Name: Valerie Tjota

Student ID: 21188611

Every life has a soundtrack.

There are tunes that remind us of the first time we fell in love, there are tunes that
trigger memories of our first heartbreak. There are songs we listen to when we need
to feel alive in the morning - upbeat tunes that give us that surge of energy to get us
going. And there are those we turn to when we want to wallow in sadness, when we
need comfort, when we need escape; a world of our own. More often than not, we
subconsciously form strong personal attachments to these pieces of music, which
carry with them certain emotions that give us a twinge in our hearts, a pang of regret,
or a smile on our faces.
If you ask me, in my everyday life, music is the language of self-expression and
intimacy.
Music, for me, is a form of self-expression. I suppose different people have different
ways by which they express themselves on a daily basis, be it dancing, writing, or
cooking. Music is my way of self-expression and self-regulation. This is true of
anyone: the music we like, choose, and play is a mirror and reflection of who we are
inside. Finding a soundtrack that perfectly complements an individual requires a very
subtle alchemy, and the very songs that constitute an individuals playlists are
emblems of ones unique personality, perceptions, and values. Ive found that the
greatest fulfillment of self-expression comes when I get to perform music (I play the
piano), be it for myself as a form of leisure on a daily basis, for choir practices, or for
the congregation attending a weekly Sunday mass. The very fact that no two
pianists, however similar their styles are, never play the same song identically, points
to the realization that the sense of self is very apparent in music. (DeNora 2000: 68)
It is almost as if the different ways in which we interpret and play music has been
inscribed in our DNA, making each of us unique listeners and makers of music.
Ive always wondered why and how every person interprets a song differently, and I

think the reason lies in the experiences and emotions that we integrate into the
pieces that we listen to and play. Bull (2005: 349) writes that we use music as a form
of auditory mnemonic through which we attempt to construct a sense of narrative.
We become storytellers. There is so much room for creativity and personal selfexpression in music even in our everyday lives, and this can be seen in something
as simple as humming a light-hearted tune while washing the dishes. When I play
the piano, I am narrating a story of my own through my interpretation, my touch, my
dynamics, my rifts, my pauses, my emotions, and even my mistakes; the melodies
that I create make up the words and essence of my story as I stitch it together note
by note. This is why to me, music is a universal language of uninhibited selfexpression it is a language of unspoken words, but one that everybody
understands.
Likewise, when we are the listeners, we immerse ourselves in music to become part
of other peoples stories; this explains why music works so well as a self-regulation
and self-modulation tool in our everyday lives. Music provides us with a medium to
modulate to our desired mood (DeNora 2000: 53) and we do this by taking on the
roles of the characters in the story told by a song and its lyrics. We are able to
understand the sadness encompassed in a minor chord, and the glee expressed in a
major triad the effect of the music is nuanced by our very own experiences as we
empathize with the characters in the story. This effect consequentially either
heightens or accentuates the mood that we are in, or modulates us to a mood that
we desire to achieve.
Such is the evocative power of music in my everyday life - when I'm happy, dancing
to the upbeat tempo and catchy jingle of Walking on Sunshine makes my celebration
10 times more real. When I'm down, music feeds my need for empathy and is my
escape that takes me from this world into a dimension that I create through my
playlist of sad songs, as well as reflective Christian songs and hymns. When Im
angry, music provides a virtual realm within which Im allowed to vent my anger in a
symbolically violent manner (DeNora 2000: 56) - what is completely irrational in
practice, finds a haven in music. There is an exquisite purity in music as a language
that allows it to convey emotions better than words can. In a way, hearing a piece of
music that I can relate to is almost like hearing someone say me too. There is a

sense of comfort in knowing that someone else in the universe has experienced the
same joy, or shared the same struggles that I have, and that I am not alone in my
story.
Thus, music is not only a form of companionship, but also a way of creating
companionship and community. It is a language of intimacy through which I build my
relationships with others and communicate with them at a deeper, more personal
level. Superficially, this could be expressed simply as two people enjoying music
together by listening and singing along to a favourite artist or song; or perhaps when
a friend shares a well-liked song with another friend in the hope that the latter will
feel the same way about the song. Being part of a church choir, I am aware of the
capacity to develop relationships at a much deeper level by creating music together.
There is a sense of satisfaction in being able to synchronise every breath I take with
20 others to produce beautiful harmonies, and to let the rhythm of the song become
the pulse that keeps all of us in beat. In losing myself in music, I am able to find
chemistry with others. Music when shared and made together with others enables
me to achieve an emotional connection that transcends one that is based on daily
social interaction.
Most of all though, music is the language of intimacy between me and my God. It is
the way in which He touches the innermost recesses of my heart, it is my preferred
form of prayer, it is a place where I can meet Him privately, and most importantly, it is
a daily affirmation of my faith and His ubiquity in my everyday life. One of Crafts
series of interviews features a salesman interviewed by his daughter. When asked
what music does for him, the fifty-seven years old father acknowledged that the
Catholic church regarded music to be very significant to ones spiritual life, and he
explained that music helped to increase his faith through the songs he sang which
taught him about certain aspects of Christs life, or to become part of the church
community. (Crafts 1993: 185) It is certainly Gods gift to me that I have developed a
deep love and appreciation for music and thus, it is a way for me to honour Him and
praise Him in my everyday life, like playing the piano for mass. When I am aware
that my music serves a purpose of delicately leading people into worship, there is a
change in the focus from what I can personally get out of music to what I can
encourage someone else to experience from it. It becomes the language of intimacy

through which I express my most genuine form of empathy to others.

Truthfully, music means many other things to me in my everyday life, and to list out
all of them would be a Sisyphean task. One thing Im sure of, is that I wouldnt be
who I am without my music, nor would the world exist in the same way it does
without music. It is my language of self-expression and intimacy, and Id like to end
off with the words of Hans Christian Anderson - Where words fail, music speaks.
This has always been, and will always be.
(1361 words)
Reference list:
Bull, Michael, No Dead Air! The iPod and the Culture of Mobile Listening, Leisure
Studies, (2004): 343-55.
Crafts, Susan, Daniel Cavicchi and Charles Keil, My Music (Hanover, NH: Wesleyan
University Press, 1993)
DeNora, Tia, Music in Everyday Life (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000)