 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Henry
Date: 2003-04-30 13:08
Since joining this board about six months ago, I am struck by the number of active participants who are, or were at some point, engaged in the sciences, or are at least very interested in things scientific. Examples are The Doc, John McAuley, Don Berger, Marc Charette, Gordon(NZ), Sfalexi, and myself, just to name a few. Although I haven't seen any reliable statistics, there appears to be a tendency for scientists to look for a balance of "rational" and "spiritual" activities in their lives through music. Are there any others? Any thoughts on this phenomenon (supposing it is real)?
Henry
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Author: William
Date: 2003-04-30 14:54
"tendency for scientists to look for a balance "
I think that you are expressing the viewpoint of many people who look to music as a recreational relief from their own "real life" career choices and passions. For me, I have a "recreational" interest in all aspects of scientific investigation and discovery (I really have an obsessive interest in the "unknown") But my main life's passion is for the arts and, in particular, music--not as a "relief" from other pursuites, but as the main focus of my life's vocation. Music is regarded as a diversion (recreational activity) by many people, but for many of us who frequent this forum, I think music is much more a serious commitment and involvement, not simply a "balancing" of spiritual and rational values. Just my early morning thoughts while I surf this board and procrastinate about starting my daily practice routine.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-04-30 15:24
"Music sooths the savage breast", or something like that and probably does the same for us scientific types.
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Author: Henry
Date: 2003-04-30 15:31
Yes, William, I guess you are right that, in my case and in that of many others, music is mostly "recreational" but certainly not without "passion". My career could have gone either way when I was in my teens. Science won out as a career, not because I was more passionate about it but, to be quite honest, because I was well aware that making a living as a musician is difficult, to say the least. So, in a sense, the "rational" or "practical" side of me won out. And I never regretted my decision. I have had great fun in science but it necessarily limited my musical activity. Being retired now, my other great "passion" is taking over. I will never become a top-flight musician at this age but it is great fun trying!
You represent an example of the other side of the coin but I don't know how common that is.
Henry
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Author: wjk
Date: 2003-04-30 15:36
I am a physician and deal daily with "life and death" issues. Music is a long-term and constant solace and companion to me. It provides meaning to issues that cannot easily be put into words (listen to Mahler's 2nd symphony for example). Many, many physicians and scientists that I know either perform or are avid music listeners. Music has made me a much better physician, and a much better person!
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-04-30 15:42
"Daily Practice", Wm?, you have shamed me already this AM. My first task is to put one of those dern-little pieces of cork on the low Bb key of an oboe for a student, prob,, Henry, a reversion to the mech. eng, I suffered thru, to become a chem. eng. [a plumber who has heard of chemistry]. Yes , I plead guilty of having had an engineering-patent career, and playing-learning music as much as possible along the way. Believe its has been rewarding in a number of ways. A common story?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: ALOMARvelous12
Date: 2003-04-30 23:51
Well, after working on my biology term paper for the past few months, I now know about every single area on the "Mozart Effect", from Gordon Shaw and Francis Rauscher's original 1990's studies to the latest developements. Not sure whether or not the Mozart Effect has too much to do with "balance of rational and spiritual activities in their lives through music", though.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-05-01 00:55
Well, I've heard (everyone's told me) that there is a strong correlation between music and math. I'm a musician/future mathematician, my math teacher plays the clarinet in his spare time, and from what I hear (obviously I have no idea whether it's true or not but it does seem to make sense) Bach and Mozart were pretty good at math as well. When you look at their music, they seem to make sense. I've never done it (maybe as a project or paper in the future) but if someone were to analyze Bach's/Mozart's music, I bet they would find that it makes sense mathematically. And I'm very attracted to their music.
And isn't it proven that listening to Mozart helps people in math? I remember studies about that (is this the "Mozart Affect" spoken of above?). Our math center, where I tutor other college students in math, only plays mozart.
