Advent 09- Music

Yesterday I wrote about how much I like carols.  But they're not the only type of music I think is a Good Thing. Music is a great thing.  It can influence our emotions, and help release things we've trapped inside us.  It can give us an outlet for things we can't say, help us express feelings we can't verbalise.  It can move us to laughter or tears.

I've experienced that, sometimes from unexpected pieces of music.  In church, certain songs can just hit you with something that you need reminding of.  Theatre uses music to help the audience engage with the way characters are feeling, with what they are experiencing.  A song from Les Miserables, heard completely at random and relating to nothing, once made me break down in tears thinking of someone I knew who was having a hard time.

Music's also great for entertainment, probably the most common use.  The music industry is big business, and the new opportunities (and problems, for some) opened up by internet downloading have been frequently in the news.  Often we don't perhaps realise how much music we're hearing- film and TV soundtracks can be quite unobtrusive, but they help to create the right atmosphere, to enhance the experience of the viewer.

Of course you have to be careful.  Music can be seen as a way to manipulate an atmosphere, to make people feel and do things they don't want to.  There is a danger there that people will be nervous or annoyed by this.

But the ways music is sometimes misused doesn't take away from the music itself.  It can uplift us or downcast us, help us express ourselves, or just provide something to keep us awake in the car.  It's something that is important to me, and I'm very grateful for those who have written music I enjoy.