Dennis,
Thank you so much for this. Wow!! You said so many things in such a way that, though I share many of your opinions and thoughts, I don't have the gift of expression that you do. I'm really touched and quite frankly in awe of your writing abilities!
I have an abiding trust in composers. Do I like their all their work? Hell, no. But I take seriously the work of presenting what they do in their own sounds and in their own words. And I have an abiding trust in the listening public. Presented with conviction, composers and their works will be accepted, adopted, and loved.
Yes! And I'll add one more. I have an abiding trust in a human being's need to create and express themselves and to share in the common experiences and feelings of others which are so often expressed through the arts. Therefore, I believe the arts will survive in one way or the other.
I thought I would share some experiences that I have had that made me smile. And the moments that made me realize it's about reaching another, or having another reach us, or expressing ourselves as we confront our own human condition in an honest way. Or expressing the lightness and joy that life can also bring. It can all be fun and heady and loving and somber and angry... We aren't that different from each other when it comes right down to it...and the arts remind us of that. I believe, if we are in the right place, inspiration, no matter the endeavor, medium or genre, is divinely inspired.
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****The day I found my grandfather's record collection after he passed away. I didn't even know he had a record player much less a record collection. My grandfather was a farmer and he owned a filling station (Esso back in those days) on Main street in Radford Virginia. He never had an education beyond the 8th grade. I remember sitting in front of a box filled with records...and what I found inside blew me away...Stravinsky...Art Blakey...a couple of obscure World Music records...several Louis Armstrong records, Elvis, Nashville Goes Pop...and many, many recordings from Broadway shows among others. He listened to so many different things and I had no idea! I was so sad that I had never gotten to talk about music with him. And so thrilled to think that he had this secret yet rich love of music...all sorts of music.
****I had hit a rough spot while at school....doubting whether I should be there or not and how in the world was I going to get through...my student loan check hadn't come in yet. I literally had to borrow five dollars to get home on the trains and find something for dinner (Ramen noodles....five for a dollar at Star Market!) I was waiting for the train and it was just me and a gentleman who was mopping the subway platform. I had these really big glasses (where were the fashion police when I needed them!) and he asked me if I was a teacher. I said no, I was a music student. He started to tear up and said to me "please don't ever stop doing your music, music gets me through my day." He looked over his shoulder at an old radio he had on a bench behind us. I stayed in school.
****My boyfriend was listening to his usual rock and roll in the car as he was driving with his 90 year old (and very "cultured") grandmother. She didn't really say much. I think she was just tolerating the music. Yet, to her, I guess this was a small price to pay compared to the payoff of spending time with her grandson. But when Led Zeppelin came on....she asked him "who is this?" he said, Led Zeppelin..."oh, I like this" she said. (Apparently, my spell checker is familiar with Led Zeppelin too!~) Led Zeppelin makes this 90 year old "cultured" woman dance every time!
****My History of Art class was held each week at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The professor was a curator there and he is one of the best teachers I have ever had. He never made us memorize dates of creation or which paintings belonged to which era. But instead, he taught us composition and balance and asked us what we thought and asked us what touched us. He talked about art history as it related to the expression of the times and the condition that the people were living in at the time. He was so human and he nurtured creativity. As long as we were able to express ourselves honestly, he was satisfied. One of my favorite assignments was one where we had to go to the museum and pick out a work and write about what first attracted us to the work. Most of us wrote a couple of pages, going into detail and trying to sound informed and intelligent. But the highest grade in the class went to a guy who simply wrote "I was first attracted to this painting because there was a beautiful blond standing next to it." The professor gave him an A+. And the rest of us got honest after that.
I really appreciate the things that have been written to this list. I have been fortunate enough to have made my living doing music partially for the past 15 years and fully for the past 7 years. But I know that can change at any time so I try not to take it for granted. And I know the pain that comes from having to do one thing that may be less than inspiring to pay the bills and do another thing with whatever energy that is left over because it is a passion. The struggles of artists are real and difficult especially in the current cultural climate. I hear what you are saying and I share your frustrations and just want to tell you that it is my feeling that you are making a difference. Even if the obstacles are great, and it seems that no one understands or cares about the arts anymore unless there is a buck to be made. You are reaching some and you are passing along the joy of being able to express oneself and connect with another human being. Even, if at the very least, you touch only one person it can be a life changing experience for them. It's a wonderful thing to nurture another's voice and especially rewarding when that person perhaps didn't think their voice was worth hearing. Or maybe because of you, they got a chance to be heard when they otherwise wouldn't have. That is a great thing!
Then of course, there is the gift that music gives us...even when there isn't an audience to hear us. But that music feeds our own souls and keeps us going. Man, we are lucky to have that!
Thanks again Dennis! I loved reading your posts! You are an artist!! Keep on keepin' on!
--K
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