The Power of Music

Throughout my life I have been blessed to have my home filled with different kinds of warm love. Instead of the smells of mom’s baking wafting through the house or the voice of my dad ringing through the halls as he came home from work, my house was filled with music and the passion it inspires. Whether it was Jeff Buckley, Elliot Smith, or even the voice of my dad, guitar in hand, warming the house and the hearts within it, there was always music to be heard, lyrics to be understood, and beliefs to be appreciated.

My dad has taught me about the deeper meaning of music to musicians and people, as well as how to recognize the value of each and every word that escapes their throat, listen to every note played, and experience the song itself. Every album is a storybook meant to be listened to all the way through, every song just another chapter in the novel. As a musician my dad creates works of art, songs that describe his childhood, his feelings toward life, and his beliefs. Every word he writes, every piece of musical notation he creates, and every song he records expresses himself in a pure and unique way that sustains who he his. He’s an entertainer, a philosopher, and a teacher, all through the music he creates.

While I may not posses the same musical creativity my father does, he’s taught me to appreciate it on a different scale. Through his teachings music has become a sort of panacea for me. It’s my therapy, my entertainment, my laughter, my expression, my teacher, and an overall crux in my life. I can take my appreciation for music and understanding of it and apply it to different aspects of my life, using the principles I take from it and using them as my own commandments. Of all the things I have learned from my appreciation for music, the most important is understanding and respect. I may not like all types of music, I can at least appreciate the creator of the piece for the feelings behind it and respect the work and effort that went into its creation. This is an idea I feel I can be applied to many different things in life.

When I traveled to Bali, instead of being judgmental of the people’s beliefs and treating them as erroneous and tenebrous, I was open-minded and appreciative of what they had to teach me. Because of this I was able to absorb their beliefs and culture like a sponge and use what I had learned to make myself a more cultured person who’s able to take the teachings of the people around me and apply it to my daily life. Music was my original mentor, and because of what it taught me the world and people within it have all become teachers and philosophers that I can continuously learn from.