March 25

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You’re Listening to Music Right Now

I thought about calling this post Music is Everywhere.

But, I figured I would just be asking for people to scroll on by, thinking, "There goes Jonathan, off on another Disneyland tangent again."

Now that we've cleared the air on that one...

You're listening to music right now. That's right. At this very moment. Don't believe me? Consider some of the basic components of music as we know it.

Timbre - the "color" of the sound

Pitch - low, medium, high

Rhythm - the length of the sound

Dynamic - loud or soft

Every sound around you has these characteristics. Not just the sounds from the piano or the radio. 

Close your eyes and take a listen. It might be the birds outside. The neighbor mowing his lawn. The hum of the car engine. Listen for the timbre, pitch, rhythm, and dynamic of these sounds. It's like a sonic fingerprint.

Better yet, if you hear a combination of sounds, try to filter out the different ones.

Listen to the breeze. Shift to appreciate the hum of the car driving by. Perhaps take a moment to focus on the birds chirping.

When we're young children, all sound is music and music is nutrition for our brains. As get older, the world becomes noisy and we start to filter out most of it.

But it's still there, waiting to be taken in, whether you are a musician or not.

So, won't you take a listen?

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For parents, students, and anyone else who believes that music can and should be a meaningful part of everyone's life.

About Jonathan Roberts

I am the founder and director of the South Shore Piano School, and I have been teaching the piano for nearly 20 years. My work centers around bringing music to the lives of kids, parents, and adults in an enriching, meaningful way. At the South Shore Piano School, my incredible colleagues and I accomplish this through skill-based teaching, community, and an innovative, people-first business model. You can read more about me here.

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