Music Is Power | Teen Ink

Music Is Power

April 1, 2015
By esme_mor BRONZE, Shoreline, Washington
esme_mor BRONZE, Shoreline, Washington
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

 “Music is what feelings sound like.” An unknown author created that quote, however anonymity does not dismiss them. All over the world, music is considered a basic necessity. I have never met anyone who did not like music. For it doesn’t matter if you don’t like a certain type of music, because there is a whole wide spectrum of music.

That’s what’s incredible. That music has the influence to express one’s feelings. To create feelings. To give feelings. Music can inspire you. It can lift you up. It can make dark days less dark. A rhythm that can transcend into reality and wrap around fixed minds. That is amazing. That is powerful and inspiring. That is music.
   

I started playing violin when I was in 5th grade. I had no interest whatsoever in playing, and honestly I didn’t like playing violin for the first few months I started. I took it because my sister played violin, and we wanted to keep the tradition. I didn’t have a personal connection with the sounds the violin produced, because I didn’t try to create a connection. That makes a big difference.
   

Take for example a human being. If you don’t try to build and fortify a connection with that person, you will always have a limited amount of interest in that person. Same went for my violin. I didn’t try, therefore no results were immediately seen, to my sister’s dismay. Until I allowed myself to open up to the music, to create the music, to feel the music was when the split connection connected into a single fortified line. Violin allowed me to express feelings. Not just mine, but of the story the music told. The story created through the mind of  the composer. This singular idea turned into a tale told with music. Dark themed. Action themed. Classical theme, although it wasn’t my favorite. And in turn, the music I helped to spread, made other people feel the story. No words necessary. Just the emotions one puts in sound.


    Now the other instrument. (Yes, I’m going to talk about more than one instrument.) The piano. Ah, the piano! Playing Mary Had a Little Lamb. Yes, my favorite. Some may say. In all truthfulness, I wasn’t forced to play piano. I was more pushed to neglect it, actually. (My parents didn’t want to pay for a piano. But, they gave in.)  In my school, they have these really old pianos that are located in practice rooms. Now, normally I would go to practice rooms to escape the ever chaotic, noise-drowning, scream-filled cafeteria. However, it occurred to me that maybe I should try it. Just one finger. On one of those indecipherable little keys.


    Ding!
    Hm. Maybe a bit more.
    Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
   

And, from that moment on, I was like, Heck yeah, Piano! Let’s do this. I didn’t want to to learn piano notes because there are like 88. And, my freshman mind thought that was too much. So I just would stare at people’s hands in YouTube videos and trace them back to the piano at school.


It was exciting. To discover a new way to play that instrument. I was practically oozing giddiness, every time I played. Given, that it was a hard task to constantly be pushing the pause button and remembering where every little note is. But, what mattered was how it made me feel. Yes, it did give me a good sense of accomplishment. But, it allowed me to exfoliate emotions in a whole other new way. And at times, when I was angry or just feeling not content, I would just sit at the piano and start moving those fingers on those indecipherable keys.
   

And, it was pretty awesome how much better it made me feel afterwards.

 

I guess, what I’m trying to say is that, music is important. Like, hugely. Music has the power to do so much and the more one thinks about it, maybe that’s why it was created in the first place. To give off emotions and to release emotions. Used in ceremonies, rituals, practices, theater, movies, commercials and just for one’s enjoyment. Music is so powerful. And, it’s quite humbling knowing we also have a shared power with music to do the same. To entertain humanity. To cure humanity. To change humanity.



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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 4 comments.


on Apr. 16 2015 at 7:57 pm
gone45637 BRONZE, Tucker, Georgia
4 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
There is a method to my madness.

This is the first time I have ever heard of someone that thought music was as important as I do. Music is my life. When I was in fourth grade, my parents bought me a guitar, and the following March, they registered me for private lessons. That was the beginning of what I hope to be a life-long passion. When I was in sixth grade, my parents registered me for private piano lessons after I had started trying to teach myself. That year, I also joined my school's orchestra. I chose to learn the viola and now whenever I refer to my instrument, I call it my child (I really don't care if it's weird). I am not in eighth grade and planning to start a band next year. I am also planning to start teaching myself either the bass guitar or the violin over the summer. I think that it is amazing that there is at least one other person on this site that is passionate about music. This article was amazing. You should definitely continue to write. (Sorry this ended up so long!)

farmer1 said...
on Apr. 8 2015 at 9:10 pm
farmer1, Mt. Pleasent, Pennsylvania
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Fear doesn't shut you down ................ it wakes you up. Tobias Eaton (Divergent, Veronica Roth)

I can really relate to this article. You are a fantastic writer.

on Apr. 8 2015 at 2:16 pm
esme_mor BRONZE, Shoreline, Washington
1 article 0 photos 1 comment
oh my god, thank you so much! Im glad you enjoy it, and yeah piano was pretty tough for me. but, if you stick with it, it'll be worth it :)

Shay<3 said...
on Apr. 7 2015 at 2:11 pm
I have been trying to teach myself the piano, it is nuts. I thought it would be a total breaze but it has been an interesting task for me, surprisingly I did teach myself Mary Had A Little Lamb. I am becoming good at hearing the notes then finding them with my ears. Honestly it is one amazing thing to do. And the quote from the beginning, so very true! I appreciate people who are interested in music like this because you never know what someone can do with that. Hehe, love this, and fantastic job on the writing of it! =)