Music as a Language

What do the following words mean when we are talking about music?

Lead In:

Student A: Music

1. What kind of music do you like? Why do you like it?

2. How does music make you feel? Can you give an example?

3. Do you listen to music every day? When and where?

4. Can music send a message without words? How?

The text we will read is called “Music as a language”

What do you think the text will say about learning a language and learning music?

Student B: Language

1. How is learning music similar to learning a language? How is it different?

2. How did you learn to speak your first language?

3.Do you think people learn better by practicing a lot or by just trying and experimenting?

4.Do you think music should be taught like a school subject, or learned more naturally? Why?

The text we will read is called “Music as a language”

What do you think the text will say about learning a language and learning music?

VOCAB

1. effective

2. the spoken word

3. definitely

4. tutelage

5. proven success

6. proficient speakers

7. air guitar

8. to use an approach

9. instead of

10. wrong notes

11. to carry on a conversation

12. in my eyes

A. speech

B. to work well

C. training 

D. clear positive results

E. people who can communicate well in a language

F. when you pretend to play a guitar with your hands only

G. in my opinion

H. to have a way of doing something

I. certainly

J. musical tones that are not good

K. as an alternative

L. to chat

Reading Passage

Music is a language. Both music and verbal languages serve the same purpose. They are both forms of expression. They can be used as a way to communicate with others. They can be read and written. They can make you laugh or cry, think or question, and can speak to one or many. And both can definitely make you move.

In some instances, music works better than the spoken word, because it doesn't have to be understood to be effective. Although many musicians agree that music is a language, it is rarely treated as such. Many of us treat it as something that can only be learned by following a strict regimen, under the tutelage of a skilled teacher. This approach has been followed for hundreds of years with proven success, but it takes a long time—too long.

Think about the first language you learn as a child. More importantly, think about how you learned it. You were a baby when you first started speaking, and even though you spoke the language incorrectly, you were allowed to make mistakes. And the more mistakes you made, the more your parents smiled.

Learning to speak was not something you were sent somewhere to do only a few times a week. And the majority of the people you spoke to were not beginners. They were already proficient speakers. Imagine your parents forcing you to only speak to other babies until you were good enough to speak to them. You would probably be an adult before you could carry on a proper conversation. To use a musical term, as a baby, you were allowed to jam with professionals.

If we approach music in the same natural way we approached our first language, we will learn to speak it in the same short time it took to speak our first language. Proof of this can be seen in almost any family where a child grows up with other musicians.

Here are a few keys to follow in learning or teaching music. In the beginning, embrace mistakes instead of correcting them. Like a child playing air guitar, there are no wrong notes. Allow young musicians to play and perform with accomplished musicians on a daily basis. Encourage young musicians to play more than they practice. The more they play, the more they will practice on their own. Music comes from the musician, not the instrument.

And most importantly, remember that a language works best when we have something interesting to say. Many music teachers never find out what their students have to say. We only tell them what they are supposed to say.

A child speaks a language for years before they even learn the alphabet. Too many rules at the beginning will actually slow them down. In my eyes, the approach to music should be the same. After all, music is a language too.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Music is harder to learn than language
B. Music should be taught like a natural language
C. Only professionals can teach music well
D. Children should not learn music

2. Why does the author say music can be more effective than spoken language?
A. It is easier to write
B. It is always louder
C. It does not need to be understood to be effective
D. It uses more emotion

3. How do most people traditionally learn music, according to the passage?
A. By playing with friends
B. By listening only
C. By following strict lessons with a teacher
D. By experimenting freely

4. What comparison does the author make about learning language as a child?
A. Children learn by making mistakes and interacting with fluent speakers

B. Children learn by practicing alone

C. Children learn by reading books first
D. Children learn only at school

5. What does the phrase “jam with professionals” suggest?
A. Babies play instruments
B. Babies learn by interacting with skilled speakers
C. Babies attend music classes
D. Babies avoid making mistakes

