MUSIC!
Music is such a helpful tool in life. It is there for us when we need something to listen to for advice, and it is just there when we need to smile. In this speech I will inform you as to why music is not only wanted, but physically needed in our daily lives.
Jo Dee Messina, a top album selling country artist, sings in her current single "Bring on the Rain" about overcoming those hard days and moving on. Jo Dee talks about being barely able to breath, but never letting herself die. She talks about never giving up and always giving more. The song "Bring on the Rain" is one that Jo Dee herself turns too when she hears the media talking down her clothes or the D.J's not approving of a certain picture taken. She uses it to help herself survive the days that world truly seems to be so against her. To Jo Dee her music is simply the way of expressing herself.
On September 11th when the world trade centers collapsed, we could all turn on our radios and hear our favorite songs singing of American pride. The songs helped us cope with the loss our country was facing. Rather it was the original "America The Beautiful" or Alan Jacksons new song "Where Were You When The World Stop Turning" or even the almost comedy song "Ohama Your Mama". All the songs helped us deal with an emotion we were not used to feeling. The emotion of complete insecurity. The songs were once again what we turned to in a time of fear. They were amazing pieces that helped us move on.
When you were a little kid on your birthday, most of us celebrated with a birthday cake and the famous birthday song. "Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy birthday dear the coolest kid in the world, happy birthday to you." This song made you feel happy. Made you feel special and it added a memory in your heart. We can all remember our childhood birthdays and the song, the famous 4 line song that meant so much to us. It might have just been one stupid song, but that one song means so much to the hearts of so many people all around the world. We can all come together in music. Music of all sorts.
“Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler is a song that people can turn to when they need the perfect song to thank someone for being their lifes support. It is a song that shows our relationships with not only our boyfriends and girlfriends, but the relationships with our parents, siblings and friends. It is a song that describes how much we all depend on eachother and how much we all do love eachother.
“How you Remind Me” by Nickel Back is a song that helps you focus on the positives in relationships. It reminds you that not all of love is bad. Even though there is a lot of horrible things going on in all of our lives, but if you have a strong relationship and remember the great times, in the end it will make you stronger to face the all the world in our lives chores.
I have the opportunity this semester of having a Danish foriegn exchange student stay with me. One of the first things I found out about her was her unique taste in music. She liked the same things I did...same groups....same people...same everything. I was confused at first. I mean, how does she know about eminem and destinys child? Then she explained to me, even over seas they have english music, but instead of listening to the wordst hey just listened to the beats. The actual music. The sound of the electric guitar and the drums filled their hearts and soul with emotions. They look deep and found their own meanings to every song even when they didn't know what the words were saying. Yet, the music still made an impression on an entire country, simply by the musical sounds.
The song “I Hope You Dance” sang by Lee Ann Womack was the song of complete inspiration for so many people last year. Rather you were graduating high school and had no idea what the future held, or if you were pregnant and wishing this upon your child, or if you had recently lost a friend or family member, this one song showed every emotions, nearly the entire world was feeling for someone in their lives. The song speaks of never settling for less then everything. Never setting low goals for yourself and always giving your heart and soul to everything that you believe in.
The above examples simply state what music can do for all of us, emotionally, but music also has wonderful physical powers as well. Brian Littrel, a member of the pop sensation BackStreet Boys was born with a hole in his heart. To watch Brian perform you would have never guessed that he was had a seious infection called bacterial endocarditis when he was just five years old. His heart condition ultimetly led to one of the most innovative and need childrens charities around. A charity that helps young children emotionally survive those physically draining heart problems. Brian credits much of his suvivol to that of music. He says throughout almost all interviews that music helped him keep his spirts up while he was going through such a terrifying ordeal. About two years ago Brian had open heart surgery and although everyday gets a little eaiser, Brian knows in his heart that the music played a large role in helping himself overcome his terrifying ordeal.
Student musician Betty-Ashton Andrews is expirementing with a new tenique. She is playing her harp in nurserys where very sick newborns can listen to the music with hopes that it will calm the babies down and let them rest and eventually help them grow and be healthy. ``It just puts them in a more restful state,'' says Betty-Ashton. ``It makes it easier for them to grow and heal.'' she contined. Her audience, usually 150 babies, is tucked into incubators and surrounded by nests of tubes and wires connected to respirators, heart monitors and intravenous fluids. Nurses and parents say they note subtle changes in the babies when Betty-Ashton plays and most welcome any balm for a trying time. For the babies, it helps erase the frightening sounds of machines and unusual voices, and soothes them to sleep when their mothers can't. NICU manager Diane Deslauriers said the babies' heart rates seem to go down and they seem to rely less on their respirators when they hear the harp music. ``The music simply bathes them with healthy sounds,'' he said. ``It's sort of like a sound massage.''
Music can give you an adranaline to cope with the hard days. You know just as much as I do, that when you are alone in your car you blare that Britney Spears and sing to the radio….come on you know its true. It doesn’t matter how much you want to deny it, music is just there. Rather it is being sang by Britney or Elton John, music is music and we all love the freedom it proves. Music has a way of soothing your soul, it helps distress your life when the world seems to be so against you and you don’t feel you can do anymore. You can always turn to music, to the guidance, for the relaxation. There is know feeling like the one of lighting candles, sitting in a bubble bath with the lights off listening to…
So many people get up in the morning dreading to go to work. Another day of disappoints, but imagine having a job that you live for. A job that makes you jump out of bed, instead of dragging your limp body out of bed at 4:30am for another disappointing day. So many people in the music industry go to work simply for the love of expressing themselves. Imagine getting paid to write? Or getting paid to sing? How awesome would that be!?
We all have songs that we relate too. You could relate to “Don’t Be Stupid” by Shania Twain one day and “Let’s Make Love” by Faith Hill the next. We all show our different personalities through music.
As my senior year in high school is sadly coming to an end I am forced to say goodbye to so many of my friends, teachers and coaches that have always been there for me and supporting me though all of my lives changes. I look back on all those days that my friends and I just sat in my basement and talked for hour and hours on end with nothing but our hot cocoa. Sitting back on bean bags just chatting the night away, and now I am forced to realize that those nights are no longer going to be there. I will never again be the same. The one song that describes this perfectly is “Graduation” by Vitamin C.
As we go on, we remember
All the times we had together
And as our lives change, come whatever
We will still be, friends forever
So now when I think of music, it is not all about love songs and breakups, it is also about inspiration for life.
