This is an English translation of an article published in Nikkan San on April 16, 2020, as a part of my column, “The Way of the Pianist.
I wonder how this entry finds my readers. We all know that future is always uncertain, but COVID-19 multiplies the factors of uncertainties. What can I do as “Dr. Pianist,” promoting music as a healing agent? …That’s how I came up with a YouTube series “Savoring Music.”
According to Dr. Laurie Santos, who teaches Yale’s most popular online course “The Science of Well-Being,” savoring grounds us in the moment, helps us remember the good stuff in life, and enhance our sense of gratitude. (By the way, this course is being offered for free right now! – Highly recommended!)
“Savoring Music” introduces music as a practice in savoring, exploring our senses and expanding our imaginations. The introductory episode, “Savoring Breath,” asks the viewers to breathe to Bach’s famous Prelude No. 1.
The following episodes will associate our five senses to your aural experience of music. Imagine sensing the soundwaves on your skin as you listen to a very slow piece with sparse notes. Or, in a fingering passage in a virtuosic piece, imagine the notes representing something crunchy to eat. Are they crackers? Pop corns? Fruit loops, or Rice Crispy? There are so many different varieties of crunchies! And the context of the music – harmony, tempo, density of notes, etc. – would render some more appropriate than others.
Especially because this is a distressing time, I make it my mission to savor, and share the process of my savoring. That is my role as a musician.