Deep and Meaningful Me: How Music is Painted in My Life

This is a guest post written by my friend Gemma who shares where her love of music comes from and what it means to her:


Music is life and speaks life - A statement you would find engraved in my heart.
I grew up a little bit on R'n'B - thanks to my three older brothers - but heavily on Christian/Gospel music. So let me briefly cover how religious music influenced my insight to music and what it means to me.

On a scheduled one-day-a-week basis, I would witness a congregation emotionally moved, inspired and broken down by the power of the words respired and accompanied by the passionate musicians situated at the far left corner of the stage in front of me. I use the word "respired" because it's the perfect word to help me explain to movements I saw, though technically unseen to the naked eye:

- "To inhale and exhale air for the purpose of maintaining life; breathe" - Every once in a while there would be someone there on the pulpit facing us, delivering a song. As they sang, it was like those words would exhale out of them, onto us. Influenced or quoted from Scripture, a message was being issued to all those that listened, and because inspired by Scripture it meant the purpose of the message was an application to a "healthier lifestyle". (in quotes because, of course, many would beg to differ).

- "To breathe freely again, after anxiety, trouble, etc." - Whether the person performing a song or the whole congregation singing in unison, I saw music exercised as relief to the trouble-minded; those who were experiencing mishaps in their life and had difficulty shaking off the negative or painful chains that was tearing them apart. Many would walk out that place a changed person after that, completely satisfied and chain-free. Few would even shed tears or in extreme cases, sob their mountains of baggage away in front of everyone. Either way, they got to breathe freely again.

Extreme? Dramatic? To both, yes. Whether it was really necessary sometimes - that's a question for that individual to answer and not for us to judge. Seeing music work in those ways influenced me to open myself to music, so the arguments out there about whether people with such beliefs are "allowed" to listen to music out of those beliefs has never stopped me. I listen to be uplifted, to be directed, to be entertained, to understand - Don't listen to those who oppose there being something good in everything because it's true. Did I say that right? I'll say it another way - there IS good things to get out of everything, so even those songs about gangs and stuff is great in letting others know life as it is outside their box and what not to do (I only hope!) I guess that could be the reason why people say what say about not exposing yourself to certain types. Again I believe it's a personally decision on whether these things lead them astray - music doesn't play that role for me and isn't considered a weakness.

I have no specific genre that I could label as a favorite, instead pretty much all types are bunched together and labeled as my No.1. I challenge everything out there, like right now I'm kind of going towards the flow of classical music which I admit takes quite a lot of patience. I never grasped Rock/Heavy Metal (and all those attached) too much when I tried it a few years back. I think if anyone was to get me started by maybe recommending me a few artists or give me some direction, I'd definitely give it another try. After that, if the blog owner allows me, I'll share whatever I experience with those to you too. (Was that a hint??)

I'll leave you with this song. I'm laughing out loud on the thought of even choosing this. After everything I've just shared with you, you'll probably be thinking something along the lines of - "What a rebel!!" Maybe it's the artist or the title...? Maybe it the lyrics "It's my life. It's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever. I just want to live while I'm alive..." - Whatever floats your boat :-)