The Power of Music

I'm listening to piano music. I love music. I think it in my head as it's playing, I know the tunes so well, I feel the rhythm in my body & have to respond physically. I used to play quite a few of the pieces. Sadly now my hands have lost their strength & mobility & my brain has forgotten much of what I learnt as a child & teenager. I used to love to dance too. 

My point is that music puts me in a wonderful calm place. A place where I feel happy. A place where I can remember years playing the piano & enjoying an eclectic selection of different music. Mostly I remember walking to my piano lessons with a wonderful spinster whose name I have forgotten. A woman who made me love getting lost in the music. Without her I doubt I would love classical music so much. I remember practising for hours in the unused front room - too hot in the summer with the windows open & freezing cold in the winter. My parents weren't well off. I don't know how they afforded the lessons. But they gave me a truly wonderful gift that I can never repay.

Music still means a lot to me. I have got a Kursweil piano. Although it has weighted keys & a full 7 octaves, it isn't anything like the feel of a real piano. So I don't persevere. I don't practice to get my skills back. I didn't expect it to be so hard. I thought muscle memory would kick in. I always wanted a baby grand, but that's an excuse.

Music therapy relaxes you & lifts your emotions. It can help reduce anxiety and depression, help maintain speech and language, is helpful at the end of life, enhances quality of life and has a positive impact on carers. In dementia it can decrease a patient's agitation and improve communication. 

My grandsons go to clubs & dance to music that is completely different to the music I know. It's electronic. It's remixed by the DJ's. It's very percussive. There are dozens of types. It seems to me that it's the beat that matters more than an actual tune. The combination of the beat, & the dance synchs with heartbeat. There is some really interesting research into the effects of music on the body. Music & dance is beneficial.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1050173821000700#sec0016

Music is the best medicine for the soul. I wonder if dictators listen to music. If they did, would they start wars? Would they be cruel?