6. According to the author, what should young musicians do more often?
A. Practice silently
B. Study theory
C. Avoid mistakes
D. Simply play music

7. Why can too many rules slow down learning?
A. They make learning more expensive
B. They reduce creativity and natural learning
C. They confuse teachers
D. They make music boring

Idioms using music

Shouting dictation

Music is a language. Both music and verbal languages serve the same purpose. They are both forms of expression. They can be used as a way to communicate with others. They can be read and written. They can make you laugh or cry, think or question, and can speak to one or many. And both can definitely make you move.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

Think about the first language you learn as a child. More importantly, think about how you learned it. You were a baby when you first started speaking, and even though you spoke the language incorrectly you were allowed to make mistakes. And the more mistakes you made, the more your parents smiled.

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Music is a language.

Both music and verbal languages serve the same purpose.

They are both forms of expression.

They can be used as a way to communicate with others.

They can be read and written.

They can make you laugh or cry,

think or question,

and can speak to one or many.

And both can definitely make you move.

In some instances, music works better than the spoken word,

because it doesn't have to be understood to be effective.

Although many musicians agree that music is a language,

it is rarely treated as such.

 

______ is a ______.

______ music and verbal languages serve the same _______.

They are _____ forms of ______.

They can be _____ as a way to _________ with ______.

They can be _____ and ______.

They can make you _____ or _____,

______ or _______,

and can speak to ______ or ______.

And ______ can _______ make you ______.

In _______ instances, music works ______ than the spoken word,

because it ________ have to be _________ to be ________.

Although many musicians _______ that music is a language,

it is ________ treated as such.

 

 

 

 

Think about the first language you learn as a child.

More importantly, think about how you learned it.

You were a baby when you first started speaking,

and even though you spoke the language incorrectly

you were allowed to make mistakes.

And the more mistakes you made,

the more your parents smiled.

Learning to speak was not something you were sent somewhere to do

only a few times a week.

And the majority of the people you spoke to

were not beginners.

They were already proficient speakers.

Imagine your parents forcing you to only speak to other babies

until you were good enough to speak to them.

You would probably be an adult before you could carry on a proper conversation.

Think about the _______ language you ______ as a _______.

More ____________, think about _____ you learned it.

You were a ______ when you first started ________,

and even though you spoke the language ___________

you were ________ to make _________.

And the _______ mistakes you ______,

the _____ your parents _______.

Learning to speak was _____ something you were sent somewhere to do

only a few _____  a _____.

And the _______ of the people you spoke to

were ____ beginners.

They were _______ proficient _______.

________ your parents _______ you to only speak to other _______

until you were good enough to _______ to _______.

You would probably be an _______ before you could carry on a proper ___________.

language 

embracing 

communication

approach 

Music is a powerful 1.______ tool - it causes us to laugh, cry, think and question. Bassist and five-time Grammy winner, Victor Wooten, asks us to 2.______ music the same way we learn verbal 3.______ - by 4. ______mistakes and playing as often as possible.

True or false according to Victor? Listen and check.

1. Music and language are completely different things.

2. Music has to be understood to be effective.

3. Music is often not treated the same way we treat language.

4. Music is usually taught using a very strict method.

5. Music should be taught more informally - like we teach spoken language.

6. The more mistakes you make when learning to speak, the more your parent encourage you.

7. If we learned music the same way we learn to speak, we'd learn faster and more naturally.

8. Kids who grow up in a musical family often learn music slower.

9. There are no 'wrong notes' when you just play from the heart.

10. Many music teachers don't let their students 'say' anything through their music.

Vocab:

regiment
tutelage
proficient
to carry on a proper conversation
to jam (improvise)
air guitar (pretending to play the guitar with your hands)
accomplished




Go to Lesson:

Music as a Language


Language focus: listen (with headphones if possible) and fill the gaps

1. ___ music and verbal languages serve the ____ purpose.

2. In some ________ music works better than the spoken word because it doesn't ___ __ __ understood to be __________.

3. _________ many musicians agree that music is a language, it is rarely treated as ____.

