
We can’t escape music. The sounds of music have been around since the beginning of time. Think about it. There were drawings in caves of people dancing. The human voice has been around since the beginning of times too. A mother singing a lullaby to a baby is soothing. Jack in the Box makes a child laugh. We can’t leave out the music boxes. All these types of music makes the soul smile. Now, we know there are other types of music that can make the soul weep. There is song for every experience in life. I would like to share with you how music has impacted my life all for the good.
How has music made a difference in my life? Before we could google songs and get hundreds or thousands of songs to choose from, I recall a time listening with my Mother to a little black radio with aluminum foil at the end of the antenna. My mother use to listen to Wolfman Jack every night. I was introduced to many artists from the 60′ and 70s’. We had a record player that played both large and 45s. I still have a shoebox of 45s. It was serious business when a record was playing on the home record player. You couldn’t jump or play around the record player. If you caused a record to get scratched or needle to break, that was your butt. My grandfather would play his harmonica and guitar with Gospel Quartets playing in the background on his 8 track. As for my grandmother, she watched the Lawrence Welk Show and loved Ray Charles music. Watching the Lawrence Welk Orchestra got me curious about musical instruments. I decided from this show that I wanted to play the clarinet. Music was all around me.
Listening to music caused me to want to become the artist. I would sing so many T.V. commercials that my Uncle use to always tell me to be quiet. Funny, he comes to see me sing these days. My favorite was the Lollipop song. No, my favorite was here comes Kool-Aid. At the age of 7, I joined the church youth choir which was the beginning of me experiencing freedom or escape through singing. I loved singing in the choir. Singing in the choir gave me the opportunity to travel to many cities on the East Coast. Music allowed me to see other places, people and things all of my childhood and adolescent age. Music will forever be a part of my life.
Wow! Music has help me through some challenging times. I remember one time after singing “Hero” by Mirah Carey at a work event a co-worker came to me and was in tears. He said, “Thank you for singing that song. It touched me.” I replied, “You’re welcome, I’m just using the gift that God has given me.” I don’t know why that song touched him that day but I do believe that I was being used as a vessel to sing that song especially for him for whatever reason. So, from that moment on I realized how I can be of service to others. I believe when people use their creative gifts from the heart it will touch another heart.
Sometimes we just need to have a good cry. I remember listening to a song titled “Listen” by Beyonce (Dream Girls) in the early morning hours in a studio apartment during my separation from my ex-husband. This song caused me to release tears that I was holding back. I listened to music to see if there was anyone out there that understood what I was feeling so I wouldn’t feel alone. Have you ever found a song that explained exactly how you were feeling or helped you understand what you’re feeling?
You don’t have to be a singer to touch another soul through music. You can simply share music with others that inspire you or makes you feel good because someone needed you to hear that song. Think about a DJ at a party. If the DJ can feel the audience vibes and play the right music, people will be up dancing all night long and will not care if they get all sweaty. He will have the people caught up in the music. We all want to feel free and music can do that for you as it does for me.
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“One Good Thing about Music, When it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley
“Music is colorless. It’s for everybody, it’s for the world, it’s for everybody to enjoy.” Michael Jackson
Share with me a song(s) that changed your life or helped you through good and/or bad times.
Check out this youtube video where I performed at the Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza in Washington, DC. I’m singing “Your Smile” by Rene and Angela. I hope it makes you smile. Click this link to view QueenShe Live Performance
Yours Musically
QueenShe