音樂夢不老

Can someone with no musical talent learn to play the guitar as an adult？ Thats what New York University psychology professor Gary Marcus wanted to find out when he turned 40. Along the way， he discovered that the struggle to learn was as rewarding as playing music itself. The following is the dialogue between a journalist and him：

一個完全沒有音樂天賦的人能在成年之后學習吉他嗎？紐約大學心理學教授杰瑞·馬科斯在他40歲來臨之際打算找找答案。而一路學來，他發現努力學習的過程和學會玩樂器一樣讓他收獲滿滿。以下是記者與他的對話：

Why did you start to play the guitar？

為什么想到要開始學吉他呢？

I always wanted to make music but at the same time I thought it was completely out of my reach. I had several very disappointing experiences as a child trying to learn. I tried to learn the recorder in the 4th grade and my teacher suggested that my talents lay elsewhere when I couldnt play Mary Had a Little Lamb. In graduate school I tried to take something called “Miracle Piano”. At each point， I got stuck on rhythm. It was no miracle.

我一直以來都想做音樂，但這完全不是我能力范圍內的事。小的時候，有好幾次很失敗的經歷。四年級的時候我嘗試過學笛子，當我無法演奏出《瑪麗有一只小羊羔》時老師說我的才華壓根不在這兒。在研究生階段我試著選修了“奇跡鋼琴”。我屢屢敗在節奏上，這毫無奇跡可言。

Then， I started playing the video game “Guitar Hero”. I was terrible. My wife helped me to play. The first time I ever did anything vaguely rhythmic， I got excited. I practiced the game for a while and made it through beginner and medium. I thought， Maybe I should try a real guitar. The video game was a gateway drug that gave me confidence to try the real thing.

后來，我開始玩一款叫作“吉他英雄”的游戲。我玩得糟糕透了，還是我的妻子幫助了我。這是我第一次做一件與節奏感沾邊的事，所以特別激動。我練習了一段時間那個游戲，而且通過了初級和中級。我想，或許我應該去試試真的吉他。那款游戲成為給我信心拿起真吉他的引線。

What was the most interesting part of your learning experience？

在你的學習過程中最好玩的部分是什么呢？

There were a lot of fun things. The most interesting， but also the most scary thing was that I went to a summer camp with 11-year-olds and played in a band. On Monday， we had to start writing a song and by Friday， we had to play it on stage. The kids invited their parents to the performance and I brought mine， too. It was frightening but super fun.

有很多好玩兒的事。最有趣同時也最可怕的事是我與一群11歲的孩子一起參加了一個夏令營，還組織了個樂隊。星期一就要開始寫歌，星期五就得在舞臺上表演。孩子們邀請了他們的家長，我也邀請了我的父母。這非常恐怖，但也超級好玩。

What are the differences between the way children and adults learn？

孩子與成年人在學習的方式上有什么不同？

Kids and adults have different abilities. They own different skills. Adults are more analytical. Kids are more patient and willing to practice the same thing over and over.

孩子和成年人有著不同的能力。他們擁有不同方面的技巧。成年人更具分析性。孩子更有耐心，更愿意一遍又一遍地去練習同樣的內容。

Does learning to play music make you smarter？

學習玩音樂讓你變得更聰明了嗎？

One thing we know is that on average， people who play musical instruments are smarter but we dont know if its causal. Among Nobel Prize winners， there are a high number of musicians， but whether their music lessons made them smarter or vice versa it is a classic chick-and-egg question.

我們所知道的是，通常來說，會樂器的人要聰明一些，但我們不知道這是不是一個巧合。在諾貝爾獎獲得者中，有很大一部分都是音樂家，但至于究竟是他們的音樂課程讓他們更聰明，還是他們的聰明讓他們去學好了音樂，就是個雞生蛋蛋生雞的問題了。

My guess is that at the very least， music teaches you self-discipline and the rewards of working slowly to build something awesome. When you first start， you are lost and after a few years， you can do it. Its a wonderful way of learning the power of patience. There maybe other things： it makes your ears more sensitive and that may make you better at picking up languages. Theres some suggestive data on that.

我的想法是，音樂教會你自我克制，以及帶給你慢慢做好一件事的成就感。這是一個絕妙的培養耐心的方式。音樂還有很多其他的功能：它可以讓你的耳朵更敏銳，甚至還有研究表明，音樂對于學習語言也很有幫助。

Do you think playing music makes you healthier？

你覺得玩音樂可以讓你變得更健康嗎？

There might be some health benefits. I talk about the idea of “Eudaemonia”， the pleasure of self-actualization or fulfillment. Theres a kind of pleasure from immediate things like food or beautiful scenery， but “Eudaemonia” comes when weve done all that we can to be the people we can be. Part of what keeps me going is that music brings a kind of balance into my life that I think is a wonderful thing.

玩音樂可能會對健康有幫助。我提到了“Eudaemonia”的概念， 因自我實現或成就而產生的幸福感。有一些幸福感是來自即時的感受，比如美食或美景，但“Eudaemonia”來自于當我們為實現自己做出努力的時候。另一個讓我持續學習下去的原因是音樂給我的生活帶來了平衡。

Should parents make their kids stick with their music lessons and practice？

家長應當督促孩子們學習音樂課和勤加練習嗎？

I think that being a good parent is like being a good guidance counselor. You have to help children find what they like to do. If they are very young， you probably do need to nudge them， but not everyone has to be a musician.

我認為一個好的家長就像是一個好的咨詢顧問。你一定要發覺他們喜歡什么。如果他們還很小，你可能需要督促一下，但要知道，不是每個人都需要成為一個音樂家。