5 ms·

What my violin taught me about awe, purpose and the power in taking a chance

59 points by sonabinu 3y ago

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
ilrwbwrkhv 3y ago
These giant popups have taken the fun out of everything on the internet. Shame on Washington Post.
- a_c 3y ago
  https://archive.is/r1NCq https://archive.is/r1NCq It is a beautiful piece. Don't let javascript get in the way.
  - ilrwbwrkhv 3y ago
    Thanks for caring. I read it after through your link. It is indeed a beautiful piece.
tuckerraytv 3y ago
Great article - come for the violin story with a positive message, stay for the Taylor Swift reference.
gabrielsroka 3y ago
Actual title: "Maya Shankar: What I told Juilliard School graduates about inspiration"
- mitchbob 3y ago
  The title right now is "What a musician turned cognitive scientist wants you to know about life". The NY Times tries out different titles for articles, presumably to see which ones get the most clicks, and the Post no doubt does the same.
  - gabrielsroka 3y ago
    I see that too, but that's not the title. That's the headline or something else. Check document.title, or use the bookmarklet.
ftxbro 3y ago
maybe article would be good but this hacker news title makes me want to vomit, it makes me physically ill i'm sorry
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- sonabinu 3y ago
  Interesting how this title has magically now become - “What a musician turned cognitive scientist wants you to know about life” in the article
- munificent 3y ago
  Your reaction to the title says more about your own psychology than the title itself.
  - munificent 3y ago
    Update: I should clarify that I don't intend this to be dismissive or critical. I'm just trying to point out that when we have a visceral reaction to something, it often points more towards ourselves and our past experiences than the thing itself.
- _a_a_a_ 3y ago
  I'm with you. Awe and Power from a violin. Idiot writing is taking over.
  - pimlottc 3y ago
    It may surprise you, but music inspires deep emotions and strong reactions for many people. Especially musicians.
    - _a_a_a_ 3y ago
      Power/awe/joy/ecstasy. The kind of emotionally loaded words dropped in to make something sound more interesting than it is. It's just crap writing and you're just accepting it. And another one, you can't just 'want' or 'like' anything any more, you 'crave' it.
paradygm 3y ago
> “What’s the worst that can happen?” As a parent of a daughter who loves baseball more than anything else, we are letting her passion guide her, even though it is a remote possibility she will become the professional baseball player she wants to be. The opportunities that are opening up for her, and the life skills and lessons she is learning wouldn't have the same impact if we were trying to steer her in a direction that wasn't of her choosing. The lesson she has learned early, and one I wish I had learned earlier, is if the worst thing that can happen is someone will say "no" then there is no reason not to try.
- tnecniv 3y ago
  This is what my parents did. They always said they’d be happy if I decided to become a poet if I wanted as long as I committed myself to it and didn’t just use it as an excuse to lay about all day. I always thought it worked out well. Baseball is also a beautiful sport that combines the fun of playing a game with cutting edge tech and analytics. It can teach a curious child that keeps asking “why?” a lot while still being fun (unless you’re a Mets fan), and it’s a sport that you can keep playing basically your whole life in rec leagues at all sorts of skill levels. Even if she doesn’t end up with a career in the sport, there’s a lot her passion for the game can teach her.
kashunstva 3y ago
This is a very inspiring article. If you aren't familiar with the "Bach Double", the work she mentions performing with Joshua Bell, it's the Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043. She writes about the transcendent feeling of playing the second movement. I've always regarded it too as one of Bach's finest slow movements. Worth a listen.
mchaver 3y ago
My favorite line from the article: > I realized that what I missed most about playing the violin was that it had given me a vehicle for connecting emotionally with others. That is a great way to explain why I have interest in certain hobbies as well.
toomanyrichies 3y ago
https://web.archive.org/web/20230626141005/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/26/maya-shankar-juilliard-commencement-address/ https://web.archive.org/web/20230626141005/https://www.washi...
borroka 3y ago
The first lesson is quite interesting (and naive, I must say). The mother had a chance to succeed with her proposal to meet the violin teacher because other mothers or fathers or future students did not show up at the teacher's door to talk about their children, in the case of parents, or themselves, in the case of students. If, in this particular case, more people followed the "why not" strategy of the students' mothers, soon there would be forms to fill out to meet the famous teacher, or only the option of ambushing them when they eat breakfast. Although this is a different case, it reminded me of the evolutionarily stable strategy of hawks and doves.

