Pieces of Me

I'm not quite sure how to explain how important music is to me. No, I'm not the top clarinetist, and no, I can't sing to save my life, but being a part of music runs in my veins. 

My entire family has been all about music for as long as I can remember. My mom's dad played the guitar and keyboard and other instruments that I can't recall clearly, and I can remember going into his den of sorts and wishing I could learn to play them, too. 

One of my dad's brothers owns a music shop here in town, and another of his brother's is a music teacher in another city. Nearly all of his seven siblings participated in Central's musical when they were in high school. 

My older brother just graduated a few weekends ago with a degree in Music Education. He's played the violin for over ten years. 

And so the list goes on and on.

Sometimes I wish I was as talented as my family, but even though I enjoy performing music, I'm much more in love with the feeling of experiencing music. Whether this is through my headphones, speakers at full blast in the car, or being in the audience of a musical or concert. I find appreciating others' work immensely more gratifying than myself performing.

Admittedly, I find myself being protective of the music I listen to in a way where, when I find a song or a group that I think is just the best thing in the entire world, I'm usually unsure if I should share it with people. This is especially true when I really connect with the music. I feel as if I'm exposing myself when I have someone listen to it the first time, which probably sounds somewhat weird. I'm not the type to listen to a lot of music that's full of fluff with no reason behind it other than to have a good time. I have more of a taste for music full of stories, which I suppose comes from the writer in me. 

And I don't discriminate between genres, either. I have anything from Linkin Park to Michael Buble to Imagine Dragons to Martina McBride to Mumford and Sons to P!nk to Backstreet Boys, (don't hate- I am a teenage girl born in the 90s...) to the cast of Rent, and even a little Glee mixed in, too. I could never pick which category I'm more a fan of.

The whole point of all this ranting is to ask a favor. If I ever try to share a song with you, please actually listen to it. Chances are that the lyrics are conveying what I'm feeling in that moment or what I've been feeling for awhile about something. I know my taste isn't everyone's, but I wouldn't ask you to listen to it or have it playing in the car with you if I didn't have good reason. The songs in my playlists are pieces of me, snapshots of my life. I take them to heart.