Ben Zander spoke about the meaning of art in his TED talk, “The Transformative Power of Classical Music”. Choosing one out of the three TED talks was difficult because they’re all so relevant to what were discussing and they’re all equally interesting. I chose Zander’s talk for a few reasons; He is clearly excited and passionate about his subject, he was eccentric and goofy and I liked that, and his talk nearly brought me to tears (more than once). Not only does Zander talk about how powerful music can be, but he demonstrates it to his audience.
It was hilarious when Zander described why “one buttocks playing” is superior to the rest. It allowed us as the audience to see what he loved so much about music, he got so incredibly happy when he started playing on a single butt cheek. He even criticized those who play with both cheeks, saying they’re too robotic or too ‘zoned in’. The listener can distinctly hear the difference between his generic two cheek example and when he plays for the joy of playing (one cheek) because thats where the passion emerges.
He embraces the power music holds and captivates his audience with his skill. When he asks his audience to participate in his experiment and think of a lost loved one while he played a familiar piece. It was incredibly moving and he was right, it helped to understand the song in itself.
Another thought I had while watching Zander pounce around the stage was how well he held the audience as an entertainer and how happy I was watching him. It made me relate a little to the EA way of thinking that art is a waste of time. If I dropped everything and abided by the EA standard of making as much money as possible and then donating most of it to charity, I can’t see myself being as happy as I was while watching Zander. Ive donated money to charity before and helped other people out and it is gratifying, but it’s not entertaining. It’s certainly a different level of satisfaction.
I wonder what Zander would say to an EA representative if they told him that all of his time and practice is a colossal waste of time and money. The thing he has practiced for decades and mastered has been a complete waste. The same thing that has brought joy to millions of people is the wrong choice and he should have done XYZ to help SAVE millions of people instead of merely ENTERTAIN them. Seems like it would be a silly conversation from my perspective. Neither party is right or wrong, I am grateful that Ben Zander has brought some joy into my life and many others through music and I’m also liberated knowing there are organizations like EA that are doing everything they can to try and save the world.
The ending of Zander’s talk sent chills down my spine. He brought up a girl he once met who survived Auschwitz, the german death camp. She had said some negative words to her brother that ended up being the last words that she was able to say to him. The girl then swore to never say anything that couldn’t stand to be last thing thats ever heard by someone. Zander concluded by proposing we all adopt that same promise and spread positivity throughout. I think thats a beautiful start for the world, and a wonderful ending to his talk.
Hey. Thanks for reading!
