Music is the one language that needs no words to evoke an emotion. It is arguably the greatest invention of all kinds, a method of storytelling, of passing information through generations, of uniting people. Music is one aspect of human life that never fails to bring people together. Yes, it is subjective, but at the same time, it never ceases to inspire curiosity and openness in people. It brings a sense of relief, a sense of comfort, in a way that no one else can.
I have been playing piano since I was 4, and have since been picking up guitar, ukulele, castanets, violin and now also singing. Music has always been a part of my life, and it has allowed me to express my emotions in a way words can’t. Learning to play so many different instruments is incredible and is something I will never give up for as long as my body is physically capable.
An ear for music is the best gift I’ve ever been given. Music has gotten me through a lot of the ups and downs in my life. It’s an escape from everything going on around me, a way to bring myself back to the present and find comfort from all the world around me.
Playing music, it’s the most beautiful feeling. For me, it’s the violin in particular. That closeness of the instrument, pressed against your cheek, the way the vibrations can chorus through your body. What you hear while you’re playing, no one else hears because they don’t have the vibrations running through their body in quite the same way; they don’t feel every vibration that resonates through your soul. They don’t get their souls lifted and carried away; they don’t zone out until the only thing of importance is the symphony that engulfs them.
I guess, in part, music and silence are one. Silence, you don’t have music without it. Music never ceases to drown out the noise in my head. Silence can be agonising when you are left with your own thoughts, but when the silence becomes a symphony of emotions and thoughts, then it can be a thing of beauty. It is hard shutting out the constant narrative; that’s where other music comes in: the pretty sounds drown out the ugly ones. If only for a little bit, you can get carried away in the tune.
I like some silence, the calm type. Not when it rages in my head, angry with me, but when it is warm and comforting. It’s when I can be at peace and notice the little things, the precious moments, that I hold dear to my heart.
I like it when the words flow like this. My head is in silence, with the notes vibrating through me. It's a comfort that doesn’t touch the skin but touches something deeper, soothing me in a way no human can.
There are times when my tears fall black, as that silent web of criticism engulfs me, dragging me down and strangling the happiness in my chest. My throat aches as I try to show no emotion, leaving my face blank, reminding myself to become a robot again—perfect. Where the only faults are someone else's, where the coding went wrong, I’m never good enough in human form.
But then I need to remind myself that I’m okay, that if I think it through, it’s just my head playing tricks on me. I remind myself to breathe, open my eyes, look around, and let the music flow. I let the calm silence chorus through me, and the notes flow through my head, their vibrations making me smile.
That is the gift of music—it creates a symphony from nothing—a sort of magic orchestrated from the stories, emotions, and feelings of the world around an individual. No two people will ever hear it quite the same way, and that’s what makes it a thing to be treasured.
It brings out the true hearts of people and leaves them stripped of all their defences. Nothing can guard a person from music; it reaches into your soul and can twist and turn through your ribs until it’s got a firm grasp on your heart, and no matter how well you can hide your emotions, it will get through, in some way or another.
To me, that is the true beauty of music; there is no one that it cannot touch, and there is no one that will not understand it. Music is an unalienable right of all living organisms, past, present, and future. Vibrations are what keeps us alive; it’s simple physics: as long as there is some energy, all atoms are vibrating, the more energy in a system, the more they vibrate. And when they resonate, well, that’s when the chorus builds in all its glory. It is a uniting force between all organisms alike. It’s the chorus of life, and that is a beautiful thing.