Music Washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life ♪

English is one of my favorite subjects at school , along with music . So when my fantastic English teacher 
assigns homework to write an essay about music in your life , I was pretty excited . 
I am the kind of person who works better at night , for some reason , so I finished my essay at about 01:30 a.m. on Saturday night/Sunday morning. 
Music is a massive part of my life, is has been for as long as I can remember and will be for as long as I am on this earth. So I am going to share with you my essay on the magical thing that is music. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


Writing about music is like dancing about architecture , it seems pointless because no matter how hard I try, conveying the power of music through words is practically impossible. Music is like an extra sense , you can not see or touch it , but you can feel it deep down in the core of your being . Nevertheless I will try my utmost to convey in words how valuable music is , to me and to practically everyone in the world.
     Music is like a drug, a magical thing that can transport you to a utopia within yourself. If a piece of music touches me ,  I feel it , I feel the melody course through my veins. I feel my heart beat that little bit stronger at every stacatto note . I feel the surging tingle across my skin when a piece of music is so powerful that I get goosebumps . I am positive that my body would stop functioning without music. I would not be who I am today without it . Imagine if there was no music in the World, it would be a very dark and scary place. It really doesn't bare thinking about . 
     As a musician and a music student ,music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I can still remember the first tune I learnt on the tin-whistle-"Turn On The Sun " . Lets just say that I am no child prodigy and so it took a long time for my sun to light up, but after much squeaking and blaming of the instrument , I got there eventually . Now as a leaving Cert music student things have thankfully progressed on to beautiful Bach and Tschaikowsky piece, studied in much detail, so much that sometimes all the minims and crotchets muddle together . Yet it continues to sound beautiful . 

    I remember a story I read not so long ago that really spoke to me .A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston and the seats average $100. This story touched me and caused me to question a few things : Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it ? If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, how many other things are we missing ? After reading this I vowed to myself to open my eyes and my ears to everything around me .
     As I pen these words I have my happy music playlist playing in the background, for inspiration . The greatest kind of inspiration there is ! Anything from Andrea Bocelli to Taylor Swift has my pen and my foot tapping a gentle rhythm . "Music is a moral law, it gives soul to the universe , wings to the mind , flight to the imagination and charm and gaiety to life and everything ". 
   Music is like nothing else on this earth. It enriches every situation, be it a film, or an add. It is used to glorify God and to spread love. It is a key element in many weddings and funerals. At the tender age of 18 I have half the music planned for my wedding  - Don't judge me on that one please !! 

   Music to me is like a friend, it is there for you in the good times and the bad . It is there to hold you up and wipe away those tears and it is there to excite you and give energy. The nature of music is in itself sublime. I will conclude with words from Billy Joel , who can put it much better then I " I think music in itself is healing , it's an explosive expression of humanity . It's something we are all touched by .No matter what culture we are from, everyone loves music " . 

Aoife Marie Elizabeth ♪