Cultivating Curiosity Through Musical Exploration

There's a lot a musician can gain from stepping outside what they already know. Exploring unfamiliar music, traditions, and cultures can deepen your craft, broaden your perspective, and connect you with people and ideas you might not have encountered otherwise.

We spoke with Lake Forest campus director Hana Marek about what it looks like to cultivate curiosity through music, why exploring across cultures matters, and how those habits can shape both better musicians and more thoughtful citizens.

By definition, curiosity is a strong desire to know or learn something. For Hana, cultivating it starts with a willingness to stay open. She describes it as actively "seeking new cultures, people, ideas, media, and anything that could expand your sphere."

From there, reflection becomes part of the process too. Hana describes thinking deeply about new experiences and letting questions form as the point where curiosity really takes hold.

Music offers a natural starting point for both. "Music can serve as a profound entry point to cultivating curiosity through discovering new genres, artists, musical practices, and performances," Hana says. "When experiencing any of those elements, thinking about cultural implications and constructing questions is the next step."

Hana points to her own experience with a piece by Omar Thomas, an important contemporary composer in band literature. In Of Our New Day Begun, the band partakes in singing and stomping to "Lift Every Voice and Sing."

 “When listening to this piece for the first time, a natural and curious question is, what is the significance of the vocal song in this piece of music?” she asks. 

Following that question leads to deeper understanding. "Ultimately, the listener can come to learn that 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' is known as the Black National Anthem, and was chosen for the piece because Omar Thomas wrote 'Of Our New Day Begun' in dedication to nine victims of the Charleston church shooting in 2015," she explains.

By listening, reflecting, and asking questions, there is so much more to gain from music. "They might even be able to step into someone else's shoes for 11 minutes," says Hana. "The world is incredibly expansive, and music can help people cross boundaries they did not even know existed previously."

There's a vast world of music, instruments, and cultures beyond our own, and there is much to gain from this musically and personally. “Through exploration of music, traditions, and instruments outside of someone's own culture, a person will become a better musician overall,” explains Hana.

Musically, she points to an example when it comes to interpreting music. “Composers can only communicate so much to a musician on a page of music. The musician needs to know how to interpret the markings on the page in whatever particular style the composer wrote in,” she says. “An accurate performance of music outside of one's own culture is only possible if that musician is in the habit of exploring through music.”

Not only does exploring beyond one’s culture contribute to one’s musicianship, but also to their life personally. “Whether that is meeting new people through diverse music or learning about new cultural practices,” she shares.

That kind of exploration doesn't have to stop at one piece or one composer. Once that curiosity is sparked, it can extend to entire traditions and cultures beyond your own.

As exploration deepens, finding people with firsthand knowledge of the subject becomes an important next step. "The authenticity that experts or highly knowledgeable individuals carry will make or break the experience," explains Hana.

Experts can offer context and perspective that can't be found on a page or in a recording. Getting as close as possible to that source of knowledge is where deeper understanding starts, and approaching that kind of exchange the right way matters just as much as seeking it out. "With that comes a need for respect," emphasizes Hana.

“Ultimately, you will run into ideas that you greatly believe in and ideas that you oppose,” she says. “However, try to engage with them with as little bias as possible and in a manner that is respectful. It is okay to disagree with something or someone without disdain or a level of resentment.”

It's the kind of habit that can build over time, and one that becomes especially relevant as that exploration extends to cultures outside your sphere.

Exploring cultures outside your own opens the door to a wide range of ideas and perspectives. Hana notes that through that exploration, the ideas you agree with and oppose will naturally come up. With that, she is clear that it comes with a responsibility to stay respectful.

There is another side to it as well. "Agreeing on ideas in a cross-cultural manner also brings people together in a way that they did not anticipate," Hana says. Shared values and common ground have a way of showing up where you least expect them.

Together, both experiences can shape something meaningful. "They create a citizen who can disagree with an idea respectfully, and someone who can find a community with others that may not present similarly to themselves," she explains. "That is a superpower in this world, and one that music can help individuals harness."

Curiosity is a habit that can grow with practice, and music offers a meaningful place to start. Through exploration, honest exchange, and genuine openness, there is a lot to gain both as a musician and as a person.

Looking for ways to nurture your child’s musical curiosity?

NEW! Adventures in Music Camp
Sonic Passport - Music Around the World

This music camp, designed for rising 1st – 3rd graders, introduces campers to music styles from around the world!
Join us to learn about and explore a different musical instrument each day, including violin, cello, guitar, piano, and harp.

Through hands-on musical experiences, campers will “travel” across different regions of the globe, experiencing new musical styles and rhythms each day. Students will also have the opportunity to play a different instrument each day, guided by faculty members and current students. The camp blends joyful music experiences with movement, singing, crafts, and play to create an engaging introduction to music in a supportive group setting.

Learn More