Music Matters

As a result of my faulty narrative memory, I struggle to remember my childhood. I remember instances and periods of time characterized by good, bad, and everything in between. However, I don’t REALLY remember it. I find it hard to recall what my days looked like, what I liked to do, and who I was. Sensory experiences help me to remember. So, one thing that I do remember about my childhood is: music. 

 

I remember the first album that I ever listened to in its entirety, “Bob Marley: Greatest Hits” by Bob Marley & The Wailers and I remember dancing with my father. I also remember the first time that I ever memorized a song in Spanish, “Corre” by Jesse y Joy and I remember singing with my grandmother. I was exposed to music before I was born and it has gone on to become one of my favorite things in the world. As cliche as it may sound, I truly don’t know where I would be without it. Music has allowed me to feel emotions I never had prior and it has lifted my spirits when I was feeling emotions too difficult to bear.

 

Honing in on five emotions: loneliness, grief, nostalgia, desire, and euphoria, this project will explore the role which music has played in relation to these emotions in both my own life and also the lives of five people around me. It serves to showcase the power of music, specifically as a form of therapy or medicine. 

 

It’s time we really talk about music and what it can do for us, emotionally and consequently, therapeutically  - after all, what do we have to lose?