Moving Through Change
One Transition at a Time
Change can happen suddenly or creep up on us. Either way, it leaves a period of transition in its wake. It’s never smooth sailing, even when there is a foreseeable positive outcome. Adapting to change, no matter the scope, involves making transitions.
Transitions are the process of changing from one condition or state of being to another. They link an old and new way of seeing the world. A transition can be as basic as switching jobs or as dramatic as a caterpillar morphing into a butterfly. Whether triggered by nature, choice, or a sudden event, it takes time to build new norms.
In the big picture, change is a journey. An overarching transition spans the duration, bridging beginnings and endings. It is comprised of interconnected mini-transitions that link the stages of change. They can be messy and make us feel lost at sea. There are emotional ups and downs filled with moments of self-doubt and brilliant insight.
I became aware of transitions in Humanities 101 during college. It included a music theory lesson on how to identify movements and transitions in a classical symphony. Students had to go to a lab and listen to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring with headphones for hours on end. This was before Jaws was released and familiarized the general public with the dramatic melody. Even without the image of a brutal shark attack, it had the power to captivate. That was fortunate as it took listening to the recording several times to grasp its form and structure and put it to memory for an exam.
The symphony has a forty-minute-long musical score with four movements and a series of transitions. I was clueless about what I was doing when I started the assignment. Movements were the first elements to be identified. It wasn’t all that difficult, considering they represent seasons of a year. Next, I focused on the rhythm and the emotions each movement evoked. After several repetitions, I found myself tuning into nuances. Eventually, I detected the transitions and learned to appreciate how they bridged movements and steered the song.
How is music theory relevant to riding the waves of change?
Change is like a symphony. It is a composition of movements and transitions with emotional currents that toss us about and move us forward. They can be harsh and jarring, keeping us on our toes, or subtle and gently stirring, creating a pause to catch our breath. Like the notes in a symphony, emotions are temporary and only play a part in the overarching musical score of life. Awareness of this dynamic keeps change and the emotional transitions it evokes in perspective.