I Believe

Music: The Universal Language

Since the time that I was a small child, music has been a part of my life. Around the ages of five and three, my brother and I would go to a music class every Tuesday and Thursday. At this music class called kinder music, we were taught rhythm, allowed to play the xylophone, and were introduced to classical music. In the world today we use music as a form of therapy for severely mentally handicapped individuals whose minds are like a small child’s. As you watch the handicapped individuals listen to the music and play their instruments you can see them change right in front your eyes. Smiles find their way onto their normally impassive faces, and their wheelchair bound bodies may even start swaying to the music. And if you’re lucky they may even start singing for you.

However, that is not the end of music’s power over us. Although we may not realize it, music has a huge effect over our emotions. If you played sports then you know that many times a song would be blasted over the speakers to get you pumped and excited about the game. Why is it that while at church hymns are sung and special musical numbers are performed? The answer is nothing controls what we feel more than music. When you hear an upbeat song you find yourself wanting to jump around, dance crazily, and scream the lyrics at the top your lungs. Have you ever watched an emotional scene in a film without the music present? If you have, you know that without the music present, it is nearly impossible to feel the emotion of the scene. For example, without the music present it would be nearly impossible to feel the emotion that Rachel McAdams’ character in “The Time Travelers Wife” is experiencing while watching her husband die from a fatal gunshot wound.

Henry David Thoreau, a famous American author and poet stated, “In a world of peace and love, music would be the universal language.” No matter who we are or where we come from we can always understand the language of music. We can feel sadness, heartache, excitement, empowerment, and so many other emotions just from listening to a song. I adamantly believe that nothing is more powerful than music. It transcends culture and language barriers to bring us all something we desperately need, the chance to communicate with everyone around us.

What do you believe in?