What does music do?
Creates hope. Heals.
Provides escapism.
Creates community. Puts what you’ve been going through into words, let’s you know you’re not alone and things will get better.
Brings awareness to causes and situations.
It makes you believe you can sing and/or dance. You can do that. Good work in any genre makes you believe with a little work you can achieve greatness or at least you can do that. People who watch musicals or more recent dance movies like “Centerstage” and they didn’t realize those moves were an option. You have people who used to sneer at dance, especially ballet, floating out of the theatre, suddenly a ballerina, eyes up because they’re contemplating attempting a tour jete in the lobby. Just maybe. They’ll try one. Then they realize there are a couple dozen other people around them and they might kick them so the dance feat will have to wait until they get home. Living room look out.
Music inspires. It is on in the background while I write and I know on when others write. I’ve trained myself almost like a Pavlov’s dog. When the music is not on, I get distracted, make lists, circle around a project. When the music is on, I get in a zone and can type almost triple digit words per minute.
Music was always on in art class. I had one instructor who played Flaming Lips or cover bands. He’d only choose cover bands that did something different with the songs they covered so they made them their own. During break he’d explain why he chose them, what he felt made them different. Classmates would bring in music. Some would bring in their bands demos, nonchalantly slip them into the 3 hour line up then wait to hear what people said. They’d draw but also watch others faces. By the last chorus, were they singing along? Or were they looking like it was acid draining down their ears?
Someone asked if I can take credit for writing what I’ve written when there’s music on. I do take credit because I don’t know if music inspires to the point of the music creating the work (unless that’s the point of your project–you’re writing strictly to this type of music to see what happens). The type of music I listen changes depending what type of project I’m working on. Music does affect my mood. Even though the music has effected me and then I create the my work, I don’t believe the music wrote the work. It can influence me and therefore influence my writing but music is not using me as a speaker box or vessel. The person who asked me this feels if you’re inspired by a dream you can’t take credit for the work, because where do dreams come from? I argued your mind so therefore they’re your property and you created the work. They credit the universe. Fine and dandy.
Regardless of what type of music you listen to, music is meant to be enjoyed on some type of level. It provides opportunities for happiness, whether you’re listening to it by yourself, transporting yourself to another era or free-falling in a day-dream, or it’s on at a party meant to get people moving.