I’ve recently watched the TEDxMadrid by James Rhodes (video above), the British classical pianist who has become a prominent advocate for the transformative power of classical music. In his talk, Rhodes shares some of his personal journey with music and how it has saved his life.
He was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, which led to years of depression and self-harm. However, he found comfort in playing the piano which it became “his best friend”. He then began to realize that music had a transformative power that could help others as well.
With a bit of awkwardness, combined with lots of humility and an inspiring ability to bring emotions into words, Rhodes starts by playing a 90-second classical piece by Bach — Prelude and Fugue in C Major. He then affirms that anyone would be able to play such piece even without any previous musical training. Rhode’s key message is that classical music is for everyone and (if you let it) it has the ability to connect with us on a deep, emotional level.
“ ‘That’ music, that piece is what? 90 seconds long?. It was written 300 years ago, and yet within it, it contains…
