The article talks about John Cage's “4'33", and how it changed people's perception of music sound and silence as a whole. Although many people might dismiss the piece or think it's dumb or stupid, even the critics are forced to think when listening to the piece. One might be upset that the performer just sits at the piano for 4 and a half minutes and doesn’t play a note, however if you get past your frustration of wanting to hear a beautiful piano ballad, you start to reflect on the environment you are currently in, much like meditation. You begin to recognize every minute little sound and realize almost no space is truly quiet, and almost no space sounds exactly the same. The piece almost highlights the sounds of life, the sounds we can't escape and yet our brain usually just blocks them out. It makes me think about how when your in a rush somewhere in the car and you forget to turn on radio or and music and sit in silence as you drive to your destination, your performing your own “4’33” and you don't even realize it, you become absorbed in the task and don't have time to reflect on the environment as you would if you were listening to someone perform it. Not till silence is deafening do you realize how loud the silence is and that you need music or something to change the pace. I think the piece is useful to all people, as a reminder to slow down and fully take in your surroundings, while trying to interfere with it as little as possible, but furthermore I think it shows how if this silent pice can sound drastically different in different environments, pieces with dynamic sound could be geared for certain environments such as live shows and amphitheaters like red rock, or Carnegie Hall for that matter, environment is what make a sonic piece the way it is and Cages thought experiment and piece were revolutionary for this.
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