I am thankful for music.
Music is such a big topic that volumes and volumes have been written about it. But somewhere among all the things of what it is and what it can do is a very basic truth. Music can make you happy. Here are a couple of small examples where this has been true for me recently.
I like to sing. And if I do say so myself, I have a pretty good voice. Or at least it sounds that way to me when I sing in the shower. The acoustics are especially good in our new shower, so I belt away sometimes and imagine myself performing for one sort of an audience or another. And it always makes me happy. (However these "audiences" often ask me for another song and I end up spending too long in the shower. I should learn to say no to my demanding "public".)
The other morning I was singing "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash as I washed my hair. This is a song I've always liked for its catchy tune and positive lyrics. However, like most songs, I don't know all the words. That evening, I decided it was time to learn them, so I went to YouTube. Do you know that there have been a lot of people who have covered that song? I listened to each version and sang along while I was in the kitchen baking a cake. And the whole time, I had a big smile on my face. There was really nothing very special going on, but I was very happy. However, I will say that after about the fourth version of the song, Ward asked if I had learned the lyrics yet. Actually, the answer was no. I still sing my version of them and am not sure what the correct ones are. What do they say? Old habits die hard.
The other example involves singing hymns. The first time was in the nursing home when I was visiting my mother. A local church came in and did a hymn sing-along for the residents. I sat beside my mother in her wheelchair holding the hymnal as we sang together. This was very special because as time goes on, it's harder to connect with my mother the way I used to. However, this time, we connected through the music. It was the highlight of my visit.
A week or so later, I was spending Sunday morning with my buddy, Sarah. We were with the youth Sunday School gathering where they eat breakfast, make announcements, and sing a few songs. The songs are usually accompanied by kids on guitars and drums. However, this morning most of the them weren't there, so the choir director led the youth in singing songs from the hymn book a capella. It took a song or two before the kids quieted down and stopped looking at their cell phones. But when they gave their full attention to the songs, it was beautiful. The room was filled with strong voices and good harmonies, and there was a connection among all who were there. I was teary eyed as I thought about the two very different groups singing hymns. On the surface they seemed different, but underneath, they were the same. They were connecting through music.
My stories could go on forever, and I'm sure everyone has stories of their own.
So for music and the happiness it brings, I am thankful.
What a wonderful post about the power of music. I am not exactly who "They" are but supposedly they say to control the emotions of a population first outlaw music and art.
ReplyDeleteI think music and art play a much bigger part in our lives than most people realize.
DeleteWhat a lovely post. Just last night I was in the tub until the water turned downright cool singing for my own invisible audience! And then I proceeded to dream about this song. https://youtu.be/53XyCbIJGKY
ReplyDeleteJust listened to your dream song. A great song. Actually, on first try I heard Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth". Another great song. Not sure why that happened, but it was my good fortune to hear both of them.
DeleteMaybe we should get our audiences together and do a joint concert sometime. ;)
Music was such an obvious and important part of my life when I was a teen. I couldn't sing a tune or play an instrument, but as most teens do, I suppose, I connected with the emotions that certain instruments or melodies evoked in me. Much less the words, actually. Nowadays, it always amazes my daughter, who focuses on the lyrics, that I don't find them important. For me, music is all about a sensory experience. I hear a violin and I start crying on cue. Rachmaninov's piano concertos similarly make me cry with happiness. My oldest son playing the trumpet... sigh. I love it.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's lovely that you could connect with your mom this way. Certain songs remind me of mine because we would dance or sing to them together in our kitchen at times "Honesty" by Billy Joel, anything by Boney M. a 70s disco band. And then "Like a Virgin" by Madonna because my mom used to love humming to it but she would have been horrified if she had understood the lyrics. I wonder if my kids will have similar memories of me tied to music.
I just wrote on my own blog this morning that I'm grateful for my 5 senses. My sense of hearing is dulling with age, but I'm so grateful I can still hear music from all kinds of sources.
It's interesting that you connect to the music much more than the lyrics. My husband is the same way. I hear the music first, but the lyrics are definitely important.
DeleteI think the music of our teen years is what we remember the most throughout our entire life. I know that's true for me.
I enjoyed your stories that include music. I can live without a lot of things but music isn't one of them. Sadly, I am tone deaf so no one wants to hear me singing. :-) I use music as much as I enjoy it. If I have chores I'd rather not do I find something upbeat which makes the chores speed by, if my spirits are low again I can change that with music. Recently, I introduced Little Guy to YouTube music videos for toddlers, he's obsessed with them and I just smile knowing yet another family member prefers music to television. :-)
ReplyDeleteBecause of everything available on YouTube these days, the checkouts for kids music CD's are way down at the library where I work. Many of the branches have stopped carrying them. Time marches on, but it makes me kind of sad as one technology replaces another. But no matter how we hear it, music is still necessary.
DeleteMusic is one of the biggest joys of my life. We weren't given the option of NOT being in band, so I played flute through my senior year in high school. I sing in choir at church--it's one of my things I do for myself (and yes, I believe we are offering our praise to God, but it's a definite joy-bringer to me as well).
ReplyDeleteYou struck a chord when you talked about enjoying music with your mom. As I mentioned, music was a big part of my growing-up experience, and I found that right up until the end, my dad loved music and singing. The night that my mom and I were planning his funeral, we got out the hymn book at home and started singing our way through the hymnal. It was very meaningful and cathartic for both of us.
I could go on and on (so many styles of music to love!) but I should get to bed. :)
I know that you have mentioned songs with your Dad before. I'm glad that you can remember him with music. I never heard my dad sing, but he was a good whistler. That was his form of singing.
DeleteHowever, there was a lot of singing in the house. Every night after supper, my parents would go to the living room to watch the news, and my sisters and I would go to the kitchen to wash the dishes. We sang the entire time we were working. My oldest sister knew a lot of songs and taught them to us. We sang on car trips also (when we weren't getting carsick). Songs from that time are still my favorite. They often make it into my shower concerts. :)
Blessings.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post! I took piano lessons but I preferred to sing. I have so many memories of singing with my mother and step-dad. One of the regrets I have is not playing the piano or singing to my mother towards the end of her life. I think she would have enjoyed that and who knows, maybe it might have even helped with the dementia. But it never occurred to me and now, of course, it is too late. But these days, whenever I sit at the piano, the first song I play is always "Whispering Hope" which was my mother's song.
ReplyDeleteWe didn't have a piano and I never learned to play. I wish I had. However, I learned to play several band instruments and always enjoyed playing in various musical groups. However, I like singing the best. My voice is always handy. :)
DeleteI'm sure that your mother benefited greatly from your visits whether music was involved or not. Just your presence I'm sure made her happy.
I love music also. I realized when hiking, and trying to spur myself back home, by singing, that I don't know all the words to even my favorite songs. I too went to youtube and other sites, even printed out some of the lyrics, so I could remember them.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were kids and went hiking, songs were a big part of it. We either sang as we hiked, or when we stopped, we had to be rested enough to sing before we would start again.
DeleteAs you've said before, YouTube is a great resource.