The Transcending Power of Music

            I have considered myself to be a modern day renaissance man, except for the glaring fact that my artistic abilities aren't up to par. There are an enormous number of stories which can illustrate who I have become as a person. My abilities have developed over all the years in my life, every experience affecting the next. The books I've read changed my view of the world; my soccer career has shown me all the clichés about being a team player, leader, etcetera; and my musical aspirations have enabled me to go to places I never thought I would. To me, music is the best medium for the expression of ideas and music can be found everywhere. Music has grown to be one of the biggest influences of who I am as a person, and who I am as a writer. I have been involved with music groups since third grade and I have had countless experiences through these groups. I've learned about language, history, math, music, and culture. Both band and choir have presented me with opportunities that have made me a better person and a better writer. The language of music, whether it is written for a solo voice, a symphonic orchestra, or a choir, can be shared by everyone around the world. Music can break cultural, language, ethnic, racial, and gender barriers which might prevent certain people from ever meeting and learning about each other. It has taught me to incorporate these ideas into my writing to make it more universal, rather than directed to a narrow audience. I now want to share my views with the world and let people everywhere know what and how I think as a member of society. This paper has allowed me to plot my journey as a musician as relate it to my views and how it affects how I write and think. Music is omnipresent and one simply needs to lend an open ear to experience the universal human language. 

Development of a Musical Personality

            The famed English writer Aldous Huxley once said “After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” I have had the blessing to be born into a music loving family which has allowed my musical aspirations to blossom. My parents were both musically gifted and the trait has been passed down to me as well. From an early age I can remember singing my heart out at church as well as when a familiar song came on the radio. I have since developed my talents and have performed at many well known locations, such as Carnegie Hall, Berlin, Krakow, Prague, and Auschwitz and have learned many important lessons along the way. Over the years of my young life, my musical ability has been nurtured and developed, and has influenced all aspects of my life. Music’s profound impact has even found a way to intertwine itself with my thoughts and writings.

            My earliest musical involvement in a group was participating in my church’s children’s choir starting when I was in third grade. My sister was already involved since she was a year older, and every mass when they would sing, I would sit in the pew in envy wishing I was with them. Finally I got my chance and I ran with it. The director was a great singer, nice, funny, and great with all the kids. She loved to get everyone involved and she was a source of inspiration to me. From there my love of music grew as I began to play the flute and sing in the school chorus in fourth grade. One of the biggest keys to my musical career was the school district I was in, which has won nation acclaims for its music department. The directors of the choirs throughout my entire grade school education encouraged me to do my best. In middle school, I joined the select chorus group which gave me more confidence in my singing ability. But as soon as I entered into the music scene at Northport High School, I really learned how music is such a big part of who I am.

            Before classes even began, I was at the high school for both band and choir meeting other freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In band we used the time known as pre-clinic and band camp to learn the music for the marching band show and in August the entire band would go to SUNY Farmingdale for a week to learn the show. Choir clinic is a week of learning music and performing a concert at the end of the week in preparation for the school year. The most important thing happened at a choir party the night before the concert that changed my life.

At that time I wasn’t sure if I was going to try out for the Tour Choir (select group) that year. I was on the fence because I had Boy Scouts the same night that the rehearsals would be, so if I wanted to sing, I would have to quit Boy Scouts. But then a bunch of seniors encouraged me to do so, and as a freshman, I didn’t want to disappoint because I thought these people were amazing. I was awed with stories about the senior’s trip to Paris earlier that summer and was told how the choir is like a huge family. The decision to try out and the fact that I made Tour Choir really gave me the best career at the high school I could have wanted.

            Tour Choir became one of my favorite things to do every week and I learned so much from it. That freshman year, I was able to absorb the wisdom of the seniors, make great friends, and sing at Carnegie Hall. At that concert, I was also able to listen to a choir from Asia sing. Although I couldn’t understand the words, I could still enjoy the music and get a sense of the song. That was the big concert for the Tour Choir that year and the excitement on that day was enormous as we rode the buses into the city and sang on the same stage as hundreds of famed performers ahead of us. So the years came and went and it was my junior year which was when I really grew into my role as a leader in the choir. We had graduated a bunch of senior males and in the grade above me, there was only one other guy who was also in Tour Choir so I had to step up and lead the Bass section. I grew in this role as the year progressed but I had to learn fast because at the end of the school year, the entire choir was going on a European tour of Prague, Krakow, and Berlin. I had to help the other students in my section learn the music and lead as an example earlier than most are expected to do so. It was a great lesson for me, being an unofficial leader. I had always paid attention to how the leaders before acted so I followed the examples put in front of me. The trip to Europe that summer taught me more lessons in 10 days than I had in my first two years of high school. I got to see how people in different cultures lived, histories of ancient cities, sing in some of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world, and give the performance of my life.

            Our director gifted us with the chance to sing at Auschwitz, the former Nazi concentration camp, where I gave the performance of my life. When we arrived, we first went on a tour which allowed us to see what life at the concentration camp may have been like. Our guide showed and explained numerous upsetting facts about what occurred. One particular fact has stayed with me since that tour: over one million prisoners died from either “natural” causes, “experiments”, or gas chambers. This death toll, to me, appeared impossible to reach until I saw the Nazi’s inhumane methods. The gas chambers would hold more than twice as many people than one would deem appropriate for the size of the space. But the moment that made me realize the magnitude of what had happened at Auschwitz was right after we (the choir) sang three Hebrew songs.

             We were at the memorial site, between two former gas chambers, and there was another group visiting the site. The musical tribute was surrounded by eerie silence because there were no introductions to the songs and there wasn’t any applause at the end. Even without the typical applause a performer is accustomed to after a concert, I was able to sense that the other visitors at the camp who heard us sing appreciated what we had just done. I looked over a couple of times during the performance, and I could tell that they were crying. I soon learned that some of them were able to sing along with us and that our singing showed them that even amongst one of the most depressing environments, beauty can arise. It was at that point the total devastation hit me. I had just sung for over one million lives that had been cruelly taken. I was deeply humbled for the rest of the day afterwards. Walking through the barracks, I felt a presence even though I was alone. I could feel the prisoners around me. I felt as though I was taught more about life that day than in all my years as a student. The most valuable lessons instilled in me from the experience are the importance of not forgetting the past and that it is possible for beauty to arise out of desolation.

            Senior year I was elected as an official choir officer, Bass section leader, and octet leader. It was easier for me than my peers in this role because I had the experience of the previous year and I had watched older leaders for my entire high school career. I was able to enjoy all of the music making and had an incredible year. I have meditated thinking about the power of music and how it can affect people and have learned that music has the ability to transcend language, racial, and economic barriers. The written word has its limitations and there are some things that words alone cannot express and that is where I believe music surpasses it. Besides the use of words, the composer has the ability to swoon the audience with major/minor keys, varying tempos, and volumes. I have sung in at least ten languages and even before hearing translations, I could tell if it was a happy, romantic, sad, or depressing song. Music can reflect the culture and values of various time periods, geographic locations, and generations. Since I have graduated high school, I haven’t joined any musical groups but plan to do so soon. Now I am trying to make some of my own music, learning how to play the piano and possibly learning how to DJ. My thoughts are always driven to find the meaning beyond words, something that music has taught me how to do. Therefore my writing has directly been affected by all my musical experiences.

            In my opinion, music holds everything together and has the ability to teach what schools cannot. Thanks to music, I have traveled the world and learned things I wouldn’t be able to in my hometown. Music has granted me the opportunity to experience other cultures, languages, and learn about the history of many people. My outlook on everything has been affected from my experiences with singing, playing and listening to music, which is always within ear shot.