Music Matters

I often hold back tears.  There are various reasons - something reminds me of my grandma, my son outgrows an especially cute shirt, my husband says I look nice, someone else’s kid does a fantastic job at a school program - I’m really not picky with my teariness!  Many of the times that I’ve felt like crying happy tears were because of music.   A friend who I’ve never heard sing gets up and belts out an impromptu performance with a band, a Prince impersonator plays the piano, a child sings a clear, simple song, I am in a large crowd and can sing at the top of my lungs without judgement, the lyrics to a song say exactly what I feel,  a song brings a vivid memory back to life, or the complexity and beauty of classical music overwhelms me - cue tears!

Music doesn't only make me cry, it inspires me.  There are all sorts of music - some with lyrics that would make you blush, some that only sound good with a major twang, and some with a better beat than melody.  I love all that this abstract thing we call music is - music is math, it’s art, it’s emotion, and it’s everywhere! Music brings people together, transforms us, allows us to express what’s deep inside, and displays God’s perfect design.    

Music brings people together
Music connects us.  Kids in a school choir from different social circles become friends over a common interest.  Teens in a garage band become lifelong friends.  A shared favorite band is a sign on a first date that a relationship will work.  Strangers that both play an instrument are able to strike up a conversation.  

You don't have to be a musician yourself to connect with others over music.  Music is present at many of life's events where people gather - weddings, birthday parties, and even funerals.   It's inter-generational,  a conversation starter, and gives us a comfortable way to be together without talking.  The same song can be appreciated by people who speak different languages, come from different backgrounds, or disagree on most everything else!  Music connects us.

​Music transforms us
​Music transforms a shy kid into a performer, a stutterer into a clear communicator, a sad person into a healed person, a determined person into an accomplished one.  I have a learned ability to play music, not a natural one.  ​I’m so incredibly grateful to have taken piano lessons from ages 6-17 from an incredible musician, Ruth Berkebile.  I am one of the hundreds of kids whose lives she impacted. (Here come my “leaky” eyes again!) I learned about getting better at something through practice and having the patience to see the results of that practice.  She made me count, she taught me the theory behind the music, she made me sit up straight, she believed I could, she taught me to improvise.  She gave me a lifelong gift, and when she suggested I teach piano, I could only hope to have a fraction of the impact she had on me and my life.

When I tried out for the school choir in Jr. High, I considered myself a "bad" signer, but thought I had a chance of getting in because I knew they needed accompanists.   I got in, and though I don't know for sure it was my piano playing ability that got me there, I have a strong suspicion!  Being in a choir gave me the opportunity to learn that I could be fulfilled without being the best, that surrounding myself with others who were better than me would help me grow, and that I could get better even without a natural ability.  One of my proudest accomplishments was when I went from a novice singer who sang quietly to getting a 1 rating in a solo singing contest.  Mr. Howard Whittlesey was my choir director that, even though he had perfect pitch, believed in students who didn't.  He taught, he coached, and he connected his students with other musicians who helped each other grow. He gave structure and attainable goals that built on one another.  What an incredible lesson about our own ability to transform our lives!

​Music allows us to express ourselves
Now here I am at 38 years old, teaching a few young kids piano lessons (including my own children), getting to play at church occasionally, playing the piano for fun, and enjoying getting better with practice.  It’s amazing to have the chance to disappear into the music sometimes, and even to focus on technique and small improvement.   When I'm stressed, it helps to sing along with the car radio, listen to classical music before bed, play a familiar song on the piano at home, or throw myself into trying a brand new song.  

Most of us have playlists we listen to when we feel a certain way - angry, romantic, excited - and ones that help us with certain activities like exercising, studying, or sleeping.  Emotion and music are linked together.  Music helps us to experience emotions again and again.   You can hear a certain song and be immediately transported to the same emotions you had when you heard it the first time.  My husband and I, like most couples, have a song, and even though it became our song over 20 years ago, I still have that feeling of young love when I hear it.  

"...music is math, it's art, it's emotion, and it's everywhere!"

​Music shows me God
There is so much math and symmetry and so many interconnected relationships in music, that my mind can't comprehend a way that it could have just "happened."  Someone had to design it.  Though I myself don't have a musical ear, many do, and there's no other way that I can explain a small child with the ability to sit at a piano and play any song they've heard or a singer who can harmonize and improvise or a composer who can dream up symphonies than to believe those people have God-given gifts.  Music has long been a way to praise and worship, and many musicians get their start in church.   I believe in a creator God, and I think music was a pretty incredible creation!

A life in order is what I write about, and I think music can play a large part in a meaningful life.  Are you taking advantage of all the opportunities listen to, play, learn, sing, teach, feel, appreciate, see God, and see others’ hearts in music?