59 points by sonabinu 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

ilrwbwrkhv 3y ago

These giant popups have taken the fun out of everything on the internet. Shame on Washington Post.

a_c 3y ago
https://archive.is/r1NCq https://archive.is/r1NCq It is a beautiful piece. Don't let javascript get in the way.
- ilrwbwrkhv 3y ago
  Thanks for caring. I read it after through your link. It is indeed a beautiful piece.

tuckerraytv 3y ago

Great article - come for the violin story with a positive message, stay for the Taylor Swift reference.

gabrielsroka 3y ago

Actual title: "Maya Shankar: What I told Juilliard School graduates about inspiration"

mitchbob 3y ago
The title right now is "What a musician turned cognitive scientist wants you to know about life". The NY Times tries out different titles for articles, presumably to see which ones get the most clicks, and the Post no doubt does the same.
- gabrielsroka 3y ago
  I see that too, but that's not the title. That's the headline or something else. Check document.title, or use the bookmarklet.

ftxbro 3y ago

maybe article would be good but this hacker news title makes me want to vomit, it makes me physically ill i'm sorry

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
sonabinu 3y ago
Interesting how this title has magically now become - “What a musician turned cognitive scientist wants you to know about life” in the article
munificent 3y ago
Your reaction to the title says more about your own psychology than the title itself.
- munificent 3y ago
  Update: I should clarify that I don't intend this to be dismissive or critical. I'm just trying to point out that when we have a visceral reaction to something, it often points more towards ourselves and our past experiences than the thing itself.
_a_a_a_ 3y ago
I'm with you. Awe and Power from a violin. Idiot writing is taking over.
- pimlottc 3y ago
  It may surprise you, but music inspires deep emotions and strong reactions for many people. Especially musicians.
  - _a_a_a_ 3y ago
    Power/awe/joy/ecstasy. The kind of emotionally loaded words dropped in to make something sound more interesting than it is. It's just crap writing and you're just accepting it. And another one, you can't just 'want' or 'like' anything any more, you 'crave' it.

paradygm 3y ago

> “What’s the worst that can happen?” As a parent of a daughter who loves baseball more than anything else, we are letting her passion guide her, even though it is a remote possibility she will become the professional baseball player she wants to be. The opportunities that are opening up for her, and the life skills and lessons she is learning wouldn't have the same impact if we were trying to steer her in a direction that wasn't of her choosing. The lesson she has learned early, and one I wish I had learned earlier, is if the worst thing that can happen is someone will say "no" then there is no reason not to try.

tnecniv 3y ago
This is what my parents did. They always said they’d be happy if I decided to become a poet if I wanted as long as I committed myself to it and didn’t just use it as an excuse to lay about all day. I always thought it worked out well. Baseball is also a beautiful sport that combines the fun of playing a game with cutting edge tech and analytics. It can teach a curious child that keeps asking “why?” a lot while still being fun (unless you’re a Mets fan), and it’s a sport that you can keep playing basically your whole life in rec leagues at all sorts of skill levels. Even if she doesn’t end up with a career in the sport, there’s a lot her passion for the game can teach her.

kashunstva 3y ago

This is a very inspiring article. If you aren't familiar with the "Bach Double", the work she mentions performing with Joshua Bell, it's the Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, BWV 1043. She writes about the transcendent feeling of playing the second movement. I've always regarded it too as one of Bach's finest slow movements. Worth a listen.

mchaver 3y ago

My favorite line from the article: > I realized that what I missed most about playing the violin was that it had given me a vehicle for connecting emotionally with others. That is a great way to explain why I have interest in certain hobbies as well.

toomanyrichies 3y ago

https://web.archive.org/web/20230626141005/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/26/maya-shankar-juilliard-commencement-address/ https://web.archive.org/web/20230626141005/https://www.washi...

borroka 3y ago

The first lesson is quite interesting (and naive, I must say). The mother had a chance to succeed with her proposal to meet the violin teacher because other mothers or fathers or future students did not show up at the teacher's door to talk about their children, in the case of parents, or themselves, in the case of students. If, in this particular case, more people followed the "why not" strategy of the students' mothers, soon there would be forms to fill out to meet the famous teacher, or only the option of ambushing them when they eat breakfast. Although this is a different case, it reminded me of the evolutionarily stable strategy of hawks and doves.