Everyday Canvas

The Magic of Music

Ever since people stepped off the oceans into land, they knew to gather in ceremony and songs, honoring the seasons, elements, tides, tribes, nations, dreams, hopes, directions, birth and death. Still today, we continue with these rituals in our global community, singing songs known to all, around the world, like “We are the world.” This is the power of sound and music.

Many leading scientists are working on the phenomenon of music in relation to our beings, as the power of sound vibration shows its effects on matter, on cells, on our emotional and physical health. The magic lies in the fact that possibly each person is a song in the symphony of creation.

It has to be so because each musician and each fan of music realizes the power of music on thoughts and emotions. Music transforms even the ordinary into magical, by providing solace, release, sensations, recall, and many other things. We often associate certain songs or musical pieces with specific persons, places, and events. This facilitates the recollection and preserves the vividness of our memories.

Music is magical because it improves us. Studying an instrument will improve visual and verbal skills in addition to musical showmanship.

Magic of music is also in the feelings it inspires. Even babies move with emotion and make sounds to music. Accordingly, how deeply we may feel to which kind of music depends on the person. While I am deeply moved by all classical music, my husband loves to hear the clarinet the most, as he listened to his father play it ever since he opened his eyes to this world. Each person in my family is enchanted by a very different, sometimes slightly different, music, but then we each have our unique personalities.

Listening to music consciously is an art in itself. We can allow the sounds wash over us or we can listen to music actively. Upbeat melodies makes us happier, and sad songs talk to the hidden sorrows inside, making us face them and deal with them. At times, even sad music lifts us up. If this isn’t magic, what is?

Singing together or playing in a group brings us together. It helps us synchronize with each other, internally and externally. If this isn’t magic, what is?

After listening to music, I feel calmer, more into myself, yet understanding the feelings of others around me better than before. It is said, music heals sick people or makes their discomforts more manageable. It is said, music can be an important tool in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. An article in Discover magazine claims that music works on the same receptors in the brain as pain medication. If this isn’t magic, then what is?

And who says you can't fool around with the magic of music?