The Banjo and The Fox

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I stumbled across a TEDx Talk last week that brought together three of my favorite things: animals, banjos, and patterns.

Musician Andy Thorn went viral several years ago when his wife filmed a wild red fox enjoying a private concert in their backyard:


In his TEDx Talk, Andy poses the question that everyone around the world was wondering: why would a fox enjoy the dulcet tones emanating from the banjo? We may not speak the same language as a fox, he says, "but our lives are all ruled by the same patterns. Patterns of season and time." Humans and animals alike seek out the comfort of those patterns found everywhere in nature.

Music is also made up of patterns. A song is layers of chord progressions, phrases, and rhythms. Music "speaks to us like a story on the level of pattern and time" and helps us process our experiences.

Did that fox think about all of that during her mountain concert? Probably not. But I don't think it's too far of a leap to think that she could recognize the patterns in music and find comfort there, just like the comfort of experiencing day turn into night or hearing the crescendo of a storm.

I wasn't surprised to hear this explanation of animals appreciating music. I've been learning about the value of incorporating patterns in training sessions with Otto the Great Horned Owl. Simple, repetitive, and predictable behavior patterns are comforting to dogs, cats, and even owls. I wonder... would Otto also appreciate the patterns from my banjo?


Watch Andy Thorn's full TEDx Talk here:

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