4. ____ _____ you spoke the language incorrectly, you were allowed to make mistakes.

5. And ___ ____ mistakes you made, ___ _____ your parents smiled.

6. In the beginning, ________ mistakes ______ __ correcting them.

7. There ___ no wrong notes.

8. to play and perform with accomplished musicians ___ a _____ basis.

9. ___  _____ they play, ___ _____ they will practice on their own.

10. Remember that a language works ____ when we ____ something interesting to say.

11. ____ many rules ___ the onset will actually slow them down.

12. In my _____, the approach to music should be the same. _____ ___, music is a language too.

Review of language covered



Practice comparative phrases and structures


The...the... comparatives

Cloudy with a chance of joy

Lead in

find shapes in these clouds. write your discoveries up on the board.

Write down six things you can see in the clouds in this image

 

1

2

3

4

5

6

Vocab and discussion:









think of five things that are wonderful but ephemeral
eg. waves















What is good for you soul? Think of one example for the following and write it on the board.
something to eat
something to read
something to listen to

something to look at
a place

Word - to make something legitimate







Think of 4 activities which legitimise doing nothing











Do you get hail where you live?







Do you sometimes ponder your mortality?








Back to board - describe the images you can see in the Rorschach

Write down some things you can see in this image: try to write in sentences.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Crazy


Lead in:
Oops! I Dropped the Lemon Tart!

1. According to Massimo, what's the most important thing to have in life?
2. What makes mistakes beautiful to Massimo?
3. What's the meaning of Massimo's story about the tart for you?
4. Where / what do you draw inspiration from?


You don't need to plan an exotic trip to find creative inspiration. Just look up, says Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society. As he shares charming photos of nature's finest aerial architecture, Pretor-Pinney calls for us all to take a step off the digital treadmill, lie back and admire the beauty in the sky above.

Watch:

Cloudy with a chance of joy





Transcript

Clouds. Have you ever noticed how much people moan about them? They get a bad rap. If you think about it, the English language has written into it negative associations towards the clouds. Someone who's down or depressed, they're under a cloud. And when there's bad news in store, there's a cloud on the horizon. I saw an article the other day. It was about problems with computer processing over the Internet. "A cloud over the cloud," was the headline. It seems like they're everyone's default doom-and-gloom metaphor. But I think they're beautiful, don't you? It's just that their beauty is missed because they're so omnipresent, so, I don't know, commonplace, that people don't notice them. They don't notice the beauty, but they don't even notice the clouds unless they get in the way of the sun. And so people think of clouds as things that get in the way. They think of them as the annoying, frustrating obstructions, and then they rush off and do some blue-sky thinking.

But most people, when you stop to ask them, will admit to harboring a strange sort of fondness for clouds. It's like a nostalgic fondness, and they make them think of their youth. Who here can't remember thinking, well, looking and finding shapes in the clouds when they were kids? You know, when you were masters of daydreaming? Aristophanes, the ancient Greek playwright, he described the clouds as the patron goddesses of idle fellows two and a half thousand years ago, and you can see what he means. It's just that these days, us adults seem reluctant to allow ourselves the indulgence of just allowing our imaginations to drift along in the breeze, and I think that's a pity. I think we should perhaps do a bit more of it. I think we should be a bit more willing, perhaps, to look at the beautiful sight of the sunlight bursting out from behind the clouds and go, "Wait a minute, that's two cats dancing the salsa!" Or seeing the big, white, puffy one up there over the shopping center looks like the Abominable Snowman going to rob a bank. 

They're like nature's version of those inkblot images, you know, that shrinks used to show their patients in the '60s, and I think if you consider the shapes you see in the clouds, you'll save money on psychoanalysis bills. Let's say you're in love. All right? And you look up and what do you see? Right? Or maybe the opposite. You've just been dumped by your partner, and everywhere you look, it's kissing couples. Perhaps you're having a moment of existential angst. You know, you're thinking about your own mortality. And there, on the horizon, it's the Grim Reaper. Or maybe you see a topless sunbather. What would that mean? What would that mean? I have no idea.

