Music as a Therapeutic Tool in Healing

This week I wanted to continue in the same topic as my previous blog post that shared how music can be used in the therapeutic healing process. The focus last week looked at how songs can help improve our relationships. This week I am looking at instrumental music, primarily from a neuro researcher and composer who I mentioned in the past on a post on mindfulness.

Dr. Jeffrey Thompson from the biography section of his website is “the Founder/Director of the Center for Neuroacoustic Research in Carlsbad, California, a research center which is actualizing its vision of ‘Healing the Body*Heart*Mind and Spirit through the Scientific Application of Sound.’”
(http://scientificsounds.com/index.php/dr-thompson/biography ). He has been experimenting with the healing nature of sound since the 1980’s. He has a passion for composing and has a variety of compositions on CD and downloads at his store website (http://scientificsounds.com/index.php/store/healing ). Also on the website under the library link you can find articles on the benefit of music to healing and our life journey.

What are the benefits of music for a person? Under the benefits section he lists benefits that have been found for people. Then in looking in the library section of his website you can see some of the research that backs up the benefits listed. Here is a sampling of some of the benefits listed:

More calmness
More ability to handle stress
Improved emotional responses
More restorative sleep
Improved physical, emotional and belief system health
Increased energy
Less pain
A better sense of themselves

On his website under “Benefits” there is a longer list as well as testimonials from those who have used his music products. I myself when working in my office to keep my mind centered and relaxed I often use his music in the background. Also when I give exams in my classes I often have his music playing to help relax the students’ minds to help counter text anxiety. In my counseling practice I often suggest his compositions as a possible choice if they are dealing with anxiety or having trouble sleeping. If you want to hear an example of his music here is a sample of a composition called “Renewal One” found on Youtube -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tm0sjhSF8g . A number of his works have been posted on Youtube but at his store on his website you can order CD’s, downloads, and mini audio players pre-loaded with 3-6 hours of music.

Growing in awareness of the power of healing in instrumental music is important in our continual growth of Living a More Than OK life. I also encourage the use of classical music and relaxing jazz music to keep our minds aware or to relax our bodies from stress. I just wanted to emphasize Dr. Jeffrey Thompson today as his music is researched based. I encourage you to check our his website I have listed and read up on some of the articles in his library if you are more interested in the power of music to improve your life and health.

Reflection: What instrumental music do you enjoy? Take time to listen to the “Renewal One” composition. What were your feelings while you were listening?

Songs Can Help in Relationships

This week I am moving away from the topics of reading and books to music. In the past I have based many blogposts about certain songs. Last week I attended the American Counseling Association conference in New Orleans. One of the sessions I attended related to music as a tool in therapy. The session was entitled, “Using Popular Music to Promote Healthy Adolescent Relationships”.

The session shared how music can be utilized in helping adolescents who are dealing with troubled personal relationships where they are being controlled and/or facing violence. For many teens music holds a powerful influence in their lives. Various popular songs can aid in opening up important issues in counseling that teens are facing in relationship difficulties with negative boyfriend or girlfriend relationships. For example negative popular songs such as Issues by Julia Michaels or Jealous by Nick Jonas can aid in discussion of some of the negatives within their relationships. On the other hand positive songs like Congratulations by Ne-Yo or Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran can help in discussing good things they can grow within their relationships. Of course the important thing is to find songs that adolescents will enjoy and be able to relate to in their hearts and minds. It was suggested to first find out what music the teens are interested in. That is often one topic I discuss with teen clients so I know what music will work with them.

In my counseling I often use motivational music with teens and relational music with couple counseling. Music is an effective tool often with most people from children to adults. As my family and I were driving back to Texas we were listening to a CD by Danny Gokey. One song, Better Than Gold made me think of this particular session. It is a song that speaks of a romantic relationship. As in the past if you click on the title of the song I have it hyperlinked to a video of the song. Listen to it now and think over the words.

