As a child, you respond physically, tactically. You're delighted by sound, you're delighted by recognizing something. It's like hide and seek. Is it there? Is it not there? Is it this note? Is it not this note? It's one fantastic game.
Yo-Yo MaRead
The role of the musician is to go from concept to full execution. Put another way, it's to go from understanding the content of something to really learning how to communicate it and make sure it's well-received and lives in somebody else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A musician's duty is to transform ideas into relatable experiences through music.
Yo-Yo Ma emphasizes that a musician's role extends beyond mere performance; it involves deeply understanding the essence of musical content and effectively communicating that understanding to an audience. This process ensures that the music resonates and lives on in the listeners, creating a meaningful connection that transcends the notes themselves.
Themes
MusicianCommunicationMusicExecutionUnderstandingAudience
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on music education, this quote can be used to highlight the importance of emotional connection in teaching.
More from Yo-Yo Ma
All quotes →There's a part of me that's always charging ahead. I'm the curious kid, always going to the edge.
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I think that peace is, in many ways, a precondition of joy.
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I think anybody who goes away finds you appreciate home more when you return.
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When we enlarge our view of the world, we deepen our understanding of our own lives.
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I learn something not because I have to, but because I really want to. That's the same view I have for performing. I'm performing because I really want to, not because I have to bring bread back home.
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