In a previous post we considered the fact that certain types of music help to bring order to the conscious mind. Robert Gupta, violinist with the LA Philharmonica, shares a fascinating story about an encounter he had with this phenomenon.
Nathanial Anthony Ayers, a Julliard-trained violinist, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He left school and became homeless, only to be discovered by a journalist as he played his beat up violin that had only two strings on it. The story was told in the 2009 film The Soloist, starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr.
Enjoy this clip of a presentation given by Mr Gupta at a recent TED conference:
Music is medicine. Music is language. Music is organizational. Music is healing.
If you haven’t yet formed a relationship with music, I encourage you to start dating. Listen to different genres. With music you can travel to different countries, experience foreign cultures, travel effortlessly through time, all from the comfort of your home.
Music and arts funding have suffered large cuts in our educational system over the last decade. Take time to share the music you love with the children you love. The digital era and its carrier, the internet, have ushered in so many opportunities to explore the world of music. Make good use of this wonderful tool!
Gregory Hake 
I’ve heard music referred to as the language of love and I’ve always thought it’s because it speaks to something so primal in us, as if we are contained in it.
Your thought that music is organizational makes sense too; I just never had thought of it like that. I understand it is mathematical but organizational seems an even larger dimension, perhaps mathematical is contained in it.
It’s an intriguing subject. I’m so glad they asked Robert play at the end. So beautiful, thanks.
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On the one hand we have the digital age available to us where the exploration of music is endless. On the other hand with the cuts in arts and music funding in our schools we have a great danger of producing a generation lost on the meaning of music. “Take time to share the music you love with the children you love” should be the new national bumper sticker!
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Thank you for bringing attention to this particular story. Being a music lover and also interested in mental health, I am moved by Robert Gupta’s sincere compassion, and no doubt the compassion and persistence of Steve Long, the journalist who discovered Nathaniel. It is a story that makes you realize the goodness of mankind does still exist, and I have great respect for the healing power of music.
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Music heals the soul, it is true. I have found that learning to listen to music from other countries also helps you to connect with a variety of cultures, close your eyes and you can feel as if your are there. What a way to expand our awareness of the grandness of the world around us. A great college radio station to listen to or to stream on your computers is 89.1 WBCX F.M. It is an eclectic station where you can ride down the road listening to great French performers or go back in time to another era!
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I’ve used music to soothe crying babies, calm anxious puppies, chill out adults trying to connect with each other, as a prelude to prayer and to release stress for students before an exam.
It is a multifaceted healer useful in almost every area of our lives. Perhaps that is why there are so many genres. Not “one size fits all” but much like words fitly spoken that are so perfect for the occasion.
It is as exciting to explore as new cultures, people or food.
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No truer words ever were spoken. No more profound or beautiful ordering of time that touches so many as music. Truly the universal language!
Thanks Gregg for this simple reminder to be grateful for the value of music.
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