetual child, trying to keep myself from knowledge. It's the antithesis of being a scientist.

Living The Character - I had a friend who sang in opera last year explain this to me. She said that when she is on stage, she literally becomes the character for that particular moment. Her thoughts, actions, and speech become completely congruent with the character's for that particular moment. In this way, the emotional appeal of the music may penetrate any kind of 'analysis barrier' that tries to spot imperfections in the music. After all, music is about telling a story and conveying emotions. If that is sufficiently strong, any kind of logic that you can come up with for why the singing is bad is pretty meaningless.

A Greater Appreciation - Knowing more would allow you a greater appreciation of the music. While you would lose the magical feeling that comes with innocence, you may appreciate the more intricate complexities. For example, you might now give a standing ovation for a guy who sang a high C well, whereas that was just a letter before.

We Can Temporarily Forget - The technical stuff can be set to one side for a short period of time, still allowing you to fully appreciate the music in the state you were in before.

It seems like the middle two explanations are more congruent with growth and the process of a child learning to become an adult. Every time we grow, we lose a little part of ourselves. The innocence and magic disappears. However, we also lose fear and uncertainty along with those. In their place, we have knowledge, confidence, and other things to capture our imagination. The more you learn, the more you have to learn

I guess specific 'magical' things can really only stay magical for so long.