IfCM Collective in Missoula: Behind the Scenes

Listening, Not Just Hearing (with Leonard Bernstein and George Washington)

I feel like this essay addresses a lot of the principles that the IfCM tries to promote--deep listening (not just letting music wash over you), playing music by yourself and with friends and family is the best (even better than reading about it), humor on a plane, and imaginary friends:

"...The connection is this: music is hard. It's not east to listen to a piece and really know and feel what's going on in it all the time.  It may be easy to take, or pleasant to hear for many people;  it may evoke fanciful images in the mind, or bathe the, in a sensuous glow, or stimulate, or soothe, or whatever.  But none of that is listening. And until we have a great listening public, and not just a passively hearing one, we will never be a musically cultured nation."

Read the whole thing:

The Muzak Muse - Leonard Bernstein (February 1962)

(posted by CT)