The Magic of Music

There is a powerful magic in the air. It can’t be seen or touched, but it can manipulate our mood and affect our senses like nothing else. It has wielded its power since the beginning of humanity and has been our constant companion throughout all of our history. It has inspired armies to march into battle, brought lovers together, and made us shed tears and feel joy.

This magic is called “Music,” and it comes in many genres. Each generation stubbornly claims the music of their era is the best! There is no unified consensus on what is good or bad music: it is a matter of personal taste. Some people have a limited palette and a specific taste for certain forms of music, and seldom find enjoyment when straying from them. Others are eclectic in their tastes and enjoy a wide range of musical styles. No matter what our individual tastes may be, there is no denying the importance to us.

Have you ever heard a song that immediately transported you back to a place in your memory, perhaps a Christmas song that took you back to when you were a child experiencing Christmas? Have you ever listened to a song that seduced and so inspired you to make a fool of yourself on the dancefloor? I know I have. Okay…maybe a few adult beverages partnered with music in a joint plot to embarrass me! Music can cut through the B.S. Its magic can break down walls and hit upon raw emotions hidden deep within us. It can transport us into nostalgia or inspire and give us hope for our future. It can fulfill us through both creating it and listening to it. It has a unique way of unifying us in a communal celebration of sound. It can affect us immediately, bringing forth an endless range of emotions.

Music has been a rallying call for civic movements, such as America’s youth in the late 60s, who used it to fuel social protest. It provides another dimension and level of experience to motion pictures. We experience anxiety and fear when we hear the theme to “Jaws” and intrigue when hearing the music of “The Godfather. There is no separating the marriage of the senses in the visual experience of movies, so intimately tied to its sounds and music. Imagine Star Trek without its theme song, or Star Wars without John Williams’ soundtrack. The music and the artists who create it have had, and continue to have, an influence on many aspects of culture. Many through history have wielded the power of music: Mozart, Beethoven, Glen Miller, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Little Richard. The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Prince, Rush, Van Halen…the list is too long to cite. As individuals, we might have been touched by music that was not well known or globally popular, and that’s the beauty of music: It’s communal and also deeply personal. The power of music is, in some ways, mysterious but truly undeniable.