Joyfully Doodling to Sibelius: Finding Ways to Enhance My Listening

It’s been a really special way to merge what I used to love with what I chose to prioritize, to find a balance that makes me feel more whole as a creative person.

Moving through this month of February, making space for joy and self-love is one of my goals. I’ve learned that it can make a big difference in my day to have some small things that bring me joy. This month, I’ve been exploring what those small things might be, and realized that the intersection of music and art has been a great place to start! 

I’m always looking for ways to add to my listening experience. As musicians, we consume so much music, and we all have our favorite recordings. It’s so exciting to find a piece we love and hear it interpreted by an orchestra so perfectly. One of my favorites is the Minnesota Orchestra’s recording of Sibelius’ third symphony. Not only is Sibelius one of my favorite composers, but the way in which the Minnesota Orchestra brings his music to life is so special to me. It’s like being able to listen to watercolors, and when I’m looking to listen to classical music, their albums are my go-tos. It was my love of this recording that made me wonder about expanding my listening experience. 

Illustration of Sibelius’ Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52, recorded by the Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä / Artwork by Isabel Laurel

With this new listening approach, I get to bring something I loved back to support my music! Before I decided to focus on trombone exclusively, I really enjoyed being a visual artist. Paints, pens, and pencils were what I would spend most of my day creating with, and I really enjoyed that time. As I began to take my music more seriously, I didn’t feel like I had time in my day for art anymore. It gradually faded away as trombone took up space as my primary focus.

Now, I sit down with a pad of good artist’s paper and some nice colored pencils and I doodle as I listen to my music and study pieces. The colors and shapes I hear in the music now come to rest on the paper underneath my fingers. The emotions and movements I feel can now be expressed through each pencil stroke and line. It’s been a really special way to merge what I used to focus on with what I chose to prioritize, to find a balance that makes me feel more whole as a creative person. My hope is that going forward, I can continue to find ways to merge the things that make me happy, like listening to great music and creating a drawing of what I hear!