The Multiplier and Mozart

As this is my last month in Japan before I return to the the US, I took the opportunity to revisit the village of Tamba, where the natural availability of quality clay has nurtured the craft of a good many master potters. Each shop is managed by a resident master potter, whose inner vision of beauty and utility distinguishes his creations from those of his neighbors.

Later, after lunch at Sasayama, we visited an old sake (rice wine) factory. Here, I heard the strangest tale of quality differentiation. Attached to one of the sake fermenting vats were audio speakers where the music of Mozart is played to the fermenting brew. The brewed sake is bottled and sold as a Mozart special. Later, to the skeptics among us, the brewer had us taste the sake from two vats with identical brew formulas – one nurtured by Mozart and the other without the Mozart factor. There was a definite discernible difference. Perhaps it was the effect of the vibration of the music on the yeast or perhaps it was a clever marketing gimmick. Whatever it was, I was impressed enough to walk out with the purchase of a Mozart special under my arm.

Even if the second story is suspect, they both analogize what I would describe as the "soul" of the creative outcome. In terms of an educational institution it is its core beliefs, that deep inner rhythm of uncompromising values commonly shared by its members that influence all thought and action and ultimately the hearts and minds of its students. Two institutions may have identical academic standards, professional development initiatives, curriculum delivery and assessment methodologies, etc, but have discernibly different outcomes.

Good quality clay (good, caring and well meaning people) united by a shared vision (a deep, joyful sense of meaning and purpose) is the key to the real Mozart factor. That's the multiplier that has the potential to harness the synergy inherent in all our technical educational reform initiatives.