But one thing I do know is this: The bad press that clouds get is totally unfair. I think we should stand up for them, which is why, a few years ago, I started the Cloud Appreciation Society. Tens of thousands of members now in almost 100 countries around the world. And all these photographs that I'm showing, they were sent in by members. And the society exists to remind people of this: Clouds are not something to moan about. Far from it. They are, in fact, the most diverse, evocative, poetic aspect of nature. I think, if you live with your head in the clouds every now and then, it helps you keep your feet on the ground.

And I want to show you why, with the help of some of my favorite types of clouds. Let's start with this one. It's the cirrus cloud, named after the Latin for a lock of hair. It's composed entirely of ice crystals cascading from the upper reaches of the troposphere, and as these ice crystals fall, they pass through different layers with different winds and they speed up and slow down, giving the cloud these brush-stroked appearances,these brush-stroke forms known as fall streaks. And these winds up there can be very, very fierce. They can be 200 miles an hour, 300 miles an hour. These clouds are bombing along, but from all the way down here, they appear to be moving gracefully, slowly, like most clouds. And so to tune into the clouds is to slow down, to calm down. It's like a bit of everyday meditation.

Those are common clouds. What about rarer ones, like the lenticularis, the UFO-shaped lenticularis cloud? These clouds form in the region of mountains.When the wind passes, rises to pass over the mountain, it can take on a wave-like path in the lee of the peak, with these clouds hovering at the crest of these invisible standing waves of air, these flying saucer-like forms, and some of the early black-and-white UFO photos are in fact lenticularis clouds. It's true. A little rarer are the fallstreak holes. All right? This is when a layer is made up of very, very cold water droplets, and in one region they start to freeze, and this freezing sets off a chain reaction which spreads outwards with the ice crystals cascading and falling down below, giving the appearance of jellyfish tendrils down below. Rarer still, the Kelvin–Helmholtz cloud. Not a very snappy name. Needs a rebrand. This looks like a series of breaking waves, and it's caused by shearing winds -- the wind above the cloud layer and below the cloud layer differ significantly, and in the middle, in between, you get this undulating of the air, and if the difference in those speeds is just right, the tops of the undulations curl over in these beautiful breaking wave-like vortices. All right. Those are rarer clouds than the cirrus, but they're not that rare. If you look up, and you pay attention to the sky, you'll see them sooner or later, maybe not quite as dramatic as these, but you'll see them. And you'll see them around where you live. Clouds are the most egalitarian of nature's displays, because we all have a good, fantastic view of the sky. And these clouds, these rarer clouds, remind us that the exotic can be found in the everyday.

Nothing is more nourishing, more stimulating to an active, inquiring mind than being surprised, being amazed. It's why we're all here at TED, right? But you don't need to rush off away from the familiar, across the world to be surprised. You just need to step outside, pay attention to what's so commonplace, so everyday, so mundane that everybody else misses it. One cloud that people rarely miss is this one: the cumulonimbus storm cloud.It's what's produces thunder and lightning and hail. These clouds spread out at the top in this enormous anvil fashion stretching 10 miles up into the atmosphere. They are an expression of the majestic architecture of our atmosphere. But from down below, they are the embodiment of the powerful, elemental force and power that drives our atmosphere. To be there is to be connected in the driving rain and the hail, to feel connected to our atmosphere. It's to be reminded that we are creatures that inhabit this ocean of air. We don't live beneath the sky. We live within it.

And that connection, that visceral connection to our atmosphere feels to me like an antidote. It's an antidote to the growing tendency we have to feel that we can really ever experience life by watching it on a computer screen, you know, when we're in a wi-fi zone. But the one cloud that best expresses why cloudspotting is more valuable today than ever is this one, the cumulus cloud. Right? It forms on a sunny day. If you close your eyes and think of a cloud, it's probably one of these that comes to mind. All those cloud shapes at the beginning, those were cumulus clouds. The sharp, crisp outlines of this formation make it the best one for finding shapes in. And it reminds us of the aimless nature of cloudspotting, what an aimless activity it is. You're not going to change the world by lying on your back and gazing up at the sky, are you? It's pointless. It's a pointless activity, which is precisely why it's so important.

