I was born into an artistic, musical family, where everyone played at least one musical instrument. My mother played saxophone and piano, my father learned to play trombone along with my brother, and I couldn’t wait to take trumpet lessons, and then later on French Horn.
My brother and I drummed our way through almost every meal with forks and plates and our voices. And our parents didn’t shush us. So it’s no surprise that my brother has been a musician all of his life — playing percussion and arranging and producing for vocal artists. As I was choosing a major in college, I was torn between music and theatre, so it is understandable that musical theatre became the perfect blend for me.
I don’t know what other kids did on Friday nights, but until my brother and I got into high school, we had a jam session with our parents. Mom would sit at the piano, take out the worn-out hymnal, and we all grooved along to The Old Rugged Cross and other classics.
I am an artist, director and creative individual not only because of the home environment I grew up in, but also the school environment I was educated in. I grew up in the Akron, Ohio public school system. And at the time- Akron infused arts and music as a central tenet of their educational design. So every elementary student went to the theatre, to the Cleveland Orchestra, to the opera. Our elementary school and high school in the district had an orchestra, a band, a choir, a vibrant music department.
As I grew older I was stunned to learn that not every child grew up with that much music in their lives. I am eternally grateful for the role music played in my early life, and in my life every single day.
Whether or not we play an instrument, or can sing very well, we have all been surrounded by music all of our lives. Many of our mothers sang lullabies to us to calm us down, our parents may have played records and the radio in our homes, and we were always aware of the playing of music for special occasions.
One of the best descriptions of how music impacts our lives is to view music as time travel. Can we travel through time?
Yes — David Epps tells us, “Music has the ability to take one back to a point in time and, for a few moments, allow one to experience memories, feelings, and emotions. Music has the power of transportation.” — David Epps
When that old song plays in our car, we sing along —loudly — and we know every single word, because that song was popular when we were in high school. We are instantly back in that moment. In that school gym, at the football game, at the dance, at that party. We can’t remember what we had for lunch, but we know every word and every note of that song.
The link between music and memory serves us well as we age. Even when someone has fallen silent due to dementia, music is still recognizable. When my mother was not able to speak well, near the end of her life, due to Alzheimers, we sang together. It was amazing. She often didn’t know exactly who I was, but there were a few songs we always sang together when I was young, and all I had to do when I was visiting her was break the silence by singing the beginning of one of those songs, and she would join in with a look of sudden recognition in her eyes.
My mother’s sister, my aunt Dorothy was also a musician. She could play the piano and the organ, and her claim to fame was her ability to sit between an organ and piano at her favorite bar, and put one hand on each instrument and play them both at the same time. When I last visited her in assisted living, as we sang one of her favorite songs, she struggled a bit with the words, but she lifted up her hands and played the piano and organ with perfect fingering with her eyes closed. Music transported her to a different time.
I don’t know with any authority why some people have musical ability and others don’t. I suspect that our upbringing and our exposure to it has a lot to do with it. I also choose to believe that musical aptitude and abilities are gifted to us from God. One of these days, I am going to talk about the gifts that we randomly receive — but for today, I believe that the gift of making music is a spiritual gift. Composers, singers and instrumentalists are able to guide our emotions and our spirits. That is something that comes from outside of us — from something much bigger than we are.
We read in the Bible:
“God gives us many kinds of special abilities, but it is the same Spirit who is the source of them all.” — I Corinthians 12:4
Music is the universal language of expression and emotion, and for many of us, it connects us to God. In this movie clip from Amadeus, we hear the composer Salieri describe the musical abilities of his rival Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. All Salieri ever wanted to do was to write beautiful music to please God. And yet, all along the way, he was upstaged by the very young, brash, disrespectful Mozart, who often acted like a buffoon.
We may not know the language or the structure of music, nor have the ability to perform it, but we all have our jams. We know how to relax to music after a difficult day. We don’t know how to write music, but we know when a phrase or some lyrics reflect exactly how we feel. There is an undeniable impact on our mood from music. I can’t imagine a world without composers, singers, bands, musicians, dancers, songs. Films without music would be boring, tv advertisements would be even more lame without music.
Music brings people together. It is a powerful art form with human interaction at its core. Something wonderful and thrilling happens when people make music together. You can witness it every single Sunday right here. I love watching how this group of musicians work together — just by looking at each other right in the middle of the song, they give each other information — the singers encourage each other with smiles and facial expressions. When people perform together, they learn a lot about each other and they grow more compassionate towards each other.
Music improves our heath and our wellbeing. Listening to music calms us, lowers our blood pressure and improves our mood. Music energizes us, and gets us moving.
Music is a creative outlet. Humans have used sound and music since the dawn of primitive culture as a way to express themselves and to get their voices heard.
One of my favorite speech assignments I used to give in my Public Speaking classes was to have the students select which song is the best song to serve as the soundtrack of their life at that point in their lives. They were encouraged to play some of the song, and then to tell us why that song reflects where they are in their lives.
What about you? What song is your favorite, or seems to describe your life — maybe now, or at an earlier stage in your life? Many couples have a “song” — a song that means something to them. Do you have a song that has special significance to you?
Music is vital to my life. I absolutely love it. I have to agree with the words of Plato:
“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” — Plato
Amen.
Musician Billy Joel stated: “I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” — Billy Joel
I am certain that we all leave here today with a renewed appreciation for music in general, and for our musicians specifically. Thank you Entry Point Band for all that you do to lift our spirits every Sunday.
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