I think it’s fair to say that music has probably been an escape for everyone at some point in their lives, that is, unless you come from a crazy Footloose town. I, personally, don’t know where I would be without music. Singing to be specific. It is a constant in my day to day life that brings joy to each of my days. I can do whatever I want when I sing and it just brings out my creative juices and really gets them flowing.

When I sing that’s when I let it all fly. Regrettably, I may not be able to play an instrument, but I do have my voice. Let me tell you when I’m singing with someone and that harmony is hit perfectly it gives me goosebumps every time and there is no other feeling than getting the music goosebumps. Haven’t you ever just been listening to a song and a note is hit just right or a chord makes perfect sense and you can’t help but get the chills? Well, that’s the music goosebumps. I’ve learned to experience this sensation due to that fact that I grew up listening to such artists as Aretha Franklin and Patsy Cline. If they don’t inspire a love of music in your soul then I don’t know what does.

I also can say that I have an appreciation for all types of music even though I do have my preferences. The reason I can appreciate all types of music, whether it’s my favorite or not, is because that is someone’s creativity, their escape. Music is emotion, whether it’s happiness, sadness, longing, love, anything. If you open yourself up to it you can feel what the person who wrote it or is singing or playing it is feeling and that’s where the appreciation lies. People turn to music when they need their emotions validated. When your heart is broken you find every playlist on the internet that allows your heart to ache and lets you really feel all your pains. When you’re on a road trip with your friends you play the classics that remind you of the same joy you felt when you were young and truly free. Emotions demand to be felt and music is that expression.

Like I said, I have an appreciation for all music but I have an even greater appreciation for a writer of music, or a composer if you will. I admire the ability to sit there and write a song and become completely enthralled in it. Whether they are writing lyrics or just composing the music itself, watching someone perform their own music is truly a look in to who they are. Someone’s music says a lot about them and can allow a deeper understanding of them more than any conversation ever could.

Appreciate music and the soul that goes in to it. Think about where you would be in your life without it. That thought right there should make you so grateful for those wonderful people who provide us with the means for us to solidify every emotion we’ve ever felt.