I was reading a "best of" book yesterday that contained pieces of creative writing from high schools in the US. I was kinda impressed with the few I read. What I found most peculiar though was the number of students who related their experiences writing to their experiences with music. Each entry is prefaced by a "purpose" statement in which the student gives some background information detailing his thought processes that eventually led to the creation of the piece. Quite a few mentioned inspirations from music they had heard recently or parallels between sitting down to play their instrument and sitting down to write creatively.
All I ever hear about is how music students are, generally speaking, better MATH students than students who have little or no musical training. I'm sure there are scientific reasons for that and, yes, I'm planning to play Mozart for my children (if I would, God forbid, ever decide to have them) because of the scientifically documented benefits to overall IQ. However, I found it ironic that it was these ENGLISH students who had found great parallels between their crafts.
I guess this could be a whole left / right brain thing but ... Do you feel, personally, that music is more closely related to mathematical precision or to literary creativity?
Posted by languorous at November 18, 2004 02:34 PMIt's not an either / or..... it is the mathematical precision that defines the literary creativity!!
Posted by: Mr. Rissell at November 18, 2004 04:48 PMI don't think it has to be one or the other. I am much more literal than mathematical. I have always appreciated writing over solving mathematic equations. Music has played a big role in my life. However, my sister, music also playing a big role in her life, is much more mathematically and scientifically inclined. I think that there are many other factors to consider.
Posted by: Lori at November 18, 2004 05:15 PMhmmmm.... this is quite the conundrum.
I don't know if it is a fair question. Just because someone is an English student and writes well does not necessarily mean that he is poor in mathematics.
Take me for example-- I am an English major, heavily involved in music (both performance and composition), and a fairly decent analytical thinker... So did my involvement in music burgeon my math skills? or my literary?
Ruminating...
Posted by: Robb at November 18, 2004 06:32 PMRight, that's the question. For you, personally, do you think your experiences with music have effected your development more in regards to math or english?
I'll be posting my thoughts soon enough.
Posted by: languorous at November 18, 2004 09:08 PMI believe Renee Descartes once wrote that human inventions attempt to mimic nature. As examples, he gave language as a means by which people convey their experiences to one another. Mathematics as a system to describe the world in symbols. And music as a way to protray nature as sounds.
So maybe literature, mathematics, and music are all equally on the same footing?
Or maybe Renee was a crazy cook that lived four hundred years ago. :-)
Posted by: Garrett at November 20, 2004 07:33 PMExplain this-- I can listen to instrumental music (usually classical or solo-piano) when I study mathematics... But I must have complete silence when I am reading.
Posted by: Robb at November 22, 2004 03:36 PMSee, the need for silence while reading but not while studying mathematics would lead me to believe that the mind interprets reading and music too closely to handle both at once. It would also seem to imply that math and music can be appreciated concurrently because the brain is better able to isolate the two stimuli for recognition whereas reading and music overlap too often making it difficult to focus on either as independent stimuli. (Just guesses here with no real scientific basis.)
Posted by: languorous at November 22, 2004 06:15 PM