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Showing posts with label This I believe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label This I believe. Show all posts
Sunday, February 25, 2007
What do I believe in? Podcast
I suggest turning off or turning down the clocktower music on the sidebar before listening to the podcast so you can actually hear it!
Thursday, February 1, 2007
What do I believe in?
Hmm...to answer that question in the title, I believe in many things. As a violinist, many of my beliefs are originated in my experiences in music.
First and foremost and if you don't already know, I accept that I am not what some may call a normal 16 year old student. And now I'll be giving you the generic "everyone is different" statement. There! That wasn't too hard was it? It is true though, if everyone behaved the same, wouldn't life be boring?
ANYWAYS, so we have our differences, my main difference has to do with music. While many teenagers have their quote and quote "popular" music, I am interested in none of that. Again, I'm a violinist and my genre of music is classical. Like Eric W. was saying in one of his posts, "most teens can't stand to even think about classical music". Well, I'm not "most".
I've been playing violin since I was 4. Starting to learn, just like with anything, was a slow process, but it was not without its excitements. Moving on to a new piece (Little rant: They are not called songs!) was always one of these excitements, as was learning the new techniques that came with it. I started in the Suzuki program so there was a set path of pieces, and with the Suzuki CD that I would listen to in the car, I would get to listen to not only my current piece, but also the pieces I would eventually be able to play. Practicing was hard work, and when I was younger it was not really much fun. However, listening to future pieces gave me motivation. And I knew that if I wanted to improve, I had to be committed. I kept practicing, and I did improve. And actually as I improved, practicing eventually became less of a chore and more of a recreation. So that is how I have my first belief: commitment.
It has been 12 years since I started the violin, and since then it has become a central part of my life. There used to be a CD I could listen to, as a mentioned above. The music on the CD would give me something, a piece, to look forward to playing. I would strive to improve to be able to play that piece, whatever it was. Setting set goals, along with my belief in commitment helped me through the Suzuki books, but that was 5 years ago and those were just the basics. After finishing the last book...well 8th book since I didn't do 9 and 10...I was introduced to the expanse that is classical music. There was no more set path, of course, and while my belief in commitment stayed, my "stepping stone" belief changed into my second belief: excellence.
"Is someone testing me every day I live? Well, the best in me is all I have to give."
I believe that excellence is not the same as "success". Success is about "being the best". Excellence on the other hand isn't that way, though many people now think of it as so. It isn't about competition. It does not involve comparing yourself to anyone else...but yourself. It is a personal goal that is constantly pursued. Excellence is improvement! It is the quality of doing one's best, one's best which constantly raises through improvement brought by the pursuit of that excellence. Failure is such a harsh word, and focusing on success can lead to focusing on potential failures which in turn lead to self-debasement and brooding over the past. Success/Failure is something that is not often under one's complete control. While "my best" is something that I can control. I know when I have accomplished my goal and I know what I am capable of. I believe that the best I have is the most I have and that can be made better through the pursuit of excellence. It is not only in violin that I work to always be be better than I have been previously but I try to apply the belief in excellence to other areas of my life as well.
I think this quote sums up the differences between success and excellence. I'm not much into sports but still:
http://eteamz.active.com/americasoccer/files/SuccessvsExcellence.doc
So that was my second belief: the pursuit of excellence.
I am just beginning to find my belief in this aspect of music: Life is very stressful, and the violin is my way to escape. With music I am immersed in a world where the strains of life become merely secondary. I feel a freedom to express that which would be impossible for me to express with words. Music is a universal language after all. The better I get, the more I can say. I can harness my frustration, my happiness, my anger into this expression. And what's more, I find it enjoyable. My third belief: I believe in music as its own, powerful, language.
First and foremost and if you don't already know, I accept that I am not what some may call a normal 16 year old student. And now I'll be giving you the generic "everyone is different" statement. There! That wasn't too hard was it? It is true though, if everyone behaved the same, wouldn't life be boring?
ANYWAYS, so we have our differences, my main difference has to do with music. While many teenagers have their quote and quote "popular" music, I am interested in none of that. Again, I'm a violinist and my genre of music is classical. Like Eric W. was saying in one of his posts, "most teens can't stand to even think about classical music". Well, I'm not "most".
I've been playing violin since I was 4. Starting to learn, just like with anything, was a slow process, but it was not without its excitements. Moving on to a new piece (Little rant: They are not called songs!) was always one of these excitements, as was learning the new techniques that came with it. I started in the Suzuki program so there was a set path of pieces, and with the Suzuki CD that I would listen to in the car, I would get to listen to not only my current piece, but also the pieces I would eventually be able to play. Practicing was hard work, and when I was younger it was not really much fun. However, listening to future pieces gave me motivation. And I knew that if I wanted to improve, I had to be committed. I kept practicing, and I did improve. And actually as I improved, practicing eventually became less of a chore and more of a recreation. So that is how I have my first belief: commitment.
