Important life lessons from Williams' scored films

[Hector J. Guzman 1]

Now for a little change of pace in this action-packed messageboard.

Sometimes you see a movie and makes you think. Sometimes you see a movie that inspires you and motivates you to do something, or change something you don't like from yourself or answer a question you didn't expect to find in that film. I was thinking it would be interesting to discuss some of these kind of lessons that you might have gotten from the movies, and to be on topic we could make it from films scored by John Williams.

Well, I don't feel like talking real personal stuff, but this one was very important, I guess, when I saw this movie. Even though I'm not a big fan of the Harry Potter movies, other than a source of more music by John Williams, there's a very interesting scene in the first one of those, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's the scene concerning the mirror of Erised. Harry Potter's parents were killed, and he was raised by a family that isn't nice towards him. One of his greatest desires is to be with his parents, and in the reflection of that mirror he sees himself with them. Then he takes his friend Ron expecting he sees what he saw, instead his friend sees being a popular guy in school. He concludes it doesn't show the future, on his third visit Harry learns from headmaster Dumbledore.

He goes on to say that people have gone mad, and others have wasted their entire lives in front of the glass, and that he must continue with his life. It would be a doom to throw away all your talent and whatever you might accomplish trying to decipher what you see in the reflection. At that point in my life it was a very important message, and I have no doubt many people need to know that. Life has obstacles that you have to overcome. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live", Dumbledore says, and I knew I had to find a way to get out of all those things that happened to me at the time.

If that mirror existed, I'm pretty sure I there would be something reflected that's not here, rather than just my image, but I hope I get to see the reflection just as I am in that mirror of Erised.

So, who's next?

[nja 0]

One fascinating theme that plays out in the Star Wars films is the apprenticeship concept. Luke with Obi wan and Yoda, Anakin with Obi wan. Applications of this to music teachers and their students especially in the area of composing were very interesting to me while in school and now with some of my students.

1. Apprentices (or students) are often very poor judges of their own readiness.

2. The issue is not always raw skill, but developing the full potential of that skill.

3. Apprentices are sometimes more talented than their teachers especially in specific areas.

4. The issue of superior skills is not always as relevant as it would seem. Many times, teachers can still offer valuable feedback even for very talented students and students are wise to at least give the advice some consideration.