Music: a window to the soul and an invitation into wellness
I can’t tell you when my love of music started. However, I can confidently tell you a story of how it has grown over time in a bold and cathartic way. Over the years, music has inspired my creativity and acted as an emotional safe place.
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On a warm evening in Florence during the summer of 2018, I walked under the arches below the Vasarian corridor and looked over the Ponte Vecchio bridge. I still remember the warmth of the sun and the biting mosquitos, but more than anything I remember the soundtrack that played in my mind as I strolled. I must have walked under those arches a thousand times before, but this time it felt different. I had a song from the La La Land soundtrack playing in my head. In the movie, the lead actress Emma Stone hummed to the tune of ‘City of Stars’; as her voice arose in my mind it seemed as though my eyes were opened to the full beauty of my surroundings. In the quiet of the evening, this song burst onto the scene and coloured my simple evening walk with richness, vibrance, and deep admiration for that moment in time. I hope my mind keeps a hold of that memory and that it continues to take me to a place of elation in the way that only music can. This experience shows how music goes beyond the simple sounds that we hear; it is a lasting presence that shapes our lives.
Dating back to the earliest periods of history, music has been more than just a collection of instruments and voices producing pleasant sounds. The beloved author Maya Angelou once said: “Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.” And, like this, she demonstrates how music can provide a safe space for some people. For many, creating or listening to music can be a form of meditation and therapy, a declaration of faith, or an act of celebration; music can also stimulate moments of clarity. Incorporating music into our lives has numerous benefits, including improved emotional regulation, sleep, and memory. In times of bereavement, music can play an integral role in navigating the grieving process, helping those in mourning to express and reflect on emotions, develop a sense of community, and honour the loved ones they have lost. Music is also found to aid recognition of the interconnectedness between our individual identities, our race, and our culture. This is particularly true when music is strongly tied to upbringing and spiritual practices.
From 1526 until 1867, slaves used songs as a means of communicating escape routes away from their masters. These songs held a promise and embodied the virtues of hope, courage, and strength for every person that sang them. When sung today, we are reminded of the depth of suffering that people went through; people like us, with hopes, dreams, and hearts full of love. Whilst these songs are no longer used for their original purpose, they still evoke the same emotions they did many years ago. They reveal the rawness of what it means to be human; they are declarations of grace and prayers for a brighter future. In the same way, Christians often sing songs of worship as a means of communicating with the One they hold to be the creator of their being; a way of prophesying and praying. When songs and hymns are sung in the Christian faith, they often communicate themes that are foundational to their beliefs. These themes tend to centre around repentance, praise, and reverence.
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Music has the profound ability to narrate beautiful stories that are universally understood. It is a force and tool for opening minds and hearts. It unites generations and seas of people. It can foster and build relationships. Research shows that when music is combined with dancing, interpersonal relationships are strengthened in stroke survivors and interactions between parents and their young children are improved. Music can often pierce into the core of who we are without us realising. It can also be a participant and a champion in the story of our lives, holding sacred spaces in time that come to define moments of who we are. It carries an audible presence that can be felt if we invite it to the occasions of our lifetimes.
I wonder if we can draw on the many ways that music paints warmth and colour into the picture of our lives. Our listening experience could start with a five-minute dance party to a song from a favourite band, a simple pop song on the morning commute to work, or a song that articulates exactly how you feel during a hard time. However your experience with music starts, let it ground you, excite you, and bring you pleasure.
Music gives birth to it’s own world and I wonder how different our lives would be if we engaged with it beyond what we hear. What barriers will music break? What hearts will it open and what fires will it start? Maybe it will transform our identities or maybe it will leave a beautiful memory.
