Music’s Gift of Joy, Expression and Connection
By Katelyn Snyder
“Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” -Sir Elton John
Many barriers exist between us humans: language, distance, culture, and lack of trust are a few examples. Sometimes, the way we think and communicate can also separate us. Sometimes, people cannot speak, so they have more difficulty communicating with those of us who are verbal. Other times, because their patterns of thought is different, we struggle to comprehend what they mean.
There are several ways for people to overcome barriers. Sometimes, we must learn a new language. Other times, we could spend time with and study a person so we learn how they communicate and think. Playing games with people can also help build trust and overcome more barriers
As for me, I have discovered that music helps people overcome many barriers by giving joy, facilitating emotional expression, and fostering interpersonal interaction. My name is Katelyn, and I am one of the Music Navigators at Orange Grove Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Orange Grove was founded in 1953 as a school for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities by concerned parents who did not want their children kept in institutions such as Pennhurst or Willowbrook. At Orange Grove, every individual with a disability is treated with respect.
As one of the Music Navigators at Orange Grove, I play the violin in different classrooms. I play a variety of music that includes classical music, traditional songs, jigs, and improvisations. While playing, I witnessed how music gives people joy. For example, while I was playing music in one room, a man started humming along. I noticed that he recognized several classical pieces such as Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song” and other traditional songs like “¿Con Qué Pagaremos?” This man enjoyed humming along with songs he recognized, so I began to play new classical songs for him to see if he would recognize them.
“Music is a wonderful gift that gives joy, encourages emotional expression, connects us humans. Music has an amazing power to bring smiles to people’s faces and lightness to people’s feet. ”
One day, I decided to play Brahms’s “Hungarian Dance No. 5.” The man’s eyes lit up, he started dancing, and he said “Huh!” every once in a while. It turns out that “Hungarian Dance No. 5” sounded like a common polka. Now, his whole classroom likes it when I play “Hungarian Dance No. 5” because they enjoy watching his feet dance and listening to him say “Huh!”
When music brings a person joy, it can make that person laugh. A couple of weeks ago, I was improvising in a different classroom. One of the ladies there was quite stoic, and I had not seen her smile much at all. When I ended, this improvisation probably sounded like a joke to her, so the stoic lady smiled and laughed. There is another song by Bach named “Gavotte” that has made several people smile and laugh as well. The whole song is light and prancing and encourages smiles. Towards the end come two unexpected pizzicato notes. A pizzicato note is produced when the artist plucks the strings on a string instrument. Those two pizzicato notes have prompted many smiles and laughter.
Music does not just bring joy; it also helps facilitate emotional expression. Sometimes, music helps us express cheer and happiness. I entered another classroom recently, and the staff asked if I would play Country music, because the two individuals in that room enjoy it. I began to play, and one of the men stood up and came to where I was. A staff member went over to him, took him by the arm, and started walking with him. As I turned my violin into a fiddle, this man smiled and laughed. The staff member prompted him to clap after that song. I played another song, and another. Pretty soon, he and a staff member were dancing and clapping to the songs.
Music does not only make us laugh and dance; it also can make us cry when we have deep emotions to express. Once, I was in a classroom playing a violin arrangement of “Für Elise,” a generally pleasant song. Usually, people smile and sway when I play “Für Elise.” However, this time, a young man started to cry. I was startled that he cried, because he likes violin music and usually would smile upon hearing it. I kept playing, because the staff assured me that he enjoyed violin music. The next week I returned to his classroom, and he cried again when I played the same song. Apparently, “Für Elise” was an emotional outlet for him.
Music has also given me the opportunity to interact with people while playing the violin. I previously thought that the violin was a strictly soloistic instrument and that I would need to play the guitar or piano to interact with people. However, this past week, while playing in one of the children’s classrooms, I noticed a girl stand up and start swaying to the music. So, I slowly went to where she was and started swaying with her. She smiled and me, and I smiled back. We continued interacting through the music for about twenty minutes until I had to go play for the next classroom. I have played for a half hour each week for the past year, and this was the longest she stayed interested in my music, because I was interacting with her.
When I went to the next room, I decided to try to interact with the students in that classroom as well. As I swayed to the music and smiled at the children, some of them began to interact with me. One boy started walking around the room, snapping his fingers, and smiling. Another boy started out quite stoic. Every time I looked at him and smiled, he would stare right back. However, after about ten minutes, he smiled at me.
The most progress in interaction that I have seen occurred in a third classroom. The first time I played violin in this classroom, the boy wheeled himself away from me and turned his back to me. I was concerned, but the staff in his room assured me that he likes the music; it was just over-stimulating him. As I continued to play in his room week after week, he started to stay in the circle around me. Then he started smiling. Now, after one or two songs, he lifts his head from staring at his lap. Although he avoids eye connection with me, he looks around the room. Then he starts rocking, flapping his hands, and smiling. Every once in a while, he glances at me. There has been a lot of progress in interaction, and I am very happy to be able to be part of this young man’s journey.
Music is a wonderful gift that gives joy, encourages emotional expression, connects us humans. Music has an amazing power to bring smiles to people’s faces and lightness to people’s feet. Because it is a safe place, it also can become an outlet for our deep emotions, whether happy or sad, and it can connect us with people to whom we may otherwise feel distance. Let’s work to create music with the people around us and see the wonderful changes it would bring to our communities.
About the Author
Katelyn Snyder is a Music Navigator at Orange Grove Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She plays the violin.