Just some thoughts that were culminating in my brain.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Jennifer
Date: 2003-05-01 01:40
The "Mozart effect" is as yet an unproven theory. The original results have yet to be duplicated as of last year, when I wrote a paper on the subject.
As for the correlation between clarinet and science, could part of the answer be that since this is a webpage on the internet, there just might possibly be a higher geek ratio here than in a normal cross section of clarinetists?
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-05-01 05:43
To discover what it's all about, try reading Lewis Thomas.
Regards,
John
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Author: javier garcia m
Date: 2003-05-01 15:11
In my case, I'm engineer and I work on air quality issues. I'm very curious about scientific topics. As Henry, I've decided my career most by practical concerns. Music and clarinet is a passion. Unfortunately, I don't have many time to practice and now, I don't have an ensemble to play, but who knows in the future?
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Author: Matt Snyder
Date: 2003-05-01 15:50
People always expect that because I'm a musician that I must be good at math and science. I'm a fan of science, but I got thoroughly lost in pre-calculus while in high school and haven't taken a math class since. I do have the kind of command of theory that a jazz musician must have, but that's more about hearing than anything else. My point is, I really don't know where the association "good at music"="good at science" comes from.
Matt Snyder
msnyder@alumni.indiana.edu
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2003-05-01 16:04
Engineering and science have been my career. But I certainly have the heart to be a musician. It is clear to me that rational and artistic thought can exist side by side in a person. Henry, it's not just scientists that look for a balance; I think it's every wise person.
I realize that I am particularly drawn to the subjects here and on the list where people argue about subjective things like tone, occasionally throwing some science at the subject, and where everything gets really muddled. I want to believe that we could sort it all out with careful language. Science describes certain kinds of phenomena well; and emotional language is absolutely appropriate for other sorts of human experiences.
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Author: Amy
Date: 2003-05-01 19:44
I have heard that good musicians find learning a new language easier than non-musicians. I'm not sure why but someone once told me that it was something to do with patterns. Not sure what they meant!
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Author: Vic
Date: 2003-05-01 20:09
I heartily endorse what JMcAuley said - read Lewis Thomas. Great perspective. Like wjk, I believe Thomas was a physician, but I'm not entirely sure. Scientist of some kind, however.
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Author: Benni
Date: 2003-05-01 20:35
Comp Sci all the way! ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
Actually, in a computer science class I took last year, the instructor was a sax player/former drum major, and among the students were a clarinetist (me!), a drummer, a bass player, and a sax player.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2003-05-01 21:15
I have a degree in math and my career has been in engineering (chemical, petroleum and software) with a large emphasis on software, but my main love in the technical areas is math. I've also played bass clarinet since sixth grade.
Interestingly enough, the person who started me on clarinet in fourth grade was my cousin, a clarinetist. What field did she study in college? Math education. Within this generation of my family (in the larger sense), she and I are the most musical and the most math-oriented. This, however, doesn't necessarily hold for the generation of our children. The more musical ones aren't necessarily in the hard sciences. The greater commonality in that generation seems to be along the lines of the spiritual.
As far as the connection between hard science, or more narrowly, math and music, in my mind, it isn't so much having the music as a diversion, but that those who appreciate math appreciate the patterns in music. Those that truly appreciate math find a certain spirituality in discerning patterns and connections and finding the simple truths and rules that hold things together. Mathematicians are forever looking for elegance, clarity and simplicity. They derive their greatest satisfaction from discovering or creating elegant statements of truth.
Musical performance also involves the creation of elegant statements. It has patterns to be discerned and connections to be made. Not surprisingly, one of the most renowned, if not the most renowned, composers was J.S. Bach, whose music is filled with simple, elegant patterns. A large number of his pieces are also spiritual in nature.
Simply stated, although diversion and relaxation may play some role in a scientist/mathematician's enjoyment of musical performance, I believe the greater reason is that math/science and music complement each other on a spiritual level.
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