Strong and Wrong

There’s a little trick people use when teaching beginners how to solo in Jazz - which professionals also sometimes utilize - that goes something like this:

“If you hit a note that you didn’t mean to hit or that doesn’t sound right, hit it again. Then again and again, and maybe even hold it out. Then it will sound like you meant to do it.”

And it works.

There’s something about the way we process information as humans that makes us resistant to encountering information which goes against the norm of our everyday experiences, but then that resistance will break down with time and exposure.

There’s a lot of chatter about this phenomenon in the political sphere (how long after an idea is introduced to the mainstream does it become popular with the masses) and in psychology, but it can be highly useful in the artistic world as well.

The Pirates of Penzance at SUNY Geneseo (2009) - Me being a little strong and possibly a little wrong

Education Through Error

We learn through making mistakes - generally speaking.

Are there other ways of learning? Of course! But error is an excellent and highly effective way to acquire new knowledge and skills.

Since the performing arts are as subjective and flexible as they are, trial and error becomes a necessity in the creation of something new. If we did things perfectly or were completely in sync with the other people around us all the time, then there would be no need for rehearsals.

But instead we use rehearsals as a time to experiment, try new ideas, go too big, go too small, throw out everything, put it all back, and - hopefully - at the end come to a consensus as to what works best.

Sometimes what we bring to the table does not work and we have to try something else. Sometimes it works perfectly, but we still have to try something else. It’s all part of the process.

As educators of young people in music and theatre, we constantly have to push our students to simply “try something,” “go big,” or “go even further.” And it’s hard.

As children, we’re so often told what to do and when and how to do things correctly, that it becomes scary to throw yourself into a choice that could ultimately be wrong. It feels like a waste. You exposed yourself for nothing.

But not true!

When you make a big choice, we get to see what aspects of that choice worked and what aspects didn’t. And you learn new information from both sides of that coin.

Being strong and wrong provides us with invaluable information.

Discovery

One of the other great joys of pushing boundaries and attempting something outside the established norm is the discovery of something new - whether that be as simple as a new riff for the end of a song, or an entirely new performance style that’s never been done before.

There is a tendency, particularly in the commercial art world, to say no to the production of material that is outside the established norm.

• Jazz was met with anger, skepticism, and fear.

• Modern art was called fruitless, talentless, and ugly.

• Musical Theatre was labeled as frilly, shallow, and unimportant.

But each of these art forms eventually found a home in the mainstream, and it certainly wasn’t overnight. When people stopped focusing on what was new and therefore scary, and instead began to focus on what was exciting and beautiful, a love and acceptance began to grow.

And that’s the beauty of artistic experimentation.

Bertolt Brecht experimented in myriad ways in the theatre, and much of his experimentation was met with iciness, confusion, and distaste. Well, until it wasn’t.

Brecht had a set of ideals that he attempted to instill in each of his pieces, wanting to find new ways of getting them across to an audience that had been brought up on heavy realism. And even though audiences often scoffed or were repelled by his choices, some of them struck so hard and true that they became iconic.

Consider the “Silent Scream” of Helene Weigal’s performance of Mother Courage. To an audience raised on realism, the moment Mother Courage is faced with her son’s death might be expected to result in a loud, sobbing breakdown. Instead, she opened her mouth into a contorted scream of anguish - with no sound.

And it struck a deep chord, with critics and audiences alike.

Perhaps not all of Brecht’s stage experiments reached audiences in the way he had hoped, but every now and again his approaches could yield results that were effective for everyone.

No matter how odd or crazy an artistic experiment may seem, there’s bound to be something of merit or beauty to be discovered. And not all types of art are for everyone or enjoyed by everyone, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something wonderful or exciting to be found.

What Is “Wrong?”

In the world of subjectivity, “wrong” as a concept doesn’t really exist. There are a million different ways to create something to get a specific point across.

But even though wrong doesn’t really exist, sometimes choices are ultimately not appropriate to telling the story and conveying the message that you set out to present. At that moment, that’s when things may feel “wrong” to an audience.

Often this comes in the process of interpreting a work created by someone else, particularly in the performing arts when you’re handed a piece of art in which you must find a way to present the artists’s message to an audience. You may initially make choices that don’t accomplish that goal, but, again, that’s what rehearsals are ultimately for.

But sometimes this can come in the form of the creation itself.

When we look back on the history of art, people like to say that this person or that person was “ahead of their time.” But I think what they’re really saying is: “This person’s art didn’t get their point across to their contemporary mainstream audience, but we get it now.”

And did that make the artist or their art wrong? Nope. Just, perhaps, not appropriate to the time and place in which that art existed.

And So?

So what’s my point?

We cannot grow without experimentation. Some experiments will work, and some will not.

But all art has merit. All art has a place. And bearing this in mind, both as artists and audiences, just may help bring a touch more beauty and compassion to the world.

It’s worth a shot.