"Music from the Soul"
Sharing music with others is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the music-loving experience. Unfortunately, when musicians become overly focused on the minutiae of their instrument and the individual notes, they lose sight of the joy of performing as a whole. When I first started playing the piano, I thought I had figured out all the secrets to success, including devotion and a love for what I was doing. I was too focused on the details to remember who I was speaking to.
"Music from the Heart," an organization that performed for the elderly, urged me to join in my sophomore year. As the date for her first performance came, I began to second guess my decision to go along with her. The prospect of performing in front of the seniors, especially if I made a mistake, was a daunting one for me.
I had a successful first performance, but it was difficult to tell whether the seniors were enamored with my work. The seniors would converse to each other as the ensemble performed, paused to clap at the end of each song. After a while, I got into the habit of practicing an elaborate composition in anticipation of the monthly show.
I was so accustomed to this monthly ritual that I doubted that this performance would be any different from the previous ones as I got set to play my favorite piece on a summer day. While I awaited my turn, I took a quick look around the room and noticed an increasing number of senior citizens huddled around the piano. The rapt attentiveness of one elderly woman to the performance stood out amongst the din of muttering voices. While greeting the performers, she smiled broadly, mentioning something about the piece. When I rose to introduce "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy, I was unsure of her expectations.
She only responded, "Ooh, I adore that song," in response.
A grin spread across my face as I realized she was as enthused about the piece of music as I was. As a way of showing her how much I appreciated the music, I did my best to explain what made it so significant to me. As the song went on, my nitpicky concerns about a few tiny details faded away. Only playing the song that I loved the most mattered to me at that time. In this moment, I was content with my performance and unaffected by errors for the first time.
Even yet, it was far from flawless. As a result, none of the seniors mentioned that the beat was too slow or the notes were incorrect. Even though they were still chatting, they all cheered enthusiastically and grinned. Several of them would agree that it was a beautiful piece of music. They were really appreciative of my attempts to keep them entertained and anxiously requested that they come back again soon. Just seeing the woman's happy smile after the performance was all the motivation I needed.
My passion for what I accomplished and the gratitude of the seniors were what kept me coming back to the piano each month. It wasn't simply a show; it was an opportunity for me to give back to the community and brighten the lives of the elderly. Aside from sharing music, volunteering in the community is what brings me true happiness in my life.
