THE POWER OF SOUND: The way music moves us emotionally and physically

     Just like all of our other senes, hearing is an important part of our everyday lives. From the moment we wake up to the moment we sleep, we are constantly listening and taking in the sounds around us. Not only is it important to note how sound plays a part in our lives but also how the absence of sound can have an impact on us.  Sound is a huge part of our lives. It's how we learn in class, it's how we connect, it plays a role in almost every aspect of our day. 

    Now let's move into something more specific to sound, music. Music is so important, at least in my opinion, it can shape how I feel how I move, it's powerful. Music connects us in so many ways whether thats around a campfire, at a concert, or in the comfort of your own home music seems to play an important role in how we connect with others. I think I see this most when the first question I ask upon meeting someone is, "what kind of music do you like"? Which I would then proceed to judge said person on their music and decide if I want to be friends with them. How can I base so much about a person identity based upon the sounds they enjoy, even though I ask myself this questions often I continue to do so. I think what this highlights is how the things we hear can not only shape us but shape our view onto other people.  It also shows how we, or at least myself, attaches certain feelings, emotions, or ideas to different songs and when I hear a song the experience is based on the feelings/thoughts attached to it. 

    Moving away from music I want to talk more just about sound in general, as well as the absence of it. Just like music sounds play important roles in different aspects of life, and today I want to focus on the connection between sounds and rituals, religious or otherwise. From my view I feel as though sound plays an important role in different practices. For instance, within the spiritual realm we use sounds as a way to cleanse, balance, and renew. We see this in practices such as vocal toning. Vocal toning is forming vowel sounds for an extended period as a means to heal our energy, more specifically our chakras. In this example we can see how just the act of making sounds can be associated with healing yourself , which I think shows just how powerful sounds are. Not only is sound important in rituals but the absence of sound as well. I say this because during deep meditations people are completely silent as a way to go deeper and connect with either their higher-selves or the source. I think it's interesting to see how both silence and nose can both play a role in these rituals.