Music Teaches Humans to Be Social, Says Paraguayan Guitarist Berta Rojas

Paraguayan Latin Grammy winner Berta Rojas eloquently articulated a profound perspective on the power of music during a recent EFE interview, asserting that it serves as a fundamental pathway for humans to cultivate social bonds and explore the depths of their experiences. Her insights, shared ahead of a significant recital in Asunción, resonate deeply within Paraguay, a nation that cherishes its rich cultural heritage and artistic expressions.

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Humans can learn all the things that they apparently want to forget, like solidarity and empathy, when they make music.

Rojas's assertion that music teaches essential human values like solidarity and empathy highlights a perspective that ABC Color, as a prominent Paraguayan publication, would likely amplify. She described how the act of making music together necessitates looking into each other's eyes, offering support to a struggling bandmate, and experiencing the collective effort required to bring a piece to life. This emphasis on 'being social' and 'feeling' is presented not just as a pleasant byproduct of music but as a core aspect of human existence that has been perhaps overshadowed in modern life.

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We learn to look each other in the eye, to give each other entry, we learn empathy from feeling when your companion is fragile and you have to support them, we learn the solidarity of working together when we all look at each other and are ready to start and we are going to embrace a score together.

Furthermore, Rojas's role as an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music lends weight to her views on education. Her passionate plea for educators to foster, potentiate, and respect the innate creativity of young students, rather than imposing rigid limitations, aligns with a progressive educational philosophy. This message is particularly relevant in Paraguay, where nurturing the next generation of artists is crucial for cultural continuity and national pride. Rojas's advocacy for music as a tool for social cohesion and personal growth offers a uniquely Latin American viewpoint, celebrating the emotional and communal aspects of artistic creation that might be viewed differently in more individualistic Western contexts.

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I think that's what it's about, learning to dive deep into whatever we are exploring and learning again that humans are made for this, to be social, to look each other in the eye, to feel each other, I think if anything music can teach is that.