This is one of those things that band directors always ask, and the answer is always "music is life, I love band" stuff like that- but I think I've finally figured out what music is to me.
Music is water.
Let me explain:
The human body can go three weeks without food. It can only go 3 hours without water in harsh conditions, up to 8 days in normal conditions, but still highly unpleasant. In the same way, music is vital to survival. Living a day without music is going a day without water; tolerable, yes, but ideal- not in the slightest, and as the days go on, your brain becomes fuzzy and sleepy. You can't function like you should be able to, you don't feel right, something important is missing.
Water is rebirth. The cool rain that splashes on the earth and soaks into the ground makes the grass grow and the flowers bloom, it washes away the sins of the world. It creates the golden rows of corn that feed our livestock. It is the maker of new life; likewise, music washes away the transgressions of a person and allows for the beauty in a human to grow.
It can also cause grief. Hurricanes and tsunamis ravage towns and cities, leaving people isolated and alone. Nature has a way of destroying the things that it created; it has a cycle that can cause pain and tears. Music is not always blissful. Not every song is in a major key. It can remind us of the people that we have lost and find us recalling the darkest periods of our lives- but we must brave the depths of the valley in order to truly appreciate the mountaintop.
Sheer power. Water is ever-flowing, ever-changing, never quite the same every time; in this manner, music is always changing, always meaning something different to each listener. Water moves people from place to place, powers buildings, creates electricity. Music has power.
It soothes us. Water makes eases joints, detoxifies us, makes us feel weightless. The feeling of being underwater, being remarkably void of all feeling, the feeling of weightlessness and nothingness that seeps into your brain and bones. Underwater, there are no sounds from the outside world. No words from those you have wronged, no professions of love you've hidden inside for far too long, no vicious words words flung ruthlessly at your face by those closest to you. Underwater, you are alone with merely your thoughts, and all you can hear is silence. This is the effect of music- it can envelop you in a state of thoughtless silence. Music allows you to think clearly- or to not think at all.
Water is fun. Water can be deep abysses of unknown darkness- but it is also the patter of rain on pavement that children play in. It lines the beaches that we relax at, it creates the streams that we raft on and sprays through the sprinklers we run through. Music is fun, music is amusing, music can be downright silly, it can make us smile, it makes us happy.
But mostly-
Everything has water in it. The oceans that separate us, the rivers that connect us, the grass that flourishes green in the summer and the snow that covers it in the winter. The blood pumping in our veins that keeps us alive, down to the perfume we wear- they all contain water. In this way-
everything has music in it. The gentle roar of the oceans and the ripples of the river, the whoosh of grass being blown by an eastern wind, the laughter of children, the hushed sound of a dishwasher, the hum of busy hallways, the chirping of the birds in the morning- this is all music.
To me, music is water.
The world is an everlasting symphony.
Take a moment and listen.
-Brooke
