Letters to my sons
A collection of thoughts and lessons I've learned along the way for my little men,
and anyone else that's interested.
My son,
If you're anything like me, you'll probably hate horror movies, and hence may have never watched an Alfred Hitchcock movie. If that's the case, don't worry, you're in good company. The genius of Hitchcock however, is that he discovered the key to building suspenseful situations that cause every hair on the back of your neck to stand up - music.
Other filmmakers have picked up on this technique now, and every great movie almost always has a great soundtrack accompanying it. Filmmakers have learned how to use music to not only build suspense, but to elicit joy, bring out a care-free spirit, instill a desire to be better, bring about a feeling of nostalgia, and even light a spark of hope in their audiences.
Why is this possible?
C.S. Lewis, in discussing the Biblical imagery of music in heaven, writes that
"Music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity."
In other words, music is the closest thing to heaven we can ever experience in this world. It is the thing that God has hard wired into the very fiber of our being so that even the most unmusical person experiencing beautiful music can be moved.
I love how film director Peter Sellars describes music:
"It touches some idealistic core of your being, where even the greatest cynic has not given up hope - that's why we listen to music."
It touches our idealistic core, it resonates with the center of our being, it stirs something so deeply fundamental to our very soul, such that even the greatest cynic can see a glimmer of hope.
By now, I'm assuming your mom and I have gotten you into piano lessons, maybe some other music lessons as well, and this is why. It's because music draws out the epic, elicits the grandiose desire to think of things as they ought to be. It can inspire, it can motivate, it can encourage. It transcends time, and can bring people of all ages together under a common love and purpose. It can be your most trusted friend, comforter, and encourager. And if you let it, it can be your lifelong companion.