Can you imagine living in a world without music?
I can't. I love music! I love how it makes me feel,
how it reminds me of past experiences and what the
words or rhythm motivate me to do. But in the past
15 years, mostly because of a lack of time and the
cost of changing over from records and audiotapes to
CD's, I've not spent much time creating a personal
collection of favorite music.
The radio has been good enough. Until last
Christmas. My family gave me an iPod. They said "it
would be great for when you travel." I looked at it
quizzically wondering what to do with it. They said
"'load' it with your favorite songs." "Load" it?
What does THAT mean? And what were my favorite songs
anyway? It's been a while since I thought about the
music I really like.
Well, life has changed as I know it. Together
with my 12- year old son, we figured out how to
download the iTunes program, search for and buy
songs of interest and "loaded" the little iPod with
a huge library of songs I hadn't heard in years! I
take it with me all the time and use it when I walk
the dog, on long drives in the car, on airplanes and
trains and even used it after a medical procedure to
get my mind in a better place while healing.
I continue to use music in all my workshops. I use
music to help people feel comfortable when they
arrive, entertain them while on break and energize
them when they leave. Since most classroom content
taught is left-brain (logical and sequential), I
have found that adding music, which is more
right-brain (creative and random) encourages whole
brain learning.
Listening to favorite music has been proven to
reduce stress and increase overall happiness.
Some experts even say if you listen to Mozart, or
other music at 60 beats per minute (matching your
heartbeat at rest), you can learn easier and
remember better.
Now when I listen to the radio and like a song I
hear, I write it down and add it to my iTunes
library for syncing (adding) to my iPod. I've even
found some interesting podcasts and other MP3 files
I can download for personal and professional
development.
For those of you who have iPods, I'd love to know
what your favorite songs or artists are and for
those who don't have one, what are you waiting for?!
