July 30th, 2008
Your Turn: The Power of Music
Music evokes emotions and memories. It reflects our mood and can change how we’re feeling. It can also change how we behave. Every group of young people will have a form of music that represents them and often this stays with them for the rest of their lives. Even when tastes change, play again the music of your youth and your memory steams on back to those times.
In my younger days I loved The Beach Boys, The Searchers (does anyone else remember them?) and of course the Beatles. However if I tried to name any music that I really dislike I’d find that hard. For the last four years I’ve been learning how to play the piano and had to try out many different types of music. My teacher (who should be nominated for sainthood) always manages to say something nice about my efforts even though I’m rarely in time and often hit a discordant note at a time in the tune when it really stands out. My husband has to put up with my playing more frequently and tactfully leaves the room, but in my head I can hear perfectly the music that I struggle with. If only my cranky fingers would do what my brain is thinking.
When I was a child my father used to sing “Speed Bonny Boat” to me, particularly at times of illness and it still brings a tear to my eye as it brings back all his kindness and love. Recently I had the pleasure of singing the same song to my new grandson and unnervingly he stopped crying and nestled in for a cuddle. It is a very special song!
I could actually describe my whole life through music but I won’t bore you. Today I had been out working and came home to find a music gift via iTunes from my son. He knows I’m discovering classical music but tries hard to keep me up to date with the world, so he sent me Baleen Morning by Balmorhea from the album Rivers Arms. (I’d never heard of the group.) It is such beautiful music, classical but fresh.
Your Turn:
So tell us: What music do you enjoy? Is there a piece that helps you work out at the gym or relax? Which bands bring back special memories? Do let us know and if anyone else has heard Baleen Morning I’d love to know what you think of it.
July 30th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
I happened to hear a hauntingly beautiful piece recently & it took me ages to work out where I remembered it from.
It was a track from the soundtrack ‘Out of Africa’ with the great title: ‘I’m better at Hello’. I hadn’t thought about that film for maybe 15 years, so went straight out & bought the DVD and the soundtrack. I’d forgotten what a beautiful (& quite tragic) film it was.
I’m sure it was the music and the stunning arial shots across Africa that, as a teenager, made me want to go traveling. I was also shocked to think how weird I was to have loved that movie back then. I’m sure I was way to young to be watching something like that.
July 31st, 2008 at 8:34 am
I haven’t heard Baleen Morning, but it’s on my list to check out!
I will admit that I am a bit of a “country girl”. I love the classic sounds of Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn…as well as some of the new country artists like Taylor Swift, Sugarland, and Trace Adkins. Oh, and let’s not forget the classic croonings of Jimmy Buffet. That’s what you find on my Ipod, along with a little pop from folks like Maroon 5 and the Eagles.
Working out music to me is fast paced: Eminem, Beyonce, Maroon 5…
I also appreciate classic music. Handel’s Water Music and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons set, for me, a romantic mood….
July 31st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
I’ve been haunted by Where Do You Go to (My Lovely) by Peter Sarstedt ever since I heard it in the movie Darjelling Limited (and somehow it’s mixed in my mind with the beauty of Adrian Brody).
I immediately downloaded it from I-Tunes and can listen to it over and over and over. I wonder what memories will be attached to it - years from now will it remind me of this summer?
Working out - dance for sure ala Justin Timberlake, Shakira, anything that pumps!
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:54 am
I ‘think’ in music. For me, the Gipsy Kings are always a part of my inner soundtrack - they’re just so soulful and earthy at once. Madeleine Peyroux helps me improve my choral self-esteem by being one of the most amazing altos ever.
Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown’s songs are amazing from a storytelling standpoint, so I dig them.
Right this moment, my head is filled with ABBA songs, but one song I keep coming back to is Sarah McLachlan’s “Ordinary Miracle” from the movie Charlotte’s Web.
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:57 am
I really like quite a diverse range of music from rock to metal to classic to techno. I’ve apparently surprised a few people with my preference for alternative rock and metal - apparently I just don’t “look the type”. My tastes vary with my mood. For work, I’m often listening to vocal trance or euro-techno - upbeat and energised to keep me going.
I particularly enjoy a lot of Kwaito music, or other sounds from back home in South Africa, as it allows me to feel just a little more connected to home. There are a lot of fantastic rock bands from South Africa that I listen to regularly, such as Seether, Parletones, Just Jinger and Springbok Nude Girls (to name but a few).
August 3rd, 2008 at 10:52 am
Hey,
Thanks for all the comments. What a variety of music has been mentioned here and I shall certainly try and listen to some of the recommendations over the next few weeks. What’s also struck me is how important music is to everyone. Isn’t it very much a part of who we are?