Hello friends,
What the world needs now is—music.
Music has comforted me, brought me joy, soothed me in grief, and celebrated the wonder of a sunset, the full moon, or the simple pleasure of being alive. My musical tastes span genres from silly children’s songs to pop, country, rock and roll, broadway musical soundtracks, and classical.
My all-time favorite music is anything live. Feeling the rhythms and listening to live voices and instruments has a way of embracing my entire being.
I had that amazing feeling this week at a live Jon Batiste concert. Flanked by two of my children, we became engulfed with the positivity and creativity of this incredible musician.
Batiste filled the audience with inspiring messages, lively tempos, and the luscious melody of “Butterfly.” His final musical walk through the audience had us in awe of his ability to connect to the diverse crowd.
I never understood this visceral connection until I read Daniel Levtin’s This Is Your Brain on Music. His very scientific approach validated what I always felt.
Music listening, performance, and composition engage nearly every area of the brain that we have so far identified, and involve nearly every neural subsystem.
His research on the connections between music and the brain revealed several lessons.
Music has a powerful impact on the human brain, affecting emotional responses and connections between individuals. Music can also help the brain therapeutically.
We don’t just listen to music, we feel it in our bodies and souls.
Music links to memory formation and retrieval that can trigger emotions and preserve memories for individuals with Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative diseases.
Music has the ability to evoke memories and emotions wth an intensity that few other stimuli can match.
Music is a universal language crossing cultural and linguistic barriers.
Music is not another language, it is the bridge between languages.
Music influences our creativity and identity and can enhance language skills and cognition.
Music has the power to spark creativity and inspire new ideas.
I hope you have an opportunity to experience live music. There is nothing like it to lift your spirits.
But listening to music on any device spawns a happy dance because, according to Levitin, “The brain is wired to respond to music with movement, it is impossible to stay still when the beat kicks in.”
Let’s dance!
Here’s a story and a musical tribute to living on the edge of possibility.
Music so enthralled a nine-year-old boy that his word went viral, and a children’s picture book now tells the story. Listen to Ronan here.
The words from Jon Batiste are pure poetry. Add his alluring melody, and you get the Grammy-nominated, “Butterfly.”
Butterfly all alone
But can you fly on your own?
Take your place in the world today
Butterfly flying home
“Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”—Kahlil Gibran
“Without music, life would be a blank to me.”
― Jane Austen, Emma
If you want to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be there waiting for you.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
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This is such a lovely post Kathryn. I had to laugh when you said music makes you move because my husband is watching a bluegrass program and my feet and hands are just a tapping. As a teacher this post just reminds me again how important it is to have the arts in schools-visual arts, theatre, music etc- Children need music for all the reasons you mentioned in this post.
I had just this week saw the post of the child you were talking about. Listening to that recording, his awe just tickled me and the audience reaction was great too. Now I am anxious to see the book that came out about it.
Lovely post! Music is fabulous! We all need it. It saddens me that so many countries in the world have taken away the Arts in schools. I read recently about Estonia's schools and how they've done the opposite with fabulous results for society. As you may know, I sing in a band and love to play gigs (now I've overcome my nerves!) I can't wait to get back to rehearsing soon. We went to see a local band play on Saturday night - half our band plays in it. So much fun despite not knowing any of the songs. Growing up in a different country is always evident through music, especially if it's in another language! My son plays in a band and is quite the musician (sax, keyboard, guitar). It was brilliant watching his band play.
Here's to music, live and recorded, and the joy it brings 🎼