What music means to me
I'm a fairly musical person, and a huge portion of my day is devoted to practicing my musical instruments; which is primarily composed of piano and alto saxophone, but I occasionally pick up my flute. I also plan to minor in music education because I want to give back to my community and encourage people to pick up musical instruments. When I play a musical instrument, I can ignore everything that's wrong in the world. All I have to focus on is that I'm playing the right notes and the other technicalities of the instrument I'm playing. Sometimes, I find it hard to express myself through words, but I never have trouble expressing myself
through music because it's not something that I have to try for. When I'm feeling blue, all I have to do is pick up my saxophone and let the melodies flow and I'll start to feel better. If I'm in a good mood, I'll go to the piano and play a Beethoven sonata at Presto and just bang away on the keys.
Also, music allows me to peek inside the mind of others. When I'm sitting in a concert, I can listen for little things that the musician does that signals his moods or his habits; a crescendo that lasts too long, a mournful vibrato. A true musician is a person that allows the audience to really understand what's going through his or her head; someone that creates music that people can connect to. I love sitting through a concert where the music is so expressive, that after it's over, it feels like I know the musician a lot better.
People find it strange that I'm so musical, but it's a part of me. No matter where I go, I'll always be doing something musical, whether it be tapping my fingers on my desk in a rhythmic manner, or whistling a random tune. Rhythm is in all of us, in our hearts which is constantly beating out a rhythm -- the rhythm of life (that wasn't supposed to sound so corny).
What does music mean to you?
This entry was posted on June 30, 2008 at 05:08 PM and is filed under Music,.
By Jay · on June 30, 2008
Oh God. I couldn’t whistle if you paid me. I just make this odd raspberry-like sound and everyone laughs.
Playing piano would be fun if I didn’t have to do exams. Because in exams you can’t just play what you want to (the songs they pick aren’t very appealing).
I’m probably one of those people who really annoy you while you’re listening to the crescendo and moods of a performance. I’m the one giggling in the back row with a friend.
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I’m like you; I’m not good with expressing my feelings through words, but with music, it just feels natural to me. It’s funny, we play the same instruments as well. :P
I love music with a lot of expression, and I can really relate to music by Chopin or Debussy. Music is interpreted differently for each person, and that’s why I love it. :)
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I love music, too; in fact, I feel like it could be me writing this post instead of you (except I play violin and used to play piano, not saxophone/flute/piano)! Playing the violin allows me to let out some of my emotions, and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I’ve mastered a particularly hard piece. In terms of listening to music, I used to think classical music was just sleep-inducing (I prefer music with lyrics), but I’ve been listening to more of it as of late.
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I wish I were an ultra-musical person, just ‘cause it sounds cool, but really, I’m not.
I like listening to music, of course, and I have my share of favorite artists, bands, songs, genres, etc. But unlike a lot of people that say consider music = life, I think I can live without it.
Also, some people list “listening to music” as something that they like to do. Personally, I wouldn’t do that because it’s not something I do by itself, and only to have it as a background sound to something else I’m doing. Like for example, when I’m driving or mindlessly browsing the internet. I can’t have background music when I’m trying to sleep or when I’m doing something that requires concentration, like reading something important or writing.
That said, I can’t listen to music too loud (with the volume turned up), I suck at playing instruments and I can’t whistle.
*sigh*
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Hey Alex
How’s your ‘singing’ going? :D
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@Mindy: The piano teacher is evil for making me sing while playing…
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To me, lyrical songs are good… but the real music is the beat the words are being sang too. I’m a band student, I play the trombone, baritone and I really want to learn the saxophone this upcoming school year. I write amateur-ish songs on note pad, listen to a lot of classics and I just love music. People may not get that impression of me at first glance, it’s almost like something I only embrace behind closed doors until performance time. It does mean a lot to me, but I do not plan on taking it up as a profession. I think it’s great that you want to minor in music and give back, it shows where your heart and music meet up. Unfortunately for me, my hear lies somewhere else for a career, but there is no doubt that music really is a universal language and I’m glad I have my “own” to share with others.
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