Maxwell, Week 4: The Sound of Music

 

    We live in a community that has more non-monolinguals than monolinguals. In America, this is an incredibly rare thing. Believe me, as someone who hails from a place where being able to say words in, wait for it, a foreign language (gasp!) is mindblowing, our Fremont (and even the wider Bay Area) microcosm is very special indeed.

    Using various languages basically creates multiple spheres of myself. Every new language you learn is a new bridge that is built, which can connect you to someone totally unexpected!

    But not everyone has the opportunity to become fluent in a second language. At least not in the traditional sense. But what if we expand our definition of what qualifies as a “language”? Specifically, if we expand this bridge to music and consider it as a language, then surely many others can also attest to the cohesive properties of sharing a language with someone else. 

    Music is very much a language. If we think about English, we have some squiggly letters written on paper, and because we know which sounds those letters combine to make, we can form words to speak and interact with others.

    Literacy in music is often less familiar. That’s perfectly okay. It is much easier to learn. You simply have circles, some filled in and some not, combined with different amounts of beams connecting them, and you place your notes higher or lower on the “page” of the staff, which signifies what pitch is made. And just like that, we’re ready to share some love with everyone!

Photo credit: kodaly.org

    Because anyone, hearing or not, can be positively influenced by music, this “language” is so powerful and relatable for so many people. And teaching someone about music and watching them understand new concepts just after a short while is a very magical feeling. Since singing and songs are such a natural part of our lives, filling someone in on how exactly their favorite music is written or how it’s played opens up the door to a feeling of self-accomplishment that is so enjoyable for both teacher and student to revel in. That’s why I love sharing music out with people and seeing them develop their knack for it!


Comments

  1. Sophie LeinerOctober 8, 2026 at 4:32 PM

    I love this topic! I definitely agree that music is a language, and one of the most beautiful ones at that. I volunteer at musical theater summer camps and a lot of the time I have the privilege of teaching harmonies to the kids. For most of them, it’s their first time reading sheet music, and their first time singing in harmony with other people. I just love being able to answer their questions about what each symbol means or what a specific harmony line sounds like. More than anything though, I love hearing them get the harmonies right for the first time, it’s so exciting for all of us!

    Music is so versatile as well—I used to love just listening to my songwriting teacher talk and explain all of the music theory behind a song that I like. It’s so cool to not only enjoy something, but also understand it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kan XuOctober 8, 2026 at 9:55 PM

    Maxwell, I was quite surprised to see the solfege hands symbols being your image of choice on this blog! Being someone who utilizes these hand symbols on a daily basis, it’s nice to see someone that recognizes how music can not only be a written or a spoken language, but a form of body language as well.

    Additionally, I think that music, when written, often reflects a composer’s personality and state of mind, conveying much more beyond just sounds. For example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sheet music that he wrote often is neat, orderly and distinguishable, demonstrating his witty prose in composition, while Ludwig van Beethoven’s sheet music is much more flowing, yet filled with scratches and unclear sections, demonstrating his often impulsive, burst-like disposition. This insight into our favorite composers may help us understand the language of music even better, and perhaps, convey another layer of tone beyond what we hear.

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    Replies
    1. Maxwell WangOctober 8, 2026 at 10:25 PM

      Yep! I took choir for my arts credit this year, and Mr. Wong passed out a handout with the Curwen hand signs during the first few weeks. Everyone in class is pretty familiar with them now; they were brand new to me (I'd never encountered them in 11+ years of music learning!). I wonder what you use them for in your music, Kan.

      Yeah, I like Mozart better, and now that you bring it up, probably because he is more "organized." I always found Beethoven to be impulsive and narcissistic, sometimes. Also, Mozart's favorite quartet instrument was the viola, and I play that, so it only makes sense for him to be a favorite classical composer of mine. Maybe I should apply this to contemporary artists, too.

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