Music

I believe in music…

I grew up watching musicals such as, the Sound of Music, West Side Story, Grease, and Little Shop of Horrors, and listening to songs my mom would play on the piano like “Time in a Bottle,” “September Mourn,” and “I’ll have to Say I Love You in a Song.” There was never a time when there was not music playing in my house. If my mom was not playing the piano we would have the soundtracks to musicals playing or just some random music like Billy Joel. By the time I was five I was able to sing all the words to “Piano Man”. I had gotten my mom the Billy Joel piano music for her birthday. The first time she played it, I was about eight years old. She called me from downstairs and said, “Come and sing ‘Piano Man’ with me.” I sat down at the edge of the piano bench and started singing “IT’S NINE O’CLOCK ON A SATURDAY…” as loud as I could. I did not know it then, but music would become a major part of my life.

After I left for college I realized how much I miss that music and how I am glad to be raised the way I was. Occasionally, my roommates and I would watch Phantom of the Opera or Newsies and I would become homesick.

I never realized how peaceful and comforting the music could be. My house always had a warm feeling to it. I walk in and hear the sweet, soft, classical music playing and know I am home. Without the music my house would not feel so peaceful. I always took that for granted, and did not realize how much of a difference it made.

In my apartment we listen to music such as rock, pop, and country. It is not the calm music that I grew up on, so it still feels weird and different to me. I always look forward to going home. When I go home, it is like I am taking a trip back to the past and growing up all over again.

When there is music playing things are a lot calmer at my house. My brother, Brandon, and my sister, Nikki, bug each other less and our family spends more time talking and playing games. Once we were yelling at each other my parents turned on our Les Misérables soundtrack and we all stopped to sing and started dancing around the kitchen. In some ways you can say that the music is what kept my family together. Whenever I feel homesick, I always listen to Billy Joel or Les Misérables and I feel as though I am back in California with my family playing Monopoly or Rook. When I have a family of my own, I am going to raise them the way I was raised and have them grow up on musicals and me playing the piano. Music has taught me my definition of home.