People’s bodies respond to music very early in our development, even as fetuses. And also very late in life – folks in the depths of Alzheimer’s Disease will respond to familiar music.
Certain pieces and genres of music are very helpful when I wish to wind down and practice contemplation.
And I’m not the only one in our class!! Thank you so much for sharing your precious recordings. I’ve listened to all of them and urge others to do so, too. Each is a portal to slowing down, taking a breath and getting inside oneself.
Here they are. Enjoy:
Annabel – Else You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGQdkxFbG2o
Hannah – Public Service Broadcasting Race for Space, first song
Karen – Hang Drum music for dancing
Lindsay – Dead & Company Eyes of the World
Luka – Beach House PPP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFhJRTdmviA
Mahika – Elliot Smith Between the bars and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74j0Hs9OkOo and
Adrianne Lenker Indiana
Nanditha – Glass Animals Gooey
Parker – Gustav Holst St Paul’s Suite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRRtmrjWsPE
Rhiannon – Beach House Space Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBtlPT23PTM
Zack – Phish Ruby Waves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI6xUJ4fmDk
Lillian – Poem by Mary Oliver Geese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IiylWR2orE
Henry – (I’ve had time to think of a few)
J.S. Bach – English Suite
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS0lss7ogNI&t=722ss
Kishori Amonkar – Raag Bhoop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfKpt-_kLdA
Erik Satie Gnossiennes #1 for cello
Thelonius Monk Blue Monk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_40V2lcxM7k
Gamelan from Indonesia Mojang Priangan
Thank you so much for sharing this, Henry! I had such a great time exploring this.
Thanks Lillian. Glad you like it. Sometime, I’d like to learn what you and your real-world groups are doing.
Henry,
I have never thought of the relation between music and contemplation and I thank you for sharing this connection with us. I myself have noticed experienced what you talk about regarding Alzheimers first hand. My grandfather has Alzheimers and struggles greatly with remembering who we are. However, whenever we play his favorite Elvis songs his face lights up. It brings all of us joy to see this. I would also like to add a song that has helped me to reflect and contemplate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbJjT5q48C8
Thank you. I was able to edit in your song to the list. I enjoyed listening to Dead & Co. I was a fan of the Grateful Dead but never knew what happened with the band after Jerry Garcia died. It’s terrific that your grandfather enjoys King Elvis. 🙂 It occurs to me that you might enjoy the class Psychology and Music with Prof Ellen Covey Psych 470 . I found it fascinating.
What a fun and intriguing playlist and conversation. Thanks so much, Henry – this is a real public service!
Henry,
Thank you for compiling all of these songs that our classmates seem to resonate with. I’ve always found music to be an essential part of my daily routine and have integrated it through everything. I love the power of music and its association with certain memories. The ability for a sequence of notes and strings of words to invoke powerful feelings seems almost magical. I subconsciously was using music as a way to calm myself down and process my environment, but I hadn’t realized it was this ingrained in my life until you mentioned it!
Thank you so much for compiling our class list of songs Henry!
I find it intriguing to see how each of us use music to respond to the various trials and tribulations life can put us through – especially during a pandemic. I just got done listening to a few of these songs, and have already added some of them to my playlists. For me, music has always been one of the ways I feel the most grounded. I often use it as an escape to take my mind away, and feel connected with others. Thank you for taking the time to share our songs and emphasizing the importance of “musical portals to contemplation.” (:
Oh Annie. Thanks so much for your thoughts. It’s interesting that that music list has many genres. Maybe we each respond differently-and maybe its dependent on our mood and context. I know sometimes I feel my mood shift and realize the radio is playing a piece that irritates me, or makes me happy. The music shifts my mood subconsciously. Cool, huh?
Do you think merchandisers take advantage of this by choosing to stream pieces in shops that make us spend more money?