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Blog #3

The speaker of my choice TED talk, Benjamin Zander, does not believe that there are any limits to the power and effect that classical music has on people. He discusses how there are not many people in the world who listen to classical music at all which I guess you could say is a limit of sorts, but not a limit to how powerfully the music can affect you when listening to it. Zander believes it can touch anyone and everyone all around the world. I too believe that not just classical music but music, in general, can transform peoples outlooks on the world. Classical music is so beautiful and moving and can make you ponder things you may not consciously think of every day. Like Zander says in his TED talk, a little boy’s brother was murdered and he didn’t cry for him, but when he heard Chopin’s piece he felt the tears flowing down his face. When I heard the piece he played, I personally thought of my family pet of 16 years that we had to put down earlier this year. I reflected on the good times we spent together and it made me happy, reminiscent, and teary-eyed as the beautiful melody continued on. The power that that classical piece had on not only me but everyone in the TED talk audience who listened to it, was so moving and amazing.

Another power to this art form that stood out to me as amazingly significant was the fact that Zander said in his talk that, “If their eyes are shining, you know you’re doing it.” This was just significant and moving to me because it really is so true. I know that feeling when you are specifically moved by something or someone and you can just feel yourself light up. Zander says that everyone has shining eyes in the audience after Chopin’s piece is played and that’s how he knows as a musician and conductor he is impacting the audience. The fact that he could even reach an audience of 7th graders and have them attentive and listening to this classical piece is so telling of the power of this type of music. I think it really gets you to think and interpret what you relate the piece to, and that’s what makes it so unique and powerful.

2 Comments

  1. Mary Kate

    This is a great blog, and I also agree that classical music has the power to affect people. However, I thought of a limitation that you might not have thought of. Classical music doesn’t typically have lyrics, which may make it more difficult to tell a concrete story. Not that it is impossible to tell a story without lyrics, it’s just more difficult. I think that there are advantages to telling concrete stories, like having a specific message or theme or being more specifically relatable to some people. However, I think this limitation is what made classical music contain such raw emotion, but it is a limitation nonetheless. Chopin’s piece could not have been made about a single sad event or death, but this is the reason anyone can relate to it, because everyone can relate to the raw emotion of loss. In this way it is both a limitation and a strength.

  2. sdupont2

    I strongly agree with everything that you said. I listened to the same TED TALK and made the same observations. When listening I had the same perspective about the fact that music in general and not just classical music is able to have a powerful effect on people. I also agree when you were talking about how the TED TALK had a powerful effect of you while you were listening. I experienced the same thing and was able to think of my grandfather when he was playing the classical piece and it was able to prove to me that classical music can be for everybody. When you talked about how it proves it was powerful because it was able to reach a group of seventh graders was something that I didn’t even realize before when listening. That is very true and helps to prove the overall point of the TED TALK.

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