There’s a reason so many people work with quiet classical music playing in the background. Many of you likely already know this, but music has been shown to relieve stress in both remarkable and subtle ways. I saw one story that referred to music as our “social glue” – one more reason this wretched pandemic can’t end soon enough.Ī quick internet search of how music can positively impact our lives reveals plenty of studies and, surprisingly, still some unknowns around why we respond to music the way we do. I remember the experience of being part of the crowd at Boston’s Fenway Park singing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” and, like so many of you, we had a wonderful time singing “Friends in Low Places” at the Garth Brooks show a few years ago. There are songs that remind me of bygone and foggy days at a former legendary local nightspot called Coldwater Country (hello, “Amarillo Highway” by the Maines Brothers), and there are songs that remind me of people who came into my life for a season like the former sports department colleague who began each shift by reciting the opening lyrics to Def Leppard’s “Rock of Ages.” Remember? “ Gunter gleiben glauchen globen.” For example, when I hear the Black Crowes’ song “Hard to Handle,” it reminds me of covering Texas Tech baseball at Dan Law Field. If you are like me when it comes to music, you can probably hear certain songs and be immediately transported back to a unique times in your life. I listen to rock music on my car radio and enjoy the buzz that comes from discovering a new artist or song. Familiar music is a source of comfort and encouragement when I’m logging those early morning miles. My current playlist when I run in the mornings is a trip down nostalgia lane with super groups from the 1970s and (gulp) disco sharing time in my headphones. Music is pretty much a steady companion throughout my day. Like other music lovers, I’ve found myself regularly upgrading as formats have changed, although I can truthfully say I no longer have any eight-track tapes. Over the years, I’ve gone through numerous phases and have music of virtually every genre in my digital library. My mother, a huge Elvis Presley fan, instilled in me an appreciation for music and was careful to teach that variety is its own reward.
Personally, I’m OK with so-called nontraditional choices, and I’m leaning toward a mix where “Blessed Assurance” and U2’s “One” are included at my own “homegoing” service. I have attended funerals with traditional hymns, and I’ve attended them where they featured only Randy Travis music or ended with everyone singing the Texas Tech fight song.
When I meet with a couple planning to marry or family members planning a funeral, one of my questions is about musical preferences. Music is associated with commencements, weddings and funerals. For many, this likely began as infants as our moms, dads and other caregivers hummed or gently sang lullabies to us while we struggled to stay awake. Each of us has a soundtrack of memories attached to our milestone moments.
It’s important to remember that people not only connect with God through prayers and preaching, but also through the profound beauty of music.Īs I think about this, it seems music, pardon the pun, plays a significant role in our lives. We’ve been blessed with excellent music ministers and great singers. I’ve witnessed so many incredibly talented people sharing their musical gifts in church, and the church I serve has a wonderful musical legacy. I am equally proud of a niece and nephew who are accomplished cellists and right at home on a handful of other instruments. Occasionally, my grandfather would sing, which is one of the reasons I get emotional when I hear “How Great Thou Art.” The residue of her influence on my musical education remains as I can still play the first eight notes of “Silent Night,” but that’s the extent of my piano skills. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of my grandmother playing hymns on the piano and organ in the “music room” of their home. I have neither the ability to play a musical instrument nor carry a tune. I have always admired people with musical gifts. “Music is the shorthand of emotion.” - Leo Tolstoy
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