Shining eyes in a world of possibility

THE VIOLINS sing, the drums roll, the piccolo soars above and the sprightly old man with a crop of bushy white hair dances in the aisle.

“Great, you sounded great,” he enthuses, “but you look so grim. This is a dance. Don’t you like to dance?”

The youngsters of the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra stare at him nonplussed. “Who is this geeky guy?” their faces say.

Then Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, teacher and motivational speaker, teaches them to dance.

“Life isn’t about money, fame and power,” he tells them. “It’s about shining eyes. Don’t hold back. Plug into the possibilities. They are only a sentence away.”

And music, he believes, is the most positive force there is to access possibilities.

Da da da DUM, da da da DUM … the famous opening phrases of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.

Zander backs away, runs up like a bowler on the cricket pitch and brings down his arms.

“DA, DA, DA, DUM!” the orchestra responds. The youngsters are no longer grim, their eyes are shining, those who aren’t blowing are laughing, the percussionist is dancing.

Zander shows them how to play the opening phrases, how the melody sings from the first violin, to the second, to the bassoon and cello.

“Everyone is needed,” he tells them. “Look at the whole, don’t just focus on the part.”

He tells them about his meeting with Nelson Mandela. He told Madiba he was a sinfonia, uniting many different voices in one piece. “He said: ‘I like it,’” Zander laughs.

When the orchestra takes a break, an impromptu master class takes place.

“Sing out,” Zander urges an intense youngster who responds with an Italian aria. As the crowd quietens and listens, he tells him to try again. “Don’t hold back, let’s hear the passion.” The boy tries. Better, but he’s still holding back. “Again,” Zander urges, “let it soar. You could leave here and be hit by a bus. This could be your last chance. Don’t hold back.”

Plug into the possibilities. Don’t hold back. There are lessons here for all of us. This hugely energetic elderly man – he’s 72 – with the infectious grin and dancing white tackies challenges our approach to life.

“Wake up in the morning and raise your eyebrows,” he urges, raising his own bushy ones in a comical look of surprise and wonder. “You don’t know what the day will bring.”

Face it downhearted, pessimistic, looking at the down side and circumstances will overwhelm you. Face it with your eyebrows up, with energy and enthusiasm, and look for the possibilities.

“It’s called leadership,” he tells the youngsters. “You’re a leader, you’re a leader,” he spins, pointing his baton at one youngster after another. “You can send out ripples, you can change the world.”

The orchestra resumes, shakily trying another piece. Hailing from all backgrounds, they were chosen through tough auditions, but this is only their third rehearsal of the year. He stops them. They try again. One of the younger violinists loses his place.

“Fascinating,” Zander cries, “that’s fascinating.” He bounds over to the boy and sets him right. There is no room for failure and defeat in Zander’s world. Mistakes are “fascinating”. When all goes well, it’s “fantastic, FANTASTIC”.

And music is fantastic, always. You can hear the difference. The youngsters’ eyes are shining, they are swaying to the beat.

“You are in the right place at the right time,” he tells them. “You are not in a backwater. The world is looking to South Africa and what you are achieving here. You are at the centre.” Bright eyes in the dark… Benjamin Zander was sponsored by Eskom. Check him out on Youtube.