Being the Happiest Person in the World

When I was in high school, I took singing lessons from a man named Jason. He came to my house once a week for a one-hour session. He was a fiddle player, but he thought of himself as a teacher of musical thinking.

Musical Thinking and Mindfulness

What he meant by "musical thinking" was this: a philosophy about life and music that allows a musician to play or sing well while staying relaxed. Jason's concept of musical thinking was my first introduction to the practice of mindfulness. "Always think," he would say, "and when you think, first, think about relaxing."

Before I went away to college, Jason told me a story about himself. "When I was younger," he said, "I wanted to be the best violinist in the world." Over time, however, he met many violinists who were better than he would ever be.

The realization that he could not be the best violinist in the world was hard for him. Then, he had an idea: instead of trying to be the best violinist in the world, he would make it his goal to be the happiest person in the world. Because happiness is impossible to quantify precisely, he could never know for sure how happy he was in comparison to other people. Comparing himself to others was no longer a factor. Instead, he was free to concentrate on his own happiness.

Lessons that Stand the Test of Time

When I studied music theory and singing in college, I began to question the value of my lessons with Jason. Why had I spent so much time learning to sing the words of a song as if I were telling a story? Why hadn't I worked on improving my ability to sing from written music? Wasn't Jason's idea of musical thinking just a waste of time?

In various singing groups, I was taught that some of the techniques I had learned from Jason were frivolous at best. Growling to improve my ability to sing low notes? Associating colors with solfeggio syllables? These things, I was told, were not worth doing.

Years later, music is no longer so important to me. I only read music when I am helping my five-year-old daughter play the recorder. I can't sing very well because I need a ventilator to help me breathe. Music theory and advanced singing techniques simply don't have a place in my life anymore.

Mindfulness, however, is a skill that I still use every day. I still work to stop comparing myself to others. I try to be, if not the happiest person in the world, then the happiest person I can be. In the end, what I learned from Jason is more important to me than any other musical training I ever received.