A Start of a New Journey

This musical journey is coming to an end, a new one is just beginning. Throughout life, we have the opportunity to continue to learn and grow and become better. We are all blessed with so many talents and are commanded to use them and develop them and share them with others. I cannot imagine my life without music and am so grateful that I am blessed with this great talent. Throughout the course of this blog, we have explored so many different aspects of music and now it influences us each and every day. It's amazing how something so simple can have such a profound impact. Life without music would be deprived of excitement, entertainment, and most importantly, creativity. It allows individuals to be themselves, to express themselves, to invent, to explore, to find happiness. I honestly can't say enough good things about the great effects of music.

Matthew 5:14-16
"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men lit a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

I thought this scripture perfectly illustrated the idea of using our talents and sharing our light and passions with others. God gave us talents for a reason and it is up to us to find purpose in our lives and develop the talents we've been given. A couple weeks ago, I was at a Relief Society Commemoration for my stake. One of the speakers made a perfect analogy between life and music. She talked about how we all have soul music, but some people die with their music still in them. It's important to share our music. It does not always come with ease and we have to be willing to practice. The Lord is our master musician and with his help we can perform any piece. It's also important to not compare ourselves to others because our music is all inspired from the same composer. In fact, I think we should all be working together to create this great music. Everyone bringing their soul music, or talents, and becoming one as we serve and love one another. We should all say to ourselves, "I know who I am, I have music in me by divine nature." I hope we never forget that thought and that it will be able to comfort us when we feel discouraged or feel no motivation to use our talents.

Last week, BYU had a music assembly in place of devotional. Kory Katseanes, the director of the orchestra, added some thoughts about music. He said that embedded in music are great truths. With music, it's possible to discern virtue without using any words. While listening to good music, you can feel the spirit. Music is a language that you do not need to study to understand, you just have to use your heart. He encouraged us to become life long seekers of truth. I LOVED that. Music does speak so much truth and I think that is one of the reasons why I am so passionate about it.

Here are some quotes about music and creativity that I have gathered throughout the years:
~If you have a song in your heart...then sing it!
~Don't just play the notes, make music
~Music and memory: Can there be a stronger amalgam weighing on the heart?
~We all die, the goal is not to live forever, but to create something that will
~The only way for a woman to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own
~Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world, it's your life, Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live
~Music is what feelings sound like
~The soul is like a violin string-it makes music only when it is being stretched - Elder Neal A. Maxwell

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank
~When he played, there was "magic in the air"
~The piano is clear, precise, perfect in the narrow sense of the term. But song lets me dream
~Legato: Here the melody is a river, not a lot of raindrops!
~It's almost as if you are breathing together and the music is your breath
~He might have been talking about all of life, not just music
~There is no such things as music note by note, just as there is no such thing as a book word by word. We have to accept that things are ambiguous

~Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination...And don't bother concealing your thievery- celebrate it if you feel like it. - Jim Jarmusch

I wanted to end with this quote because even though not everything on this 60 day blog is original, it means so much to me. It has helped shape who I am and gives an overview of the amazing experiences with music I've had in my life so far. I do celebrate this blog as a great work of art that stands as a collection of some of the finest aspects of music in this world. I do not consider it thievery, but more of a dedication to the many people who have created these great works. However, it is creativity on my part to appreciate such works and do share my memories and thoughts on the subject. Music is one of those simple things in life that makes it worth living. It adds so much brightness to my day and makes me feel complete. I know that music will be a huge part of my life forever and I encourage you to make it prevalent in your life as well. I hope you enjoyed this musical journey and that you will learn to find joy every note of the way.