In many ways more than one, music is healing. I am a big proponent of using your gifts to teach others. So grateful and blessed a friend of mine gave me an opportunity to speak in her class and run a lecture on how music assists in times of strain and trauma.
In early March, I gave a lecture at North Park University to a cohort of about 20 grad students regarding the relationship between music and trauma. It was fun finding music and building out a lecture plan to teach college students.
This opportunity gave me a new avenue to do something out of the ordinary and share my love of music with a group of grad students. Music acts as a balm for people to continue to keep moving forward in the most difficult of times.
I broke the lecture down by explaining music and trauma through the following:
- Social upheaval
- Life Experience
- Grief
- Family
- Self-Work
It was a fun experience to break down songs that mean a lot to me and share them with others.
There was time to speak regarding the songs, and then at the end of lecture students gave their thoughts and opinions.
Here is a rundown of the songs I shared:
Lil Wayne – Georgia Bush
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – 41 Shots
Scarface – I Feel Ya
2Pac – So Many Tears
Mac Miller – 2009
Aaliyah – Miss You
Brian McKnight – Anytime
Geto Boys – My Mind is Playing Tricks on Me
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
Solange – Cranes in the Sky
Cleo Sol – Know That You Are Loved
Kanye West – Roses
Kate Bush – This Women’s Work
Sade – Bullet Proof Soul
Massive Attack – Unfinished Symphony
Xavier Omar – Afraid
Aretha Franklin – Wholy Holy
The Carpenters – Rainy Days and Mondays
Bob Marley – Waiting in Vain
Time was taken away to explain the majority of the songs. I even took played snippets of the songs within the time allotted and spoke a bit about the intended purpose and meaning of the songs. Will explain a few below.
One of the best songs I was able to break down is Kate Bush’s This Women’s Work. Contrary to popular belief, the song which has a cover by R&B singer Maxwell is actually Kate Bush’s song released in 1988. The song also soundtracks the Movie She’s Having a Baby. I saw this movie over the past year and has a scene that is a prime example of a song being a defining moment in a film.
To give the premise of the film, Kevin Bacon is a young husband and covers the first early years of marriage and pregnancy with his wife. The movie changes when they’re at the hospital and the doctors tell Kevin Bacon’s character his wife is having pregnancy complications. The Movie then goes into flashback mode as Kevin Bacon’s character remembers all the moments with his wife as he risks losing her and their newborn child. The pregnancy is safe, but the song perfectly captures the fear of not moving forward with your partner, but holding space for the joy of the moments created with a particular person.
Also, breaking down the song Lil Wayne Georgia Bush, realized his Dedication 2 Mixtape broke down the fallacies and poor response of Former President George W. Bush, and FEMA in response to Lil Wayne’s hometown of New Orleans regarding Hurricane Katrina. The song is a 7-and-a-half visceral screed of the poor response to Katrina in one of Wayne’s most politicized songs.
Another song that resonated with many is Aaliyah’s I Miss You. The song came out on the self-titled album that was released a month before Aaliyah’s tragic plane accident. The song resonated with many not as a breakup song, but as a song for people going on separate paths whether after school, career, moving away, or life. The chorus’s simplicity of wanting to be with the people that made you happy makes me happy that one can remember the memories of someone’s while still mourning and grieving a loss.
The lecture was a great evening for students to share the power of music when it comes to healing and trauma. Students shared songs that were personal to them and how music has played a role in their lives. It was awesome to teach a class on how music is a great communicate with others. Truly grateful to share my love of music with others to act as a soundtrack for navigating through different ups and downs of life.
The Typecaster 