Better Than Gold by Danny Gokey (click on the title to hear the video)

The day that my whole life changed
Was the moment I laid eyes on her
The way she took my breath away
I fell so hard in fact it hurt
She made me feel just like I discovered
Something precious and rare (so rare)
Made me come alive
Took me from my zero to a millionaire
Chorus-
She's like the woman I need
She makes my world complete
She snuck right out of my dreams
I know she's better than gold
She makes my life so sweet
Special delivery from heaven straight to me
I know she's better than gold

She's mine, all mine, she's better than gold
She's fine, so fine, she's better than gold
She's mine, all mine, she's better than gold
She's better than gold
All my friends are saying, "slow down"
There's so much treasure I have left to see
But she's got me sold out
I'm richer than a man deserves to be
She makes me feel just like
I discovered something precious and rare
Perfectly designed, she's a living work of art without compare
(back to chorus) from https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/dannygokey/betterthangold.html

Gokey’s lyrics speak of a love where he feels blessed by being in relationship with his precious and rare woman, “I'm richer than a man deserves to be, She makes me feel just like I discovered something precious and rare.” That phrasing made me think over how better our relationships with our significant partners could be if we viewed the partner in our lives as a precious commodity such as gold. He feels richer in his life because of his relationship with his “better than gold” partner. If we view the significant person in our life as precious we will honor, respect and love them.

We can see his infatuated love in the lines, “She's like the woman I need, She makes my world complete.” Those are good lines to remind someone in a relationship to temper their thinking, in not to expect the other person to make their lives complete. No other person on this earth can make ourselves complete. That is too much of a burden to place on another person. I encourage people to instead work on building up themselves so they are not relying on the other person with too high of expectations. Of course regular readers, know I come at life from a Christian worldview, so those of us in this tradition seek to find personal completeness in Jesus Christ. When I counsel someone of another religious faith tradition I encourage them to find their completeness in their God or Higher Power. Then those of no particular religious perspective I encourage them to build up their self-esteem so they can give to their partner, rather than attempting to gain their self-esteem from their partner.

Music is a powerful medium that we can use for self-growth but as the two professors shared in their research, music can also be of help in thinking through and growing our relationships.

Reflection: What take-away do you find for yourself from the song, Better Than Gold, for your relationship? Think through the songs that are your favorites. Do any of them speak to relationship issues? Take time to look over the lyrics of your song to see what insights you can gain.

Soothing Stress Relief Through Music

When I recently spoke with my College Success course students about anxiety and stress, I brought up the subject of music as a stress reliever. I enjoy music immensely and believe in the power of music to calm and energize. Several of the students shared how music helps them to focus their minds on their studies so they can concentrate better. Other students shared how before tests there are certain songs that help motivate them to do their best.

Music helps to create moods that can aid in improving our emotions for relaxation or excitement. At times I have made the mistake of playing soft relaxing music prior to my 8 am lectures and students tell me to toss on some rock or country music to wake them up. Music can have a powerful effect on us. I want to share a couple of my favorite music choices when I am stressed out that help calm me down so you can think over how to use music as one way to deal with your life stress times.

First of all is a jazz musician I have mentioned many times in the past and in my book, Living More Than OK. Her name is Keiko Matsui. She is a smooth jazz pianist and composer of her music. She has songs that energize as well as songs that calm and heal the soul. Even her upbeat songs I can enjoy while I am relaxing while reading a book or simply trying to calm down from the worries of the day. I primarily listen to her cd’s yet sometimes if I have my computer on I enjoy some of the creative videos that have been created for her songs. Check out this example of a video based on her song Deep Blue:

Keiko Matsui song Deep Blue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTRiXtP7lkA

