Listening to Bruno Mars singing Uptown Funk takes me back a step…to Michael Jackson, to choreographed dance steps by singers, to guitars, a horn section, the strong beat of a drum. Uptown Funk is not just another song… it is a performance. The song makes me want to get up and dance, to laugh with friends…the song makes me just plain happy!
I have been writing this blog for over a year. In that time, I have realized the extent that music turns the very most mundane and ordinary happenings in my life into far from ordinary heights. I have included songs and references to songs so often in my posts that I start to think…”Whoa! people must be getting very tired of hearing about yet another melody or lyric from me!”…that is just how I am!
I have felt some sort of vindication from an article published in Psychology Today (What is Music…Exactly?, written by David M. Greenberg, 8/3/2016). The article is part of a series titled The Power of Music. I just happened upon this article and the words delve deeply into the meaning of music in our lives. A few interesting paragraphs from the article…
“Music is essential to many of our lives. We listen to it when waking up, while in transit, at work and with our friends. For many, music is like a constant companion. It can bring us joy and motivate us, accompany us through difficult times, and alleviate our worries.
Not only does music reach us on intellectual, social and emotional levels, but many describe it as spiritual or mystical. The use of melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic devices in music can induce a psychological state in both the musicians and the listener that is beyond words to describe. Music can bring us back to ourselves, be our mirror, and show us a side of us we may have long forgotten or never knew existed.”
Music has been at the center core of everything that I have every done in my life. I like the melodies, the harmonies, the lyrics, the instruments blending with the voices, the choreography of musicians with dancers and…most of all…the vibration of the sounds resounding through the world. Like the article from Psychology Today says, music brings me back to myself. Music is a mirror to our past, our present, our future. I learned the following quote when I was a child…
“The world is like a mirror, reflecting who we are and what we do. So, give to the world the best that you have and the best will come back to you.”
I do not know who originally wrote the quote, but I do know that it is very true. Music can be a catalyst to bring us to the point of giving our best. Sometimes…the best ideas sound naive and simplistic. However, if something works…then go for it!
I do honestly believe that music is the universal language of the entire world. It just might be that we need music like we need sunshine in our sometimes self-imposed busy lives.
Music is never ordinary to me. Music is the at the very essence of our existence…an important explanation of who we are and what we are and what we hope to be. Music is simply not just an ordinary part of our lives…it is an extraordinary part of our lives. Thank goodness for music and the way it can move our deepest emotions and our constant decisions!
kindergartenknowledge.com 
Music sorta fixes everything doesn’t it?! I’d be lost without it!
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Keep the music coming! Love how music speaks to my soul and yes it also makes me want to dance. And dancing with friends is better yet!
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Yea! I just knew that you would feel that way! I could dance half the night…Mike…not so much!!!! Although, we danced on our first date one million years ago!!!!!
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My siblings and I went to a Christian grade and high school. We did not have dances. Now when there are weddings my sisters and I make sure to dance because we feel like we missed out way back when.
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I went to public school all the way through high school and I guess that I went to every dance possible! I really don’t think that they have dances as much as when I was in school…except for the prom! One of my very good friends has two daughters who went to Baylor in Waco. Things are way different at Baylor than when I had friends in college there. Then…no dances, no parties etc sponsored by the school. Now…things are very different! They have fun, fun, fun… however, her girls are still Christian girls with high ideals! I suppose that dancing and parties did not hurt them at all! Her other daughter went to Texas Tech with our daughter and they both turned out fine!! And…I think that Texas Tech is party city!!
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I am not totally sure what our high school worried about with dancing. Now parents sponsor a prom dance and the kids don’t even want to go. That makes me wonder why also? But then I can wonder about a lot of life lol.
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Justin went to the prom, but he was not totally overwhelmed about it. He was all about leaving the prom and going to the “Waffle House” for breakfast! Kathleen was thrilled because about six couples met at one parent’s house. All of the parents went to take pictures and see them leave…they rode to the prom in a grandparent’s RV! We all drove to the hotel in Dallas (where the prom was held) to watch the RV drive up! Caused a scene for sure!
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being a music teacher-I especially love this!
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Thank you!! I imagine that you are a wonderful music teacher! Your writing flows like a song!
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Ah music, it brings joy to the soul and movement to my feet. I listen to music often and it always makes me dance. I heard a song over the p.a. system at Wal Mart the other day and went dancing down the isle (no one around of course). I loved Michael Jackson’s -“Thriller”. The rhythm. The dancing Michael did. Nice post.
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I love “Thriller” too! I like so many of his songs…especially “Black or White”! When we went to see the play…”Jersey Boys”…some of the audience was dancing in the aisles! I was way, way excited! The music was terrific!
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Oh, I love the Jersey Boys. Reminds me of the older singers from the 1950-1970 era.
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Your post reminded me of the Mathemusician here in El Paso, Texas: http://www.math.utep.edu/Faculty/lesser/Mathemusician.html . I agree, music is not ordinary at all. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Thank you! I am going to check out the Mathemusician tonight! Sounds very interesting!
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