Music and Physics: The basis of almost everything we do as musicians is dependent on having a working understanding of some basic principles of physics. Through changing our distribution of weight (gravity), tension and speed, we can alter the listener’s perception of the emotional direction of a piece of music. Also, having an awareness of the acoustics and resonance of a room and understanding the elasticity of both our bodies and the stringed instruments we are playing is essential. Through isolation and demonstration of these various elements, students have the opportunity to begin thinking more creatively about the physics of the world in which we live.
It is important to remember that the evolution of scientific and artistic thought has taken place simultaneously. Throughout modern history (the last three hundred years), one has always affected the other. Our responsibility as thinkers and creative beings is to keep enhancing this relationship, in the hopes of a continued expansion of thought and idea.
Music and Mathematics: Division and multiplication are a basic component of rhythm in western music. Music notation is a clear example of graphic notation: the change of pitch (frequency) is the vertical axis, and rhythm (time) is the horizontal axis. Pitches can be expressed in cycles per second and their relationships to one another are mathematically exact: for example, 440 cycles and 880 cycles both sound the pitch A, exactly one octave a part.
Music and Business: The essence of any successful musical endeavor is teamwork. We must have a functional awareness of the needs, demands, strengths and weakness of our colleagues and ourselves. Problem solving, conflict resolution, empowering co-workers, shared leadership, and achieving a shared goal are all essential to the success of a musical group. By pulling the fabric of the Arianna Quartet apart, we can quickly demonstrate how breakdowns in any one of these areas can affect the entire product.
Music and Social Studies: Learning about the music of a culture gives students great insights into a nation’s social and political characteristics, as well as its cultural traditions. For instance, Russian music, influenced by centuries of harsh climate and social repression, tends to emphasize the more ironic aspects of life. Compare Shostakovich’s post Stalin compositions (Russia) with Beethoven’s (German) post Napoleon works. Or compare the different cultural influences on the music of Sibelius (Finland) and DaFalla (Spain). Music offers any student the opportunity to travel through time and history, and experience a vast array of differing cultures and traditions.
Music and Foreign Languages: A nation’s language and its music share many common denominators. In the study of any country’s music, we can find links to the rhythm, sentence structure, punctuation, tone and enunciation of its spoken language. It is possible, for example, to differentiate between the music of Ravel (French), and Beethoven (Germanic), just be watching how the music is played. Students can see the difference between the more free-flowing, aromatic French music, where the language is smooth and soft, and Beethoven’s highly organize and rhythmic German style. It is always enlightening for students to see how wrong it is, for example, when we perform French music in the German style, or Hungarian music in a Spanish style.
Music and Language:The students studying grammar and syntax in English can be shown that nouns, verbs, commas, periods, sentences, and paragraphs also exist in music. In any musical phrase, there are notes that have more weight or importance (nouns), rhythms or pitches that create a feeling of motion (verbs), and ornamental notes (adjectives). Students will gain a new appreciation of the importance of grammatical clarity in self-expression. Poetry students will see how music employs rhythm, rhyme, symmetry, and harmony to enhance the listener’s perception of the expression of the music.
Music and Creative Writing: When musicians perform for an audience, they are telling stories with sound. The same elements that go in to writing a great story are found in a great musical composition. Parallels include the flow of ideas, contrast, well-defined characters, plot development, balancing surprise with inevitability, and dramatic/musical tension and resolution. Students can readily find this connection when we demonstrate music that is devoid of any creative awareness.
Music and the Visual Arts: Music and the visual arts have been closely linked throughout history. It is said that an accomplished musician can “paint” with sound, creating characters, scenery, shape, light and darkness. A virtuoso painter can give the impression of harmony, dissonance, rhythm, and melody. By separating and examining the elements of the composer, the performer, and the audience, we can show art students how to heighten their awareness and effectiveness of expression. Also, by showing the links between the great art and music movements in history, students can begin to expand their awareness of emotional content in their own work. For instance, the works of Monet are greatly enhanced with the knowledge of the music of Ravel, and the one can’t hear the music of Schoenberg without recalling the works of Kandinsky. These are links that are as pertinent today as when they occurred, and will help students begin finding the artistic links in their own world.