WHY STUDY MUSIC? How a Conservatory of Music education goes beyond the classroom, church, and concert hall.
MUSIC SERVES AS A DYNAMIC, PERSONAL, EXPRESSIVE VEHICLE FOR COMFORT, HEALING, AND PRAISE. Michael Wilder, Dean of the Conservatory of Music, Wheaton College 2
MAKING MUSIC: BEING HUMAN Making and responding to music is a profoundly human activity. Long before birth, and even into the final moments before death, human beings demonstrate a striking propensity to respond to music. To study the inner mechanisms of voice, ear, and brain working together to make and respond to music is to explore a world of astonishing and beautiful complexity. In times and situations where words fail, music speaks to the soul, stirring memory, inspiring praise, and easing stress. As such, music is a potent tool in ministry in places like hospices, prisons, and rehabs as well as a facilitator of human connection: when language and culture erects barriers between people, music can help bridge the gap. The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow put it succinctly: Music is the universal language. 3
ASKING WHY? In a world where education has become almost synonymous with job training, pursuing higher education in music can seem the height of impracticality. What are you going to do with a degree in piano performance? relatives are inclined to wonder. Can t you just play music on your own time and work toward a more practical degree? Students studying the liberal arts are familiar with these kinds of questions. Such questions are particularly familiar to musicians. For those who love music and value the time devoted to it, there s a temptation not to answer at all music is its own rich reward, so why justify its study? As it happens, though, there are excellent reasons to study music: reasons related to what it means to be human, to worship, to engage cross-culturally, and to develop highly transferable skills and habits, since music, as cutting-edge neuroscience has found, changes the brain. 4
STUDYING MUSIC CHANGES THE BRAIN We are only beginning to understand how fundamentally music alters the brain the intersection of neuroscience and music is an exciting and developing field. Brain imaging now allows us to see that hearing music involves much more of the brain than any other activity, including language. Different parts of the brain respond to different aspects of music: some parts respond to pitch, others to rhythm and others to harmony. Incredibly, recent research has confirmed that simply imagining the movements involved in playing a piece of music activates the brain in nearly the same ways as actual physical practice. The late neurologist Oliver Sacks noted that in brain imaging, you can often distinguish the brains of musicians from the brains of non musicians because certain parts of the brain may become so enlarged in response to music that you can see the changes with the naked eye. The implications of these highly sophisticated findings supports what human beings have always known that music is powerful, that it moves us deeply, that it brings us together, and that it is utterly unlike anything else in human experience. Studying music: it s about so much more than preparing for a career. It s about becoming who God made you to be. 5
STUDYING MUSIC PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH HIGHLY TRANSFERABLE SKILLS For the Christian liberal arts student, the study of music hardly seems to require justification beyond the fact that it glorifies God and exemplifies the astonishing capabilities of human beings, who can respond to and benefit from music no matter their age or (dis)ability. However, it is also the case that the study of music confers benefits that go beyond the possibilities of a career in music. Jonathan Gathman ( 86) is a graduate of the Wheaton Conservatory of Music and a principal technical architect at AT&T with an MBA in Computer Information Systems. But, he says, he has played his cello constantly over the years, and has been involved in various music ministries. He credits his musical education with more than providing him with a delightful avocation. Gathman, who studied composition extensively, says: I am convinced that composition of music and software comes from the same area of the mind. Well-written software is a balanced combination of smaller code segments and algorithms, which are similar to themes and motifs. Who I am as a musician has a direct bearing on how I have written software. Gathman says that his journey through the Wheaton Conservatory of Music was not a misstep on the way to a real career, but a necessary step that has prepared him well for the world of product development and innovation, which requires precisely the kinds of skills developed in the study of music: from abstract, innovative thought, to hours of diligent work to finetune problems, to working closely and collaborating with others. 6
SURPRISING CAREER PATHS With good reason, some students pursue the formal study of music even when they know that they ll pursue a career in something else. Diligent musical study develops habits of mind, personal discipline, and abstract thinking that is applicable to an astonishing range of career paths. Employers in highly technical fields are often interested in hiring students who study music and other arts to work in analytic fields, understanding rightly that the study of music prepares one well for other creative and analytic challenges. Leah Cameron ( 07 Voice), a trial attorney, credits her musical education at the Wheaton Conservatory of Music with helping her to get into law school law school admissions committees look to create diverse classrooms, she says and with helping her with the actual practice of law. From preparation to performance in the courtroom, her musical training has helped her with confidence and professionalism under pressure. Additionally, she says, the creative outlet of music is a gift to herself and her husband Colin ( 07 Violin) who has a career in law enforcement with the Oakland Police Department, both working high pressure professions. 7
WHY STUDY MUSIC AT WHEATON? The Conservatory of Music exists to provide a program of comprehensive music training in a Christ-centered environment that fosters musical excellence, achievement, and creativity. In service to church and society, The Conservatory of Music provides music experiences intended to inspire joy and passion among all students of Wheaton College, while serving as a cultural resource for the college, community, and the world. Wheaton prepares music students in four major areas performance, composition, teaching, and scholarship offering six Bachelor of Music degrees, so that they can take advantage of career opportunities in whatever fields they choose to pursue. If you re not looking to major in music, but still love to make it, all nine ensembles and both overseas study programs are open to all Wheaton students. Ensembles are more than about making music, they re about making connections - with friends who share your passion, professors committed to mentorship, and a timeless repertoire of masterworks - that will stay with you long after you leave Wheaton. Ensembles regularly tour and record, and often have the opportunity to perform with guest artists including Grammy winning soprano Sylvia McNair and internationally known Maestro John Nelson. The Conservatory of Music is a place where you will be inspired to compose and perform, to love and serve others, and to live your very best. You will be motivated by hundreds of performances on campus or in Chicago, in our own Edman Chapel or Chicago s Symphony Center, Lyric Opera House, or Millennium Park. The Conservatory of Music s environment of artistic rigor and productivity will elevate your creativity and encourage you to develop your gifts fully. You won t simply become a better musician, or better composer, or better performer; you ll find yourself becoming a better person, as you endeavor to follow Jesus Christ in every aspect of your life. 8
A UNIVERSAL CALL TO MAKE MUSIC The book of Psalms, which is sometimes referred to as the hymnal of the Bible, repeatedly encourages those who love God to praise God with music, making no distinction between those who are professionally trained and those who aren t: instead, everyone is invited to make music as an act of praise. Making music is an important way in which human beings practice being co-creators with the Creator God. Even as God s creativity and love of order is evident in the creation, so our stewardship and excellence in making music glorifies God. Some of the most innovative and beautiful achievements in any culture are found in a culture s music, and, as such, the study of music provides an avenue for understanding the lives of others, and gaining insight to our own lives as well. The scholar Harold Best observed that the human voice is the only musical instrument that God has directly created. By doing so, he has provided equal access to music and singing for everybody. Music, then, is not a privilege for the few. It is a universal gift, and, for the Christian, expressing praise to God through music is a delightful obligation. Interested in learning more about what you can do with a Conservatory of Music degree? Connect with a counselor today. CLICK HERE TO CONNECT WITH AN ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR 9