Understanding Music Inside Out

After finishing my post on writing I had the opportunity to listen to an interview with Judy Carmichael.
colony400 Photo Source
Judy is the host of the Jazz Inspired radio program. This program explores creativity and each week in the program  “celebrated artists discuss their creative process and how their passion for jazz has inspired their work. They share their favorite recordings with the listener as well as insight into their life and art.”
Her interview explored virtuosity and creativity. This is the MP3 audio of the interview.
Listening to Judy’s ease with discussing Jazz I was reminded of another marvellous music interview I heard two years ago. That was between Michael Tilson Thomas and James Brown in We Were Playing Boulez, But We Were Listening To James Brown! The trail for the program reads:

As a university student, Michael Tilson Thomas and his colleagues were on the cutting edge of modern classical music. One day, while he was driving on the LA freeway, a song by James Brown came on the radio. That song, and the many that followed, changed MTT’s views about how to perform the music of Boulez, Stravinsky, and the like. The level of energy, the precision, the sense of time, the angularity — all gave the young conductor insight into the music he was performing.

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The confidence with which Judy Carmichael and Michael Tilson Thomas spoke about music reminded me of Maureen Pope‘s discussion of the personal contruction of formal knowledge and her link to Arthur Koestler‘s articulation of the vision that links poet, scientist and artist.
After listening to both interviews I revisited Howard Gardner’s discussion of multiple intelligences. He suggests that musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. (Mark Smith)
This reminded me of two quotes:
Music expresses that which can not be said and on which it is impossible to be silent (Victor Hugo)
Music is the silence between the notes (Claude Debussy)
Overall my writing about writing and about music has amplified my interest in performances of understanding and the forms this understanding can take. Lee Gutkind, Judy Carmichael and Michael Tilson Thomas have a great deal in common.
Postscript
Classic FM’s Keys to Music has broadcast (May 2009) four programs about Music Education.
1: The Body
In Part 1 of the series Graham Abbott and Richard Gill discuss the importance of dance and movement in a child’s musical experiences. In this program they are joined by Dr Micheal Giddens, a leading exponent of Dalcroze Eurhythmics.
2: The Voice
Graham and Richard discuss the importance of singing in a child’s life. They are joined by Kathryn Sadler, one of Melbourne’s leading singing teachers and choir directors.
3: Instruments Download
In Part 3 Graham and Richard discuss why learning an instrument is good for children. They are joined by Alastair McKean, Director of Border Music Camp in Albury, NSW.
4: The Mind Download
Graham and Richard conclude their discussion on the importance of Music Education for children. In this program they focus on the proven benefits of musical experiences for a child’s intellectual and social development.

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