Musically Speaking...

As long as I can remember, music has been a huge part of my life. Although my tastes in music have changed over time, I still find myself listening to quite a breadth of musical styles. My first memories of music hearken back to my early childhood in Omaha: I clearly remember dancing around the living room to Bobby Mcferrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on the stereo at our new house. I couldn't have been more than 4 or 5 years old, but that track was a musical revelation. I probably listened to that tune hundreds of times throughout my early childhood, and found it to be a stress reliever, before I even knew what stress really was. Bad day at School? Mom telling you to do too many chores? All I had to do was pop in the tape, crank it up, and let the music sweep my worries off to a far away place.

Music is a universal language that transcends cultural, physical, and emotional boundaries. Although we don't all listen to the same music, the elements that comprise the music we listen to are often the same. I have never come across an individual that didn't like at least one type of music. Although some may pigeonhole themselves into a certain genre that they enjoy, what they may not realize is that in essence, music serves the same purpose for all of us. Music makes us run the gamut of emotions: Some makes us happy, some makes us sad, but one thing is for sure, as humans, we love music. It helps us to relive memories, relieve stress, and establish our identities as individuals with particular tastes. I would challenge anyone to deny that the music that they listen to does not contribute, at least a little, to who they are as a person.

If you take nothing else away from today's blog, please take this bit of advice: Don't just hear your music, listen to it. I feel one of the main reasons that we relate to music so deeply is that we find much of ourselves in the lyrics, rhythms, and harmonies. We discover ourselves connecting with common situations portrayed through lyrics, or finding commonalities between the rhythm of a jazz riff and the pace of our lives. Music defines us as individuals and as groups, and much information can often be garnered about a person or clique by simply asking what kind of music they enjoy.

This cold wintry season, make sure to remember the power of music. Know that no matter where you are, in personal life or geographic location, that music will follow. Music will always be there to cheer you up, make you sad, and define who and where you are in life. Dig up some of the tunes you haven't listened to in ages, and remember fondly the first time you listened to them. Take that feeling and hold on to it, because musically speaking, more times than not, it will hit the right note.

A.S. Bloom