lifestyle

Does Anyone Listen To Music Anymore?

I love music, so many different types of music.  Whenever I get the chance, I will have some music playing.  No matter what style you choose, music seems to make even the most mundane activities come alive.  In the same way that a movie soundtrack amplifies your experience of the film, music in the background of your life has the power to distract us and entertain us, making even drudgery pleasant.  But am I really listening to this music?

The trouble is, most of us treat music like a silence filler, like a solution to no sound, rather than something wonderful in itself.  We play music in the background while we drive, or when we run.  It is a sort of reflex reaction to quietness.  When was the last time that you listened to music by itself?  When was the last time that music was the primary focus of what you were doing? 

There is nothing wrong with playing music as background to whatever else you are doing, but some times it is good for us to bring it forward to be the focus.  We can experience so much more if we shut out the distractions and simply listen to the music by itself.

Try this today:

Organise some beautiful music to listen to, either out loud or through headphones.  Sit or lie down and do nothing but listen.  Instead of playing music in the background while you do other things, make music the foreground.  Close your eyes to shut out distractions and just listen.  Concentrate on the details of the music, then concentrate on the whole piece.  Concentrate on the rhythm and the melody.  Wonder about the words if there are any, or try to understand what the music is telling you if there is not.  Then forget your analysis and let the music carry you along for a while.  Let it take you to a new and exhilarating state.  How do you feel?  What pictures come into your mind?  What sensations run through your body?

By focusing on music by itself, you will find that you are able to shut out the world for a few minutes and travel in another time.  You will find that you are able to change your state of mind by deliberately choosing what music to listen to.  In a few short minutes you will be able to progress through a range of emotions and sensations that leave you feeling refreshed and renewed, ready to come back to reality.  As a side benefit, you will also gain a deeper appreciation of the music and the art of the musicians.

What I am writing about here is quality of life.  Listening to music in this way is a luxury that doesn’t cost much but can transform your experience of being alive.  It is like diving into the ocean or watching birds soaring overhead.  Music can carry you to a place that is on another plane way above street level. 

Try listening to some music by itself today and let me know what it does for you. 

Thanks

Tom