Publish at June 11 2025 Updated June 11 2025
Artist-composers have the ability to bring together harmony, rhythm and structure to create musical works. Sometimes these artists immerse themselves in their environment, listening to the sounds around them to create original compositions. We're all immersed in it, insofar as we produce sounds to which attentive listening leads to a certain awakening.
The film Auguste Rush features a teenager who masters the guitar with disconcerting ease. Born of musician parents, he utters a phrase to describe the omnipresence of music. He can say: "Music is everywhere, you just have to listen. But you have to know how to listen. Listening requires a higher level of attention. By remaining silent, we become able to perceive the slightest noise. So you don't have to be a musical goldsmith to realize this. Depending on how you feel at the time, it's up to you to decide whether or not you want to stick with it.
In another film production, We Are Your Friends, the lead actor, Zac Efron, is a talented disc jockey who dreams of reaching the top. In the film's final scene, he delivers an epic presentation to an audience in trance. His creation is largely an assemblage of several sounds: the sound of a coin spinning on a table before falling, the sound of a nail gun, the sound of a propeller, the roar of a lion and the sound of a sweater zipper. He combines these to create a unique and original composition. The character teaches that by paying attention and listening, special sounds can be perceived. These can be combined to produce extraordinary creations.
In view of the above, artists appropriate everyday sounds to create compositions. An attentive mind perceives a wide variety of sounds, from the slamming of a door to the repeated clinking of a glass on a table, from typing on a computer to the passing of an insect. Thousands of sounds are produced unbeknownst to us as we go about our daily tasks. Awareness of their existence is the first step towards more attentive listening.
Active listening allows us to perceive the benefits of listening. From this point of view, the beekeeper is accustomed to the sounds generated by the bees; they have become a part of him. Having developed a sensitive ear for the noises generated during his activities, over time this becomes a habitual melody, transporting our daily lives into another dimension, as if we were listening to Beethoven or Mozart. As a result, our activities are no longer mere routines, as we take pleasure in carrying them out; we are more aware of and attentive to the sound dimension, an added value of choice.
Training your ear to listen to these natural realities also means working on your well-being. Indeed, music at its core is enriched with benefits that can be transferred to our daily lives, depending on our relationship with the various sounds generated during socio-professional activities. A better disposition is conducive to the blossoming of the senses and the spirit of creativity. Another way to be imaginative is to be carried away by a sound beyond simple listening, to reach a deeper level of pleasure.
The moment of listening and composing becomes a real outlet, especially for those going through difficult times in their socio-professional environments. Imagine for a moment a carpenter focusing his attention on the sound produced by sanding wooden surfaces. Paying more meditative attention to this rhythmic back-and-forth movement is a way of giving greater meaning to the professional activity in question, and of freeing oneself from the difficulties of the trade.
Seen from another angle, the melodies created resonate within us on a daily basis, reminding us of our socio-professional identity, enabling us to become more at one with it. The chalk bar in the classroom is more than ever a part of the teacher. In fact, the sound created by its use on the blackboard is a form of anchoring to this profession. In other words, as you walk past a classroom, simply listening to the chalk make that sound is an indicator of the educator's presence in the classroom and his or her role in society.
After all, we're all composers, and we need listening training to exploit the sounds we generate. They are all the more important as they contribute to our daily well-being.
Illustration: Ángel De Ávila - Pixabay
Sources
Trailer: We are your Friends - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3b9aft
We are your friends-Ending scene- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21uKMdvtNgk
Active listening: skills and importance at work
https://www.vantagecircle.com/fr/blog/ecoute-active-en-milieu-de-travail/
What is active listening?
https://www.cegos.fr/ressources/mag/efficacite-professionnelle-3/quest-ce-que-lecoute-active
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) - https://www.musicologie.org/Biographies/b/beethoven.html
Mozart -https://classic-intro.net/introductionalamusique/compositeurs/Mozart.html
The benefits of music - https://www.cnracl.retraites.fr/retraite/climats/societe/les-bienfaits-de-la-musique
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