Pull Together

Recently we watched “The Boys in the Boat,” a film about the 1936 Olympic rowing crew from the University of Washington. While there were many timeless lessons in the story, it seems to me the best was the idea that to win, the team had to learn to row as one. “Every man for himself” does not apply. Strength and endurance were just the starting point. Technique and especially timing were the keys to success. 8 individuals – or 80, or 8,000 – can’t win unless they work together.

Much the same is true in music. I’ve played with groups that had excellent “ensemble,” the word musicians use for playing precisely as a group. I’ve also played with groups that did not do as well. Apparently, some seem content to have things approximately right, as long as the group makes it through the piece. Nevertheless, I’ve found it incredibly rewarding to perform with groups that truly value playing as one.

I was fortunate to have worked with a few conductors who made playing together almost a spiritual experience. When a piece is performed with precision, everyone in the group feels it in their core. They can sense the meaning of “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” Under the direction of someone who understands this concept you can play better than you thought possible. Col. Arnold Gabriel, Jerry Coker, and Domenic Spera were among the first people I worked with who understood the spiritual power of playing together.

Wynton Marsalis has suggested the search for “the groove” is one of the prime missions of music. Like the Boys in the Boat, the pace – the rhythm – of the task is vital. Without a steady driving pulse, the mission will fail. Dancers, runners, and rowers know this on a fundamental level. Likewise, a good baseball, golf, or tennis swing requires rhythm. In the words of Duke Ellington, “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that Swing.”

While the origins of the old expression, “pull together,” are unclear, I suspect it has something to do with sailors hoisting sails and weighing anchors. After all, it takes a team to lift a heavy load. Often sailors and other workers would sing, maybe because the song helped them maintain timing and get the job done. Music and togetherness are inextricably bound. Just ask a Taylor Swift fan.

It seems to me our society is struggling with the idea of working together. The UW team had to learn to trust each other. They had to let go of their desire to find fault and fight amongst themselves. They had to avoid negativity. They had to realize that none of them would be able to win without the others. They had to care about the team more than themselves.

Daily we are tempted to find things to criticize, to look for ways to be offended, to assign blame, to assert our moral superiority, as if any of us has a right to do any of the above. Obviously, we can’t pull together if we are busy trying to push each other apart. Unfortunately, much of social and broadcast media caters to our individual preferences and whims.

Sometimes an idea like, “it takes a village,” or “we need to be more inclusive,” comes under fire for sounding communistic. Some urge us to prioritize the individual over the so-called “collective.” But it’s not a question of one or the other. We need both strong individuals and a strong ensemble. The problems we face as a society cannot be solved unless we pull together.