The digital world conspires to make us feel eternally busy, perpetually busy. You know, when you're not dealing with the traditional pressures of earning a living and putting food on the table, raising a family, writing thank you letters, you have to now contend with answering a mountain of unanswered emails, updating a Facebook page, feeding your Twitter feed.And cloudspotting legitimizes doing nothing. And sometimes we need — sometimes we need excuses to do nothing. We need to be reminded by these patron goddesses of idle fellows that slowing down and being in the present, not thinking about what you've got to do and what you should have done, but just being here, letting your imagination lift from the everyday concerns down here and just being in the present, it's good for you, and it's good for the way you feel. It's good for your ideas. It's good for your creativity. It's good for your soul.

So keep looking up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds. Thank you very much.

shoerter version

Clouds. Have you ever noticed how much people moan about them? They get a bad rap. If you think about it, the English language has written into it negative associations towards the clouds. Someone who's down or depressed, they're under a cloud. And when there's bad news in store, there's a cloud on the horizon. I saw an article the other day. It was about problems with computer processing over the Internet. "A cloud over the cloud," was the headline. It seems like they're everyone's default doom-and-gloom metaphor. But I think they're beautiful, don't you? It's just that their beauty is missed because they're so omnipresent, so, I don't know, commonplace, that people don't notice them. They don't notice the beauty, but they don't even notice the clouds unless they get in the way of the sun. And so people think of clouds as things that get in the way. They think of them as the annoying, frustrating obstructions, and then they rush off and do some blue-sky thinking.

But most people, when you stop to ask them, will admit to harboring a strange sort of fondness for clouds. It's like a nostalgic fondness, and they make them think of their youth. Who here can't remember thinking, well, looking and finding shapes in the clouds when they were kids? You know, when you were masters of daydreaming? Aristophanes, the ancient Greek playwright, he described the clouds as the patron goddesses of idle fellows two and a half thousand years ago, and you can see what he means. It's just that these days, us adults seem reluctant to allow ourselves the indulgence of just allowing our imaginations to drift along in the breeze, and I think that's a pity. I think we should perhaps do a bit more of it. I think we should be a bit more willing, perhaps, to look at the beautiful sight of the sunlight bursting out from behind the clouds and go, "Wait a minute, that's two cats dancing the salsa!" Or seeing the big, white, puffy one up there over the shopping center looks like the Abominable Snowman going to rob a bank. 

They're like nature's version of those inkblot images, you know, that shrinks used to show their patients in the '60s, and I think if you consider the shapes you see in the clouds, you'll save money on psychoanalysis bills. Let's say you're in love. All right? And you look up and what do you see? Right? Or maybe the opposite. You've just been dumped by your partner, and everywhere you look, it's kissing couples. Perhaps you're having a moment of existential angst. You know, you're thinking about your own mortality. And there, on the horizon, it's the Grim Reaper. Or maybe you see a topless sunbather. What would that mean? What would that mean? I have no idea.

But one thing I do know is this: The bad press that clouds get is totally unfair. I think we should stand up for them, which is why, a few years ago, I started the Cloud Appreciation Society. Tens of thousands of members now in almost 100 countries around the world. And all these photographs that I'm showing, they were sent in by members. And the society exists to remind people of this: Clouds are not something to moan about. Far from it. They are, in fact, the most diverse, evocative, poetic aspect of nature. I think, if you live with your head in the clouds every now and then, it helps you keep your feet on the ground.

Nothing is more nourishing, more stimulating to an active, inquiring mind than being surprised, being amazed. It's why we're all here at TED, right? But you don't need to rush off away from the familiar, across the world to be surprised. You just need to step outside, pay attention to what's so commonplace, so everyday, so mundane that everybody else misses it.

