By Dhaija Smith, NSU Student
Music is a powerful tool. When you are sad, you listen to happy music to try to feel better or when you are happy you listen to happy music to stay happy. Music is something that people listen to or create to express themselves. It is a healer for different types of people. When I was younger I would listen to music all the time because it always put me in a good mood no matter what I was doing. I would always listen to the same music over and over because it made me so happy even in my saddest days. Many of the older people in life would say, “Back in my day, the music was much better.” To me, this is not true because a lot of the music in this generation is different and there is a bigger variety to choose from.
Music is the reason that I wanted to go to school for Musical Theatre. I wanted to make people feel as good as it made me feel. To me, music is the key to life. Music has changed lives in multiple ways. Music is like being married. Music has so much influence over people and it changes lives for better or for worse. Many people have different outlets on how they relieve stress or anything in that matter and I relive mine by listening to or singing music. I am always singing and and my mom is always telling me that I listen to it too much. Once I was singing along to a song and she asked, “Do you know your schoolwork like you know the lyrics to this song?” I did not say no but I also did not want to say yes because then I would have to prove that I know it and I don’t think I was ready for that task!
Music is the sounds that feed your soul, music brings people together. Like in Stevie Wonders hit “Sir Duke,” he best explains, “Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand, with an equal opportunity, for all to sing, dance and clap their hands.” Everyone no matter what race, gender, sexuality, religion, or viewpoints can come together through music. It just has that impact on people. Music has always been in us from the first time our hearts made a beat to the way we walk every day.
Music has inspired me in so many ways that I have decided to make a career out of it and hopefully encourage others the way it had encourage me. I know that not everyone likes music but I know that I do and it has helped me become the person I am today and I am so grateful for this and I am thankful that it has become my outlet in the world and has become something that I can always turn to in my time of need.
Thank you, Dhaija, for your willingness to put yourself out here and let us know of your desire to influence the world through music. I find it encouraging that your generation wish to empower often unheard voices in a world that,oft times, seems too big. There is reason to listen to your elders, however, because many of us have dealt with the same feeling you have, just in different musical forms. You know what forms communicate to your audience, then you have a better understanding of how to connect with more people.
As for Mr. Wright and his concerns that “A lot of musicians actively promote Satanism for real,” I would suggest he quit listening to music, period. If you cannot make the effort to listen and try to understand those that are different than yourself, you have no business listening to any music; vocal, instrumental, or tribal. Yep, I’d be real concerned about listening to the Christian musicians as well, because you can’t really tell what Satan is trying to insert into your head unless you play the Christian beats backward, at 1.666 times speed, while standing on your head knitting spider web. I’ve seen many times when doing so reveled the REAL message that Satan needed to convey.
I, for one, will encourage you to continue to follow your dream. It may not always pay the bills, but it will nourish your, as well as other’s, well being.
I exit humming “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria,” from the musical Sound of Music.
A forgone conclusion. I’d talk about ‘some antics’ but I would be your worst nightmare. Music is ubiquitous.
P.S. Follow your dreams, Dhaija Smith.
P.S.S. God always wins.
A lot of musicians actively promote Satanism for real. God wins for real.