August Rush

"The music is all around you, all you have to do, is listen"

Those were the words uttered by Freddie Highmore at the beginning and end of 2007's "August Rush". That statement seems so sentimental and cheesy, but it's not, if you really concentrate, you can hear music everywhere.

For example, during a family road trip to Appleton, WI back in 2010, I fell asleep in the car, and when we arrived, we came across a construction site. My eyes were closed and I was somewhat awake, but I remember distinctly hearing this hip-hop beat coming from somewhere. I thought it was the radio, but it wasn't, it wasn't coming from my headphones either. I realized, then, that it was coming from the concrete pounders and other machinery coming from the construction. I gleefully just enjoyed the moment, since I remembered that exact sentiment that "August Rush" was so focused on. But even in more day to day situations, birds chirp in a pattern, so do cicadas. They all alternate between octaves and volumes too, leading to a percussive symphony of sounds. And how about those train whistles? You know they don't emit one note, but actually an entire chord. It blows as the train comes and goes, once again in a distinct pattern. Music really is all around you, but most of the time, we're obvlivious to it.

So, right now you're probably wondering where I'm going with this. I use "August Rush" as an example of how integral music is to our everyday life. Just think about it, you have a favorite TV show, a favorite sport, and a movie that you can watch over and over again. But you also have a favorite type of music genre, don't you? It goes without saying that you have an iPod/MP3 Player/Walkman/Stereo somewhere in your house or on your body (and in the car, too). And I'll also safely assume that you have at least once CD, vinyl record, or cassette tape in your possession, right? And I'm sure you've gone on YouTube to see a music video by now ("Gangnam Style" has 1.7 billion views, I'm pretty sure you contributed to one of them). Music really is all around us, now in the digital era more than ever before, since we have so many ways to access it now. But there's some kind of unfortunate side effect of this: the more we can access, the less we choose to access it. While any person on the street can say that they like music, not every person will say it's more important to them than that one TV show or sport that enjoy so much. Whenever schools have to make tough budget cuts, which department is usually the first one to get short funded? For some reason, music (as well as all other art forms) just isn't viewed as all that important anymore, but it is.

That's the point of all this, to prove why music is important. It may not be as essential to human survival as food or water, but it's still a quintessential part of life, even more than sports or other forms of entertainment. Just think for a sec: out of music, sports, TV, and film, what can you do at any time in the day no matter where you are or what you have with you? Unless you're a gymnist or a runner, you probably can't practice your favorite sport in any given spot, and the world is so plastered with TVs and theaters that you can watch a show or a movie any time you want. You can, however, make music any time of the day. August Rush wasn't kidding, the music is literally all around you. You can turn pretty anything into a percussion instrument: pens, counters, your fingers, your feet, your tongue. Then you can do tons of vocal stuff: sing, hum, whistle, etc. Long before sports were invented, humans were making various forms of music, through rituals and prayers mostly. And while not everyone on the planet can speak one universal language, everybody can understand music. You need subtitles during a foreign TV show or film, but you don't have to translate a song in a foreign language to gather information about its message and mood. 

Then, let's not forget the way music can affect us. If you listen to sad, sappy songs, you're going to feel sad and emotional, and conversely, if you listen to scream-o and heavy death metal, you're going to feel rage, anger, and empowerment. Music can turn a good day into a bad one and vice versa; it all depends on what you like to listen to and at what time. Music can make you feel like you're flying above the ground, or it can make you feel like you're wallowing in it. The chemicals in your brain react to music very acutely, and the more you concentrate, the more emotions you'll feel. Like, in a movie, is it all just people talking? Nope, there's always a musical score in the background, and you best believe it was composed in a way so that it can affect your emotional state when the movie twists and turns. And during sporting events, is it just pure silence there too? Nope, there's a pregame show, a half-time show for football, and then there's always the National Anthem and a musical motif always plays when a team wins. Let's face it, the world would be a pretty desolate place without music.

Now, I use "August Rush" only as an example, not a seminal point of reference here. While I give the film an A+ for effort, its message was stifled by that schmaltzy plot. I know what they were trying to say, because music is still somewhat of a mysterious thing. You can tell what it is, but you can't really define it. The dictionary gives a definition, yes, but music is more than just words on paper. It has to mean something, whether the meaning be superficial or deep, it has to contain some sort of tangible form. And it doesn't take that much to create some sort of musical noise, whether it be a simple hand clap or you whistling to your favorite song. Our lives are surrounded by music, but when a music program gets cut or when someone claims that it's not important, I can't help but feel that we take it for granted sometimes. As explored in "August Rush", music can ignite many things in your life, and it can lead you to various places and people throughout. 

I'm living proof of this. Music is why I have this blog, it's how I got accepted into college, it's my area of study and will provide an income for me when I move on to adulthood. I've made more friends than I ever thought possible because of music alone, and its impenetrable bond. I don't think I'll ever not be fascinated by it, because no matter how detailed of an explanation I give you, it's still something that you have to discover for yourself. Discover how many ways music presents itself in your life, how it wrings emotions out of you, how it can explain what you're feeling without ever saying a word. I'm still searching for all of this myself, and the journey has been quite riveting so far! One day, I may have it all figured out, I might be able to have a firm grasp on its highs and lows, its idiosyncrasies and its presence in the day to day. I'll get there, someday :)

For now, I leave you with my beginning statement: "The music is all around you, all you have to do, is listen".

Now listen a little harder.