Now everything's technicolour.
by Amy Ferguson
One of the things I love most about Music is how much it embraces all people. Many children thrive in our subject who may struggle elsewhere. They find Music as a means of easy expression, a place to belong, a tribe.
The other thing I love about Music is that there is always something new to learn, a new avenue to explore, a new muscle to flex. This was proven recently at a Music concert I attended with students from my school.
We were priviledged to be invited to a concert called "Immerse" - which explored a condition called synesthesia.
Synesthesia is a condition where your brain routes sensory information through a varierty of different channels. The outcome of this is that some people, when listening to music, can also experience colour. This experience is unique to every person with the condition. Music is transformed into a vivid pallette of colour (something I can liken only to Windows Media Player in the early 2000s).
There are many types of synaethesia.
- Sight: Colors, patterns, textures, shapes.
- Hearing: Volume, pitch, frequency.
- Touch: Temperatures, pressure, textures, vibrations, pain.
We were entertained by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (henceforth known as SCO). Kirsty Matheson, a Double Bass Player and artist, shared her experiences of this condition. During lockdown, as others were busy baking banana bread (me) and doing crosswords (also me), Kirsty was painting a new work every day, each unique artwork representing a different piece of music.
As we listened to a varied repertoire from Beethoven to Sibelius, we were treated with Kirsty's artwork, capturing each musical moment.
The entire concept was fascinating to me. I am intruiged by brain theory and the inner workings of the mind. The fact that these two art forms are so closely linked is incredible. Not only was it beautiful to hear the SCO play, but it was beautiful to hear the experiences of these people who experienced art and music together. That is what is so beautiful about Music. Anyone and everyone can belong. It is a means of expression, a tool to enhance our emotional experience.
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