Then one musician/composer I bring up each semester to my students when speaking about beating stress is Dr. Jeffrey Thompson. He is a chiropractor in his primary career path who has also had a passion for studying the healing qualities of sound and music. He is an expert in the field of acoustic pacing frequencies that he adapts into his musical compositions. His music is relaxing as the basic tempos match the breathing patterns in mindfulness meditation. So one reason I listen to his music is to slow down my breathing and to remind myself to take deep slow breathes. This type of music is helpful in de-stressing and lowering blood pressure. I have tested it out for myself when my blood pressure was high after listening to his music for 15 minutes or so, I have checked my blood pressure and it has gone down. Dr. Thompson’s music comes across as rather spacey so the first time listening it may take time to be used to it but the effects of relaxing of the body is noticed by most students when I try it in classes for them to listen to his compositions. Try listening to a sample of his music from Youtube:

Sleep Flow Dreaming by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1KthVjxDAA

Of course in speaking to students about relaxing music I bring up Classical Baroque music as well. Don Campbell in his book, The Mozart Effect, points to research after research that has shown the health benefits of classical music on the body, mind, emotions, and spirit of people. I do make use of my classical cds as well in relaxing while I am working in my office. It helps in being more productive with busy work if I have music such as classical music playing. I tell my students you do not have to break the bank of buying classical music as Youtube has collections of classical music for concentration and studying. Here is a sample here:

Study Music for Concentration:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AKLiYeaHgk



Hopefully this post has given you some ideas about using music to conquer stress or improve your concentration. I hope you tried out the samples given here. Think through your favorite music and reflect on how it helps in your life and your moods.

Reflection: Listen fully to one of the three music samples above and reflect on how it made you feel. What is your favorite music style or favorite musicians? How does your music help you in your life?

Overcoming for a Resilient Life

Photo credit: Ed Yourdon / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

With this week close to Easter I was contemplating what to focus my blog on as I was sitting at my computer. I had been looking over some other books on the importance of reading when a song by Mandisa came to my mind as I was listening to her music. The song speaks to the importance of resilience. Having the inner fortitude to bounce back from the difficulties of life is the overcoming for a resilient person. We each have different difficulties and problems that try to keep us on the ground while resilience is telling us inside to not quit so we stand up and press on. Listen to the video of her song by clicking on the song title and think over the lyrics that point to the importance of the personal affirmation of “I am an Overcomer!”.

"Overcomer" performed by Mandisa (Click on title to view video of the song)

Staring at a stop sign Watching people drive by
T Mac on the radio Got so much on your mind
Nothing's really going right Looking for a ray of hope
Whatever it is you may be going through
I know He's not gonna let it get the best of you
You're an overcomer Stay in the fight ‘til the final round
You're not going under ‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds You That you're an overcomer You're an overcomer
Everybody's been down Hit the bottom, hit the ground Ooh, you're not alone
Just take a breath, don't forget Hang on to His promises He wants You to know
The same Man, the Great I am The one who overcame death
He's living inside of You So just hold tight, fix your eyes
On the one who holds your life There's nothing He can't do He's telling you
(Take a breath, don't forget Hang on to His promises)
You're an overcomer You're an overcomer You're an overcomer
So don't quit, don't give in, you're an overcomer
Don't quit, don't give in, you're an overcomer
Don't quit, don't give in, you're an overcomer You're an overcomer

Photo credit: Nick Kenrick .HappyEaster /Passover. no protest / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

When the rays of hope are slim in our life we blankly stare out at those passing us by thinking how do they have it so together when we feel beaten into the ground. If we only knew what they were going through we would not think like that. At those times the urge is to quit and give up, especially if we feel we are at rock bottom. It is at these times that we need to know that we don’t have to quit or give in. Understand that you can overcome the difficulties. How can we overcome?

