La Vida by Silvio Rodriguez

Landscape in Loma de Cabrera with double rainbow in the background

I just came back from a trip to the Dominican Republic. One of the activities I did there was a music education mission in underserved communities through the Cheerful Hearts Mission. We were close to the border with Haiti in a little village called Sabana Clara. We would have Haitian musicians cross the border and receive instruction from the teachers that went from the United States. Every time we arrived into the location where we taught, the Haitian musicians would receive us with a joyous fanfare. They would play their instruments and sing. You could feel their happiness and how much they appreciated that we were there.  I feel that even though I was there to teach, I was the one that learned the most. Throughout the days I was there, I experienced how much they love music. They feel it in their bodies, in their bones! Their passion goes beyond just words… It is as if I had been numb to music, and they had never lost it.

One evening we were reflecting on the day of lessons, and one of my colleagues mentioned that they really resonated with a quote: “Being a musician is not about being a good musician. Being a musician is simply about sharing music…” This hit me very hard emotionally because being a classically trained musician, I can say with confidence that my focus has always been to improve. It seems that I had lost my way, and their passion for music and their love for connecting with it reminded me of how much I loved making music when I first started. Back then, I was not focused on being “right”. I was focused on how I felt while I played a simple melody, or followed the chords to one of my favorite songs. Back then I was amused by the smell of the wood of my guitar, by how heavy it was and how cold it felt against my arm… This feeling is indescribable… it fills your body and momentarily, when you were able to play something well enough, you felt fulfilled. I also remembered how good it felt to simply let go and not think about mistakes, intonation, etc... and just focus on enjoying and focus on the metaphysical aspect of music sharing. I remember there was nothing negative about it at all.

That day, on the car ride taking us back to our hotel, all the way down the mountains, I listened to music with my headphones on. There was happy and sad music, and I felt it like I hadn’t in a long time. I am not a dancer, and I wanted to dance! I am a shy person, and I wanted to sing out loud. On the slow and sad songs, I cried a little. I even saw life differently. My love for music had been rekindled. I remembered why I had become a musician. I wanted to play guitar, I wanted to make music in that moment. When I got back to my room, I listened to Silvio Rodriguez. I listened to several songs and I couldn’t help myself but to play and sing silently (so I don’t wake anyone else in the hotel!). I played and sang “La Vida” and that feeling of fulfillment came back to me, like an old friend. For the rest of the mission, every time I made music, I was the happiest. I remembered the real reason why I became a musician… to share music and awake emotions in me and in others.

Even though it is important to be a good music student and take care of accuracy, intonation, technical control, and all of that… it is even more important to not forget the real reason we are musicians. We are in a world that needs the metaphysical. In a world that is always rushing us, full of superficial things, full of insecurities and distractions. We, musicians, are those who make the world special… a place someone wants to be in. At the end of the day, we are the ones that make life worth living... I love who I am when I make music.

"La vida que pende de todo
La vida de cada emoción
La vida en exceso, la vida de un beso
La vida me ha hecho canción" - Silvio Rodriguez

Carlos Bedoya, 06/05/24

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Cheerful Hearts Mission