Music: the Medicine of the Soul (or the highlight of a childhood)

Music has been a big part of my life, giving me many music related memories. My interest in music came pretty early, mostly because of how much a part of my parents’ lives it was. Growing up I was surrounded by music in many forms including music on the radio, records that my parents played, cassettes belonging to my sisters and I, and music at church.

            One of my most vivid memories of music as a child was at my church. In Sunday school we would learn songs and then perform them in front of the congregation every once in a while. Being the mature five-year-old that I was, whenever we performed, I was slightly embarrassed by my classmates (mostly the boys) who during our performances would frequently mess around and not sing. I took these songs very seriously and would sometimes practice at home to make sure I knew the words and corresponding hand motions that went with the song. I specifically remember one performance where we sang the song, and throughout the whole thing I was looking around making sure that I wasn’t doing anything wrong or standing out from everyone else. As I got older and started developing a pride and sense of embarrassment I began enjoying these performances less, but I still cherish the memories of singing as a group when I was young and carefree.

            Another early memory of music comes from piano recitals. I began playing piano early in my life because whatever my older sister Grace was doing (in this case taking piano lessons) was what I wanted to do, as a typical younger sister. My first few piano recitals were actually some of my best performances, because I was able to actually enjoy them! As a 3 ½ year old I didn’t yet understand what there was to be afraid of, and I thought it was no different from practicing at home. I only remember pieces of these first recitals, but according to my mom, anytime I got stuck or forgot a part of a song I was playing, I would turn to my teacher sitting in the front row of chairs and ask her what came next. Sadly, I’ve since realized that this isn’t the best plan of action when forgetting notes in a piano recital. I distinctly remember being about 5 years old and at a piano recital. While I was watching some of the older kids play, I was just astonished at how good they were. I couldn’t believe that they were able to move their fingers that fast and play so many notes at the same time. These experiences were a part of what has inspired me to keep playing piano to this day.

            One thing that my sisters and I did to entertain ourselves at the ages of 10, 6, and 4 was daily dance parties. We got our own CD player when I was about 5, which introduced us to a whole new realm of opportunities when it came to our own music. Some of our favorite CDs were a Kids’ Bop track, a collection of bible story songs, and the soundtrack from Veggie Tales’ “The pirates who don’t do anything”. All three had lots of good dance songs that we would use as background music to run in circles around our shared room, jump up and down and yell. This was always a fun time, but the second we heard one of our parents knock on the door, we would begin the quick and rehearsed protocol for such occasions. Grace would run to the door, I would run to pause the CD, and Laura would pick up anything from the floor. That way, we made sure that our parents never knew what a party we were having. All of us probably had some sort of idea that our parents could here every word and every thump of feet through the floor, but ignoring that was what made it fun.

            Overall, my early memories of music are very positive, and there are many of them. Though some of my most vivid memories are the ones that I didn’t enjoy, like realizing that people actually pay attention when you get up in from of them and play piano, I know that there were many more positive experiences with music in my childhood, and I know there are more to come.