Growing up, country music was always a big part of my family. My dad would always have the radio playing country as we would drive to the beach or just as we were making dinner in the kitchen. Because of this, the more I listened to country with them the more it made me feel at home. I like to say that country is an easy form of music. Meaning that it is easy to sing to or to write the song. It is not very complex. On the other hand, my mom would always have classical music playing when my dad was not in the room. The reason why she listens to that genre is because it brings her peace. I have grown to learn that every time I listen to classical music, it brings me peace at mind. My brother however, prefers rap style music. He would listen to this as he would detail his car or as he is doing yard work. So for me, whenever I hear rap music playing as my brother is doing something with tools, I would grow a perspective of rap music being very loud and a form of business. Because of this, I never choose rap music as my genre. I have had multiple musical influences growing up that have made me form perspectives from them.
Early last year, I gave my life to Christ and began digging deep with my relationship with God. Because of this incredible transformation, I started worshiping God with my music. I would choose worship based music or any genre that praises God. Worship music was one of the ways I praised God during my day.
Then, another shift happened in my life. As I am still a Christian and listen to worship music, I met someone that heavily influenced me. He is currently a jazz musician and a very wise one. His form of worship to the Lord is playing jazz music on the piano. I believe that jazz music belongs at the top of the pyramid of all music genres because it is the most complex and perfect form of creating music as well as expressing emotion through it. Jazz music has now become a huge part of my daily routine and a form of praising God. Along with jazz I also gravitate towards R&B music. In conclusion, I have had very many experiences with different genres of music and have formed my own perspective and ideas from them.
Throughout my life I've always been surrounded by music. I am the youngest in my family, so I was always spending time with my older cousins. They introduced me to their music basically as a child, and even though some of the songs may not have been too appropriate at the time, I credit them for my love of music. I remember singing and making songs with my friends growing up, as we danced around my room telling eachother we would be famous singers one day. I've always loved music, and I even got to attend my first concert at the age of 10. Also, because my family ranges in all different ages, I was constantly being shown several genres of music. Country, Pop, Hip Hop, and many others were shown to me at a very young age. This gave me the expierence of exploring new sounds and ideas within music. Fast forward about 10 years, and music influences my each and everyday majorly.
Now, each and everyday you can find me incorporating music into my life. Wether its in the car, at the gym, or just waking up with my alarm in the morning, each day has music involved. My favorite genres of music include R&B, Hip Hop, and Rap. Music makes me feel powerful, and makes me feel much more motivated to do things. I cant even begin to clean, do homework, or basically do anything even productive until im music motivated. I also like to relax and unwind with music. My favorite aspect about music, is that you can find different song for every mood you could possibly have.
My life has always involved music in some sense, I have always loved music. It started when I was very young when my parents exposed me to my first concert experiences with Dora, The Wiggles, and the Doodle Bops. I would pretend to be a famous singer as I began finding my voice, singing along to artists like Hannah Montana, or the cast of High School Musical. Music was always a positive outlet for me, and even though I was not a good singer my parents let me jam out on every single car ride.
When I soon came to realize my musical talent was not going to be singing, I moved on to trying many musical instruments. First came the piano lessons brought upon me by my parents, which I really liked, and I became good for my age, but they fizzled out when the amount of practicing did not agree with my desire to play with my friends. Quickly, as soon as we had a music assembly at my elementary school, I instantly knew I wanted to play the cello. It was fun and different for me which was exciting, and it was also a big switch for me from piano. I was excited to play an instrument that I could hold, and one that was still bigger than me. Unfortunately, I ended up quitting cello after elementary school, when my desire of playing with friends turned into the desire to fit in as I entered middle school. Now that I look back on it, I regret making such a choice based on my social standing in school and will always be labeled as the girl who quit all the musical instruments she ever tried.
I think if I were to do it all over again, I would stick with my piano lessons with the teacher next door to my childhood home, because it helped me focus more intellectually, and I think it would be a skill I would always be proud to show off. As I see our beautiful Steinway pianos in buildings at High Point University, I am reminded of my musical roots, and that it is never too late to start my musical passions again.