Listen and Play What's Not There

In my first semester at Babson College, all students were required to perform an original, creative work at a talent show attended by everyone. The purpose was to push us linear, type-A MBA students out of our element and teach us to think creatively and outside the box. Students were assigned to areas like acting, poetry and story writing. I was assigned to music, much to my dismay since I am musically illiterate.

We "musicians" then attended a class taught by a colorful man who wore a beret and no shoes. He said he enjoyed traveling to India to learn their style of music, and that he did not own a car so he rented one to drive to the class. The instructor proceeded to hand out our musical instruments, which consisted of simple, home-made contraptions that strummed or clacked or gonged. After some discussion, he gave us instructions for a group musical performance: "Listen and play what's not there." Then he turned out the lights.

At first there was silence in the room. Then someone played a note. Another followed and still more, until the room came to life with a variety of sounds that ebbed and flowed in rhythms that someone later described as "tribal". The music built slowly to a crescendo, died down, then built up again. It was a strange and enlightening experience. There was no structure, but somehow a coherent form of improvisational music emerged from a roomful of non-musicians sitting in the dark.

All we did was listen and play what's not there. As it turns out, this is good advice for marketing. It describes how to find an original, distinct voice that will stand out in a crowded market and be relevant. Come to think of it, this little instruction is also great advice for life!