Welcome to Art and Healing Wednesday!!
I grew up loving music. My parents always listened to music in the house; so I know a lot of the music from the 60’s, surprising all my friends. I sang in choirs through college and just continued to love music over the years. There’s something about music that is universal. You don’t have to be a musician to enjoy it and it really does have an impact on mood, health, and healing.
I remember when I read Don Campbell’s, The Mozart Effect, the new insights I gained about how music can be used for healing. The old saying, “Music soothes the savage beast” could pertain to the illness living inside your body…one never knows…do one!
What I like about technology (and believe me I am not a techno wiz) is how available music has become. Think about 1979 when the Sony Walkman was introduced and how that revolutionized how we listen to music. Music became portable and it could be the selection you want, not just listening to a transistor radio.
New technology allows you to carry your entire music collection with you at all times. Why is that important? Because, at least for me, the music I listen to at any given time is directly related to my current mood, or the mood I would like to establish. I like to sing so there are certain CDs I play when I feel the need to belt out a song.
As technology has progressed, it has become easier to carry more music around with you. The new smart phones even allow you to have internet connection so if there’s a music video you love you can bookmark it so it’s ready whenever you want it. I currently have two songs from GLEE bookmarked on YouTube…quick and easy access.
Listening to music makes my body start to move and for someone who doesn’t like to exercise, that’s a big thing. I find myself walking in time to the rhythm, watch out for those fast dance songs…they can take you by surprise. I listen to disco when I’m in my studio creating textile art…I find that my hands like to move to the beat of the music when I’m stitching a piece.
You don’t have to have any musical ability to love music. It is accessible, fun, and generates good vibes. I remember an episode of , Ally McBeal where she goes to see her therapist, Tracy Ullman. Her therapist asks her to find a theme song. I think it’s a brilliant idea…if you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.
When facing a chronic or other life-altering illness small pleasures can mean a lot. Find a way to incorporate more music in your life. If you enjoy playing music, that’s just taking it one step further.
For more information on health and healing go to the website, www.survivingstrong.com
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 
Hi Greg,
I read your post about the Ally McBeal episode and the personal theme. My personal theme got me through many a day when I had to drag myself into work.
My song wasn’t particularly meaningful, but it was one where I could remember a few bars of the catchy melody. More than anything, it reminded me that I had a way to get myself out of a funk, and it tied me back to the fanciful use of the theme in the way that Ally did.
Happy New Year,
ALB