Thankful for Music
Those of you who follow me regularly will know that I am a co-founder of Musicovation.com, a mutlifaceted website dedicated to promoting “the positive news about music, for a change.” I know I bring it up quite a lot, but it’s not because I’m trying to brag about our work–I’m consistently inspired and encouraged by the contributions to our site, and feel I would be doing my fellow musicians and music-lovers a disservice if I failed to share that content. After all, Musicovation is really not about me and my fabulous co-founder, Elizabeth Erenberg, who had the idea for the site–it’s about the people that contribute to it, follow it, and most importantly, gain something positive from it.
Given it only launched at the end of last June, Musicovation is still very much in its nascent stages, and so Liz and I are continuously searching for new ways to build our following and provide our content with maximum visibility. So, during one of our recent long phone conversations, we came up with the idea of doing a social media campaign. Rather than just try something basic, such as “like our page and the 400th person to do so will get a prize”, we decided to center the campaign around the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The way it worked was that all participants had to post their response to the question, “Why are you thankful to have music in your life?”, use #Musicovation, and tag three friends to do the same. We then committed to publishing a compilation of those responses at the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
I admit that I struggled a bit with the prompt. “Why are you thankful to have music in your life?” seemed rather basic, but yet, anything else would risk becoming too complicated for its worth. “What about music are you thankful for?” seemed too specific, and “How has music touched your life?” didn’t have the word “thankful” in it, thus lessening its obvious correlation with the upcoming holiday. So, we decided to give the simple-yet-subtly-complex original a go, and it ended up inspiring some truly beautiful responses. Sure, it didn’t go viral, but that wasn’t our intention. Our goal was to inspire our friends and colleagues to honestly reflect on the role music plays in their lives, and to share those reflections with others–a goal that was most definitely achieved. It is interesting that, in a profession that requires so much individual attention to the craft at hand, we don’t often take a moment or two to step back and recognize how important that craft is to our lives and our goals as human beings. I am humbled to think that our campaign encouraged some of this much-needed contemplation, and it is for this reason that I am re-posting our compilation of responses below.
The following content was originally published on Musicovation.com via this post of November 29th, 2014.
“Why am I thankful to have music in my life?
To start, not being a musician, though occasionally claim proficiency on the Radio, my take on this may be a little different than many. Music is much like a blanket which covers both my mind and my spirit. It allows me to find myself in a place where I can share experiences with friends, and relive them by hearing that music again. Whether sharing a chamber experience with friends in an intimate setting, or recalling the ‘glory days’ of being a roady for another friends’ band, music is always there to bring a smile and fond memories. Especially when times are challenging, music can lift the spirit in ways simply reading or praying can only hint at.”
-Eric Enskat
“I am thankful for music in my life for all the people I have met throughout this journey (including Zachary Preucil, who nominated me to post). Whether it’s through practice room banters, or getting some… cake, music has led me to some of the most incredible friends.”
-Yeil Park
“I am thankful for music because of the peace and space for reflection it gives me. I tend to write prolifically, both words and music, during concerts. Ideas hiding from me are often revealed in the deep pool of reflection that I attain in the midst of a great concert. The concert hall has often been my house of worship.”
-Albert Oppenheimer
“I am thankful for music because I get to watch it change and inspire my students lives everyday. I am also thankful for that one euphoric feeling that you can only get from listening, playing, and conducting music.”
-Lia Morgan
“I am thankful for music because it brings people together and provides joy, solace, beauty + meaning for many.”
-Steve Danyew
“I am thankful to have music in my life because of all the places it has taken me as an aspiring cellist – from an arts center in Schaumburg, IL to the stage of Chicago’s Symphony Hall to the mountains of Colorado and the shores of Boston. You never know where a life in music might lead you, and I am privileged to be along for the ride.”
-Zachary Preucil
“I’m thankful for music in my life because it can cheer me up when I’m sad.”
-Sarah Paysnick
“As we get closer to American Thanksgiving, there’s been a lot on my mind. My future, my family, my life that is so full of blessings. Sometimes it’s important to remember that, and sometimes you need a reminder. I got a good reminder this weekend when I shared music with good people and remembered the incredible, transformative power that music has. I’m thankful that every time I have ever needed it, music has been there for me.”
-Timothy Wilfong
“I’m incredibly thankful and grateful to have music in my life because it allows me to express that which cannot be put into words.”
-Michael Reichman
“Music for me has always been a language beyond human. It eloquently speaks of something far deeper then we could ever conjure up within ourselves. God often uses music to melt the ice off of my wings and draw me back to Him when nothing else can reach me. As a composer, it’s a direct connection between Creator and child. I can share the results of that connection, but I can never communicate the experience. It’s too personal.”
-Richard Geppinger
“Grateful for music both pure and dirty. ;)”
-Sarah Bob
“I am thankful to have music in my life, because without music, I would never had made it to Credo [Music Festival]! At Credo my performance level was taken to a new level, my faith was developed, and I met all of the most awesome people I have ever met. I would not be who I am without Credo, without music.”
-Anthony Preucil
“I am thankful for music because it’s something most everyone can agree is good.”
-Elizabeth Erenberg
“Sitting down to write this, a hundred thoughts crowded my brain, and, instead of writing them all down, I’ll try to condense it into two over all topics; Healing and Connection. Music not only gives a vent for emotions when words are too few and feelings too high, it pulls us together to live in that feeling. When I mourn, when I rejoice, when i don’t have the words to speak, music steps in and fills the void, to wrap those i love in joy or to raise a roof of beauty to lift sorrows. When it all boils down, that is why I am so very thankful.”
-Maria Henderson-Puliafico
“I love music because it teaches us all we need to know.”
-Stephanie Unverricht
“I am thankful for music because throughout my life, whether in times of great sorrow or great joy, great anger or frustration, in celebration or in misery, music has always been there for me – to provide affirmation for or to counteract my emotions, to articulate my feelings, and to express love and beauty or horror and madness. Whatever I need, music supplies it willingly, reliably, and peerlessly.”
-Jason M. Rubin
