I sit down on the floor, cross legged, eyes closed, with my mind attempting to be calm and composed. My thoughts are focused on the resonance of "sa, pa, sa", three pivotal notes in Hindustani Classical Music, a vocal art form from India. The art form embodies the essence of creativeness, in which practically everything I sing is governed by only me and my thoughts. I'm the director, the composer, and most importantly, I am the singer.
I first visualize the notes I want to sing. I envision them in front of me, in the mid air right in front of my face. They are mere specks, and my job is to connect these dots into a curve so smooth, so accurate, that the tune, the rhythm, and the melody will be flawless. Once I have the notes in mind, I open my mouth and confidently start singing.
Wrong. The pitch was wrong. I didn't hit the apex of that lower note. Frustration overcomes me, but I start over. I focus my mind once again, and clear my thoughts of everything except for the notes I want to sing. I take a deep breath, hoping that the synapses between my thoughts and my vocal chords are successful, resulting in perfect pitch and sound of the note. Not bad, I hit the note successfully. This trivial accomplishment drives me through the rest of my practice. The ambiance consumes me as I delve into the mood.
Now the fun begins: improvisation. Each improvisation is like a test, a game of trial and error. Every note I sing tests my creativeness and originality. After all, it's simply a quick calculation of permutations and combinations. As I sample one note with another, altering the speed and rhythm like variables, analyzing the harmony of the combinations my mind creates, I realize that music is but an experiment.
As I sit hopelessly at my computer, enduring long hours of research for a science project, I decide to cross-apply some of my creativeness that inspired me while singing. I make an effort to play around with variables like notes, and vary the intensity of certain variables like I do to the rhythm when singing.
Thinking of a novel idea, then formulating a procedure, and finally conducting the experiment was quite challenging for me in the beginning. As I researched to a greater extent, my curiosity amazed me as I found the vast range of knowledge beyond my AP biology lab intriguing. I devoted several hours after school each week completing my experiment, and my toil and hard work came to fruition when I got to represent my school at the statewide and international level through my research. Despite the mechanical procedures linked with scientific experimentation, I realized that science is a systematic process embroidered with ingenuity and inspiration, much like music.
Music and science are two domains, two pillars, two passions; the passions that exemplify my multifaceted personality. I often perceive myself as a dualist, someone trapped between the middle of two complementary dimensions, a formulaic and a spontaneous approach. My two passions seem to balance each other, as one's strength can be applied to the other's weakness. Who I am is what my passions make me: a romantic dreamer and a rational thinker, an optimist and a realist, a musician and a scientist. I want to experience this duality my whole life, where I can practice a creative and formulaic attitude as a career. Through my passions, I've realized that the relationship between music and science is beautiful, idyllic even. Almost like a DNA strand, where one strand is music and one is science and together, they form the double helix that defines not only who I am, but also who I want to become.
PLEASE COMMENT. I'm DESPERATE!!
I first visualize the notes I want to sing. I envision them in front of me, in the mid air right in front of my face. They are mere specks, and my job is to connect these dots into a curve so smooth, so accurate, that the tune, the rhythm, and the melody will be flawless. Once I have the notes in mind, I open my mouth and confidently start singing.
Wrong. The pitch was wrong. I didn't hit the apex of that lower note. Frustration overcomes me, but I start over. I focus my mind once again, and clear my thoughts of everything except for the notes I want to sing. I take a deep breath, hoping that the synapses between my thoughts and my vocal chords are successful, resulting in perfect pitch and sound of the note. Not bad, I hit the note successfully. This trivial accomplishment drives me through the rest of my practice. The ambiance consumes me as I delve into the mood.
Now the fun begins: improvisation. Each improvisation is like a test, a game of trial and error. Every note I sing tests my creativeness and originality. After all, it's simply a quick calculation of permutations and combinations. As I sample one note with another, altering the speed and rhythm like variables, analyzing the harmony of the combinations my mind creates, I realize that music is but an experiment.
As I sit hopelessly at my computer, enduring long hours of research for a science project, I decide to cross-apply some of my creativeness that inspired me while singing. I make an effort to play around with variables like notes, and vary the intensity of certain variables like I do to the rhythm when singing.
Thinking of a novel idea, then formulating a procedure, and finally conducting the experiment was quite challenging for me in the beginning. As I researched to a greater extent, my curiosity amazed me as I found the vast range of knowledge beyond my AP biology lab intriguing. I devoted several hours after school each week completing my experiment, and my toil and hard work came to fruition when I got to represent my school at the statewide and international level through my research. Despite the mechanical procedures linked with scientific experimentation, I realized that science is a systematic process embroidered with ingenuity and inspiration, much like music.
Music and science are two domains, two pillars, two passions; the passions that exemplify my multifaceted personality. I often perceive myself as a dualist, someone trapped between the middle of two complementary dimensions, a formulaic and a spontaneous approach. My two passions seem to balance each other, as one's strength can be applied to the other's weakness. Who I am is what my passions make me: a romantic dreamer and a rational thinker, an optimist and a realist, a musician and a scientist. I want to experience this duality my whole life, where I can practice a creative and formulaic attitude as a career. Through my passions, I've realized that the relationship between music and science is beautiful, idyllic even. Almost like a DNA strand, where one strand is music and one is science and together, they form the double helix that defines not only who I am, but also who I want to become.
PLEASE COMMENT. I'm DESPERATE!!