The Transformative Power of Classical Music
(I tried to embed the video and it wasn't working today...I'll work on my embedding skills for next week).For your first reading response, you will need to watch Zander's Ted talk (also referenced in your Resonate reading for Monday) and post a response to the talk. You have quite a bit of room with this response. Focus on what makes Zander's presentation work (or not...you can look at flaws as well) and how you respond to his presentation style. Think about audience engagement and content.
You may use the reading in Resonate to frame your discussion if you wish.
Please publish your responses in the comments section by Sunday afternoon (2/10), following the reading response guidlelines posted earlier.
See you Monday!
The presentation by Benjamin Zander was upbeat and entertaining throughout. He first amuses and engages the audience by beginning with a story. The story is commonly known and many audience members may recognize it. The story, along with being humorous, is thought provoking and provides a perfect segue into his presentation of music. As a listener it made me want to root for optimism and as the speaker was trying to get everyone to love classical music. It caused me to be open to the idea that he may be able to succeed at this. Zander shows the problems with music quickly and did not give a long drawn out problem. I think that this worked because the audience was able to see the issue without getting bored or losing interest. Zander used humor and storytelling when describing the beginning stages of piano playing. This story resonated emotionally with parents of piano playing children, adults who remember playing as a child or others who have heard the first stages of learning to play. He juxtaposes his music with speaking. When he speaks, he both creates humor and acts as a mentor to the audience, teaching them to listen for specific styles and sounds. Zander does a good job of making the whole crowd feel like they are a part of the presentation when he puts them into categories. He categorizes them as those who either love, like, or hate classical music. Showing this contrast in appreciation for classical music helps to stimulate the audience and keep them interested. Zander moved constantly and even went into the crowd while he was speaking. I did not think that this worked very well. He was very close to the front row and it looked as though they were uncomfortable and the rest of the audience was straining to see him. His words still engaged the audience but I thought that visually he erred in his decision to jump down from the stage. Zander gave examples of two historical figures, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela in his speech. I thought that these references showed the possibility of success and miraculous change very well. They were both familiar figures and made the audience feel that they were coming from the same root of understanding. I thought that Zander created an emotional impact soundly when he played the song a final time after asking the audience to think about the death of a loved one while listening. The audience responded with immediate applause when he was finished playing. I don’t know that the story of the Jewish woman in the end worked as well as another story could have. After he revealed to the audience the vow she had made he then said that something like that was impossible. I believe a better story would have been one that ended with an impossible notion that then became a reality. It would have served as a more inspiring ending.
ReplyDeleteI agree about the weak ending. He had a strong case for silent-but-powerful communication; following that, "make sure every word you say is really great" feels like a tacked-on Bonus Inspirational (?) Story and doesn't fit.
DeleteThe reading in Resonate introduced the importance of resonating your audience through an act of storytelling, which is what Benjamin Zander utilized to deliver a compelling presentation. Zander introduced a heart-warming story about a street kid who was deeply moved by listening to Chopin. The story expressed the kid’s heartache, which contained a raw sense of honesty and reality. This aroused the audience to empathize with the boy by pouring out their own compassion and sensitivity. Zander was able to deliver his message clearly through vivid insights on real-life challenges rather than through an instructive approach. I was able to understand how stories are powerful means for conveying messages because it hits right at a person’s heart where their emotions can be stirred.
ReplyDeleteZander displayed an array of great skills that helped him be a great presentor. He had a charismatic humor and was upclose with his audience. He spent a good amount of time off stage, which helped show that he was not the center of attention. There wasn’t a show of a pompous attitude or an arrogant explanation of why classical music is the best music out there in the world. He did not place himself as the hero but rather every other person out in the audience. Each person became a hero who traveled through his or her own struggle while listening to Chopin. Zander was able to take them on an interactive journey where they wrote their own unique story. Zander simply acted as a tour guide who was the ultimate voice to help them get back on their feet. He made everyone feel the “transformative” power of classical music through their own experience instead of making them conform to his experience. I believe that in order to learn something you have to take action for yourself, so that you can truly gain some sort of an appreciation and understanding. Zander emulates the perfect mentor by taking each step of the music piece slowly, transitioning to the next stage with great clarity, and articulating his steps with comforting words. He didn’t use any difficult musical terms and it was quite easy for myself to follow his directions. I was not left feeling confused, which was something I was initially worried about because I do not have any knowledge of classical music. Overall, I would characterize Zander as the perfect mentor and I appreciate his ability to do it so successfully.
