To Share an Idea

Meet Becca—we both love pants! Every day she inspires me with her ability to share stories. She motivates me to share musical ideas with conviction, to express myself from head to toe, and to perform music as an act of sharing musical ideas with others.

And isn’t that the beauty of music? That we convey ideas through sound? That the creation of music is an act of collaboration? A collaboration that exists both on and off the stage! To feel the presence of the sound and react musically—repeating and developing an idea as the groove builds, lingering on a note and relishing how the echoes of sound reverberate around you, the powerful interjection that comes with silence breaking through the noise—to react emotionally—a subtle grin turning up a corner of your lips, a shout to accompany the raging applause, a silent tear rolling down your cheek… that’s music.

This semester I’ve become more attuned to active flow of energy between musicians and the listeners. The musicians simply act as a conduit between those listening and the sound being produced. Well, perhaps it’s not quite as simple as that in practice, but that’s essentially what’s happening!

I love playing with Becca because she gives me so much energy to work with. Each note she sings fervently explodes into existence. She breathes life into each lyric. She fully embodies the character of each piece she sings.

So in essence, I’ve discovered music to be something much more deep and complex than I may have once thought it to be. I’m grateful for the musical experiences that have brought me here and for the musicians that inspire me every day. Music shouldn’t be put in a box!

I’m trying to break out of my own box I’ve created—to tap into the musical freedom that my inner-critic often discourages me from experiencing, in fear of my ideas not being “good enough.” That being said, I’m also thankful for the people that affirm my ideas, and I hope to spend the rest of my life doing the same for others.

Create creatively!

- Maggie