On August 27, 2006, the New York Times published a review of Francine Prose’s book, “Reading Like A Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want To Write Like Them.” The review was written by Emily Barton, and makes some salient points that we as composers might heed.
The subject at hand is: How do you teach this art? There aren’t too many good books out there that teach you how to be a writer (or a composer).
In her review, Barton points out that a
“difficulty faced by writing teachers is, paradoxically, the lack of interest many students show in reading.”
Isn’t this true amongst many composers, too? How often do we listen to something new, or do we always go back to the same standbys when we listen? Are we frequent concert goers, do we splurge on CDs by new composers, do we show an interest in composition?
Part of the problem is that reading (or “listening”) can be a chore. Who wants to be force-fed something they are not interested in? In her book, Prose suggests that we need to savor the experience, and that to do so
“may require some rewiring, unhooking the connection that makes you think you have to have an opinion about the book and reconnecting the wire to whatever terminal lets you see reading as something that might move or delight you.”
In other words, go out and listen to some music just for the joy of it!
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