Thank you ahead of time!
Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
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Plunk. A sound of dissonance crossed my ears - the sound of a misplayed chord. The notes abruptly end. My eyes narrowed as they tried to scrutinize the notes. I saw the problem; the note I should have played was an F# not an F. There passed a moment of awkward silence. Then, my piano teacher, Ms. Clavijo, casually asked why I had stopped. To me, it seemed so obvious - a played the wrong chord - but I didn't respond. She looked at me for a second before explaining to me that music has life and emotions. I sat there stunned, trying to grasp the concept. The rest of my lesson was a blur.
Music has life. I realize now that it isn't a stagnant piece of paper with black ants covering it. Instead, it is a multi-faceted being, waiting to shine. This is evident in a piece called Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla. If the song is played at a leisurely pace, it gives off a somber tone, but if played just a tiny bit faster, it becomes much more like a dance. Playing the piece with a cello, a violin, and a piano gives off a feeling of sadness. Add in an intro with an accordion and it somehow seems much more romantic. Lengthening the ending and letting its vibrations fluctuate endlessly can convey a somewhat chilling feeling. Sometimes, I find this hard to grasp because my scientific mind still gets the better of me. However, I can at least feel the music, and not simply play it. With some imagination, I realize that this holds true for almost everything. I now see that biology class in high school isn't just a lesson. It's more like a romantic union of science, from the smallest cell to the largest sequoia tree. I understand how Calculus isn't justa group of difficult numbers. They too, are not still and impersonal. After all, how better to express motion? With this type of view, everything has become much more unique. Interesting.
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Be as critical as you want! Thank you very much!
Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
----------------
Plunk. A sound of dissonance crossed my ears - the sound of a misplayed chord. The notes abruptly end. My eyes narrowed as they tried to scrutinize the notes. I saw the problem; the note I should have played was an F# not an F. There passed a moment of awkward silence. Then, my piano teacher, Ms. Clavijo, casually asked why I had stopped. To me, it seemed so obvious - a played the wrong chord - but I didn't respond. She looked at me for a second before explaining to me that music has life and emotions. I sat there stunned, trying to grasp the concept. The rest of my lesson was a blur.
Music has life. I realize now that it isn't a stagnant piece of paper with black ants covering it. Instead, it is a multi-faceted being, waiting to shine. This is evident in a piece called Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla. If the song is played at a leisurely pace, it gives off a somber tone, but if played just a tiny bit faster, it becomes much more like a dance. Playing the piece with a cello, a violin, and a piano gives off a feeling of sadness. Add in an intro with an accordion and it somehow seems much more romantic. Lengthening the ending and letting its vibrations fluctuate endlessly can convey a somewhat chilling feeling. Sometimes, I find this hard to grasp because my scientific mind still gets the better of me. However, I can at least feel the music, and not simply play it. With some imagination, I realize that this holds true for almost everything. I now see that biology class in high school isn't just a lesson. It's more like a romantic union of science, from the smallest cell to the largest sequoia tree. I understand how Calculus isn't justa group of difficult numbers. They too, are not still and impersonal. After all, how better to express motion? With this type of view, everything has become much more unique. Interesting.
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Be as critical as you want! Thank you very much!