The importance of music in your life Music is the key to creativity. Music fuels the mind and thus fuels our creativity. A creative mind has the ability to make discoveries and create innovations. The greatest minds and thinkers like Albert Einstein, Mozart, and Frank Lloyd Wright all had something in common that they were constantly exploring their imagination and creativity. Listening to instrumental music challenges one to tell a story about what one hears. In the same sense, playing a musical instrument gives you the ability to tell the story without words. Both require the right brain usage which not only exercises one’s creativity but also one’s intellect. All the arts, including writing, painting, dancing, and theater, have the ability to create the similar effects. Music makes education more enjoyable. Music can be very engaging in the classroom and is a great tool for memorization. My Spanish teacher in the 10th grade used a song to teach us the past tense endings and even today, I haven’t forgotten the song. It’s as if she imbedded it in my mind and now I will never forget it. Besides, music teaches us self-discipline and time management skills. When we study an instrument on a regular basis we work on concrete ideas and take small steps to achieve larger goals. This way of thinking enables our brain to start looking at learning in a new way. When I got to college, I realized how much it enriched my lifestyle. When I got into Jazz, my entire lifestyle began to change. Music has spiritual powers. No one really knows where music came from but there are many theories that suggest music predates the existence of mankind. One of the most commonly known uses of music was for religious and sacred tribal ( 部落的) events. In Mayan civilization music was used in celebration of a victory at war and even at the burial of influential figures. Some of the earliest recorded moments in music took place in the medieval times with choral pieces for church prayers. Even today, many people claim that music is the key to God and to a holy, more fulfilling life. Music can make you feel emotional. Music can make you happy when you are sad. Music can make time seemingly frozen. Music also has the power to motivate you to take actions. All these things deal with the human emotions. I’m sure you can remember a moment when a song has made you particularly sad or very excited and happy. But how can music create such an effect on our senses? No one really knows why or where it comes from but there are many studies that have been done to show that certain emotions pertain to certain scales ( 音阶) , chords, and harmonies ( 和声). Part of what inspired me to play the piano when I was in college was that I became obsessed with how some Jazz musicians were able to convey sadness and a state of melancholy through this piece: Blue in Green . Think about what driving or dining in a fancy restaurant would be like without music. Music brings people together. What is amazing about music is that it is imbedded within all of us. Everyone can understand it and feel something if they open themselves up. Playing music with other musicians is an incredible feeling. Some people describe it as rowing down a river together. There is a certain type of connection that comes when you make music in a group. The same is true for those who are listening to music in a group and interacting with music through dance. This type of behavior is rooted in our history and discoveries. I’ve had many experiences where a random person would ask to play with me and within an instant we were having a dialog via the piano or guitar. It’s the playing and communicating that create the connection. Many of those moments have been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life.