Ever since I could remember, music has been a part of my life. Motown records used to comfort me when I was a baby. I was the kid that was constantly singing in front of the mirror or making up my own songs. I would bang out silly little tunes on my grandmother’s piano or watch VH1 with my dad. Music was all around me, and I drank it in greedily. Music is a part of me. I believe in the power of music.
For me, music isn’t just something to turn on in the car to pass the time or cover up the silence. Music is a language all its own, stirring up emotions I never thought I could feel. The best feeling in the world is finding the music that creates your most powerful emotions. I found mine about two years ago and I haven’t gone back since. My favorite song is “Acoustic #3” by The Goo Goo Dolls, a song I would highly recommend you give a listen to. It’s a relatively short song, just under two minutes. But in those minutes, I understand why music means so much to me. It’s not just noise, but a story that means the world to someone. At first listen, the song sounds much like a lullaby, just a simple acoustic guitar that has a very soft and soothing quality to it. But if you listen closer to the lyrics, you realize that there’s so much more. The song tells a story of pain, remorse, hopelessness, every desperate feeling you can think of. And I find the beauty in that. The beauty for me is the fact that it makes me see that I’m not alone in the struggle of life.
Music has gotten me through times of pain. My grandmother died very suddenly when I was in 6th grade, and it hit me extremely hard. I was very close to her because I spent so much time at her house as a child. She loved music too; she had possibly the biggest CD collection that I’ve ever seen. When she died, I turned to my music. I listened to songs that I could relate to her, or I would sit down and write out lyrics. One song that really helped me was “Ever the Same” by Rob Thomas. When I listened to it, I just started balling my eyes out because it finally hit me that she was really gone. And from that point, I was able to start the healing process. Music was very therapeutic for me; I still turn to it whenever I need a break from the real world. It is essentially my happy place. Even some of the people I know are part of that, because most of my best friends are the ones I’ve met through music programs.
Music has always been there for me, even when everyone else couldn’t be. I honestly don’t know where I would be without music; it keeps me sane. I firmly believe that music has the power to connect everyone in this planet. Because even with all our differences, music is all around us, in every culture on every continent. Music is my love, and it is a part of me.