Why music?

Music arose independently in virtually every human population on earth. This is a strong indication that it fulfilled an evolutionary function- that it has afforded human beings a survival advantage. I believe that at least part of the fitness advantage that music afforded our ancestors (and I would argue continues to afford human beings today) stems from two important benefits.

Firstly, it has acted as a tool for community and team-building. A shared rhythm is a shared bond- and tribes that were bonded, emotionally connected, and ready to share and sacrifice together were almost certainly more likely to survive.

Secondly, I believe music offers human beings a way to express and process their emotions.  Human beings evolved from instinctual, intuitive creatures to cognitive, self-reflecting beings in an incredibly short span of time. We, as modern humans can attest to the internal friction that is generated when the cognitive, social and cultural software running in our recently evolved, pre-frontal lobes comes into conflict with the needs and affects of the more primitive structures in our brain. If not given a productive outlet, the inevitable emotional distress that arises within our own mind can have a very detrimental effect on our psyche. One might speculate that unchecked, this same inner strife would have given rise to interpersonal conflict that could have destabilized the intricate social order on which the survival of early human beings depended.

These benefits might help explain why music is such a ubiquitous staple of human societies everywhere. It helps us understand ourselves more deeply, and encourages us to connect with others. 

I believe the co-evolution of humans and music has “hard wired” our brains and bodies to respond to music in a powerful way. It is this hard wiring that the Podium Experience seeks to utilize as a channel to access participants’ intrapersonal operating for the purpose of feeling and experiencing themselves as leaders beyond merely understanding leadership academically or conceptually. The Podium Experience seeks to bring participants to live, breath, and feel themselves as leaders in a transformative and unforgettable way.

– Michael Gutierrez