I have a confession to make: I know next to nothing about classical music. Despite my embarrassingly limited knowledge, I felt completely engaged by the personality and charisma of Benjamin Zander in “The Transformative Power of Classical Music.” His power to communicate effectively with the audience became apparent from the beginning, and I realized that I could definitely learn from him.
ReplyDeleteOne aspect of the presentation that Zander performed skillfully was his inclusion of stories. In Resonate, Nancy Duarte emphasizes that the interweaving of fact and story “creates interest and a pulse” and “makes information more digestible” (27). Zander began with a story about two shoe salesmen who went to Africa, and one viewed the lack of shoes there as a negative, where the other viewed it as an opportunity. By including this story, he strategically engaged the audience with some humor and drew a parallel to our society’s lack of interest in classical music and how he plans to address it. I believe that the most effective story that he included was the one about the boy in Ireland who cried over the death of his brother for the first time while Zander played the Chopin song. As Zander told this story, he seemed more subdued, which created an emotional moment for the audience. In this moment, I could see the immense power that classical music can possess and how it can tell a story without words. For me, this was a pivotal moment in his presentation, as I finally saw the “transformative power” that Zander wanted to show. All of these stories created a level of interest in his presentation that helped to capture the attention of the audience.
Another technique that Zander used to engage the audience was his consistent movement. When I watch a speaker, I tend to get bored if they just stand in one place. Zander spoke in the middle of the stage, played on his piano, and went out into the audience to engage with the audience members. I believe that this movement showed how much passion and enthusiasm he has for the world of classical music. His passion carried over to the audience members, who showed that they began to feel interested in the idea of classical music through their laughter and applause. I don’t think that a speaker must move around as much as Zander did, but I do think it displays a level of confidence on the part of the speaker and shows his or her interest in the topic, which can also make the audience more interested.
Finally, I felt that Zander was excellent at making the presentation center around the audience rather than himself. This particularly impressed me since he has such a big personality, so he could easily grab the spotlight. He makes it clear that he wants to show them how powerful classical music can be. An example of how he did this was when he asked them to think of a loved one who had passed while he played Chopin. By doing this, he wanted them to experience for themselves how powerful classical music can be, rather than him just preaching about it. Overall, I was very impressed by Zander’s ability to communicate with the audience and share his passion for classical music.
Zander’s presentation techniques were successful and compelling. He is an excellent role model for the techniques used to build an excellent presentation. Zander appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos, which is crucial in connecting to the audience. His stories of Aushwitz and his request to think of someone who has passed were both very moving, and the reactions of the audience emphasized the effectiveness of these examples further. His first story and demonstration was an easy one to relate to, and many people in the audience could probably do so. Even I related to it as I have played in band since I was in sixth grade, and I know that my many hours of practicing probably sounded just like Zander admits a seven year old child probably would. This is what Zander does best: he relates to his audience, resonating with them. As the presentation continues, he uses practical examples and his speech moves from one point to the next quickly and with few tangents, keeping the audience engaged and preventing minds from wandering, which is something he ironically mentions in the presentation itself.
ReplyDeleteZander strategically places comic relief throughout the presentation which is crucial to keeping the audience engaged and enthralled. His audience was laughing every few minutes, and he even inserted pauses to give the audience a chance to process and respond. Zander’s voice was also a key part in the presentation. He uses it to tell his stories, changing the tone, pitch, and volume to make his words resonate with his audience.
Finally, Zander ends his presentation with emphasizing “listening, understanding, and” allowing yourself to be “moved,” which I also found a meaningful point to end with. This can apply to many instances, and Zander uses his simple presentation about classical music to prove the importance of each of these aspects . He even scans the first row of the audience for those “shining eyes,” which he claims are crucial to gauge audience participation. All of these techniques makes Zander’s presentation memorable and meaningful, and his techniques can easily be studied and applied to others who are looking to acquire successful presentation skills.
