I was recently inspired by a speaker named Robert Gupta, who is a violinist in the LA Philharmonic, involved in healing through music. On Ted.com, Robert’s presentation was thought provoking and passionate. I loved it. Robert was honest about his fear of losing the attention of his student to an episode of schizophrenia. Robert was not afraid for himself, but cared more about his student winning the battle of such mental oppression. His student for this session was Nathaniel Ayers. A very talented man featured as one of the main characters in the film The Soloist, played by Jamie Foxx.
Robert described this private session event providing the background of Nathaniel Ayers using words in such a poetic form. I thought
Robert was not only a talented violinist himself, but a writer as well. With a beautiful
delivery of words Robert shared how music was medicine and an escape for
Nathaniel. The words that stood out to me the most were:
“This was the very reason why we made
music: we take something that exists within all of us at our very fundamental
core, our emotions, and through our artistic lens, through our creativity,
we’re able to shape those emotions into reality.”
Robert encouraged the audience to read the book and/or
watch the movie that tells the story about Nathaniel Ayers and Steve Lopez. It
is technically Steve Lopez’s story about music shaping his bond with Nathaniel
Ayers and providing deliverance to schizophrenia. I saw this movie during the
year it was released because I am a fan of the leading actors and music touching
souls.
Robert also shared his knowledge about neurodegenerative
biology. As a pre-med undergraduate, he
researched neurologic diseases and became an advocate for mental health issues.
I personally know that music can heal. I am passionate about how the music I
compose inspires others. Experiencing Robert Gupta’s passion lets me know there
are other musicians out there like me. We compose and perform music as a
solution to a problem.
I noticed a story last week about music healing an Alzheimers patient.
It is not easy to see what the disease has done to this man, but it is
supporting my case that music helps people make a comeback. See the story here.
