You know the part of the wedding vow that goes “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…”? Well, that’s how I want my audience to feel about the music I offer.
There are many things to feel anxious about right now. Sometimes, I find myself thinking what can I possibly do?, feeling helpless, even irrelevant, as a musician. However, as a traveling pianist, I have visited many off-the-beaten-path destinations around the world, and gained firsthand experience of its diversity and vastness. In the United States alone, I have performed in most of its 50 states. I played the historic first concerts at several towns in rural Montana. I answered countless questions from nearly 1,000 elementary school children in Alabama. I have played for people with severe disabilities and their families. I have played for people experiencing homelessness. I have also played some very wealthy and/or famous people.
I think music is like food. If people gather around a beautiful feast, it will bring a smile on everyone’s face, no matter what opposing views you may hold with someone else nearby, what different circumstances you were born into, or what lessons you’ve been taught growing up. If you are served a bowl of steaming stew on a freezing night after a long day, you will feel grateful.
You know the fable of the long spoon (or chopsticks, in some versions). You go to hell and see a long table and people sitting across from each other. Everyone looks starved, despite the soup in front of them, because the handle of the spoon is extremely long, too long to reach the bowl or their mouth. In heaven, it’s the exact same scene, except everyone looks full and happy—because they feed each other with their long spoons.
Like it or not, as fellow earthlings, our fates are intertwined. When one person is hurt, everyone is hurt. Your happiness is my happiness. What can each of us do right now to maximize the benefits for the greatest number of people?
This blog entry is based on #140 from my bi-monthly column “The Way of the Pianist” for Nikkan San to be published on November 3rd.