Zander’s presentation on classical music was absolutely captivating, largely due to the fact that he took a topic that tends to be rather elitist and made it universal, and because he brought classical music to life through important lessons regarding humanity. His humor and charisma carried him through his speech, from his entertaining opening analogy to the poignant story he used to close. He was a very engaging speaker, aided by his “omniscience,” in that he completely understood the audience’s feelings towards classical music and was under no false pretenses. Another reason his presentation was so successful was because he kept things interesting – he was constantly mixing up his ways of offering information. First he would play a little piano, then share a funny story and then he might jump down into the audience to get right to the crux of the idea. His stories were short, meaningful and relevant, and they all appealed to the audience’s sense of ethos, pathos and logos, whether he was discussing seventy seventh graders, a group of street kids or an Auschwitz survivor. Music, particularly classical music, can be a very elitist topic and Zander made it accessible to the audience by making it simple – “a B with four sads” was an excellent example of this, as was equating Chopin’s composing techniques with the writing style of Shakespeare, each holding out for resolution.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons I was so strongly influenced by this presentation is because Zander took classical music, this intimidating, musical entity, and made it tangible for each person listening. That, in fact, was one of his main and strongest arguments - “Classical music is for everybody, “ he stated without reservation. Zander left a lasting impression on me by unifying the audience with a single song. He urged his audience to have a certain mindset during the piece so as to “hear all the artist had to say,” and afterwards he explained that his hope was for each person to “listen, understand and be moved.” In those moments that he was playing Chopin’s piece, the audience ceased to be 1,600 individuals and instead became 1,600 listeners caught in the same melodic idea. What I appreciated the most about this presentation was that Zander took the focus off of himself and created such possibility to learn about the world through the lens of classical music. He clearly understands his role in the world well – he explained that “an orchestra conductor depends for his power on his ability to make other people powerful” and that his job is to “awaken possibility.” This selfless attitude caused me to respect his greatly as a speaker, leader and man. His empowerment and last thoughts to the audience have stuck with me the most, however. As Zander was closing, he mentioned two important concepts: that what we say makes a difference and that we must understand who we are as we go into the world. These two ideas, coupled with the lesson passed down to him by the Auschwitz survivor of only saying things that could stand as one’s last words, were a simple but very meaningful and palpable way to close this presentation. He admits that this last concept will never happen, but is worth striving for. Instead of leaving the audience with an impossible charge that they will never be able to achieve, the last thought he left them with was one of hope, an idea they probably already knew but needed to hear in a different way.
One particularly notable element found throughout Zander's presentation was his pervading energy and communication with the audience. He connected with them. He looked them in the eye, touched them on the face, moved from person to person with meaning and purpose. Bounding about, he kept the audience mesmerized; by shifting from story to music to speaking, the message was carried in an interesting, captivating way. Never allowing for a dull moment, Zander led the audience through a ride of emotions, skillfully extracting laughter and tears at precisely the right moment to subtly highlight and cement his point in a way the audience could relate to.
ReplyDeleteZander followed the “Contour of Communication” Duarte outlines; the audience obligingly walked along his yellow brick road (36). They nodded with understanding as he presented the situation, the different types of people in the realm of classical music. They churned about his proposition, his call to adventure – that he planned to make everyone love classical music – considering whether or not he could actually succeed. They became engaged in his presentation. They, chuckling, recognized their own children in his “song playing progression”, they sang when he prompted them to sing, they guiltily grinned as he described a typical response to the Chopin piece. They took his hand as he led them along the path of the oh-so-dreaded music theory that terrifies so many, and kept their balance across that narrow bridge of understanding over the vast cavern of ignorance, each step more confident than the last. He took them between the low of reality and the high of the possibility to be. His message ultimately hit home when he ordered each audience member to think of a loved one they had lost, and then played, fully, emotionally, the Chopin piece for a second time. They understood the meaning behind the notes, they understood that each note was meticulously placed and thought out to cause certain emotions in the listeners. Their minds did not wander this time. The music resonated with them, and as such, so did Zander’s message. He gave them the means for the music to reach them, and then proceeded to reach them through the music. They ended the presentation experience on a “higher ground” than they started; their eyes were shining. Zander went, person to person along the front row, looking for the shine in the eyes, then took that shine and expanded it from the group at hand to the population as a whole, coming back to his initial purpose to give everyone the shining eyes, saying no, not just from 3% to 4%, but from 3% to 100%. Everyone should have shining eyes, he says, that was what he intended to pursue. This passion and intention, coupled with the touching Auschwitz example, gave an uplifting, inspirational ending – we can make a difference, and we can decide how we live.
Benjamin Zander successfully conveyed his message on the transformative power of Classical music through his enthusiasm and passion for this particular genre of music. It was apparent that his ambition and desire was to ignite a spark of passion for Classical music in the hearts of his audience, which I feel like he did appropriately with his engaging stories and his entertaining mini-piano performances. I found Zander's presentation to be a great example for the qualities that the first chapter of the book, Resonate, depicted.
