Many people write interesting and inspiring things about music, but I often come back to the writings of Christopher Small:
‘Of course music is a process rather than a product, a process in which all those present are taking part. That is why I coined the verb “to music,” defining it as “to take part, in any capacity, in a musical performance.” Everyone present is musicking, and bears some responsibility for the event, for its success or failure. It is not a matter of performers (or composer-plus-performers) doing something for, or to, the rest of us. Whatever it is that is being done, we are all doing it together, whether the line separating performers from the rest is clear, as in a symphony concert, or whether it is blurred or nonexistent, as during that wonderful Sunday polka afternoon Keil took me to in Buffalo some years ago.’
Christopher Small, 1995.
When the QC play music we are always conscious that we are making music with our audience, and if we succeed it is because of those we are fortunate to be musicking with.