“When words fail, music speaks.” This quote, paraphrased from Hans Christian Anderson, expresses the reality that many of us experience when we listen to music. Words may feel insufficient to describe the way we feel, but when expressed through music, our emotions can seem remarkably clear.
In these uncertain times, I’m sure that many of you have taken refuge in the solace of music, but music’s ability to express emotion has greater implications than just its therapeutic benefit. By studying music, students also have the unique opportunity to habitually examine their emotions and to develop greater their emotional intelligence as they learn to express emotion through music.
Diving into the Depths of Expression
After learning the fundamentals of an instrument, students start to explore the fascinating world of musical expression. In this realm, they push beyond the technical nature of playing what’s on the page and delve into the subjectivity of interpretation. These lessons pose new questions like “How does this song make you feel?”, “What is this piece trying to express?”, and “What was the composer trying to communicate?” The primary aim of these questions is to produce a more mature, nuanced performance, but the study of interpretation has farther-reaching implications than musical excellence.
By encouraging students to think critically about how to convey emotion through music, we ask them to examine, experience, and express not only the music but also their own emotions. To express fear, joy, or pain musically, we ask students to lean into those feelings, experience them, and replicate them musically. Although this effect is achieved by skillfully manipulating the technical elements of pitch, volume, tempo, and articulation, students need to feel through the music to create a truly moving performance.
Feeling Music
One example of a piece that draws heavily on emotion is the brass quintet called “White Rose Elegy” by the Canadian Brass. The piece is a tribute to the White Rose, a group of students and professors from the University of Munich who opposed the Nazi regime during WWII and paid the ultimate price for their bravery. As a reflection of their story, the piece is gorgeously moving, mixed with sadness and hope. To perform the piece well, I had to let the weight of their tragic deaths sink in, while also remembering the hope of the better world that they fought for. As a result, my playing was passionate and thoughtful, and I was both humbled and thrilled by the opportunity to perform it.
Although not every piece has as strong of an emotional subtext as “White Rose Elegy,” learning to express emotion through music is a vital part of a musician’s education. This lesson not only brings great depth and maturity to a player’s performance, but it helps him learn to examine their emotions in a way that helps them to grow in both understanding of themselves and empathy with others.
Experience the rewarding work of expressing emotion through music by signing up for lessons with our expert instructors!
- Jordan Koehlinger, Music Instructor at Vibe Music Academy.
