For as long as I can remember, music has been a huge part of my life. I remember returning to Southern California from a visit with my cousins in Sacramento, and rushing to share about a new song I’d learned that was on the radio “up there”. As I began to sing ‘Delta Dawn’, my sisters all chimed in and sang it with me.
The thing is, it actually confused me, because I didn’t know that the same songs played on the radio no matter where you were. I thought I was going to share something new with my sisters, and was sad that I didn’t get to. Part of what was difficult about that experience was that I was embarrassed that I didn’t know how the radio worked. I felt dumb in front of the “big kids”. I wasn’t dumb, of course, but at the moment, I didn’t know it. I remember thinking to myself that if anyone tried to share something new that they’d learned with me, I would pay attention, no matter whether I’d heard it before or not. For me, this decision helped me to return to the group and enjoy the fact that we all knew the song, and that it was fun to sing together.
That experience was actually a game changer for me. In the middle of what could have been a terrible experience, I was given the clarity to turn it around and make something positive of it for myself, and ultimately, for other people.
When I take the time to listen to music I enjoy, I find that I connect to the music from deep within my body – the vibration of the music actually brings me a sense of Peace. I become aware of my breathing and how I’m experiencing the music. This is particularly true when I hear the cello.
I also enjoy singing. My sisters and I grew up singing, together and individually. Singing is one way that people connect to one another. I remember growing up and hearing one particular singer and knowing that he was born share love and connection through his music. The passion in his words and music invited something in the young person that was me, to come forth, and for that, I am forever grateful. And, I have a sister who is an accomplished singer-songwriter who makes me feel the same way when I listen to her. Her music touches the people who hear it, inviting them to feel the feelings they are experiencing, and to hear their stories in her words. On a larger scale, schools have songs to represent them, as do states, nations and countries. These songs bring people together as well. What a beautiful point of connection music is.
For this Peace Walker, music transcends barriers of all types, inviting connection and shared experience on a cellular level. And, for me, music is Peace.