Michelle Forinash relates her gratitude for music in the healing that it brought after the events of September 11, 2001 (see Voices, Columnist of the week: Oct 22- Nov. 4, 2001. More than a year and a half after the tragedies, music remains a healing force for many people. One of the ways that music is a healing force is that it is a constant, or at least it has the power to be.
I am grateful for music as well. Music has remained a constant in my life, even as everything around me has changed. As I have gone through difficult times, I have always been able to turn to music to provide a sense of comfort, calmness, empathy, or hope. I specifically and most vividly remember when I was seventeen years old, one month away from graduating from high school. My grandfather and my aunt died within two weeks of each other. I already knew that my life was going to go through some changes upon graduating, but these two losses were unexpected and made the waters a little too rough. I turned to music during this time. I had a repertoire of songs that I listened to. The songs were like my security blanket. They helped me explore my feelings even further, and they helped me cross over from the shock of change to a sense of stability. I honestly do not know how I would have made it through this situation if I had not been able to turn to music.
This certainly does not limit music to hard times, though. There have been many good phases in my life when music has boosted me even more. Listening to music uplifts me, but being able to play music usually strengthens me even more. I have always enjoyed playing music during the high points in my life because it helps me feel even better. Plus, I feel better about myself because I am usually able to play better than usual. When I practice my music and can identify with it, I am much more happy about being able to practice it. Then I know that I can turn to that music and play it again.
Music transcends time and space. It can bring back memories of good times, good friends and good experiences, even when those memories are from long ago. We can use music to temporarily experience those memories again. I will never be able to listen to certain hymns without being able to hear my grandfather's voice singing along, like I used to hear when we were in church. That music not only brings back that specific memory, but it will also bring back other memories that I have of him, temporarily taking away the pain of his death. For this reason, I am also grateful for music.
However, not everyone has this same gratitude for music, either because they just do not like music or they are not aware of what music has in store for them. As therapists, part of our job is to help these people build a connection to music and to be able to experience music in healing ways. Many people are missing out on the greatness of music, and as musicians, therapists, and humans we should make people aware of the power of music and why we are grateful for it.
Michele Forinash really captures the tremendous impact music can have on our society. I knew I just had to comment on her article because I, too, am incredibly grateful for music.
When people ask me how I came to be interested in Music Therapy, I always answer without hesitation: "Well, because I love music and I love helping people." It's as simple as that. Sometimes I'll receive satisfied nods, and sometimes I'll receive looks of confusion. I always just chuckle to myself, because so few people understand the full effect music can have on our lives. From the simplest background music in the grocery store to the most complex symphonies, music is everywhere. In my life, I can't remember a time when there was not music.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have adored music. I remember going into my room, closing the door, and playing a cassette tape while dancing around with a microphone. Of course, my "microphone" was my sparkly baton at the time. I would sing at the top of my lungs, without a care in the world. As I got older, I became more interested in music. I took piano lessons, and then began flute in the 6th grade. I am now a senior at Georgia College & State University and I cannot imagine my life without music. When I enter my apartment after a long day of music classes and practicums, I still turn on my CD player. Music does something to my soul. It reaches to my very core and expresses my feelings when I cannot. Music is extraordinary. Music is my haven. Music is comfort. Music is my silver lining. Music is another world. Music is, well, me. Without it, life would not be as sweet.