Enjoying inner peace in our chaotic world sometimes seems harder than staying clean in a cesspool, but it is possible. For some, peace and comfort comes from religious faith: praying, preaching, reading, chanting… Others rely on psychiatric procedures and drugs. Then there are those who find inner peace through music.
Anecdotal testimonies and scientific research show that certain classical and jazz music can calm even severely sick patients. The great jazz musician Sun Ra once played a gig at a mental hospital and a woman who had not spoken in years smiled and said something to Sun Ra. “A 2004 study from the Journal of Music Therapy found that music in interventions used with children and teens with ASD can improve social behaviors, increase focus and attention, increase communication attempts (vocalizations, verbalizations, gestures, and vocabulary), reduce anxiety, and improve body awareness and coordination.” (Autism Science Foundation, August 30, 2013)
Mozart, who was in all likelihood savant (an autistic person who exhibits obsessive brilliance in music), is my favorite classical composer; especially Piano Concerto No. 23, second movement. Jazz genius Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” transports me to a place of wondrous peace and tranquility. Even when there is silence, I hear music in my mind. Making music is a natural high, like breathing deep driving on a curvy Rocky mountain road. My simple songs are like a toddler doodling on the wall, but I hope they make people feel good and enjoy inner peace, no matter how fleeting. One Love…
Aria