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Classical Music is Boring
By Deborah Lee | August 26, 2008
Have you every heard someone say that classical music is boring or it puts them to sleep? Do you feel that way yourself?
I’m a big NASCAR fan. I remember someone commenting that racing was boring because it was just a bunch of cars going around in circles. If that was what it was about, it would be boring.
What I understood that he didn’t is that NASCAR has a system in place and it is a beautiful one. It is a team sport with drivers, pit crew, mechanics, owners, sponsors and more. There is strategy that goes on with each team during the race. To win, the right decisions have to be made at the right time.
The same is true with music. It is also a team sport. (Even soloists usually have some kind of accompaniment.) They may be playing one piece, but there are multiple things going on during that piece. Just slow down a minute to listen to one part that is being played or sung in an ensemble. Once you hear one instrument or voice, it’s easier to hear the others.
My family was listening to Dvorak on a recent trip and I got lost in hearing all of the parts. It could see each part dancing in my head. Part of that is Dvorak’s great writing, and part of it is the listening skills I developed over the years. I can enjoy the whole and the parts.
It’s also because I understand the elements of music. Some people think learning these things makes you more critical, but I have found just the opposite. It has opened up the world to me.
I was listening to Susan Schaeffer MacCauley, daughter of Christian teacher Francis Schaeffer, discuss ways to open a child’s understanding of music. She said to choose one composer and listen to only their works for 30 days. Don’t necessarily make a lesson plan out of it, just ask the children things about how the music makes them feel and what kinds of things do they hear.
What this does is help a child create a relationship with the composer and their music. The deeper learning about the composer’s life, the structure of the music and the history of the work will grow from there because children are naturally curious. It works great for adults, too. Although, it may take a little longer if life has had a quenching effect on that natural curiosity.
A friend of mine often talks about building a relationship with an album. She was talking about Country music, but these truths transcend style. If you want to have a deeper experience with music, you’ve got to spend time with it.
It helps to expand outside your comfort zone sometimes. It builds musical maturity. Otherwise you can stay in the “it has a good beat and you can dance to it” mode of musical understanding. Which is alright if that’s what you want, but it could be something more.
Being bored either musically or in general is a common problem today. One of my seminary professors, Dr. Richard Winter, has written an interesting book titled Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment. It doesn’t come from having nothing to do, it comes, in part, from the crazy sensory overload in our culture.
We have sounds and images attacking our senses constantly. That’s why it’s all the more important to learn how to slow down and take time to listen and experience life. I know I don’t do it enough. Dr. Winter offers some advice on how to move away from boredom…
- Remember the big picture
- Delight in the simple and ordinary
- Cultivate wonder
- Develop strong interests
- Actively engage instead of passively expecting others to initiate
All of these can be applied to how we approach music and find our enjoyment in it. The jack rabbit lives we lead are wearing us down. Slowing down and connecting with some good music is good therapy for the soul and can lead to other riches of a slower, more thoughtful life.
Deborah
Topics: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
August 27th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
I totally agree Deborah! I think that you must intentionally try to expand your comfort zone and that through doing so you will find more to love. I still remember the first album that I sat down to and intentionally listened to, Not only did it work but it’s now one of my all time favorite albums! (Her Majesty the Decemberists) I also love what your friend said concerning building a relationship with an album, it becomes more enjoyable once you can move past things that you first found awkward or dissonant. Great post
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:05 am
Deborah,
I have to admit that I’m one of those people that doesn’t understand the elements of music. I just know what makes me feel good when I listen to it. I’ve listened to a little classical, and it’s ok…though not my favorite. But, I absolutely love piano music.
I was friends in my 20s with a girl that I met at work, and we took a road trip to her parents weekend home in North Carolina one year. All of my tapes were old classic rock, which she hated, so we listened to her country tunes. I had never heard a country song before, but could sing along by the end of the trip.
When we got to the house in NC, she introduced me to the George Winston albums that her parents had in their collection. I know one 4 of the albums myself and find them so soothing.
The friendship is long gone, but I’ll always thank her for introducing me to two of my favorite musical genres.