And that connection, that visceral connection to our atmosphere feels to me like an antidote. It's an antidote to the growing tendency we have to feel that we can really ever experience life by watching it on a computer screen, you know, when we're in a wi-fi zone.

And it reminds us of the aimless nature of cloudspotting, what an aimless activity it is. You're not going to change the world by lying on your back and gazing up at the sky, are you? It's pointless. It's a pointless activity, which is precisely why it's so important.

The digital world conspires to make us feel eternally busy, perpetually busy. You know, when you're not dealing with the traditional pressures of earning a living and putting food on the table, raising a family, writing thank you letters, you have to now contend with answering a mountain of unanswered emails, updating a Facebook page, feeding your Twitter feed.And cloudspotting legitimizes doing nothing. And sometimes we need — sometimes we need excuses to do nothing. We need to be reminded by these patron goddesses of idle fellows that slowing down and being in the present, not thinking about what you've got to do and what you should have done, but just being here, letting your imagination lift from the everyday concerns down here and just being in the present, it's good for you, and it's good for the way you feel. It's good for your ideas. It's good for your creativity. It's good for your soul.  

Comprehension Questions (Gist)

1. What is the speaker's main message about clouds, and why does he think people should change the way they think about them?

2. Besides talking about clouds, what broader point is the speaker making about modern life and the importance of slowing down?

Comprehension Questions

1. Why did the speaker create the Cloud Appreciation Society?

A. To teach people how to predict the weather.
B. To encourage people to see clouds as beautiful and inspiring rather than annoying.
C. To help scientists study rare cloud formations.
D. To persuade people to spend more time outdoors for exercise.

 

2. According to the speaker, what do rare cloud formations remind us of?

A. Nature is becoming more dangerous.
B. Only experts can truly appreciate the sky.
C. The extraordinary can be found in ordinary, everyday life.
D. People should travel more to experience nature.

 

3. Why does the speaker describe cloudspotting as an important activity?

A. It helps people become better photographers.
B. It improves knowledge of weather forecasting.
C. It gives people permission to slow down, be present, and use their imagination.
D. It encourages people to spend less time at work.

Vocabulary in Context

3. Early in the talk, the speaker says that clouds "get a bad rap." What does this phrase mean in the context of the talk?

4. The speaker says that when there is "bad news in store," there is "a cloud on the horizon." What does "in store" mean here?

5. Why does the speaker describe clouds as everyone's "default doom-and-gloom metaphor"? What does this expression suggest?

6. The speaker says adults seem "reluctant to allow ourselves the indulgence" of letting our imaginations drift. What does "allow ourselves the indulgence" mean in this context?

7. The speaker says that looking at clouds could save money on "psychoanalysis bills." Why does he use this phrase, and what point is he making?

8. At the end of the talk, the speaker says that the digital world "conspires to make us feel eternally busy." What does "conspires" mean here, and why does he choose this word instead of simply saying "makes us feel busy"?

Excerpts of transcript

 

Someone who's down or depressed, they're ______ a cloud. And when there's bad news in store, there's a cloud on the _____.

 

It seems like they're everyone's default doom-and-gloom _________. But I think they're beautiful, don't you? It's just that their beauty is missed because they're so omni______, so, I don't know, common______

 

And so people think of clouds as things that get in the way. They think of them as the annoying, frustrating obstructions, and then they rush off and do some _____-sky thinking.

 

But most people, when you stop to ask them, will admit to harboring a strange sort of fondness for clouds. It's like a nostalgic fondness, and they make them think of their ______.

 

It's just that these days, us adults seem reluctant to allow ourselves the indulgence of just allowing our imaginations to drift along in the _______, and I think that's a pity.

 

They're like nature's version of those ________ images, you know, that shrinks used to show their patients in the '60s, and I think if you consider the shapes you see in the clouds, you'll save money on psychoanalysis bills

 

You've just been _______ by your partner, and everywhere you look, it's kissing couples. Perhaps you're having a moment of existential angst. You know, you're thinking about your own mortality. And there, on the horizon, it's the _____ Reaper.

