This week I went to TEDx Tempe, and during the presentation they showed this TED Talk of Benjamin Zander who shares his love of classical music.
Am I starting to hear a {yawn} about the topic of classical music? I get it, and so does Benjamin which is why I think he's brilliant. Your opinion of classical music will shift after listening to him. Really!
But to me, his talk was WAY more than just about classical music, it was about life and passion. I implore you to watch Benjamin as his presentation is one of the best TED Talks I've ever seen...it moved me and I laughed hysterically and even cried.
If you want to learn how to be a better and more engaging speaker, Benjamin is an awesome example to learn from.
Because of Benjamin's infectious sense of humor and passion, he makes classical music sound exciting. Personally, I became a fan of classical music a few years ago after reading a study about how listening to Beethoven can boost creativity. It worked for me and ever since then, I listen to classical music whenever I need help with clarity and calmness - two things I need in order to get my creativity flowing.
There is a part in the video where Benjamin plays the piano like a 7 year-old would, and then he plays a piece of Chopin the way someone like Chopin would play it.
I thought the piano example was a wonderful metaphor about how life can be once we let things flow, how once we reduce the impulses, the choppiness of our fears, our life can flow like a beautiful Chopin piece and we can then share the melody of our uniqueness with the world :)
