By Katrina Kaufman
“Where words fail, music speaks.” This was the Hans Christian Anderson quote on my piano teacher’s wall before coming to Houghton. This is a quote that many musicians likely have come across, and while it may be overdone, it is not incorrect. Music contains power. Music can both heighten and express emotion. According to a neuroscientist, music has the power to rewire your brain chemistry. In my own life, music has helped me to process emotions as well as process hard truths in life. Music is soothing as well. We see this in the Bible when David soothes Saul’s inner demons. I recently learned that musicians are hired to choose/compose the best music in advertising to make sure that even the music helps convey the exact message that the advertising company is trying to convey to their audience.
Music also has the power to connect people. When a musician is able to be vulnerable and share themselves with their audience, the audience is able to connect both with the music and the musician. The joy of performing with other musicians on stage and getting to create music together rather than alone is a fulfilling experience that is unforgettable.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a class discussion where we dug deeper into questioning music. Something we discussed is the idea that music is not truly essential when it comes to survival. Back in the ancient days, cavemen were struggling to survive. They were fighting to live, and yet they still made rough instruments for themselves. While music was not essential to them the way food, water, and shelter was, music still filled a less tangible need they had. Our ancestors must have felt the need to have music as a vehicle to feel connected and a sense of community, as well as the use for spiritual purposes and not just social. Keith Richard said “Music is a language that doesn’t speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it’s in the bones, it’s in the bones.”
I believe we as humans make music because God put music inside of us. I believe I experience a little of God’s glory and awe when I am filled with awe soaking up all the beautiful music at a symphony. I also feel a sense of beauty and awe in my soul when I am listening to a beautiful soft rock song and feel a progression and cadence happening in the music.
Another aspect of music that I love is its healing properties. Music helps people in their suffering. Music helps people to feel and process their emotions. Music also helps people to feel understood and validated in their suffering, therefore making them feel less alone and more seen and validated. One of the wonderful things about music is its ability to meet a person where they are at. A song that expresses the emotion or idea that a person is experiencing can help that person find more meaning in their suffering and give them courage to keep moving forward.
Most importantly, music can connect us to God through the act of Worshiping. Koin is an excellent way at Houghton to experience connecting to God through Worship music. As a Performance major, I have been exploring what it means to worship God through the act of pursuing excellence in music as an act of worship and devotion. I really appreciate the atmosphere at the Greatbatch School of Music and how the music professors live out what it means to be a Christian musician who is making music for God’s glory rather than a secular music school that provides an environment where self-glorification is easy to pursue, or where music is worshiped rather than God. I value GSOM’s commitment to putting Christ first and creating a healthy environment to grow aspiring musicians. ★
