Pink ~ Symphony

Pink defines symphony as the ability to make unique connections between disparate concepts resulting in a blend that is novel. He asserts that success in the conceptual age requires this ability to see the “relationship between relationships,” the ability to “see the big picture." (P141) Convention and memory interfere with a person’s ability to see things in new and different ways. Successful orchestration of symphony requires the ability, in Pink’s words, to successfully: Be a boundary crosser – see relationships that no one else notices. Be an inventor - putting together ideas that no one else has ever thought to combine. Be a metaphor maker – “understanding one thing in terms of something else” (p139). This ability to symphonize, to highlight the important details of life and ignore the rest, may well offer a healing effect to a world society struggling to find meaning amidst chaos. 

 With symphony being the topic for my group presentation, I have spent more time with this chapter than I have the previous sections. The first thought that comes to my mind was Melanie Griffith in the movie Working Girl. In the movie Tess, (Melanie Griffith) accidentally ends up impersonating her boss while the boss is out of town. The boss returns, and, of course is terribly angry. The boss tries to claim Tess’s big, hugely important idea as her own, but can’t explain how she came up with the idea. Here’s Tess’s explanation of her idea: 

Tess: Okay. See, this is Forbes. It's just your basic article about how you were looking to expand into broadcasting, right? Okay now, the same day, I'll never forget this. I'm reading page six of the Post, and there's this item on Bobby Stein, the radio talk show guy who does all those gross jokes about Ethiopia and the Betty Ford Center. Well, anyway, he's hosting this charity auction that night...real blue bloods, and won't that be funny? Now turn the page to Suzy, who does the society stuff, and there's this picture of your daughter. 

Trask: Ah. 

Tess: See, nice picture. And she's helping to organize the charity ball. So I started to think, "Trask, radio...Trask, radio." And then I hooked up with Jack, and he came on board with Metro, and...and so now here we are. 

This probably makes more sense if you’ve actually seen the movie, but the way the character explains how she made the association, it’s the perfect illustration of symphony.

I find that I do my best symphonizing when I’m in that “Creative Zone,” which for me usually takes place when I’m seriously relaxed such as the space in between awake and asleep or even better standing in a long, hot shower. That’s when I come up with the most amazing associations and best plans for everything. In agreement with Pink, they truly are “Ah Ha!!!” moments. While my students have some moments of creating symphony, I don’t think I spend enough time asking them to look deeply, go beyond what they know, and consciously practice making associations. It’s something I really want to incorporate into my curriculum design.