How Time Flies! (12-6-24)
It is December and it feels like time just keeps flying by! Not only was Thanksgiving very late this year, but we are so busy that we feel the holiday season is upon us with so little time to prepare!
Time is an interesting concept and as we look historically at different cultures, calendars and the time of day have been measured differently. In just thinking about the placement of the New Year, there are several traditions that we still observe regularly like the Jewish New Year, the Calendar New Year, or the Chinese New Year. In November we adjusted our clocks back to Eastern Standard Time, but some states do not use Daylight Savings Time and there are some who say we should abandon it. Every four years there is an additional day in February so that people born on February 29th can only celebrate their true birthday every four years! Thus, we could really think that time is more subjective than one would ordinarily think.
When playing a piece of music, it happens in "real time"---what an expression! This means that the experience happens in the "here and now" and not as a recording to be listened to whenever one wants. It gives options to listen repeatedly or even stop in the middle and continue later. I find the perception of time is affected by one's emotions. When a performer gets ready to perform, often the heartrate is increased, and the tempo of a piece speeds up accordingly. Experienced performers know how to account for this and practice to ensure an appropriate tempo of the piece even under the stress of performing. This is part of the preparation we do when we teach students how to prepare for a recital especially their solo performances. To the nervous performer, tempos seem to be slower, so they tend to play much faster than their "normal" tempo.
To take this at another level, the performer has to perceive of time while they are playing in the present in order to play the correct notes, but also needs to remember the past (did I start the crescendo) and plan the future (where is the peak of my crescendo?) This need to think of three levels of time simultaneously is a truly remarkable and fantastic capability of the human brain! If I am practicing for a performance and am playing my piece, I cannot stop in the middle to pick up a phone call, or turn off the oven. The absolute concentration of the performance, even while practicing, is what develops the brain and our skills!
When we think of how fast time is passing by, it is often because we are not living in the here and now. We are planning for the future holiday, we are running around shopping, or we are trying to drive our children to their rehearsal or sports practice so that they can improve their skills. We are thinking we need to already be there and why is the traffic so congested! Perhaps in that moment, it would be good to "breathe" and focus on one's physical presence of the "here and now." Can I enjoy the music on the radio, a conversation with my child, or the beautiful sunshine? Trying to bring ourselves to not resist what we feel and what we are doing in the present can make the passage of time become more "real." As in playing a piece of music, one must be in the present so that one does not lose the thread of the melody or music. Perhaps we can all feel that thread of life in a manner that is a bit less fast paced if we live our lives like it is music.
I encourage everyone during this holiday season to enjoy the present moment and to enjoy the music that we hear. Our upcoming performances of the Piano Galore Concert on Saturday, our Celebrate Newton performance on Sunday and the recitals next weekend are moments to be in the present and enjoy the company of our children, families and friends.