Music Emotion

If I were to live a day in silence, devoid of any soundtrack, melody, or verse, I would feel as though the air had lost it's sweetness.

Music is a substance like no other. There is nothing that we could compare to the role of music in the lives and cultures of individuals around the globe. It is inclusive and universal, and unique to every location with similarities that run throughout. Music can take two strangers and connect them in an emotional and spiritual manner; it is a closeness that precedes physical boundaries.

There are certain things that need to have music, for me. These things simply won't get done without a good playlist or album. A road trip, vacuuming, settling in for a nice evening at home, summer drives along the lake. These moments in time are coloured and dipped in the sounds made by other awesome human beings. Those human beings choose to record and design the art that finds its way into my car stereo, and they have no idea that another human being in Canada has been living with their art as the soundtrack of their day. They have no idea the extent of their emotional influence on me; no reason to think I would care. Yet they keep putting music into the world, because they know it will be important to someone somewhere. And often, it's important to them too.

Music can be written because of past experiences, current emotion, or something totally beyond yourself as a person. Artists can craft songs that identify with the common denominators of their generation or culture, or they can write about things that are not felt by anyone but themselves.

The total carte-blanche of creativity that is available to us is very exciting. Want to do a jazz song? Awesome. Feel more country today? Go for it. Don't want to have words? No need to try any more.

Songs are entities of themselves. They are built and constructed, sometimes by human hands and sometimes by computers. (Neither one more or less art than the other) It's fun to watch a song grow from it's roots and beginning notes to the finishing touches. It's watching something be birthed into the world that is beautiful and new, and makes people consider something that is bigger than themselves. What could possibly be bad about that?

Unfortunately the medium of music is often misused. If the main purpose of music is to communicate an idea, then there are those that will communicate a damaging and negative idea. Men sexually dominating women, women trying to prove that they are worth the love men give them, and people hoping that they will be fulfilled by some sort of happiness found on earth. These messages get filtered through in hopes of selling albums, and we buy into the mesmerizing beats behind the lyrics. We have to be careful what messages are being portrayed by the art we choose. Do we agree with the messages?

Since music can change our moods, or even accelerate them, it is fun to use music to your advantage, If your morning begins in a foul mood, you are definitely more likely to reach for your sad/mad/upset playlist than your encouraging one. That's okay. But then try switching to a happier song, or maybe an artist that brings back pleasant memories. It flips your day, from a perpetually sour mood to being uplifted by the sounds in your earbuds.

And that, my friends, is the power of music. It can sway and twist and lift and surprise and bring all sorts of new feelings that weren't there before. So what are you listening to?



of course I have to give you Christmas music. 



Love, Natasha 


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