what does music do for you?

Mo asked me that today. Actually he asked me what song takes me on adventure and makes me want to explore. I am not much of an explorer by nature- at least not of the body. I'm more of a stayer but if there were a song that makes me think of traveling and adventure it might be the music from the cartoon version of 'The Hobbit'. Not because it's such great music as much as it reminds me of the road and traveling. But that led to the bigger question of what music does for us in our lives.

Now, you may not know this about me but I have $40,000 vocal chords. That's what going to a private college and majoring in music in music (general- not education) will cost you- or did in the 80s. (It's more- a lot more now!) I didn't get a great career out of it nor did I bank a lot of music history and can now rattle off the entire history of rock music in the United States for you. Nope, but I did spend a lot of years singing and entertaining people in various settings and it did add a lot to my life and my children's I dare say, so it was worth it I guess.

So music plays a pretty big part in my life. There are some songs that absolutely move me to tears (Prokofief's Piano Concerto #3, Madame Butterfly- the final aria, amid many others) and some songs that can cheer me up when I am completely down and it doesn't have to be a happy song just a song that takes me out of whatever I am dealing with- like 'Sunset Grill' by Don Henley. I wake up with music in my head almost every day- sometimes it is the same song day after day and I call it my theme song for that period of my life. It can also set me on edge however. I have a co-worker who doesn't sing very well and she will sing in the workroom and almost drive me insane. I understand that she is happy and listening to her ipod, etc. but she has no clue how her shrill just-off-tune voice irritates me. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard! Fortunately she doesn't work everyday nor does she sing in the workroom constantly, so I won't be driven to do anything that may end with me in a padded room any time soon (and she's quitting anyway). So clearly, music can influence me significantly for good- and for bad.       

Anyway, how about you? what does music do for you???
A new song I just found and decided I kind of like...

(and if you're wondering what all the posting is about: I'm participating in my yearly 31 days of blogging with NaBloWriMo. I jumped in without much fanfare and don't know if I'll make it all the way, but so far so good)