Klarinet Archive - Posting 000555.txt from 1998/04
From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: Smart people and Music (was Music and Science)
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1998 05:01:27 -0400
It surprises me not at all that there is a significant number of
engineer/hard science types in music. There is a "doctor's orchestra"
here in Seattle--at least it started that way, as an employees'
orchestra at a cancer research facility. Microsoft has its own choir
and orchestra, and The Boeing Company has a choir, and orchestra and a
band.
I work at Microsoft--the number of people here (none dummies) that I
know from the MUSIC department of my undergrad years is stunning. The
level of playing can be quite high--the 2d and 3d on-call trumpet
players for the Seattle Symphony are both testers here.
I think that attributing some sort of link to hard science, however, is
hubris on the part of hard scientists. There are a lot af lawyers in
the world who are musicians, too. I told this to the list before, but
it bears repeating--when I was on Law Review, we took an informal poll
of who the musicians were. 80%+ of the review members had played a band
instrument at one time or another--and a stunning 58% played clarinet!!
I think the real link is the true value of music education in our
schools. If you want a rough approximation of who the top 10% of
students are in any high school, you don't need a test--just stroll down
to the band room. (OK, choir and orchestra too.)
It could be a causal relationship--learning to practice certainly taught
ME how to study--and the immediate feedback of hard work certainly helps
a student's focus. On the other hand, it could merely be an effect
(i.e., the better students tend to stick with the instrument). Either
way, it is an incredibly valuable part of the education process for the
more advanced students in secondary education, and (forgive the heat) a
goddamned crime that it is among the first things to get cut by
brain-dead adminsistrators finding a way to keep the funding for the
football team.
My wife is a middle school band director. One of the sales pitches she
makes to parents is the value that music education has other than in the
band room--band students simply do better in school. Oodles of
statistics bear this out. I'm sure the secondary educators on this list
will agree, and have a huge amount of anecdotal evidence as well. All I
can say to them is keep up the good work!
kjf
--Original Message Follows----
From: "Scott Morrow" <sdm@-----.edu>
Subject: Re: Music and Science
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 11:09:47 -0400
I have a BS in Chemistry and have been working in Biochemistry for
the
last 16 years. I, also, have been playing the clarinet routinely since
4th
grade. I believe one of the skills that helps scientific people relate
to
music is an ability to deal with abstract concepts (you can't "see" a
molecule, and try explaining musical interpretation to someone who has
to
touch or see something to understand it!). Also, music IS very
mathematical - it is not difficult to see (especially from some of our
more
technical posts) that music is mostly a scientific field molded by
creativity. (Actually, most of the more important scientific
advancements
were discovered by creative scientists, not technicians!)
I am also a writer (plays and humourous articles) - also sort of
abstract! One of the reasons I never went on to a PhD in science is
that I
DON'T want to give up my "creative" activities!
-Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: C E Field <CEField@-----.com>
Date: Friday, April 10, 1998 10:03 AM
Subject: Re: Music and Science
>This is a fascinating topic.
>
>I am a Ph.D. (food & resource chemistry and chemical engineering) by
education
>and a computer journalist by trade (with 500 or so published articles
in
the
>past 15 years). I also worked in medical research and teaching.
>
>BUT clarinets always have been and remain my first love. I started
playing
in
>fourth grade...nearly 40 years ago (ugh).
>
>Cindy
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