ReplyDeleteHe began his presentation with, “Probably a lot of you are familiar with the story of the two salesmen,” which immediately captured the audience’s attention because this stirs a sense of curiosity, making the audience wonder if they actually do know this story or not; nonetheless, it made the audience listen to what the story was about. Zander quickly made sense of the story by applying it to the main topic of his presentation – Classical music. He also portrayed confidence in his belief for the transformative power of Classical music when he stated that he doesn’t have a single doubt that everyone has the potential to enjoy and love Classical music. The connection he made between the stories and “experiments” he portrayed throughout his presentation made it applicable to the audience in one way or another, which continuously engaged the audience. When he asked the audience to think about their past loved ones as he serenaded them with one of Chopin’s music pieces, it not only connected his audience with his presentation, but it also had an emotional appeal to it; However, Zander didn’t let this emotional appeal die after he finished his piece, but he continued to tug on the audience’s emotions when he have a personal story of how he learned that Classical music is for everyone. And he left the audience with an inspirational message to conclude his presentation, and that was, “Do not say anything to someone that they could not stand to be the last thing said to them.”
Benjamin Zander’s presentation on the transformative power of classical music made the daunting, seemingly elitist topic of classical music relatable to everybody through his powerful use of storytelling and emotion.
ReplyDeleteZander’s use of storytelling kept the audience engaged and focused. Throughout his talk, he used stories to illustrate his points and to make the concepts he was explaining more relatable to his audience. He kept his main ideas short and simple – he didn’t over explain – and then brought home what he was explaining with a story that everyone in the audience could relate to in their own way. Every parent of a child pianist can relate to the pains of practicing throughout the years, and in everyone can relate to loss. Zander removed the barriers surrounding classical music that keep most people out by cracking jokes, telling stories, and comparing concepts to ideas and experiences that everyone can understand. He made classical music more relatable to people simply by making the explanation of classical music more relatable and easier to understand.
He also engaged the audience by using humor. His jokes kept people interested in what he was saying, in addition to aiding his explanation. He also moved around a lot, gesticulating and jumping off the stage, getting in people’s faces. While this probably made the first row uncomfortable and made it difficult for others in the audience to see him, it also kept the audience watching him to see what he would do or where he would go next, keeping their focus on him.
Because he captured the audience’s attention with those techniques early on and set up his points and explanations in a way that made sense, he was then able to make the huge leap from classical music to how to live your life without it seeming ridiculous. The foundation was set based on what he had previously said and explained, he just had to take the audience there with a few more stories about seventh graders and a holocaust survivor to get his main point across. By making that leap, Zander was able to help people who do not normally listen to classical music see the connection between the music and their own lives, reinforcing the idea of classical music being for everybody.
The presentation given by Benjamin Zander on Ted talks was quite captivating, not to mention compelling. Throughout his utilization of various techniques to aid the propulsion and sharing of his thoughts, concepts, and beliefs on the subject of classical music and the ideas associated with it, Zander was able to forge a presentation that achieved its purpose to a near perfection. The first and foremost technique employed by Zander, and the one that had the most effect on me personally, was his storytelling ability. Zander shared many stories, ranging from funny and sad to merely informative, but nonetheless, all evoked various emotions from the audience. The stories that evoked a stronger emotional response from myself were the ones that concerned the lady that survived Auschwitz and the street kid who's brother had been shot the previous year.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to Zander's superb storytelling skills, he employs a plethora of techniques found in the book 'Resonate'. Among these would be a hook for the audience, creating the contrast between what is and what could be, emotional contrast, and a call to action at the end. These techniques thrown in the mix with his storytelling form a sound, well-rounded argument not lacking any side.
While these techniques are certainly important, another side that is equally important, if not more so, is Zander's eccentric personality. His natural charisma, sense of humor, calm and collected aura, most importantly his apparent comfort with attention add a side to his presentation that cannot be falsified. I found his behavior to be equally important as his technical aspects when I was evaluating my thoughts concerning the effect his presentation had upon me. His liveliness and energy were refreshing, and aided in creating a memorable presentation in which I fully absorbed what Zander was trying to convey.
Overall, through I found his techniques to be integrated well, his storytelling superb, and his personality invigorating- creating and executing a well rounded and effective presentation.
Benjamin Zander’s presentation, “The Transformative Power of Classical Music,” was both notably passionate and lively. His love for the genre of classical music was distinctively shown throughout his speech, as he was so enthusiastic about the topic. He made the genre of classical music related to everyone in the audience by his use of humor and storytelling.
ReplyDeleteZander quickly struck me as an individual who had a good sense of humor, and I was not wrong about this as his presentation was filled throughout with it. He used many jokes that kept the audience interested in what he had to say. He also engaged with the people in the audience a lot, such as cracking a joke when he is speaking about seeing people’s eyes shine. Zander does not only stand in one place throughout the stage, he was all over the place, which made the people watching him the entire time and kept the audience interested as they all probably wondered what else this humorous fellow might do.
