Music, the Best Medicine
I recently spent an afternoon speaking with Vern and Peggy Peterson, one-time owners of the Meadowbrook Ballroom. Although much of our conversation focused on the ballroom and its history, we also talked about the music and the groups of artists who entertained us. It got me thinking about music and bands.
I know there are still active, quality bands working hard to perform great music. It seems to me that bands are like farmers, the average age increases every year. With an occasional exception, I rarely see a band made up of young people. People create musical groups because they love music; do we not love music anymore?
Music to me has priority below air but above many of my other needs. Music is a tonic to boredom and the blues, it is inspiration when I need to exert myself and peace when I need rest. Music is strength, I have two stories to support this statement.
I covered my shop with steel panels several years ago. The peak of the roof was quite high and I do not like heights. I had to place the steel on the front of the peak in a light wind which made it worse. I tried placing the steel while listening to talk radio and I was very shaky and unsure of myself. I then tried some classic country, I easily completed the project. I remember thinking to myself while I stood on that ladder that, “well if I fall, I will die with honor.” Sounds a little dramatic but falls do happen, just ask the lady who does our safety class each year.
Another time where music supported me was for a medical test prior to surgery. It was quite painful to the point I told the medical technologist to pull out the needles mid-test and I left. I really needed the surgery so I had to get back for the test. I came back next-time with ear-buds and my phone loaded with Merle Haggard. I honestly did not feel a thing the second time.
So is music still important? Are there fewer bands because we listen to such diverse music that we can’t agree on a band to listen to during a night on the town? Are there fewer bands because few people under the age of forty dance anymore or do fewer people dance because of fewer bands?
The people who dance to polka music seem to have it figured out. First off, polka music sounds like a party, so I hear the attraction. Polka dancers are in such good shape also and they seem to have such joy. Maybe it is the time in which these folks grew up, a time when entertainment choices were fewer and music was the most accessible medium.
I think extra-curricular electives and arts choices in the school along with math, science and English are all important. We need musicmakers to help us express our love, faith and even times when we are unhappy. I sometimes wonder if music even has a monetary effect as expressed by improved mental health and reduced anxiety.
Here’s my bottom line, music is a valued resource and I think it is both a thermometer and a fever-reducer for our culture. I’ve heard it said that humor is the best resource in the medicine cabinet, maybe music should be included right next to it.
