{"items": [{"author": "Leland", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/114575814092755493073", "anchor": "gp-1358809175051", "service": "gp", "text": "This is an interesting question for me, because I went the other way: By default, I enjoy concerts considerably more than dances and had to actively teach myself to enjoy music via dancing. I seem to lack that \"this makes me want to dance\" impulse: Even very dance-oriented music used to be most accesible to me when I was sitting still.\n
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\nWhich isn't to say that all music is good concert music for me: There is definitely a lot of music (including primarily dance-oriented music) that I enjoy best when I have something else to focus on, like writing, or thinking some problem through. Good concert music, for me, is exactly that music where the music itself provides something to think through, where the effect the music has on me and/or the means by which it accomplishes this is interesting in and of itself. While there is definitely some music played for dances that meets this criterion for me, much of dance-oriented music doesn't. (And, of course, it doesn't need to \u2013 good dance music does not need to also be good concert music.)\n
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\nFor me, this kind of mental engagement with the concert usually takes one of two forms. Sometimes I engage via analysis \u2013 trying to listen carefully enough to hear details of both the sound and the structure. Other times, I engage via empathy \u2013 more or less imagining that I'm a participant in some way. This can be as simple as \"singing along\" in my head, or as complicated as imagining how I would arrange the music for a different ensemble. These tasks give me something for the music to act \non\n, the same way I suspect dancing does for you.\n
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\nAs I said, I had to actively learn to engage with music via dancing, and still can only do it in a fairly limited respect. Movement never feels like the natural response to music for me, so I had to spend a fair amount of time internalizing contra dance figures and understanding how they related to the music before I could really enjoy the experience. (My first few dances were definitely enjoyable only from the intellectual standpoint of learning something new, and it was quite a while before I could enjoy \"easy\" dances that didn't provide that learning curve.) I now do best when I can hit a flow state with my dancing where I don't need to actively think about it at all, and can turn my attention to the music \u2013 in effect letting the dancing influence my perception of the music, and not the other way around.", "timestamp": 1358809175}, {"author": "Nikki", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/602842899731733?comment_id=602892056393484", "anchor": "fb-602892056393484", "service": "fb", "text": "I've never gone to a concert and just sat there, that would indeed be boring... I usually dance at concerts", "timestamp": "1358814826"}, {"author": "Mac", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/602842899731733?comment_id=602977673051589", "anchor": "fb-602977673051589", "service": "fb", "text": "I started seriously enjoying classical concerts at Tanglewood when: 1) I realized abject awe and honor were _not_ required, and 2) It was OK to fall asleep. Immediately before falling asleep is the mental state wherein the road between the intellect, ego, consciousness and the subconscious, id, intuition is as broad and clear as it gets. This is the state where the music fills both mind and emotion, having the greatest impact on the -- ok, cliche but I have to say it -- soul.", "timestamp": "1358827175"}, {"author": "Gianna", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/602842899731733?comment_id=603425093006847", "anchor": "fb-603425093006847", "service": "fb", "text": "Hmm. A few thoughts: I've heard from many people that our cultured american habit of sitting quietly and listening to concerts is somewhat absurd: music is meant to be moved to (ever watch little kids at a concert? they're usually dancing...) So sometimes that's not socially acceptable (symphony hall?) sigh. I get bored at a lot of concerts too, unless they are really energetic and captivating with lots of stories in an intimate setting, with food (club passim). I try to mitigate boredom at concerts by paying attention to the musicians and what they're doing; since I play fiddle, I usually watch the fiddlers or the violinists and try to absorb something about what they're doing, or just notice it more than usual. That usually keeps me more engaged. The other things is, I have started not going to as many concerts, and shifting my consumption to other things, and then I buy some of the music and listen to it in my car or on the T instead.", "timestamp": "1358895211"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/602842899731733?comment_id=603431553006201", "anchor": "fb-603431553006201", "service": "fb", "text": "@Gianna: \"music is meant to be moved to (ever watch little kids at a concert? they're usually dancing...)\"
Is food meant to be thrown? I'm not sure we can read too much into how little kids respond to things.
(This is just a quibble; the general point that concerts where people sit still and just listen are probably not the ideal way to listen to music I think I agree with.)", "timestamp": "1358896122"}, {"author": "opted out", "source_link": "#", "anchor": "unknown", "service": "unknown", "text": "this user has requested that their comments not be shown here", "timestamp": "1358907138"}, {"author": "Nikki", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/602842899731733?comment_id=603543592994997", "anchor": "fb-603543592994997", "service": "fb", "text": "Not all concerts are of the sitting and listening variety, though... go to a rock concert, or a metal concert, or a bluegrass concert", "timestamp": "1358909926"}]}