Music: The Power Behind the Melody
I’m not the greatest musician. I played the flute in primary school and I am currently teaching myself the bass guitar and believe me, I’m not the best bassist! I may not be the next Jimi Hendrix but there’s something about music which draws me in - something that causes me to get lost in albums and the rhythms - so I wanted to write a blog post exploring the reasons why music is so magical and powerful.
When meeting someone, how many times have you asked the questions, “what music do you like?” or, “what’s your favourite band?”. Once I was with some friends at a festival and I saw a guy with a Panic at the Disco t-shirt; I ran up to him and said how much I loved their music too! We struck up a conversation and all these months later, we still keep in touch! Music has the power to break down the normal barriers of awkwardness and social tension; you can go from being strangers to best friends all because you both pressed a download button on Spotify!
Not only that, but music gives communities a platform to be heard on a global scale; one person recording a few chords in their bedroom can lead to a major social movement. Just look at the number of musicians who write about equality (and inequality!), feminism, and issues of race. Not only can music bring people together, but it can bring whole communities together!
That’s why concerts are so amazing; thousands of people sharing joy, happiness, and appreciation for the performance. Being able to dance and jump around with complete strangers is an incredible feeling because in that moment, all everyone is focused on is the music and having fun!
Music isn’t all about gigs and concerts though; how many times have you been having a bad day and decided to play a song that you know will put a smile on your face or allows you maybe just to ‘let it all out’? The number of playlists I have saved for a rainy day... I also have playlists for the sunny days too! Music is a powerful tool that helps us to cheer up even if it’s just a little bit; throughout lockdown, I would play my favourite songs at high volume and dance around my room just because it made me smile! Music helps people feel better; whether it’s to help you calm down if you’re stressed, cheering you up if you need cheering up, or just to help you relax.
So, music is more than the concerts, we can use it in our everyday lives to help us simply be happy. Music at home is a different type of joy than the one you experience at a gig, but it’s still music changing the way we view the world, each other, and ourselves. I wanted to write this to help people if they are sad or upset right now; putting on a playlist can truly help you!