A Musical Memory: An essay on the redemptive power of music in The Soloist

            Most people learn their ABC’s by singing the famous song to the melody of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Music has an ability to enable the brain to work on a higher level. The way that Nathaniel is able to channel his concentration, passion, and memory into music reveals the unlimited power that music has over the mind allowing him to accomplish things he is not able to otherwise.   

            Every child begins to learn the alphabet through song. School House Rock has made millions of dollars by putting grammar, math, science, and history to music. Why is that? It is because their products work. By putting information into music the information becomes easier to remember. There is an entire section in the brain that is stimulated by music which is why lyrics to songs and other information in music is easier to remember then trying to recall just straight facts. This is represented with Nathaniel in The Soloist, by Steve Lopez. Nathaniel has skitsofrenia and normally jumps around on multiple topics at a time, but while he plays music he is able to concentrate.

            When Nathanial is playing an instrument or listening to classical music, he is able to concentrate on one thing. Steve Lopez realizes this in one of his first encounters with Nathaniel. When he went to see Nathaniel he describes him as, “Playing on, a lone fiddler. He throws his head back, closes his eyes, drifts” (Lopez 4). This reveals that as Nathaniel is playing he is unaware the Lopez has even approached him because he is so in tune with his music. The music has cleared Nathaniel thoughts from anything other than the notes in his head. Though normally Nathaniel rambles about many topics at once because he is unable to sort through the many different waves his mind is travelling on. This changes when he plays. When he plays, “Music was the only thing that made sense…he was focused, reassured and inspired” (Lopez 246). This shows that music is literally the only thing that allows Nathaniel to make sense of his life. When he is not playing music he is unable to fit into the “norm” of society because he does not find the same things important as other people do; however, when Nathaniel plays music he is speaking a universal language. An amazing musician is an amazing musician in any society. He is able to feel reassured when he plays music because he is in his element where everything makes sense. This further reveals that music has the ability to give Nathaniel the concentration he needs.

            Nathaniel is able to have passion for music when he is unable to have passion for anything else on a regular basis. Most of what Nathaniel’s illness causes him to do is be over aggravated at the things that bug him. This is shown when he yells at the people smoking around Lamp and also when he gets mad at Lopez when he sees the paper work say he has skitsofrenia. Nathaniel feels that everyone is out to get him and this causes him to have major paranoia. This paranoia is what stops Nathaniel from being able to get close to people; however, through music, Steve Lopez is able to access Nathaniel. Through their friendship Steve Lopez is able to value their friendship to such a high standard that he explains it as, “I’ve never had a friend who lives in so spiritual a realm as Mr. Ayers, and I know that through his courage and humility and faith in the power of art” (Lopez 284). This quote shows both how close that Steve Lopez and Nathaniel have become and also how passionate Nathaniel is about music. Steve Lopez even proves that music has the power when he talks about how Nathaniel has “faith in the power of art.” This reveals that Steve Lopez even believes that music is the main reason for Nathaniel being able to overcome his previous objections to meeting people, moving into an apartment, and talking to others. This indicates that music has the power to help Nathaniel escape skitsofrenia, if even for a moment.

            During times that Nathaniel is playing music he is able to remember things about society and himself. Due to his illness and his loss of temper Nathaniel tends to lose control over himself. When he does, “The only time Nathaniel calmed down was when he played music” (Lopez 247). The fact that music is the only thing able to calm Nathaniel down proves the power that it has over him. It allows him channel the good energy from inside of himself instead of the negative energy that causes him to over react and yell at others. This is one representation of how it helps Nathaniel’s memory because it allows him to remember the correct way to respond. Also, when Nathaniel listens to music he ends up asking, “‘Do you hear it? Do you know how many times I played this?’” By Nathaniel stating the rhetorical question he is showing Steve Lopez that he remembers playing this in Julliard. This is also represented when Nathaniel is able to describe in detail what a song is about.  This proves that music, in fact, does trigger his memory because he is able to represent every detail of his life that is involved with music.

            There are some people who think that music has no effect on the mind. They believe that memory has to do with how many times something is repeated. As far as music helping with Nathaniel’s skitsofrenia, many people believe that the only way to truly help a person is to put them on medication. This is represented in the book when Steve Lopez debates on what is truly better for Nathaniel. To put him on medication in the hospital or to be his friend and inspiration? Though medication does help some people, there is not one cure that cures every person. Different things help different people. With Nathaniel, forcing treatment does not help. This is shown by the way that he freaks out just being seeing the word skitsofrenia on the contract for his sister. Right away, he loses trust in Steve Lopez and does not wish to communicate with him anymore. This shows that he would reject treatment and it would eventually cause him to get worse then he already is. The fact that Nathaniel is able to take steps to being responsible like move into an apartment and be able to leave his cart there, shows that being patient and letting Nathaniel indulge in music helps him in the long run. He is able to take the next steps with the hope and knowledge that more music will be waiting for him afterward.

            Music is the one thing that allows Nathaniel to branch out and escape his skitsofrenia. When he plays, he is able to stop all the extra nonsense that his brain is thinking about and is able to concentrate on one thing. While he is concentrating, he is able to recall music that he is played in the past and is able to stay calm. All this proves that music triggers something in his brain allowing him to act in ways and do things that he would not be able to do without the music.