Musicals and Music

I went and saw Mamma Mia! Monday afternoon with my mom. I know I'm really going out on a limb by saying this, but I loved the movie. It was a really fun, "feel good" movie. And many people might not speak to me because of this next statement: I even liked the music and I bought the soundtrack. Yes, it's official - I now listen to Abba. And the songs fit together nicely into the narrative. Some people may not like it because they lack of the understanding of why people would randomly break out into song and dance. Why wouldn't you want a world where people break out into song and dance? It's not a random thing. It's supposed to illustrate the point that people reach where words can no longer properly express what the person wants to say. Music (and the typically subsequent dancing) is one of the forms that is just so full of passion that it "expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent" (Victor Hugo). If you've never listened to some type of music and been completely moved by it, whether it be a a song form a musical, an orchestral piece or a pop song, then you really need to listen to more music. There are so many times when you can simply get swept away in it and when it finishes say "Yes, that's exactly what I was feeling!", but you still can't name the feeling. Whether it's used in a regular movie soundtrack or a musical, it can be used to hit a point home to the audience. Think about it - where would the Star Wars movies be with John Williams? (He's the one who did all the music to it, in case you're wondering). Darth Vader is scary enough, but you know he's really evil when you hear the Imperial March. And I apologize to all of those who I just lost completely with the Star Wars analogy.

Sometimes I wonder why I'm going into Music Education. Being a teacher is a career that is hardly respected, and then you add on the music part and it seems like everyone thinks you're wasting your time. And those musicians who you do talk to keep trying to talk you out of doing education, because you'll never make any money at it. Well, what if I'm not doing it for the money? What if I simply love music and want to share my passion and the talents that God has given me? Even if most of the students will never pick up their instruments after they graduate, I want them to have had fun in the band, making friends and memories and have a greater appreciation when they hear that background music in the movie.

Those of us who are musicians, whether instrumentalists or vocalists, are not completely insane, just mostly :P We find it our thrills when we've performed in an opening night of a musical, finished the best performance of a field band show, getting the orchestra solo perfect, wrote a piece of music that once was only in our head,had an unforgettable chorus or band concert, made someone cry with our performance, or just listened to one of our favorite pieces of music and discovered something brand new.

And I've often wondered, how did it all start?
Who found out that nothing can capture a heart
Like a melody can?
Well, whoever it was, I'm a fan

So I say
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me