11.26.2015

Musical Therapy

I am grateful for a great many things in my life. Hopefully, I am doing a good enough job communicating my gratitude throughout the year so I'm not one of those jerks who saves it all up for an obligatory "thank you" message on Thanksgiving Day. Yet I am still abounding in reasons to be thankful - perhaps more this year than I have in a long time.

As I look back over the past few months, the days I am most thankful to have lived are the days surrounded by music (or at least talks about music). There were conversations with a coworker or a friend from my small group about our favorite songs. There were days spent with the worship band at church as they rehearsed and laughing together in the green room. There was an afternoon providing the background music for a company party. And there are so many moments where I have caught my kids singing along with the car stereo or hearing my daughter singing to herself words from songs that I grew up with hours after the music stopped playing. These moments fill me with immense joy.

I wholly believe that music is therapeutic. There have been numerous studies to support the fact drum patterns and musical accompaniment have beneficial neurological effects. Reports have shown music in education help kids be better students in traditional academics. You can easily find a plethora of anecdotal evidence of music being a source of motivation, of being a mood stabilizer, of inspiring and uniting and strengthening people everywhere.

Then, on a day when I needed to see it most, my brother posted this on facebook.


On that day, I engaged in my favorite form of therapy. I plugged in some headphones, shut out the outside world, and for the next hour and a half I allowed the melodies, harmonies, tempos, lyrics, and rhythms to heal my wounds.

In case you're looking for something similar, here are my therapists from that afternoon.


Bottom of the River by Delta Rae
Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars
Take Me to Church by Hozier
Fading West by Switchfoot
Not Alone by Matt and Kim
We Come Running by Youngblood Hawke
Anna Sun by Walk the Moon
Bodies by Savoir Adore
Tongue Tied by Grouplove
Divisionary (Do the Right Thing) by Ages and Ages
Just Kids by Mat Kearney
Renegades by X Ambassadors
Major Tom (Coming Home) by Shiny Toy Guns
Safe and Sound by Capital Cities
Young Blood by The Naked and Famous
We Don't Believe What's On TV by Twenty One Pilots
In the Shadows by The Rasmus
Excited Eyes by The Notionaries
Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men
Seattle by The Classic Crime
I Like To Be With Me When I'm With You by Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors
Down There by Bronze Radio Return
Train Song by Listener
The Outsiders by Needtobreathe
Life Goes On by Pigeon John
I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers
Walk This Way by MØ
Little Secrets by Passion Pit
L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N by Noah and the Whale

30 songs and I felt whole again. Revived and ready to take on the world.

1 comment:

  1. Jeeze man, only played the first two (so far) and was blown away. Most excellent, nic.

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