The list of life lessons that learning to play and perform music teaches is seemingly endless. Let’s talk about kindness as a lesson.
Music itself is an act of kindness. Playing for people is offering a gift, a very personal gift. Songs are meant to convey emotion and if people feel something from your performance that is an act of kindness. What better gift from one human being to another than to do something that helps that person feel something, maybe a reminder of something past or a hope for something in their future. It is what you’re trying to do as a musician, make somebody feel an emotion. If you can do it, you have learned an act of kindness.
There is also the kindness of sharing the delivery of a song with other musicians. As each player takes their solo, the support of others in the band during that solo is their act of kindness. It’s one of those the things learned in jam sessions, to collaborate in a way that the collective piece of music works well, as opposed to trying to hog the spotlight—in other words to play for others as opposed to playing only for yourself.
Musicians who view their work as an act of kindness are surely the best to play with, and the best at making their music something their audience will appreciate as a precious gift of kindness.