Today, I Confess: Sometimes Music is Wasted On Me.
Several weeks ago, I attended a large event in my community.
As part of the festivities, a woman got up to sing a familiar, upbeat song.
At first, I was enjoying myself... thinking what a lovely voice she had.
As the song progressed, I began to get uncomfortable. The chorus pushed her range just a bit beyond what was comfortable.
Mind you; this was far from a "bad" performance. She was engaging and it was obvious she'd had some vocal training. I deduced she'd made (or, perhaps, been assigned) a poor song choice due to the strain I could hear in her voice... and my immediate reaction was to feel embarrassed for her.
In fact, I spent the rest of her performance feeling badly for this singer.
How awful to be so imperfect in front of ALL these people!
I knew - if it were me - I would be mortified.
Since that day: I've seen many recordings of this performance shared on social media. I still hear the same strain in her voice... but I've noticed something else more important:
The crowd loved her. Her performance radiated JOY.
When I study the audience in these videos, I don't see hundreds of people sneering or cringing. I see a crowd of people having a wonderful time. Most are smiling and rocking gently back and forth to the beat of the music.
This is certainly not the first time I've noticed my musical snobbery getting in the way of a good time.
I have an old episode about Not Missing the Point, but I'm here to tell you: Sometimes I absolutely miss the point.
I'm grateful for my musical training, and I am proud of my heightened ability to analyze what I'm hearing... but those skills have a definite time and place.
Most of us will agree there has been an unfortunate sense of elitism wrapped up in traditional music study for generations.
Most of us ALSO contend we don't want to be part of that.
Music Belongs to Humanity. It is not to be gate-kept by those of us who choose to study its finest details.
While we're still just 23 days into a new calendar year, I hope we can all take a breath and remember the point: Music is for Everyone.
And - WE OF ALL PEOPLE - are uniquely equipped to bring it to the masses.
I've long marveled at the difference between "trained musicians" and the rest of the world.
Have you ever been to a Karaoke party? It's not the quality of voice that makes the crowd love a singer: it's their ability to not take themselves too seriously.
Think about this: Someone who's cousin shows them how to play Chopsticks in the 2nd grade will often gladly take the opportunity to play it on any piano they come across for the rest of their lives.
In contrast, "professional pianists" will often say, "Oh, I can't play today. I haven't had a chance to warm up."
It's backwards, but true.
I realize this "musician dilemma" stems from a complex recipe involving expectation, fear, and a lifetime of comparison.
I don't have a solution today, but I am interested in doing better.
I don't want to miss out on this fundamental element of the human experience just because I also happen to know the ways music can be refined.
So - PHEW - that's today's confession: Sometimes I miss out on the joy of music because I'm too busy being a "professional".
Don't give into the trap, friends. Music is for Humanity.
Do me a favor? Hit that reply button and tell me if YOU ever let "Perfect" be the enemy of the "Good" when it comes to music. 💜
🥂 May we all embrace the fact that music IS for everyone and count ourselves blessed to contribute to the artform in a meaningful way. 🥂