Math and music

Last updated Dec 19, 2019 | Published on May 20, 2015

Winner of a fellowship at the Bayreuther Festspiele, Mr. Griglio’s conducting has been praised for his “energy” and “fine details”. Mr. Griglio took part in the first world recording of music by composer Irwin Bazelon and conducted several world premieres like "The song of Eddie", by Harold Farberman, a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize. Principal Conductor of International Opera Theater Philadelphia for four years, Mr.Griglio is also active as a composer. His first opera, Camille Claudel, debuted in 2013 to a great success of audience and critics. Mr. Griglio is presently working on an opera on Caravaggio and Music Director of Opera Odyssey.
As I’ve mentioned in this post, I do believe that from the point of view of providing a 360 education, people from the middle ages were more advanced that we are.

As a matter of fact, education was divided into two main segments: the trivium (grammar, rethoric, dialectic) and the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and – oh surpise! – music).

Moving forward to the renaissance, the genius par excellance, Leonardo da Vinci, excelled in math as well music, besides of course everything else.

I myself have always been in love with music, not so with math.

When I was 15, I often ditched math class to complete my harmony assignments.
When my teacher caught me, instead of walking me to the director’s office, she tried to turn things around, showing me the application of mathematics in music, which in turn made me hate math a little less.

What my teacher had found, was the connection needed for me to find interest in something that I felt totally unrelated and resistant to. And while doing so, she discovered something new about music herself.

Subjects do not exist independetly, they complete each other.

The more a person is exposed to arts, the more the mind will blossom, even in areas not directly related to art.

So, how did we get to the point where teaching a child to be careless and bored about something as universal and beautiful as music became the ordinary? Why does the education system care so little about the importance of exposing children to music and art in general?

More will come…

Notes

Cover image by Lucas Craig from Pexels

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Gianmaria Griglio is an intelligent, exceptional musician. There is no question about his conducting abilities: he has exceptionally clear baton technique that allows him to articulate whatever decisions he has made about the music.

Harold Farberman

2 Comments
  1. Teresa

    Penso che la scuola di oggi sia molto occupata a mettersi in “mostra”con balli, balletti, feste di inizio e fine anno scolastico….Il lavoro dell’insegnante e’impegnativo ma sicuramente di grande soddisfazione, occorre ricordare che tutto concorre alla formazione dell’individuo ma soprattutto si deve educare al desiderio di scoprire, conoscere, sperimentare ciascuno per le proprie tendenze e peculiarità ma senza scartare nulla e l’amore per il bello fa parte di ciò E cosa c’è di più bello che una grande musica o un dipinto o una poesia?Non saprei scegliere ,forse si possono mettere tutti insieme?

    • Gianmaria Griglio

      Si devono mettere tutti insieme. Aprono la testa tanto quanto il latino e permettono al cervello di svilupparsi in direzioni diverse, e, pertanto, essere più ricettivo. Senza contare che guardare o ascoltare qualcosa di bello fa piacere a chiuque!

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