Thoughts on Passion
EHS Instrumental Music Banquet – May 17, 2013
“To play a wrong note is unacceptable. To play without passion is inexcusable.” -Beethoven
What drives us to grow? Get better? Get back up when we fall down? Persistence, maybe, but even then, where does our persistence come from? I first picked up my instrument when I was nine years old. Those first sounds, to say the least, were undesirable, even to my young ears – but I kept playing.
I made mistake, after mistake, after mistake, and every time I picked up the pieces and tried it again. Why? I did not consider myself to be a “good” saxophonist by professional standards until I was a sophomore in college, nearly 12 years after I began playing it. Why would anyone work at something for more than a decade just be considered “good” at what they do? By that time, shouldn’t they be great at it?
Beethoven was on to something when he said those words: “To play without passion is inexcusable.” Passion. That’s the link, that is the why. The reason we get up and try again, the reason we continue to practice, and the reason we fight to get better is not because we are told to by a coach, parent, or teacher. We do it because we have a passion for it, and we will let that feeling inside of us push us to the very limits of our potential because, at some point, we developed this idea that we wi# be the best at it if it kills us.
Those last four words are a little ironic when you consider that the word “passion” is derived from the Latin verb for “to suffer.” Why do we suffer for something we love with our entire being? After all, that is what we do, isn’t it? We practice our trade, and suffer through the hard parts. Practicing my instrument is not necessarily what I would call a great time, and I assume most of the musicians in here would agree with me. Rehearsals aren’t even the fun part of what we do, especially some of my rehearsals! But then, all of a sudden, it’s performance time. For the audience, and for us performers, that is an experience that we often consider to be magic. The real magic, though, is in the process, not the product.It is in the process that our true passions shine through.
I have always held the belief that the true beauty in music is in the process of music making, rather than the performance itself. In that process, we all struggle, and we all overcome. Sometimes there are physical and technical boundaries we must cross, sometimes (and even more importantly) there are emotion barriers that we must break down in order to transform the code on the page into a musical statement. As musicians, we learn to thrive off of the struggle, and we thirst for the challenge a piece of music can bring us. It is only during that process that our passion for our art truly shows. We become humble, genuine, and vulnerable human beings. We take risks, make mistakes, break down… but we also support each other. There is a dynamic inside the music ensemble that is unique. We take our seats, pull out that sheet of code, take a deep breath, and exhale into our instruments. The resulting sound is not simply the aural manifestation of the black ink, but rather it is the person underneath the skin that we get the opportunity to meet and experience. In the music ensemble, we are all our best person – compassionate, kind, humble, and real. The stress of our day-to-day activities melts away, and the walls we build to protect us from “the real world” crumble. I believe that it is in those moments that we truly exist, that we experience the world for what is actually is, and that we finally gain a deep, mutual connection with one another.
It is our goal at each performance to share a part of that process with the audience. Through the presentation of a meaningful music performance, it is our hope, as performers, that the struggle – the passion – with which we approach our art is felt by our audience, thus triggering the emotional response that music, of any kind, can bring about in people. It is our passion that ignites the passions in our audience, and it is that connection that allows us all, in that moment, to exist, experience as the performers have. Everything about our art is unique – its expressive qualities, its moving power, its communicative traits. We develop our passion for it through these unique qualities, and approach each performance as an opportunity to share that passion with others.
You see, passion is infectious. It is a disease that, unlike any other disease, people actually work very hard to contract. The best part is, everybody can catch this disease, you just have to find the right pathway for infection. For some of you, catching this disease will take longer than you expect.
Others of you have been carrying it with you for years now, and if you are so fortunate to have aught this incredible sickness, it will mean the realization of your biggest dreams, and the birth of alegacy for yourself, your family, your community and the world.
“We all die. The Goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”
One of my favorite quotes… It takes passion for what you do, above all else, to create something that will live forever. My goal as a music educator, as many of you know, has been and always will be to use my art and my passion for it as a vehicle; a vehicle to spark a fire in my students, a vehicle to ignite a passion, a vehicle to create my something that lives forever because, as I know I cannot live forever (and nor would I want to), I hope that I can make an impact that lasts a lifetime on at least one student, and that they’ll share that impact for generations. That hope – the students – is why I am so passionate about what I do every day. I’m passionate about you, and molding you all into good people that make a beneficial contribution to the society in which you live. Music is how I start that journey with you all.
Our culture exalts higher education, advanced degrees, the big office, the big salary, etc. That is how we have come to define success. Students, I cannot tell you enough times that that perspective is wrong. I know that if I were a lawyer, I would not feel successful, but I sure would be wealthy! What I mean to say is this: The big important job, the big office, how many college degrees you have, and how much money you make in one year should not drive your career choice. I would not have even thought of pursuing music and education if I wanted to make “the big bucks.” Instead, I chose to do something I wish we all would do, something that all of us should do. I chose to pursue my passion. I started out on a relentless pursuit of the highest level of success I could achieve in my passion in 2005, regardless of where the journey would take me, and I haven’t looked back once.
It is my greatest hope that each and every one you, especially you seniors that are about to embark on a new journey, find and pursue your passion. It may not make you rich, and you may never own a big house, or a BMW, but the fulfillment you will receive in doing so will be worth so much more than any material object. Discover what you want, and go after it, regardless of where it takes you.
And parents, I cannot tell you enough how important it is for you to support these children in hatever it is they decide to do. You know, my parents were not happy when I told them that I was going to study music in college. I believe they said something to the effect of, “Why don’t you invest your time and money on something other than a hobby?” And when I told them I was going to be a teacher, they said, “So you want to be poor now, too??!”
They were just worried about me, because they wanted me to be successful, and had been taught, like we’ve all been taught, that success comes with a six-figure salary. It was a driving force for me to prove them wrong, I guess, but I will tell you this: my mother and father have seen the work I’ve done here, and they’ve seen the fulfillment I receive from what I do, and although I don’t have a big office (I don’t even have my own office) or a huge salary, I still feel like I’m rich.
What I am saying, students and parents, is this: your passions are important, and they should be cultivated, and turned into your career, regardless of what material or monetary fulfillment it will bring you. To play without passion is inexcusable… I think Beethoven was trying to tell us all that to not pursue our passions would be a waste. Every single one of you fine students has now or will soon catch this incredible infection that is passion, and when you do, please to not ever let it go. Own it, live in it, and make it yours.
Thank you for yet another fantastic year at EHS
Christian M. Noon
Instrumental Music Director
Elizabeth High School
