Power of Music

For those of you who don't me, you should know that I am very passionate about music. I believe that music has a healing power that can touch the heart. I play the piano and started taking lessons when I was in 1st grade. Of course I was a stubborn child and I hated piano lessons. My poor piano teacher had to deal with me saying how I thought piano was stupid. My mother kept paying for lessons so I was forced to go to my lessons and just tell my teacher how piano was the dumbest invention ever created. It wasn't until years later where I realized how powerful music is. 

I could write a whole blog on how music has healed me and how I have seen it heal others. I want to share a couple of experiences though. 

At my fieldwork, I work at an adult health care center for adults who have physical or mental disabilities. I am new to these kind of fieldwork. Working with middle school students with autism was amazing but much different than this population. There is one client who is blind. Him and his wife are adorable. He told me that he could play the piano and I told the agency about his talent. They didn't really react to it, so I told him that I would help him play the piano the next day. The next day, I helped him walk over to the piano. He was absolutely amazing. He played completely by hearing of course, but he did improvisation and it was some of the most beautiful music that I have heard. Watching him play was therapeutic for him as he was able to "release his creative power" and other clients could watch him and enjoy his music. The workers at the agency were amazed at his talent. He told me later on about how that moment was so amazing for him to feel like he could contribute in some way. Giving people opportunities to express them self through music can be a powerful tool. Music has a way to reach out to everyone. Music has no social barriers. Music won't judge based on color, ethnicity, age, gender or appearance. Music is simply there for everyone to enjoy. In my opinion, it is one of god's greatest gifts he has given us to share. 

I remember learning about Debussy's style of music. I love Debussy because his music touches my heart. It is a impressionistic, so rhythm can be up to your own interpretation. I like to go to the beat of my own drum, so I love Debussy for that reason. I learned a couple of pieces throughout the years. They were difficult to learn but once I learned them, it was amazing to play. Whenever I was stressed in high school, I would simply sit down and play Arabesque. Once I got into the music, my worries went away. It is a strange feeling to explain when I am talking about this healing power. There is a sense of intimacy when you play the piano. It is just you and the music in the moment. The music is all that matters in the moment and it puts everything into perspective. 

You don't have to be a musician to put this into practice. All it takes is for you to listen to your favorite piece and music and notice the effect it has on you. Do you feel more calm? Do you feel more optimistic? 

Music has a tone and mood aligned with it. Music has some sense of spirituality connected with it. Sometimes we just like the song for the beat and we think that it has no influence on us. That is a lie. Music will always have a influence on you. It can make you relaxed. energetic, feel romantic, feel angry, contemplative, tired, happy, sad or ready for the day to begin. If you don't believe me, start to pay attention to your mood as you listen to various songs and genres. You will become self aware of how the music is effecting you. 

So, take my words and make it a experiment. Let me know what you find out as you experiment on my ideas. You will be pleasantly surprised about how music can sometimes be the ultimate healer.