I distinctly remember the first time I heard Steve Miller Band; I was 14 and at a Halloween party with my boyfriend, I remember thinking “The Joker” was amazing. Little did I know that the band had been around since before I was born, and the musical goodness I had been missing out on for the first 14 years of my life. That’s when I discovered classic rock, then gangster rap and on to the alternative scene, etc. In 8th grade The Fugee’s came out with their rendition of “Killing Me Softly” and to this day it is one of my favorite songs (Credit to Lori Lieberman and Roberta Flack who sang it before Lauryn Hill revived the beautiful song).

Think back to a certain time in your life that you remember distinctly…what song comes to mind? Because it is expressive in nature, music naturally plays a role in the defining moments of our lives. Pain, love, loss and every emotion in between are incorporated into the lyrical art of music. Most is expressed with instruments and vocals, however many forms of music are expressed in raw form, without the aid of the human voice.

People find healing in music and it is therapeutic to the soul; often expressing feelings we could never articulate on our own. We all have a life soundtrack, some songs stay on the play list indefinitely and others are added as they reveal themselves to us. We even feel music in our body and move rhythmically (most of us) to the beat of the song. Next time you feel stressed, turn on your favorite song then sing and dance your heart out. Anyone who says they don’t feel better after that is lying.

I recently read an interview with an old high school friend (who is now in a famous band) about his musical background and influences. He recounted making up for lost time for all of the music he missed out on in childhood as the son of a United Pentecostal preacher. He introduced me to The Fugee’s and his interview reminded me of that time period in our lives when we my group of friends first began to discover the beauty and diversity in music.

Now I have a respectable musical collection, and if you hit shuffle you never know what you might get which is great. There is a song for every mood, and every mood can be lightened, even for just a few minutes by meditating on the therapeutic power of music.

Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent. ~ Victor Hugo