In Grateful Nation's Spotlight Series, well-known people from all walks of life discuss the idea of gratitude. What does it mean to them? What is its role in their lives? How have they been bettered by expressing their gratitude? Check back frequently to see who's contributing to the greater grateful good.
If there’s one mantra in Keith Lockhart’s life, it’s never to underestimate the power of music. As the 20th conductor of the world-renowned Boston Pops, Lockhart has seen it transform lives, break down barriers, and soothe souls. And he is grateful for the opportunity to play a role in bringing this power to the masses. “The reason that the Boston Symphony and the Boston Pops have maintained their position at the top of the arts institution world,” he says, “is because, almost from their inception, they were founded very strongly in the principles that these institutions, at some level, existed for everybody in the community.”
Lockhart is a big proponent of accessibility, noting that the promise contained in the masterpieces of music or books cannot be limited to the privileged few. He has gained prominence in the arts world not only for his inimitable style and consummate skill as a performer but also for his unique ability to speak directly to any audience about the classical music to which he is so passionately committed. Since joining the Boston Pops in 1995, this upstate–New Yorker happily found a second home that was rooted in this tradition. “I’ve always loved Boston, I’ve always loved what it seemed to be about,” says Lockhart. “It’s a rich diverse city with both amazing cultural institutions and a sense of life, a sense of commonality of purpose,” which extends, he adds, from the way its denizens embrace everything from their symphony, to their sports teams, to their health care institutions.
This synergy often results in partnerships that may seem counterintuitive to outsiders but which, in sum total, serve to make Boston a better place to live. To Lockhart, something like Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center’s recent sponsorship of the Boston Symphony’s opening night makes perfect sense. “We have pledged to make zero mistakes that involve loss of life too,” he jokes, referring to BIDMC’s ground-breaking efforts to eliminate medical errors in its practice. But while a symphony might not include “life saving” as part of its job description, Lockhart does see similarities in how his organization and a hospital get their jobs done. “To have a world-class institution, you can’t rest on your laurels; you have to constantly strive for excellence,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if everybody says that was great, internally you have to look at yourself and see how you can do it better, even if your public, your audience, thinks you’re already doing it as well as it can be done.”
Ironically, part of BIDMC’s efforts to perform at the height of excellence has recently veered in a musical direction. From its Healing Music harp program to melodic intonation therapy for stroke treatment to singing therapy for Parkinson’s disease, BIDMC is harnessing music’s capacity to cure and comfort. Lockhart’s not surprised. “There is no doubt and a very well-researched causal link that music is part of what creates healthy souls,” he says. “That’s why music has found such a place in music therapy, why it has been used to deal with people dealing both with physical and psychological challenges, and we musicians believe firmly that music gives texture and context and “why”—meaning—to a person’s life.”
It has certainly given purpose to Lockhart’s life, and he continually counts his blessings for the chance to do something for a living that brings him and the people around him such joy. “What don’t I love about music?” he reflects. “It’s who I am. It’s what I do. I think at this point a half-century into my lifelong journey with music, I really find it impossible to say [what I appreciate most about it]. To me, life without music is not really to be contemplated, I can’t even imagine what it would be like.” Fortunately, because of Lockhart’s work, so many others can say the same.