Why Do I Make Notes?

As some of you might have known, I'm a musician - both performer and teacher. I went through a music program for 3 full years to obtain my degree in classical music. In music, we're each assigned to a tutor for our major studies. For example, mine was piano, so each week I have a dedicated one-to-one slot with my professor. And if you've been to any music classes while you were young, that's about it, you play music for your teacher to correct you. It's really not that scary if you've practiced and come prepared (a bit like when you haven't been brushing your teeth/exercising as much before your next dental/doctor's appointment).

So here's some back story. When you buy music, sheets or books, they come clean with just music on them (duh!). Then when you start playing them you make 'notes', or in music we call them 'markings'. You can see the pencil markings in the music below.

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Now here's the thing about me, be it the 'asian/chinese/family' habit in me, after I buy my music, I go photocopy them! You know why it's so genius? Because my books will still be spanking new after I'm done with them! Good resale value! Ok, I didn't come up with it, almost everyone was doing that in college. So what we did was we played from a clear file holder!

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Brilliant right?

Now the problem comes when as I'm playing through my piece, my professor wants to make a music marking. I seriously wonder if I was the first 'genius' to do all that, photocopying and putting my music into a clear file holder (mind you I still own the original so no piracy there, and no distribution either), because at first he attempted to quickly pull out my music and write on it. And you know how the plastic is designed to protect its content, so the paper doesn't slip off. And my file was those fancy ''refillable ones' where you can easily tear off a page. Everything as I was halfway through my music! Imagine someone fumbling over your notes as you're giving a presentation.

Anyways, my professor gave up. He waited till I was done, I forgot was it till I played to the end of the piece or I stopped due to all the commotion, and told me to write down the music markings. So the conversation went like this.

Professor: "How do you expect me to write when you have your music in the clear file holder?"
Caleb: "Sorry sir."

As I proceeded to take out my music, he continued to rant about why on earth do we photocopy when we've already spent money on the original. Then came a thinly veiled threat that he might forget what he need to jot down by the time I was done with the song. So as 'punishment' he said this.

Professor: "Now you have to do the markings. On page 'x' bar 'y' I need you to do this."
Caleb: "Ok I'll remember sir."

I nodded my head in total agreement. But I had no idea why I didn't pick up the pencil and write down. I guess I was 'genius' back then. I could remember everything.

Professor: "Why aren't you writing it down?"
Caleb: "Because I remember it already sir."

My professor be like fuming inside. I still had no idea what kind of trouble I was getting myself itself into.

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Then he said something that stuck with me until today.

Professor: "That's the magical thing about writing something down. It is when you've written it down, you realise you don't need it anymore. But as long as you don't, you need to write it down."

Ok. I'm paraphrasing but I'm sure you get the gist. It's like the ultimate irony.

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I was stunned there on my piano bench. Still haven't picked up my pencil to write down the markings.

Over the years I've discovered the truth in that statement, and in turn passed down this nugget of wisdom down to my students. And if you want to know, from that class onwards, throughout my entire music program, I take out my photocopied music out of my clear file holder before my class. ;)

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P.S. actually all I was planning to do was to sit down and write my new year's resolution on a quiet afternoon. one thing led to another. I guess that has got to wait. :p