What are your favorite healing uses for music?

This is a question that I love to ask at the end of my presentations, to get some audience interaction going! Audiences stay awake so much better when they are strongly engaged, and since everyone loves some kind of music, I love to ask the audience what music works really well for them.

Everyone has their favorite times to play their favorite music.  Whether it’s as soon as you get in the car in the morning, on the way back home after work, or the minute you walk in your front door.  Music is a huge comfort and source or familiar, warm memories.  It’s also a quick and effective way to energize yourself and provide audio-fuel for an evening of fun or work!

One of my favorite audience stories came from a gentleman who was a local television executive who lives in the beautiful Kentucky countryside.   He proudly stood to tell us what he had been able to do with this favorite music to make his 30-minute drive from the country to the city more helpful to him.  Of course he had a big beautiful luxury car and the 6-CD car players had just come out.  He decided that when he left home at 7 a.m. or so he would be listening to something classical and “gentle.”  Something that helped him to start his day and his drive with zero stress.  As he got closer to the entrance to the interstate (I-64W) hs began to slowly increase the temp0 of the music and would be listening to something more lively and upbeat, like Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons.”  By the time he drove into the parking lot of the TV station, he was being energized by the “Theme from Superman!”  He was so proud of himself and the audience loved it, as did I!!

Music therapists divide music into two broad categories:  sedative music and stimulative music.  Needless to say, you can find thousands of pieces of music in every possible genre, that fall into those two categories.   Our music collections are some of our most precious possessions and they provide a snapshot of our entire lives!  I know that as I approach the beginning of my 8th decade, the music from earlier in my life becomes more and more precious!!

Would love to hear from you about the music you love and how you use it to improve your quality of life!