Life in Music

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Music is something that we surround ourselves with every day. I can honestly say that in my life and in my experiences, music is everywhere at all times. Music is present when I swim my routines in the pool, as I walk to class, when I sing in the shower, and it's present as I write this blog post. Music can change my mood in an instant and it can amplify any mood that I'm feeling. According to Diane Ackerman, "Music speaks so powerfully that many musicians and theorists think it may be an actual language" (209). Ackerman later says that the lyrics or words assigned to a song have nothing to do with the emotions that we feel from the music. Lyrics are something separate from the music itself that sort of serves as an enhancement for what is already conveyed through musical language.


What I've found really relevant from what Ackerman says about music in my own life is the difference in music preference from person to person. Preference can depend on where we're from, as music sounds different from culture to culture, as well as where we're from and who we're with/ who shows us music and what they mean to us. I find that I still love listening to music that my dad played for me when I was younger. I make playlists when I'm feeling really emotional, or when a certain song inspires me to put things together that feel good to listen to altogether. I have also found that I make playlists more frequently when I come home from being at school. Since quarantine has started I've made five playlists each conveying completely different emotions as well as music from different times in my life. The more I feel, the better the playlists are and the longer I find myself wanting to listen to them, but along with that, as I fade in and out of emotions playlist will become relevant and irrelevant as I change.

Another way I mentioned that music is relevant in my life is through synchronized swimming. Ackerman says, "[w]e listen with our bodies" When I swim I, of course, have to swim choreography the way it's written and on the correct counts but if I just swim like that it's flat and boring to watch. Not only are we judged on execution (how well you perform the move/how well synchronized you are) and difficulty (Howard the move or transition is), but also artistic impression (how you're movements flow with the music and how creative you are). During solos especially, the way an athlete can reach and connect with the music through their movements can make all the difference in scoring in placement.
solo video: https://youtu.be/nP9VYhfYPAc

The pictures I've put in this blog are covers for two of my playlists that I feel further enhance the point, of how integrated music is in my life through my emotions and experience (links below).
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/16HiE6CJuRZdjpUKTHpuIW?si=CvXoiOsWRrK1iqFWLgRgcg
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Mi0HcegALM9ldEeQtoPlg?si=UYv9CMYiT_2_SLUWgefBWQ

Comments

  1. Marcel SmithApril 18, 2020 at 11:23 AM

    I really liked the part about music and athletics. I am on the track team and you can tell the whole atmosphere just by what music is being played. Not only that, but we play different songs when we have workout than when we have recovery days.

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    Replies
    1. tessa loprestiApril 19, 2020 at 8:09 PM

      Yes! We have different playlists for workouts, warm ups, running, lifting, and competitions. Music is honestly such an important motivator in athletics and I'm sure you can relate that it's nice to have music when doing long/boring sets... I honestly wouldn't be able to survive our practices without some sort of music playing for most of it.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousApril 21, 2020 at 8:32 PM

    I wonder what makes people "like" a certain type of music. From what I understand, typically if you grow up with a certain type of music you tend to enjoy it as you grow older, similar to when you mentioned that your dad played music that you still love to listen to to this day. I wonder if you don't grow up with some genre, what makes you enjoy it later on in life? My guess is that of what you mentioned: music appeals to what emotions people are feeling during various points of their life.

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    Replies
    1. tessa loprestiApril 22, 2020 at 6:53 PM

      Honestly the music I love the most either has to do with the people that showed it to me or the emotions I'm feeling at the time I hear it. Like there's music now that I used to listen to all the time and love, but now it just doesn't resonate the same. There's other music that I used to listen to that when I hear after awhile sounds extra good and makes me feel nostalgic for a certain place and time.

      Delete
  3. Karen IizukaMay 3, 2020 at 1:16 PM

    I truly don't think I could live without music. Spotify is the one thing I don't feel any guilt paying for. I like how you included the fact that lyrics don't really play a role in what we feel initially and it's just more of an enhancement. I personally don't pay much attention to the lyrics of a song, which is probably why I have a hard time picking up the words. I pay more attention to how the song makes me feel, as opposed to lyrics, genre, etc.

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