Music Therapy

Music Therapy

 New York City is full of diversity. Growing up I was exposed to many different genres of music. My family always had a passion for the sounds, beats and lyrics that came along with the formation of music. Starting with stories dating as far back as the 1940’s when my grandmother and grandfather first met. I can recall as a child my mother telling me about my grandmother coming to New York City from Puerto Rico as a young lady in the 40's and her adapting to the ways of life here. She was a seamstress for the veterans during the day and would go out to the New York City discos with her girlfriends every weekend. This is where she met my grandfather who was a WWII veteran. People would stare in awe when they would hit the dance floor, dancing to their native music which was Salsa. My grandmother loved listening to the beats and lyrics of every song, it took her mind of off many sad moments that she had in her life. Both of her parents died when she was approximately 9 months old in Puerto Rico, leaving her to be raised by her older sister, and later having to travel by boat to New York City where she had to start a new life and leave everything behind. She was 1 of 7 children. I remember her sharing with me stories of pain. Listening to certain songs would bring her back to a period of time that she would escape from the reality that she held on to. I can remember as a little girl passing her bedroom and seeing the tears roll down the side of her cheeks and asking her why she was crying. She would reply in Spanish telling me that she missed her parents and Puerto Rico, all while listening to her favorite artist Celia Cruz (a Cuban Salsa artist). This was her story on how music impacted her life in New York.

Those stories were passed on from generation to generation. Like my grandmother my mother loved music just as much, her and my dad would walk the streets of Manhattan in the late in 1970’s listening to their favorite band “The Bee Gees.” I can remember as a child my mother listening to their song “How Deep Is Your Love”, this song brought her to the memories of her and my dad dating and having picnics in Central Park, completely and totally in love with my father. The look in her eyes made me want that when I got older. I wanted to experience that type of love that she felt.

Now at the age of 31, I myself have experienced many high and lows in my life and when a particular song plays it’s like it transports me back to those moments, feelings and certain events that took place. My sweet sixteen, the birth of my daughter along with the songs that I would sing to her nightly to put her to sleep are some of my fondest memories. Even to meeting my partner that I am with today. He and I both share a passion and love for music. My daughter is the one now hearing my stories on how music has impacted my life and from the looks of it I’m sure she will be doing the same with her children.

Music has always played a significant role in the way our family expresses and releases their emotions. It doesn't matter the occasion, there is always music playing in the house. Some may use medicine or talk therapy to cure or help them cope with certain situations in life, but in my case I believe that music helps to heal or bring me to a peaceful state of mind. According to the article “Does Music Affect Your Mood?”, written by Suzanne Boothby researchers from Durham University in the United Kingdom states that “even sad music brings most listeners pleasure and comfort”. According to a recent research that was published in the Journal of Consumer Research, they found that people often tend to prefer sad music when they are going through a “deep interpersonal loss, like the end of a relationship”. In a different study done in 2013 “The Journal of Positive Psychology” found that people who listened to upbeat music could improve their moods and boost their happiness in just two weeks.” This supports my views on what music means to me, Music is my therapy.

Work Cited

Boothby, Suzanne on April 13. “Does Music Affect Your Mood?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 13 Apr. 2017, www.healthline.com/health-new/mental-listening-to-music-lifts-or-mood-051713#1.  Web 22 Sept. 2017