GJCAE

Do you listen to music? Do you tap your pen or slap your leg to the beat or rhythm of music you really like? Do you sometimes make up rhythmic patterns in the middle of class or a meeting when you are bored? I feel confident you answered yes to all of the above questions. Guess what? You may not consider yourself a singer or a trained musician, but you are a musician. It is a condition of being human. And a GOOD one.

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My first installment of this series focused on the idea that music does not "make" you feel things. In this session, I want to take this a step further and explore how WE affect music and may ultimately be effected by it. Let's start by making a list of your three favorite songs. I know it's tough to pare it down to three but give it a shot. Okay, do you have your three? Great!

First, is there anything similar about these songs such as style, tempo, lyrics or even artist? Second, how old are the songs and can you relocate certain points in your life when you listen to each song? Third, do you think of specific people when you listen to each songs? Let's make a list: type of music, points in your life, and people. The last one, people, always gets me. I am very sentimental and I believe we are the "sum of who we know" (topic for future writing and book.

Remember this, if you are thinking of certain feelings, events, or people those feelings are exclusive to you!! If you hear the song, "Don't Stop Believing", by Journey, maybe you feel nothing because you never listened to it at the time it was on pop radio in 1981-82. Maybe you think of the person you were dating or broke your heart when the song was on the radio. Or maybe you think of the series finale of THE SOPRANOS. That was the song playing on the juke box while the Soprano family was sitting down to dinner when the screen went to black. In that case listening to this song allows you to express emotions as to whether or not you liked the way the series ended.

The point is that YOU do the feeling, remembering, and people associations associated with music as it relates to you. When we hear a new piece of music or song we may categorize it in our mind initially based on style. I encourage you to keep your ears open and explore all kinds of music. If you do not like a certain piece or style of music there is NOTHING wrong with you. You just don't like it. Just as you don't like certain flavors of ice cream. You don't know why and it does not matter. You stick to the flavors you like. Sometimes you can try a new flavor and get hooked quick. Music is the same way.  Don't be afraid to listen to and enjoy as many flavors as you can.