Brady vs Beethoven, an overview of Tom Brady's Tom vs Time and a closer look at the relationship between sports and music.
There's a certain truth when it comes to playing the violin. If you want to find success in music, there's a lot of work and sacrifice you need to make. People are going to start with you at the beginning of your journey, but there's no guarantee that everyone will make it to the end with success.
In the spirit of this past Super Bowl, the release of Tom vs Time, a documentary giving the world a closer look into the life of Tom Brady, a quarterback for the New England Patriots. Brady reveals to the world of his views on parenthood, a role model to the world, and the daily routines that help him become the greatest American football player of all time.
With five NFL championships under his belt, he could've easily retired by now. Yet, he's playing well (if not better) than he did when he was in his twenties. Tom vs Time shows Brady's devotion to the sport. We learn through these episodes that he strives for greatness because of his work ethic, his mental toughness, and we learn most importantly, that he's never satisfied. He's always looking for ways to be better every day.
Now, why on Earth would I bring a violinist's attention to Tom Brady?
Violinists and athletes share a lot of the same qualities in their careers. While violinists spend hours practicing, researching and score studying, athletes like Tom Brady are analyzing each play they made the week, and in years past. Athletes, study, practice, and need rest as violinists do.
Would it be fair to compare Tom Brady to Beethoven?
Musicians can learn a lot from athletes because, in many ways, we are athletes. The number of hours athletes and musicians spend training for their next event are countless. Malcolm Gladwell's theory that it takes ten thousand hours to perfect a skill is a good theory to compare to. But if you're able to watch the Facebook episodes, you see Brady spends a lot of time off the field studying defenses similarly to violinists and all classical musicians alike to prepare for an audition with an orchestra score in front of them.
Brady, like Beethoven, is never satisfied. We know Beethoven was always trying to improve his music. He was constantly searching for the meaning of life through music. Through five different Facebook episodes released earlier this year, while all of New England called him the Greatest of All Time, we see a man trying to find balance in his life between career and family. Something violinists can learn from this documentary is the work ethic
What can classical musicians (particularly violinists) learn from Tom Brady and his journey in Tom vs Time?
- Playing the violin is a physical and mental game
- To a part of the game, being social is
- Violinists work with their emotions
- Music, in many cases, helps us grow spiritually.
Beethoven had many struggles along the way. That didn't stop him from composing. Just like Tom Brady, he won't stop because of failure. It doesn't stop him from pursuing his passion.
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