It was a Monday.
It was the week from hell filled with massive amounts of work and tests and meetings and car trouble and family issues and life. Everywhere I turned there was something that needed to be done; I was beginning to understand what it meant to be at my wits end. So anyway, back to the story- I was in the midst of finishing a paper, when all of a sudden, my computer crashed. Black. Nothing. Scream.
Are you kidding me?
This
Is
Not
Happening.
This
Can’t
Be
Happening.
Okay Kaylyn, think. (My power cord is plugged in. The room still has power. I didn’t do or touch any unusual buttons. Breathe. Deep breaths. Don’t panic. What is going on?)
I’m panicking!
After shuffling recklessly and pacing about the room, I decided to take my computer to Tech services, on the third floor of the library. The Diagnosis: My hard drive crashed. My body collapsed into the chair, as I struggled to catch my breath. I looked at the man behind the desk like he had four heads; like it was his fault. I think he may have feared for his safety. Hard drive crashed. The man behind the counter tells me that they cannot retrieve anything, nothing, it’s all gone. He’s sorry, but everything is gone. Gone. Then, it happened. That feeling. You know, that sudden rush of adrenaline that paralyzes every limb in your body and your ability to think rationally. That rush that causes you to feel that the entire world hates you, and everyone is laughing while the sky and ground swallow you whole. That feeling that leaves you reaching for your inhaler (you don’t even have asthma), but somehow, your breath has escaped you. Sound familiar? Yes, that one.
I immediately ran through in my mind all of the documents that were due this week and saved on my computer. Gone. Aside from the fact that one of the papers was due the very next day, I had tons of other important things on my computer; papers, games homework, pictures, music. MUSIC. Now, I am panicking like never before. I ran up to, no sprinted all of the 30 inches that separated me from the counter, and I looked directly into the eyes of the man who helped me and said, “Music.” “Please, I don’t care if I lose anything else. Is there any way you can save my music?” I’m sure he thought that I was nuts. My computer just crashed taking with it my hopes and dreams of successfully completing freshman year, and all I cared about was my music! Yes, that was all I cared about at that point. My music…the music…
Please, don’t stop the music.
Ever since I was an infant, music has been a major part of my life. I believe that my love for music started and grew with each Sunday church service that I attended. My mom would come in early Sunday morning and wake me up in order to get ready. I would moan and protest, but secretly I was excited; I wanted to hear the choir. Aside from hearing the choirs during church, my mother along with her five sisters, started a gospel group and sang anytime they were together. Every family function ended with a concert; my mom and aunts, and then the grandchildren. Laughter and excitement ricocheted off of the walls, as sounds of “Sing this one!” and “Oh yea, remember that one song that you sang that one time? Yea, that one. Sing that!!” were launched into the air. The absolute joy that consumed the room could make Scrooge himself jump up in exaltation.
In a family full of eccentric members and chaotic times, music is the relative that always puts everyone and everything back in their respective places.
Growing up, my four siblings and I listened intently as my father would play his trumpet daily in the family room. The happiness that it brought him was apparent; his eyes would widen whenever he noticed an audience. I tried to play it occasionally, but always left frustrated because the little breath that my body housed was unable to produce even a single note, no matter how hard I tried. So, I decided to take up something that did not require me holding my breath for long periods of time in order to produce a tone; the piano. I took piano lessons for quite some time, and then decided that I was bored with it. I then decided to play the clarinet and joined the school band. Yes, I was in the band. I did it. Not much longer, I wanted to learn how to play the saxophone. So, I did. I began playing the alto saxophone, and it quickly became my favorite musical instrument. I played everyday for hours at a time; my favorite song to play was Bill Wither’s “Lean on Me.” I don’t think anyone in my family can listen to that song with a straight face. As of recently, I have had the sudden desire to learn the violin. So that’s what I am going to do.
“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness” –Maya Angelou
At an early age, the power of music became clear to me as I watched and listened while others told their stories through the lyrics. Often times, especially during a sad song or during sad moments, the singers didn’t need to physically cry; the music did that itself. The music had a language of its own- one that everyone understood.
As I grew up, I developed a talent for all types of music; many of which that were quite different from those that my family members enjoyed. Currently, I love all types of music. After browsing through my iTunes, one would find rap, R&B, classical, choral, gospel, pop, and even the occasional country song. As Whoopi Goldberg simply put it in “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” “My music taste is eclectic.” I enjoy a plethora of music.
After my experience in the chorus during my junior and senior years of high school, I now have a different love for choral and a cappella music. I usually spend hours on YouTube looking for different choruses and a cappella groups from different colleges and universities. Yes, this occurs while I am supposed to be doing work. I also enjoy Broadway musicals; my favorites being the Lion King and The Color Purple. I strongly believe that some of the best singers and performers are on Broadway and are involved in theater. I also enjoy movie musicals, such as The Five Heartbeats, and The Jackson Five: An American Dream. I also thoroughly enjoyed Dreamgirls (yes, I was that girl in the front row of the theater that stood up and applauded after Jennifer Hudson’s vibrating rendition of “And I am Telling You.”)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote; “Music is the universal language of mankind.” What an incredible thing to witness someone who can’t speak the English language, yet sing verbatim an American song from beginning to end and understand the song’s content in its entirety. Music acts as a bridge; among races, genders, ages, and nationalities.
I think that we would all agree that music and movies and television go hand and hand. A scene’s significance may be increased due to the particular music which accompanies it. There have been numerous occasions where I only remember a particular moment in a play, movie, or TV show because of the music. Needless to say, my dream job would be just that; to be the person who chooses which songs play, and at which point. How extraordinary. Knowing which song to pick, and which lyric at a specific point, seems easier said that done. An example of such a scene would be in American Gangster. Denzel Washington portrays drug kingpin Frank Lucas. (Sorry to ruin the ending for those who haven’t seen it yet, but Lucas gets busted.) Lucas exits church on Sunday morning to the surprise of police officers surrounding him. At this point, a rendition of Amazing Grace is playing (oh, the irony). The music adds an extra element to this particular scene that would not have existed without the addition of the song. Music helps to emphasize certain aspects of different things.
After writing for sometime now (1, 402 words, to be exact) about my love for music, I will go on to share some of the music that I enjoy. So, at the risk of creating another boring list that no one cares to read, I will attempt to show a few of my favorite artists and songs.
Rap:
Some of my favorite rap artists are; Jay-Z, MC Lyte, Slick Rick, Eminem, Eve, Notorious BIG, and many others.
R&B:
My favorite artists include; Luther Vandross, Donny Hathaway, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Robin Thicke, Boys II Men, and many others.
Country:
Well, I don’t really have many favorite country artists, but maybe one day.
Classical:
Of course Ludwig van Beethoven, Mozart, Pachelbel, and some other composers which aren’t as popular as these three.
Pop:
Obviously, Britney Spears’s earlier years- the ones filled with less humiliation and public criticism. In case you all may have forgotten, although she may or may not have a better voice than let’s say, Christina Aguilera, Ms. Spears did have several number one hits. I’ve had my boy band phase as well, favoring those five N’Sync-ers over those other Floridians known as the Backstreet Boys. Some may consider Chris Brown to be a pop artist instead of an R&B artist, so I will place him under the title of “pop.”
Opera:
A few of the musical talents that I like under this genre include Kathleen Battle and Beverly Sills. Robert Benchley wrote; “Opera is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings.” To me, opera singers are able to release certain emotions through their songs that not many singers are able to do.
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