This week we would like to introduce our new Intern, John Gim. John joins us via Interlake High School's Gifted Program which places students with community organizations for year long internships each year. We asked John to introduce himself and write a bit about his personal musical experiences. So without further ado:
"Music is the language of the heart, or so they say. I'm not really sure who they are, but I certainly agree.
Today in Psychology 201 I watched a video on a Mr. Clive Wearing, a musician whose conscious long term memory was taken away by an accident. He could only remember what he was perceiving at the moment - what he was seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling and paying attention to. What had happened moments ago, it meant nothing to him as if he just woke up from an eternal slumber. It was weird seeing him write in his diary, "I have just now woken up", over and over again at different times of the day. 8:57 he would write, and at 9:02, he would write the exact same sentence. In essence, Clive starts his life over again every moment. However, his heart, soul, mind are all intact. He could speak clearly, trade jokes, express emotion, behave normally, and even play solitare.
Why talk psychology on a music blog? Well, it turns out that Clive is an excellent musician, once the leader of a pre-eminent choir in London and still an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Despite his inability to remember what he ate for breakfast, he could play Chopin's Pathetique or Haydn's opera concerto without fault. Confused and dazed he may be elsewhere but within the music sphere where the notion of time is lost and all that is present is the soul, Clive feels safe and completely at peace.
Clive's experience just shows that music is not just notes combined with a rhythm. No, it is an incredibly intrinsic yet real experience that goes beyond memory and time. It is organic, above what humans can express with words. Music really is the language of the heart.
Perhaps that is why it is so prevalent in today's society. My parents forced me to start playing piano at an early age of 5, and I practiced everyday, 1 hour each. By sophomore year of high school, I had played for a solid decade and other things took higher importance in my life. As part of the Gifted Program at Interlake High School, I was able to start the International Baccalaureate a year early so that I would finish by the end of my junior year, not my senior year. Education was always the first priority in my family and thus I chose to quit piano in order to focus on the IB Program. For two years since, music and I were completely strangers.
This year as a senior, I had the chance to intern at a business of my choice. I chose BYSO. To be honest, I wasn't too excited about alphabetizing the hundreds of applications or entering numbers for BYSO's music catalogue. I just wanted to listen to their music. Indeed, in the first week of rehearsal, I got in as much listening as possible. I heard 6-year-olds struggling to play Joust and I heard the full Youth orchestra tackle a symphony of some sort. All in all, it was inspiring. It was like eating chocolate for the first time after wearing braces for a year.
So I, John Gim, am here at BYSO as an intern, learning what I can about the music industry, backstage production and whatnot. But really, I'm here on a free ticket to all of BYSO's concerts in exchange for a few hours in the office every week."
Thanks John!
"Music is the language of the heart, or so they say. I'm not really sure who they are, but I certainly agree.
Today in Psychology 201 I watched a video on a Mr. Clive Wearing, a musician whose conscious long term memory was taken away by an accident. He could only remember what he was perceiving at the moment - what he was seeing, touching, hearing, tasting, smelling and paying attention to. What had happened moments ago, it meant nothing to him as if he just woke up from an eternal slumber. It was weird seeing him write in his diary, "I have just now woken up", over and over again at different times of the day. 8:57 he would write, and at 9:02, he would write the exact same sentence. In essence, Clive starts his life over again every moment. However, his heart, soul, mind are all intact. He could speak clearly, trade jokes, express emotion, behave normally, and even play solitare.
Why talk psychology on a music blog? Well, it turns out that Clive is an excellent musician, once the leader of a pre-eminent choir in London and still an accomplished pianist and vocalist. Despite his inability to remember what he ate for breakfast, he could play Chopin's Pathetique or Haydn's opera concerto without fault. Confused and dazed he may be elsewhere but within the music sphere where the notion of time is lost and all that is present is the soul, Clive feels safe and completely at peace.
Clive's experience just shows that music is not just notes combined with a rhythm. No, it is an incredibly intrinsic yet real experience that goes beyond memory and time. It is organic, above what humans can express with words. Music really is the language of the heart.
Perhaps that is why it is so prevalent in today's society. My parents forced me to start playing piano at an early age of 5, and I practiced everyday, 1 hour each. By sophomore year of high school, I had played for a solid decade and other things took higher importance in my life. As part of the Gifted Program at Interlake High School, I was able to start the International Baccalaureate a year early so that I would finish by the end of my junior year, not my senior year. Education was always the first priority in my family and thus I chose to quit piano in order to focus on the IB Program. For two years since, music and I were completely strangers.
This year as a senior, I had the chance to intern at a business of my choice. I chose BYSO. To be honest, I wasn't too excited about alphabetizing the hundreds of applications or entering numbers for BYSO's music catalogue. I just wanted to listen to their music. Indeed, in the first week of rehearsal, I got in as much listening as possible. I heard 6-year-olds struggling to play Joust and I heard the full Youth orchestra tackle a symphony of some sort. All in all, it was inspiring. It was like eating chocolate for the first time after wearing braces for a year.
So I, John Gim, am here at BYSO as an intern, learning what I can about the music industry, backstage production and whatnot. But really, I'm here on a free ticket to all of BYSO's concerts in exchange for a few hours in the office every week."
Thanks John!
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