Monday, December 3, 2012

#Reverbbroads 2012: A New Voyage into Personal Blogging

Hello everyone! It has been... 11 months since I last posted on this blog. I thought I would take some time to dust off the old blog by participating in Reverb Broads 2012. What the heck is Reverb Broads? It is a talented group of Student Affairs bloggers who respond to specific blog prompts. Check out the #reverbbroads hashtag on Twitter for some amazing posts. Now, on to today's prompt:

What is your strongest memory tied to music?

Anyone who knows me is quite aware of how much I love music. When I saw this prompt, I was immediately drawn to it because I am a firm believer that one of the true gifts of music is the ability to take you back to a specific place in time locked in memories. Music is the key that unlocks the deepest parts of my soul.

So what would I classify as my strongest memory tied to music? Here are a few that instantly came to mind:

  1. Serenading my grandparents to "Islands in the Stream" at the age of 3 as we drove around town.
  2. Listening to Bon Jovi's "Keep the Faith" album repeatedly while dealing with my parents divorce.
  3. Late nights listening to "In My Life" by the Beatles as I contemplated high school graduation.
  4. Dancing with a random CNN producer to "Shining Star" at a Barack Obama campaign rally in 2008.
I could go on (and on and on) but it was pretty clear what song and memory I would use. In 8th grade, a friend of mine was walking home from the bus stop and was hit by a car. Her body flew through the air, and from what I remember being told, she died quickly. Around that same time, Eric Clapton's song "Tears in Heaven" was popular. In case you aren't aware, Eric Clapton wrote this song about the tragic death of his own son. As I coped with my first real experience with death and loss, I heard this song often. Even at the young age of 12, I was able to identify with the pain that is conveyed through the lyrics and rhythm of the song. To this day, if I hear this song, I am taken back to that time over 20 years ago when I first learned to deal with the finality of death.

Music is a beautiful gift that helps us celebrate victories and mourn losses. It is this connection to emotions that makes music so powerful.

No comments: