Everyone Is Musical
Music is one of the most natural forms of human expression and I strongly believe that absolutely anyone can learn to express themselves musically. Many researchers and educators already recognize music as a "language." Indeed, it is one of the most effective forms of communicating emotion, even without the need for actual words.
This is because everyone, without exception, is deeply and profoundly musical. It is a natural and essential part of being human. It is actually this innate musicality that gives us the ability to walk, talk, and interact with our world, which surrounds us in a matrix of complex rhythms, sounds, and patterns.
“Music is the universal language of mankind.”
“Music, at its essence, is what gives us memories. And the longer a song has existed in our lives, the more memories we have of it.”
Movement
We move about from place to place every day. Even in our technological age, we still have to physically manipulate time and space to connect with our jobs, our families, and the kitchen. Whether we're walking across the room, pedaling on a bicycle, riding the metro, or driving to work, every form of movement is established on a rhythm that becomes so natural, so transparent, we take it for granted.
Speech
Before we ever learn to read or write, we are talking. It's one of the first forms of self-expression we learn as children. But the process of shaping sound into distinct words and sentences is more complex than we normally realize. It just becomes a natural tool of communication and connection. Every sentence you've ever said, or read (even this one), is articulated with a rhythm more complex than most any notated form of music can even accommodate. And yet we handle this with ease, with no thought given to the math or theory. Vocal pitch, likewise, forms the basis for more than half of how we understand one another. Try to ask a question without raising the pitch at the end of the sentence. Without pitch, it would be impossible to give emphasis, or inject deeper meaning into the words we say. These are all examples of innate musicality working itself out in human life.
Social Gatherings
Imagine you are at a concert or other live theater event, and the performance ends. What do you hear next? Usually clapping and cheering. If the applause goes on long enough, everyone starts to get more and more in sync without even thinking about it. No one is "conducting" the rhythm. Everyone in the audience just "feels" it. Another similar scenario happens just before the ball drops New Years Eve. People start counting down the clock. Even without watching the numbers change, most everyone will say the numbers in sync, in near perfect rhythm.
“We use sounds to make music just as we use words to make a language.”
In this video, Simply Music Founder & Executive Director, Neil Moore, explains how everyone on this earth is profoundly musical.