 

Or maybe you see a _______ sunbather. What would that mean? What would that mean? I have no idea.

 

Far ______ it. They are, in fact, the most diverse, evocative, poetic aspect of nature. I think, if you live with your _____ in the clouds every now and then, it helps you keep your _____ on the ground.

Review:

Transcript with gaps

Clouds. Have you ever noticed how much people moan about them? They get a _____ rap. If you think about it, the English language has written into it negative associations towards the clouds. Someone who's down or depressed, they're under a cloud. And when there's bad news in store, there's a cloud on the _____. I saw an article the other day. It was about problems with computer processing over the Internet. "A cloud over the cloud," was the headline. It seems like they're everyone's default doom-and-gloom _________. But I think they're beautiful, don't you? It's just that their beauty is missed because they're so omnipresent, so, I don't know, commonplace, that people don't notice them. They don't notice the beauty, but they don't even notice the clouds unless they get in the way of the sun. And so people think of clouds as things that get in the way. They think of them as the annoying, frustrating obstructions, and then they rush off and do some blue-sky thinking.

But most people, when you stop to ask them, will admit to harboring a strange sort of fondness for clouds. It's like a nostalgic fondness, and they make them think of their youth. Who here can't remember thinking, well, looking and finding shapes in the clouds when they were kids? You know, when you were masters of daydreaming? Aristophanes, the ancient Greek playwright, he described the clouds as the patron goddesses of idle fellows two and a half thousand years ago, and you can see what he means. It's just that these days, us adults seem reluctant to allow ourselves the indulgence of just allowing our imaginations to drift along in the _______, and I think that's a pity. I think we should perhaps do a bit more of it. I think we should be a bit more willing, perhaps, to look at the beautiful sight of the sunlight bursting out from behind the clouds and go, "Wait a minute, that's two cats dancing the salsa!" Or seeing the big, white, puffy one up there over the shopping center looks like the Abominable Snowman going to rob a bank. 

They're like nature's version of those inkblot images, you know, that shrinks used to show their patients in the '60s, and I think if you consider the shapes you see in the clouds, you'll save money on psychoanalysis bills. Let's say you're in love. All right? And you look up and what do you see? Right? Or maybe the opposite. You've just been _______ by your partner, and everywhere you look, it's kissing couples. Perhaps you're having a moment of existential angst. You know, you're thinking about your own mortality. And there, on the horizon, it's the _____ Reaper. Or maybe you see a _______ sunbather. What would that mean? What would that mean? I have no idea.

But one thing I do know is this: The bad _____ that clouds get is totally unfair. I think we should stand up for them, which is why, a few years ago, I started the Cloud _______ Society. Tens of thousands of members now in almost 100 countries around the world. And all these photographs that I'm showing, they were sent in by members. And the society exists to remind people of this: Clouds are not something to moan about. Far from it. They are, in fact, the most diverse, evocative, poetic aspect of nature. I think, if you live with your _____ in the clouds every now and then, it helps you keep your _____ on the ground.

And I want to show you why, with the help of some of my favorite types of clouds. Let's start with this one. It's the cirrus cloud, named after the Latin for a lock of _____. It's composed entirely of ice crystals cascading from the ______ reaches of the troposphere, and as these ice crystals fall, they pass through different layers with different winds and they speed up and slow down, giving the cloud these brush-stroked appearances,these brush-stroke forms known as fall streaks. And these ____ up there can be very, very fierce. They can be 200 miles an hour, 300 miles an hour. These clouds are bombing along, but from all the way down here, they appear to be moving gracefully, slowly, like most clouds. And so to tune into the clouds is to slow down, to calm down. It's like a bit of everyday meditation.

