Jazz pianist Billy Strayhorn once said that all music is beautiful. While I’m not sure I have a mind quite that open on the subject— the voice of Canadian rock band Rush’s Geddy Lee inspires grimacing and skin crawling without fail— I do appreciate a lot of genres.
Depending on my mood I can be found listening to hard rock, classic rock or oldies, classical, jazz or blues, alternative, grunge or punk. Pop might not be my top pick but I can bop along to a few of the ditties. I’m not a country fan, yet take me back to the days of Jim Reeves, Patsy Cline and Marty Robbins and I am washed over by a nostalgic wave that soothes me with memories of Mom and Dad.
There are times when I appreciate silence but generally music is the accompaniment to my life. It will rouse me in the morning. It makes a work day go faster. It eases me into down time. It fills the empty spaces between quiet conversations during the evening meal. It helps me find my stride on those rare occasion when I work out. It can often in stressful times, inspire me to just breath again.
The right music for the right situation is essential in my book. There are very few situations when I don’t feel it’s necessary.
I spent this past weekend with my sister, brother and our spouses. With a two-hour distance for any of us to travel to see the others, we made the decision a while ago that we enjoy at least one weekend together a year. Just us. Remembering, reliving, sharing and updating.
As the baby of the family by a decade, I came of age listening to a completely different type of music than my siblings. Where they slow danced and jived, I hit my teens twisting and frugging. Eventually the music I loved was more for swaying hypnotically to, than it was about any type of set moves.
Finding the rhythms and tunes to suit us all for the weekend, therefore, one might think would be difficult. It wasn’t. Having grown up listening to their records, and they having had front-row seats to my teen years, allowed for a cross-over of oldies we all loved. We could find our groove on easy listening in small doses too, while jazz and blues found their place at dinner.
Then, returning home Sunday night, my husband and I sat down to watch the documentary on musician Glen Campbell and his battle with Alzheimers. Much was said about music’s therapeutic powers and it’s a reality that has always moved me. It’s to music people have turned when lost. It’s used at the beginning and at the end of life. It can heal, calm and inspire.
Singer Billy Joel described music as an explosive expression of humanity that is, in itself, healing. “It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
Well, I know I do. So for this day, #MusicMonday, today’s featured clipart collections will highlight this powerful art form:
