The Six Senses and the Arts

Not surprisingly, the six senses are related to the arts; more specifically, band. Band is an extremely creative class and until now, I had never thought about it the way I do now. Design is a huge factor because each piece of literature (music) was thought up and created by a composer, who had to use design in order to arrange the notes and arrange the parts to make them pleasing to the ear. Music is full of design, and I am just now noticing this because I used to think that design was something that only applied to furniture and clothing. Story is an aspect because behind every piece of music there is a story and something that inspired the composer to write it. The story effects the way the piece should be played; thus, it is helpful to know the story behind the piece in order to play it correctly. There is a bigger focus on this in high school band than there was in middle school band because as high schoolers we have our instruments and technique mastered whereas in middle school, not as much. Symphony is an obvious aspect in band because of symphonies. We never play symphonies in band because they are very involved and take time to master which we do not have. But symphony has a connection to band through the music we play. Every note in the piece comes together to form a piece of musical literature. Each different section has a different part, but all of these parts contribute to the whole to create a lovely performance. Play is present because not only is band class fun because some of my friends are in there, but there is music that is great fun to play. This music tends to be upbeat and have fun rhythms. It also helps to have empathy for fellow musicians when they are struggling with a particular piece. Every musician knows what it is like to play bad notes and have a difficult time with a piece, so when we empathize with each other, it makes the experience much easier. Meaning is here as well because many of us in band find great joy in playing instruments, making music, and performing for packed theatres. It is our passion, and passions help pave the way to finding meaning in life. Reading AWNM opened my eyes to how much the six senses apply to band, and in changing the way I think about learning in band, it has changed my band experience!