Those are common clouds. What about rarer ones, like the lenticularis, the UFO-shaped lenticularis cloud? These clouds form in the region of mountains.When the wind passes, rises to pass over the mountain, it can take on a wave-like path in the lee of the peak, with these clouds hovering at the crest of these invisible standing waves of air, these flying saucer-like forms, and some of the early black-and-white UFO photos are in fact lenticularis clouds. It's true. A little rarer are the fallstreak holes. All right? This is when a layer is made up of very, very cold w____ droplets, and in one region they start to freeze, and this freezing sets off a ch_____ reaction which spreads outwards with the ice crystals cascading and falling down below, giving the appearance of jellyfish tendrils down below. Rarer still, the Kelvin–Helmholtz cloud. Not a very snappy name. Needs a rebrand. This looks like a series of breaking waves, and it's caused by shearing winds -- the wind above the cloud layer and below the cloud layer differ significantly, and in the middle, in between, you get this undulating of the air, and if the difference in those speeds is just right, the tops of the undulations curl over in these beautiful breaking wave-like vortices. All right. Those are rarer clouds than the cirrus, but they're not that rare. If you look up, and you pay attention to the sky, you'll see them sooner or later, maybe not quite as dramatic as these, but you'll see them. And you'll see them around where you live. Clouds are the most egalitarian of nature's displays, because we all have a good, fantastic _____ of the sky. And these clouds, these rarer clouds, remind us that the exotic can be found in the everyday.

Nothing is more nourishing, more stimulating to an active, inquiring mind than being surprised, being amazed. It's why we're all here at TED, right? But you don't need to rush off away from the familiar, across the world to be surprised. You just need to step outside, pay attention to what's so commonplace, so everyday, so mundane that everybody else misses it. One cloud that people rarely miss is this one: the cumulonimbus storm cloud.It's what's produces _______ and lightning and hail. These clouds spread out at the top in this enormous anvil fashion stretching 10 miles up into the atmosphere. They are an expression of the majestic architecture of our atmosphere. But from down below, they are the embodiment of the powerful, elemental _______ and power that drives our atmosphere. To be there is to be connected in the driving rain and the hail, to feel connected to our atmosphere. It's to be reminded that we are creatures that inhabit this ocean of _____. We don't live beneath the sky. We live within it.

And that connection, that visceral connection to our atmosphere feels to me like an antidote. It's an antidote to the growing tendency we have to feel that we can really ever experience life by watching it on a computer screen, you know, when we're in a wi-fi zone. But the one cloud that best expresses why cloudspotting is more valuable today than ever is this one, the cumulus cloud. Right? It forms on a sunny day. If you close your eyes and think of a cloud, it's probably one of these that comes to ______. All those cloud shapes at the beginning, those were cumulus clouds. The sharp, crisp outlines of this formation make it the best one for finding shapes in. And it reminds us of the aimless nature of cloudspotting, what an aimless activity it is. You're not going to change the world by lying on your back and gazing up at the sky, are you? It's pointless. It's a pointless activity, which is _______ why it's so important.

The digital world conspires to make us feel eternally busy, perpetually busy. You know, when you're not dealing with the traditional pressures of earning a living and putting food on the table, raising a family, writing thank you letters, you have to now contend with answering a _________ of unanswered emails, updating a Facebook page, feeding your Twitter feed.And cloudspotting legitimizes doing _________. And sometimes we need — sometimes we need excuses to do nothing. We need to be reminded by these patron goddesses of idle fellows that slowing down and being in the present, not thinking about what you've got to do and what you should have done, but just being here, letting your imagination lift from the everyday ________ down here and just being in the present, it's good for you, and it's good for the way you feel. It's good for your ideas. It's good for your creativity. It's good for your _____.

So keep looking up, marvel at the ephemeral ________, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds. Thank you very much.

Discuss:









think of five things that are wonderful but ephemeral
eg. waves















What is good for you soul? Think of one example for the following:

something to eat.
something to read.
something to listen to.
a place.











Think of 4 activities which legitimise doing nothing











Do you get hail where you live?













What have you learnt in the lesson?

Quizlet review:

Collocations