by Dayle Allen Shockley - Copyright 2006 - Used by permission
It's 7:30 on a Saturday evening. I am seated with my family in the Cowan Center at the University of Texas at Tyler, full of anticipation. My sister, Elaine, is a member of the newly formed East Texas Symphony Chorus, and tonight is the group's appearance with the full orchestra.
Suddenly, the maestro enters. As the lights dim, he lowers the baton, filling the auditorium with the harmony of angels. While the voices rise and fall to the swell of the instruments, I feel the day's worries melting away. I'm reminded once again of the remarkable power that music has to soothe the soul and refresh the human spirit.
When my daughter was born prematurely, she spent the first few weeks of her life in a neonatal intensive-care unit. Every day I stayed with her as much as possible before driving home for the
night.
In the lonely hours between visits, I could often be found stretched out on my couch, listening to inspirational music. Even if I hadn't been a believer, I would have found comfort in the songs. Their gentle tones wrapped around my deepest emotions, calming my spirit and offering hope with each measure. Finding solace in music is not new. In the Old Testament, David played his harp to help King Saul escape his demons. Historians say that Alexander the Great was restored to sanity by the music of a lyre. Today, science continues to evaluate the restorative powers of music.
Dr. Raymond Bahr of St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore has said that having patients in the critical-care unit listen to a half-hour of music through headphones had the same calming effect as 10 milligrams of Valium.
Premature babies who were exposed to music appeared calmer, used oxygen more efficiently, gained weight quicker and spent less time in the hospital, according to a study by Jayne Standley, a professor of music therapy at Florida State University, published in the Journal of Music Therapy in 1986. In fact, some who listened to music were discharged as much as 11 days earlier than those who didn't.
Susan Hallam, a doctoral member of the Department of Psychology and Special Education at the Institute of London, concluded in a 2001 study that music helps sufferers of chronic conditions manage their pain and that it can reduce anger, anxiety and depression.
I was born into a musical family, and I learned to play piano at an early age. Through the years, I've played for choirs, weddings, parties, funerals. And on dismal days, I've sat at the piano and played away my blues. Without question, the sound of music always brings a certain comfort and stability to my world.
It's 7:30 on a Saturday evening. I am seated with my family in the Cowan Center at the University of Texas at Tyler, full of anticipation. My sister, Elaine, is a member of the newly formed East Texas Symphony Chorus, and tonight is the group's appearance with the full orchestra.
Suddenly, the maestro enters. As the lights dim, he lowers the baton, filling the auditorium with the harmony of angels. While the voices rise and fall to the swell of the instruments, I feel the day's worries melting away. I'm reminded once again of the remarkable power that music has to soothe the soul and refresh the human spirit.
When my daughter was born prematurely, she spent the first few weeks of her life in a neonatal intensive-care unit. Every day I stayed with her as much as possible before driving home for the
night.
In the lonely hours between visits, I could often be found stretched out on my couch, listening to inspirational music. Even if I hadn't been a believer, I would have found comfort in the songs. Their gentle tones wrapped around my deepest emotions, calming my spirit and offering hope with each measure. Finding solace in music is not new. In the Old Testament, David played his harp to help King Saul escape his demons. Historians say that Alexander the Great was restored to sanity by the music of a lyre. Today, science continues to evaluate the restorative powers of music.
Dr. Raymond Bahr of St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore has said that having patients in the critical-care unit listen to a half-hour of music through headphones had the same calming effect as 10 milligrams of Valium.
Premature babies who were exposed to music appeared calmer, used oxygen more efficiently, gained weight quicker and spent less time in the hospital, according to a study by Jayne Standley, a professor of music therapy at Florida State University, published in the Journal of Music Therapy in 1986. In fact, some who listened to music were discharged as much as 11 days earlier than those who didn't.
Susan Hallam, a doctoral member of the Department of Psychology and Special Education at the Institute of London, concluded in a 2001 study that music helps sufferers of chronic conditions manage their pain and that it can reduce anger, anxiety and depression.
I was born into a musical family, and I learned to play piano at an early age. Through the years, I've played for choirs, weddings, parties, funerals. And on dismal days, I've sat at the piano and played away my blues. Without question, the sound of music always brings a certain comfort and stability to my world.
I remember one night, years ago, when a storm blew into our area. Torrential rains beat against the windows as lightning exploded in jagged fingers across the dark sky. Suddenly, the lights went out, filling the house with total darkness and frightening my daughter, who was a toddler at the time. When she began to cry, I took her in my arms and started softly singing. After a few minutes, I got distracted by a noise outside and stopped momentarily to listen. That's when she touched my face and said, "Sing, Mama."
Thoreau wrote: "When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe." As for me, I can't imagine a world without it. Like food to the body, music feeds my soul.
_____________________________
Dayle Shockley is an author and a writing instructor in Texas. She has been a special contributor to The Dallas Morning News since 1999. To learn more about Dayle, check out her website at www.dayleshockley.com, or contact her at dayle@dayleshockley.com. This column first appeared in The Dallas Morning News and is used with the author's permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment