It runs in my veins. It really does. And I know you’re probably thinking- ‘Who is she to make such romantic statements? I have never heard of her so she can’t be a musician, neither is her name anywhere on the internet so she’s certainly no one to take seriously’- but I speak the truth when I say Musica Anima Mea Est.
I remember my first electronic gadget being a small 4GB Walkman (mp3 player). It was a gift from my sister on my 10th birthday. She had a similar one and I had always been jealous of her for that. She allowed me the privilege of using it once and that was when I heard my first English song- ‘No Average Angel’ by Tiffany Giardina. It was one of the most popular songs of that year and I was hooked. And so, when I received my birthday gift, my happiness knew no bounds. My mother observed me for quite a while and it got into her head that I knew how to catch a tune and that I understood music and so-
My musical journey started on an uncertain note, I was 12 when my mother took me to a music school- the best one in my city- and registered me for keyboard lessons. I was, I’m ashamed to say, an irregular student. I never did my theoretical home-work and practicing scales was a pain which I never indulged in. And so, not unexpectedly, I never performed well in my music examinations. Yet-and I don’t know why- my teacher was convinced that I had a knack for the instrument and never gave up on me. He stood through my incessant excuses and boredom. And somehow, he pulled me through it, always trying to make it seem more fun than I thought it was, and I never noticed when I actually got convinced! Soon I was immersed into the world of music, never to come out. The rhythm started agreeing with me and my fingers commandeered the keys like experts. I became one with the music. I am not the best at playing the keyboard and I probably won’t ever be but I have come to realize a few very crucial things about music.
Music is not the latest songs or the best played instruments and neither is it a flawless tune. Music is a feeling; it is a feeling of absolute bliss. You may sing beautifully or may sound like you’re braying uncontrollably but music is the very enjoyment that you experience while doing this. I’ve had a few friends who cannot sing to save their lives, but the happiness they experience while belting out a song is what makes music.
And so, a singer, an instrumentalist like me, or anyone who truly feels music, is justified to say- Musica Anima Mea Est. Music Is My Soul.
I like this!