It has been 12 years since I started the violin, and since then it has become a central part of my life. There used to be a CD I could listen to, as a mentioned above. The music on the CD would give me something, a piece, to look forward to playing. I would strive to improve to be able to play that piece, whatever it was. Setting set goals, along with my belief in commitment helped me through the Suzuki books, but that was 5 years ago and those were just the basics. After finishing the last book...well 8th book since I didn't do 9 and 10...I was introduced to the expanse that is classical music. There was no more set path, of course, and while my belief in commitment stayed, my "stepping stone" belief changed into my second belief: excellence.
"Is someone testing me every day I live? Well, the best in me is all I have to give."
I believe that excellence is not the same as "success". Success is about "being the best". Excellence on the other hand isn't that way, though many people now think of it as so. It isn't about competition. It does not involve comparing yourself to anyone else...but yourself. It is a personal goal that is constantly pursued. Excellence is improvement! It is the quality of doing one's best, one's best which constantly raises through improvement brought by the pursuit of that excellence. Failure is such a harsh word, and focusing on success can lead to focusing on potential failures which in turn lead to self-debasement and brooding over the past. Success/Failure is something that is not often under one's complete control. While "my best" is something that I can control. I know when I have accomplished my goal and I know what I am capable of. I believe that the best I have is the most I have and that can be made better through the pursuit of excellence. It is not only in violin that I work to always be be better than I have been previously but I try to apply the belief in excellence to other areas of my life as well.
I think this quote sums up the differences between success and excellence. I'm not much into sports but still:
http://eteamz.active.com/americasoccer/files/SuccessvsExcellence.doc
So that was my second belief: the pursuit of excellence.
I am just beginning to find my belief in this aspect of music: Life is very stressful, and the violin is my way to escape. With music I am immersed in a world where the strains of life become merely secondary. I feel a freedom to express that which would be impossible for me to express with words. Music is a universal language after all. The better I get, the more I can say. I can harness my frustration, my happiness, my anger into this expression. And what's more, I find it enjoyable. My third belief: I believe in music as its own, powerful, language.
Monday, January 29, 2007
NPR: "This I believe"
Today in English, we recieved an assignment to listen to and respond here to 3 speakers on NPR's "This I believe". The link to the list of speakers that I was choosing from is here. The three speakers I chose to respond to were: Temple Grandin ("Seeing in Beautiful, Precise Pictures") , Studs Turkil (Community in Action) , and Ronald Hoffman (The Tense Middle).
"Seeing in Beautiful, Precise Pictures" is written by Temple Grandin, who has autism. She designs holding pens for ranches and slaughterhouses. Because she has autism, she says that she is able to synthesize lots of information and create systems out of it. She says that she would not want to become normal because that will cause her to lose this ability. I think that this is inspiring, even though she is at some disadvantage Temple Grandin still refuses believe that she is inferior to non-autistic people. This shows determination.
"Community in Action" is written by Pulitzer prize winner Studs Turkil. He speaks about how cooperation of the community has helped everyone. He says that a community can accomplish things that are impossible for an individual.
"The Tense Middle" is by Professor Ronald Hoffman. He says that he prefers being in the middle of things, rather than at the extremes. He talks about how being in the middle gives you choices, balance, and the ability to change. He mentions that the idea that somthing is either one way or another is impractical and unnatural and that life is not as simple as the world, political forces, etc. make it out to be. I agree with him on his essay.
"Seeing in Beautiful, Precise Pictures" is written by Temple Grandin, who has autism. She designs holding pens for ranches and slaughterhouses. Because she has autism, she says that she is able to synthesize lots of information and create systems out of it. She says that she would not want to become normal because that will cause her to lose this ability. I think that this is inspiring, even though she is at some disadvantage Temple Grandin still refuses believe that she is inferior to non-autistic people. This shows determination.
"Community in Action" is written by Pulitzer prize winner Studs Turkil. He speaks about how cooperation of the community has helped everyone. He says that a community can accomplish things that are impossible for an individual.
"The Tense Middle" is by Professor Ronald Hoffman. He says that he prefers being in the middle of things, rather than at the extremes. He talks about how being in the middle gives you choices, balance, and the ability to change. He mentions that the idea that somthing is either one way or another is impractical and unnatural and that life is not as simple as the world, political forces, etc. make it out to be. I agree with him on his essay.
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