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Learning Space No. 4 [Miho Ota]

学びの場 第四回目 [ 太田 美帆 ]

I am a musician.

This time, I was in charge of the learning opportunity on the theme of "hymns" and "choruses." Before I share my impressions,
I'll start by telling you how I came to pursue music as a career.

I loved singing from an early age and joined a choir in second grade.
The choir is rare even in Japan in that its repertoire consists of church music, and as both my parents are Buddhist, the sublime music they sang resounded and sounded incredibly majestic to me, and it was like a thunderbolt.

On the first day of the lesson, I joined the other students with a nervous look on my face.
I was given the sheet music, but of course I can't read it. And it was in Latin.
⁡But even so, there was a moment when I was drawn in and carried away by the other members' chorus.

-Our voices melted together-

This is the beginning of the excitement.

From that day on, I made up my mind to make a living from music when I grew up. It's not that I was good at music.
I was aware that there were a ton of kids who were better than me. I just loved it, that was all.

"Love makes you good at something"

If you really love it, there is a chance you can improve.
Of course, my feelings wavered many times, but in the end, I was able to come back to them because of my own feelings.
⁡I loved it so I continued regardless of what others thought.

Now, when it comes to conveying what you have learned, there is more to it than just imparting specialized knowledge.
⁡How did you get there? ⁡How much do you like it?
⁡This is not about having special skills or being impressive, but rather about what angle you have taken in the things you are involved with up until now.
⁡I believe that unless you have a unique perspective, your message won't be conveyed.

I want to share this feeling with children, and with us adults who were once children.

I stood before you all as a lecturer, entrusted with the small hope that I could help you appreciate the lesson once again.

This time, in the learning space "Adult Division",

The participants took on the challenge of Gregorian chant, an unknown territory for them.

⁡The brain becomes active when it encounters an area it has never experienced before.

This experience not only increases your knowledge, but it also has the power to change the way you see things.

⁡Everyone was naturally hesitant at the beginning of the song, but once they closed their eyes and surrendered their whole body to the sound,

It seemed that many people felt that it was okay for them to be alive.

It takes a lot of courage to speak up, but everyone tried anyway.

I think moments like these are what we mean by precious.

Just the fact that you came to our event is enough to earn me 100% points.

Of course, a chorus cannot be done by one person, and it is important to harmonize voices.

The sight of people who didn't know each other's backgrounds cheering each other on and lifting each other up was divine and beautiful.

⁡During the learning session, “Children’s Section,” we had a choir.

In an attempt to encourage their children, the parents all joined in singing along, and before they knew it, they got involved and created the ' sound of the family ' .

The lyrics for the song were written by Miku Otsuka, a copywriter and poet, and I composed the music.

"The Treasure of This Star"

♩ Help me please, help me please

We first practiced this repetition.

This is the message we most want to convey in this song.

⁡Some children were able to sing confidently from the start, while others couldn't leave their mothers' side.

Even so, the children were so confident when they sang at the end, shouting "Now it's time for the real thing!"

Again, singing in a choir is not something you can do alone. You need to help each other.

I'm glad that people were able to experience this through music.

From an artistic perspective, even the time when you are not singing is important nourishment for music.

⁡Music reveals the person, it reveals the experience.

⁡The sound of people who try to look cool is just all about appearances and not interesting. People who only practice are too serious and boring.

⁡The tone that I like is one that conveys a person’s personality even if it’s clumsy.

What is abundance?

⁡The age of money is over. The age of class is over.

⁡Wealth is about following your inner voice and continuing to learn for the next step.

We will create a place where people can cultivate their curiosity.

⁡It's in those days, isn't it?

Finally, we had a great time, satisfying the stomachs and hearts of all the participants who had completed their learning.

Thanks to plant-based chef Kimie and Noda Yuko.

The vegetables brought from the earth, the beloved land, are her base.

・Elaborate home cooking

・French cuisine with expert technique

Each dish is born from the exquisite collaboration between the two.

It was a meal that combined great creativity and love, and was served without complacency, with the diners at the same eye.

⁡I can still hear the exclamations of admiration from everyone as they looked at the plates.

⁡Food is medicine.

It was a memorable day where we learned with all five senses.

https://youtu.be/ldC5HYhWLeI

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