Everyday Canvas

Music's Perks

Prompt: Write about a time you experienced music or a musician bringing a community together during difficult times. Did you feel more hopeful?

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Music is a shelter I like to hide in. I can just get lost in it as if my mind has taken wings, but I am more of a passive listener than a music maker.

At this point, I can’t remember an experience story that the prompt is asking for. The only music and community connection I can recall were the songs of the late sixties and seventies. “Where have all the flowers gone?” for example, and the songs of Peter, Paul, and Mary. One could say those were the difficult times with the Vietnam war going full blast. Such songs must have helped the population at large to deal with the horrid images on TV that caused frightfully negative emotions.

Earlier, when I was in my teens, a song would become popular and everyone around my age would be humming or singing it, even between classes and during the recess. Most love connections--that is, people who dated--had “their songs.” I never had a song with anybody, even my husband, although he favors or sings to me, “Fly me to the Moon,” which never meant all that much to me; therefore, it can’t be our song either. Except, I used to like the theme song of the Black Orpheus without it being attached to a guy emotionally. In addition, several other pop and folk songs and anything by Simon and Garfunkel have been and still are among my favorites.

On the other hand, my really favorite music is classical, such as Beethoven and Mozart, although I like to listen to most anything classical. Anything Beethoven especially the Moonlight Sonata and Chopin’s E-flat major nocturne are the pieces I listen to a lot. I also go nuts over classical guitar, especially Albeniz, Rodrigo, Granados, De Falla. Unfortunately, no one in my life understands those. They start talking or making comments while I am getting lost in the music. This feels so annoying. Thus, I mostly listen to my music alone, using ear pods and an MP3 player. It is much better that way.