Victor L. Wooten - The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues

I need your help. Are you with me? May I have a show of hands?

There is an intense epidemic happening all around us, and for the most part, its accelerating unnoticed as if weve chosen not to notice.

Allow me to elaborate.

Could Music as a whole ever be threatened? Could Music get sick, die, or, even worse, be killed? Could we wake one morning to find Music removed entirely from our existence? Is any of this possible? If so, would you do anything to stop this tragedy from happening? It sounds crazy, like a conspiracy theory, right? Well, my friends, it may be more than just a theory.

If I were to tell you that Mother Nature is dying, it would make perfect sense. The message would be clear. But although it is important and true, it is a message weve heard before. What we havent heard is that Mother Music is also dying. Yes! That is also important and true.

You see, like Nature, who is aware of all her children, Music is a living consciousness who is aware of each musician. She chooses us in the same sense that we choose our instruments. In fact, we are her instruments. We might consider it an absurd thought if our instruments believed they were making music instead of us. It may be just as absurd for us to think that we are making music instead of Music herself. Understanding this truth not only makes our music better, it also enhances the musical experience. Without this understanding, Music and we (as a people) suffer.

Some years ago, I wrote a book called The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music. In that book I told about a dream Id had one night that contained a beautiful but disturbing conversation between Music and me. Her voice, like that of a wise and concerned mother, reverberated through my mind, telling me that she was sick and dying because she was losing touch with humans. According to her, we do not feel her as completely as we used to, and because of that, she currently has a more intimate relationship with computers than she does with people. That is a bit scary to me. In my book, I referred to it as a dream because I was afraid to tell the truth. But now, I am not afraid to tell you that it was not a dream at all.

Ive spent many hours shedding tears while contemplating her message. I eventually moved beyond my tears and made a vow to do something to help. Today, I am mortified by how little Ive accomplished. Like a vivid dream that stays just out of memorys reach once youve awakened, the urgency to act gently faded away. Maybe it was because I could find very few people who believed me. I felt alone.

No! I will no longer live that lie!

This time around, I will be completely honest. The truth: I wasnt up for the challenge. I was scared. Now, I dont care who believes me. Even if I have to act alone, I will do all that I can to help Music. Now is the time!

A few years ago, an unusual man named Michael helped to transform my way of thinking. He would say that he did nothing. No, he would not want the credit or the blame for that. But when he showed up at my house, unannounced and uninvited, my way of approaching Music changed forever.