I am beginning a new course, "The Nature and Design of Compelling Experiences". Amongst many things, I am a long time educator, and this is a graduate level education course. I am also a long time musician and art lover, so this course is interesting to me on many levels. My awareness is now raised, and I recognize that I have experienced my first truly compelling experience since beginning this course.
I just arrived home from the Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids. I am not a K-12 music teacher, althought this is their annual conference. My son was selected to play in the middle school all state band. This is a big honor, and we made the most of it. We stayed at the Amway Grand. He had a tremendous rehearsal and performance experience. I registered for the conference and experienced a few good seminars, my son's amazing performance and an additional remarkable performance.
The Traverse City High School Symphony Orchestra and concert choir performed at the conference. This is a big honor for them, and I was curious to check out some other schools' music groups. I chose this group, because their program included a piece from the Mozart Requiem, one of my all time favorites. I was pleasantly surprised by the quailty of the group,and they did an excellent job with the Beethoven, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grieg and Mozart listed on the program. Then, I discovered a wild card.
The final piece on the program was an unpublished work for symphony orchestra and choir titled "Prophetiae Merlini" composed by Jeffrey Cobb. Mr. Cobb strode smoohtly onstage to guest conduct the piece. The opening was full of percussive action and aggression. My interest and attention rose precipitously. My mind swirled as the music dipped and dove, soared and raced. So many colors and impressions filled my mind. Every cell in my being was engaged and at attention. My emotions locked in as well. The music was so beautiful and so powerful. My heart swelled. When the piece came to an end, I realized that my eyes were full of tears and my heart was beating quickly. Perhaps this fits the bill as a "compelling experience".
What made it so? It was new and unique and took my mind into unchartered musical territory. It was of very high quality and represented a tremendous amount of work on the part of the composer and performing ensembles. It appealed to me personally. It was full of life and emotion and story. And, so, I begin my journey into what it means for an experience to be compelling and how this concept can be applied to the educational environment.
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