Musicians

I admire musicians. In fact, I have profound appreciation and respect for musicians.

I, however, fall into the category of audience. I am not completely music illiterate, I did play instruments in the past. I like to sing. My family likes when I sing. A musician, however, would not.

I am not a huge fan of American Idol specifically because I actually like musicians. Let's be honest here, many people tune in to watch people fail miserably. The early episodes of each season--the auditions-- are painful for me to watch. They are also some of the most popular. I have laughed along with the crowd, it's true ("...she bang! she bang!...) but I mostly end up feeling sorry and wondering what they could have possibly been thinking.

I took voice lessons for one semester in college. I took them because I wanted to be in the choir. The choir at JC is phenomenal. So, I started the choir and the lessons at the same time. I was booted from the choir after a few practices. I finished the semester with the lessons, though.

I, for one, think there is a huge difference between the way voice is taught in such lessons and what makes a good popular singer. You've seen them: they sound like opera singers (opera singers are phenomenal--at the opera) with lots of vibrato and wide open mouths. I just know that behind that audition is a lot of voice lessons and praise from teachers. It's almost criminal. Shouldn't such lessons come with a signed waiver that says, "I am training you to fit a specific school of voice pedagogy. This does not mean your singing will be popular with any given audience."

Just to make the point that American Idol is not necessarily good for musicians, consider this: The finalists for each season are chosen entirely by the judges for their demonstrable talent, yet the premise of every episode after that is to eliminate them for their lack of talent.

Only a few of the finalists, in my opinion, are genuine musicians. I don't just mean that they are singers but not musicians. I mean they lack the mastery of the medium. It could be that they are poorly managed, although I think a true musician would find their voice, their sound, their significance regardless. Such is the nature of gifts, of "destiny." One has only to look at the success of some of the "also rans" to see this truth.

One of my favorite movies is Amadeus. It is, presumably, the story of Wolgang Amadeus Mozart. I am not an expert on the fact vs. fiction of the film. I do know that the talent the film ascribes to Mozart just blows me away. When I listen to his music, I am inclined to believe the talent is not exaggerated. Of course, by virtually all accounts, he is in an extremely elite class of musicians.

I understand the concept of notes on a page. A musician looks at the same page and actually hears the sound in their head. Which is why I avoid singing around musicians. It does not matter that what I sang might be the same note, one octave lower or a note that harmonizes with the note on the page, it's still the wrong note, and they know it. I respect that. I'd much rather hear them, than join them anyway.

Does a musician singing alone in the woods make any sound? God put musicians on this earth to make beautiful music. God put me on this earth so that music would resonate in appreciative ears. They play their role and I play mine.