The Rhythm of My Heart :)

We all have songs we go to when we need a pick up, or just songs that we love to listen to. As a music therapy student, I know that music is very helpful with emotions. There are songs I like to listen to when I'm sad, happy, or just plain bored. I have a few in mind right now.

I love to listen to country music. It's what I grew up listening to. There is one song by Randy Travis called "Forever and Ever Amen," that I can never seem to get out of my head. It's such a sweet song and it's actually a lot of fun to sing along to. Whenever I hear the song on the radio or listen to it specifically, I think about my family and friends, and all the people that I love. Not only is it really cute, but it's also true. If I love someone, I'm going to love that person forever. I don't think there has ever been a person in my life that I just stopped loving. I also feel that if you love someone you should tell them. Tell them that you're going to love them forever. Tell them that you'll love them "as long as old men sit and talk about the weather," and "as long as old women sit and talk about old men." Anyway, the song is just a wonderful song and I really enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJXbIP83A8&ob=av3e

Another genre I love is pop. As you ALL know, I love Taylor Swift's music. I think she's more of a pop / country cross over artist. I like listening to her music when I'm sad, happy, mad, excited, and basically all the time. I swear one day my roommate is going to kick me out for it. (Sorry, Hannah.) I think what appeals to me most about her music is that it's relatable. She writes about love, relationships, forgiveness, anger, sadness, happiness, etc. All these things are things that we experience every single day. She's such a real person, and it comes out in her music. I also love that she has morals. She doesn't dress like a prostitute or say outrageous things. One of my new favorite songs by her is "Never Grow Up." I think sometimes we all wish we could never grow up, and just be innocent and cute forever. I also love that this song encourages not being embarassed of your parents. I think so many kids take for granted that their parents work so hard to give them what they need, and sometimes they are still embarassed by them. This is a very peaceful song to listen to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggpwTy0jIM&feature=related

I'm pretty sure that of all the male artists out there right now, my favorite is Gabe Bondoc. He's really big on Youtube, and his music is incredible. He plays guitar and sings, and boy does he do a great job. He's got this soultry voice that will melt your heart, and he performs with such emotion. It's amazing! I think it also helps that he's cute. One of his new songs, "You're It," is one of my favorites right now. It's about loving youthfully. I like listening to this song because it's super happy. I get the same feeling listening to this song as I do when I finally perfect a part in my music. This song just has that effect on me I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFW7haf9iS8

Whether you listen to my songs or not, make sure you take time to think about what you like in each song you listen to. It's good to know what songs make you feel good, and which ones throw you off balance. Music is powerful. Use it to your full advantage.

Lowering the Drinking Age...DON'T DO IT!

In the debate on whether or not the drinking age should be lowered, I strongly believe it should not. Let's imagine the drinking age was lowered to, say, eighteen. I think that the government would want to be sure those individuals were responsible enough to handle that privilege given to them. From experience, many people my age are not responsible enough to turn in their homework, much less drink responsibly. Some people would argue that many eighteen year olds drink anyway, so why not make it legal, but then the government would just be enabling them to make stupid decisions. It is true that eighteen year olds are permitted to vote and go to war, but even those things bring up issues. From talking to people and knowing a ton of eighteen year olds, a majority of them don't research the political candidates enough to make a wise decision when voting. That seems to me to be showing that they don't really care, and that they're just stabbing in the dark. They sometimes just listen to their friends, and what they see on tv, which isn't always true. Also, some eighteen year olds that decide to join the army are doing it because they don't have the money to go to college or even just for the sign on bonus. Speaking as a young adult, these other actions show that eighteen year olds clearly are not responible enough have these privileges, so I don't think they should have another privilege added if they aren't ready.