He also used a few stories throughout his speech that kept the audience interested and connected. Zander’s stories ranged from funny to sad, expressing a wide range of emotion for the audience to feel. I believe the use of his storytelling made his presentation stronger as it helped to make his main points clearer, which appealed to the audience to see his view on classical music. As well, Zander’s use of storytelling was helpful and brought everyone in the audience to be able to relate to classical music through their own personal experiences.
Overall, Zander gave a wonderful presentation that kept everyone captivated by what he had to say through charisma and storytelling, where I believe everyone should be able to take away a tip or two from his presentation and be able to apply it to their own when presenting.
Benjamin Zander’s presentation on classical music represents exactly the type and form of presentation that Resonate addressed. However the most impressive part about his talk is that he made a formulaic outline come alive with personality, entertainment and emotion. From the very beginning, Zander’s presentation embodies the ideal presentation form mentioned in the text with his captivating introduction. He begins by comparing lack of shoes in third world countries to the existence of classical music in our modern culture—making the point that each situation has room for various perspectives, but ultimately it is up to the person to chose whether or not the outcome will be productive and positive. After, Zander hooks the audience by relating classical music to their ordinary lives; some of his examples being an eight-year-old piano student and the familiarity of classical music being merely “second hand smoke in airports”. It is evident that articulating these ordinary experiences immediately connects Zander to the audience because of their outbursts of laughter—even I began to chuckle to my computer screen. Zander then nails the introduction and pegs the crowd’s attention by stating his goal for the day to be that the audience will love classical music before they leave the auditorium. Another one of the most obvious presentation techniques displayed was Zander’s use of contrast throughout the presentation. He contrasts his physical presence on stage by sitting to play the piano and then standing to speak to the audience multiple times throughout the TED Talk. Zander also strategically contrasts emotion in his presentation, alternating between laughter, sadness, and inspiration. Zander specifically evokes these emotions through directly involving people in the talk and through detailed stories. It was obvious that he captures the crowd when they respond to his piano playing in a “TED choir” manner and through their “sparkling eyes”. Additionally, his stories of the Irish boy and Auschwitz survivor are heart wrenching to anyone listening. To conclude his talk, Zander explains that his job as a conductor is to “awaken possibility in other people”. This statement really stood out in his overall presentation because he here hints at the point that not only does a conductor awaken possibility, but also classical music, and for that matter, great presentations without even having to put that into words. All in all, Zander convinces the crowd to love classical music by completely embodying an engaging and knowledgeable, yet humble leader throughout his presentation.
ReplyDeleteI think Zander leaves out a group of people: those of us who realize, theoretically, that classical music is an important significant art and would like to enjoy it, but are inhibited by our own ignorance. Intimidated, too; as far as we can tell, we aren’t smart enough for this, so we’ve decided, like the fox, that we don’t want it.
ReplyDeleteThat, for me, is why the presentation is effective: he provides the intellectual access point I need. Less because he tells stories, more because I am able to see the subject as a story. The musical terms “impulse” and “resolution” are new to me, but I leave with a quick, easy understanding of what they might mean. “Impulse” gets a visual demonstration: seven-year-old, contorting with effort. Zander explains what happens next – you “stop thinking about every note along the way” – and I realize that learning to play may be like learning to write: a journey. It’s a story arc, and you can’t see it sometimes, until you reach the end, but you can feel it; and if you get it right, the audience knows.
I’m already thinking along music-is-story lines (these are terms English majors can understand) so the Hamlet comparison catches me. I don’t have much of a musical ear, but chord resolution makes sense when it becomes this: the moment in Act One when the story could be over. But it isn’t; the music doesn’t come “home” – yet. Hamlet doesn’t kill the king – yet. He goes away, and the plot happens, and dramatic tension is sustained. I’m not sure I could identify the notes if you tested me on them; but I’ve got the basic principle. More important, I now want to understand. The audience members to whom the message got through are going to listen to music differently, now; they are more aware; they may possibly catch themselves thinking “why is he using so many impulses?” Something has changed. By that standard, the presentation’s a success.
The explanations are simplistic, yes. This could easily have been titled “Listening to Music for Dummies.” But the audience doesn’t feel like dummies: Zander has a clear love for both subject and audience, and wants to bring the two together, in a universal way. To do this, he needs a strong ethos, and he establishes one. He mentions that a conductor is silent. The power of the music is channeled through him and expressed by the orchestra. And while he is speaking here, not conducting, the model is the same. The audience, he suggests, is his voice. He, like any good teacher, sacrifices self: his job is to awaken possibility in others. This figure is easy to trust because he trusts his hearers. He respects them (genuinely wants them to understand); he even offers to take their shame. When they are not interested, it’s not their fault, but his. Unsurprisingly, the audience is ready to listen.