A few months ago, I came across the website of an old teacher of mine. I wrote to him just to say hello, see how he was doing and tell him some things I’d never had the chance to tell him before our time together ended. He was very gracious and interested in what I’d been up to musically. When I told him I’d switched from Jazz trumpet to Irish flute and traditional music he was supportive; he was glad that I’d found a way to keep music as an iatrical part of my life.
That last bit – music as “an iatrical part” of one’s life – is the important part, I think. Music, and indeed all forms of art, can be enriching, healing parts of people’s lives, regardless of whether they’re virtuosi or “hobbyists”. This in particular, I think, is one of the most beautiful and appealing aspects of the folk arts: they are still functional arts, ones in which participation and engagement are far more important than virtuosity or novelty.
I came across this passage by artist Alex Gray
in his book, The Mission of Art which seemed right on the mark:
“…there’s a lot of good for anybody in making almost any kind of art. Just as each of us benefits from physical exercise and meditation, even thought we may not become professional athletes or enlightened yogis, making art is intensely cathartic and healing, and should be enjoyed by everyone, even those who don’t think they will become the next T.S. Eliot or Picasso. The act of drawing or painting, writing poetry, dancing or making music brings us into personal contact with the creative spirit, and that has inestimable value for enjoyment and self-discovery.” (Grey, pp 27-8)