Mandisa looks at life from the same worldview as I do, that of a Christian, so I know that is one reason she chose to sing this song. So the foundation of my overcoming is based on the focal point of who she is singing about -- the risen Savior Jesus. She alludes to His resurrection in the line, “The same Man, the Great I am The one who overcame death.” With this week being Easter that line may be one key reason I decided to use this song this week. I believe God’s purpose for my life is greater than the problems I face so that is important in my concept of having an overcoming mindset. I have had my share of times of being knocked down in life and wanting to stay down or even going lower. With the overcoming mindset I can keep my eyes fixed of Jesus Christ’s power that overcame death and knowing in serving Him he will lead and tell me what he wants for my life. That purpose God has for me is not giving into problems and quitting. Instead it points to overcoming and holding on to His greater purpose for my life.

The affirmation in this song to be an overcomer of course bridges beyond Christians. I remember when the song first came out there was a video that Mandisa did showing several well-known people who were battling cancer and other health problems and they were overcomers over their problems. So the general principle of the song relates to all people of all beliefs reminding us of the importance of not quitting but to overcome the problems that face us.

Another point I learned from the song came from the line “Staring at a stop sign Watching people drive by T Mac on the radio.” She is alluding to Tobey Mac with the term T Mac. His music is very upbeat and positive with a strong spiritual message. The phrase stood out to me reminding me of the power of positive music when difficult days are facing us. When you are going through difficult times it may be of help to listen to some uplifting music to remind you to get up and not quit.

Reflection: What personal affirmations do you remind yourself of when you are facing low “ray of hope” days? Do you have a favorite Overcoming Bible verse or motivational quote that helps you when you hit the ground? Do you have a favorite song that helps perk you up on down days?

Positive Impacting Music To Live More Than OK

I was doing research on aggression for a class in my PhD program a week ago and my focus was to see the relation between music and aggression. I chose that because I believe music is a powerful force. It is one activity many people of all ages enjoy. Occasionally I will run into someone who hates music but most people either love music or at least enjoy it. When it comes to music should we be careful to what we listen to? I believe there are positives and negatives in most facets of life and to live the best life possible we should feed our mind with that which is the most positive. Today I want to share some of my thoughts on the importance of positive music as well as some of the information from various research.

I first began to think of just instrumental music and its effect experientially on people. A study out of Germany (Krahe & Bieneck. 2012) looked at how music affects the mood of listeners. They used two groups of listeners one listening to hardcore techno music and the other group listened to calm relaxing classical music. Those who listened to the heavy techno music did have higher levels of feelings of aggression and tension after listening. Those who listened to the calmer music had less tension and lower aggression levels. So this showed how even just the style of music may have an effect on emotional responses to those hearing the music. So, just the music alone has a physical effect on the listener. This does not mean listening to heavier beat music will turn someone violent as there are other factors. Actually when I am busy on organizing material or driving I prefer faster tempo music to keep my mind focused. Yet when needing to rest I prefer classical or smooth jazz.

One concern I have is the high levels of alcohol and drug abuse in our culture. A relevant study on music and substance abuse looked at various music styles and substance abuse among the listeners (Chen, Miller, Grube, & Waiters, 2006) . They found a high level of lyrical content about drugs, alcohol and violence in rap and heavy rock music songs. An interesting point that stood out to me is that with rap music many of the artists promote malt liquor and it just so happens in the study the highest use of malt liquor was among listeners of rap music. I am concerned about this as I am a big believer in the work of the organization Natural High. They seek to encourage school age students to think of natural ways to be high instead of using drugs and alcohol. Their website is naturalhigh.org. There are too many lives destroyed due to drugs and alcohol and there are so many positive ways to enjoy life instead of the phony myths that promote drugs as a good thing.

There was also a study of the negative effects of rap with College males using rap music (Barongan and Hall 1995). They used two groups one listening to positive rap that looked at social justice issues. The other group listened to sexual aggressive rap that spoke of women in a negative light. The participants were then to view video clips to share with a female confidant of the study. Those who listened to the positive rap leaned towards showing a video clip that was neutral to the female confidant participant. Those who listened to the sexual violent rap were more inclined to show the female participant in the study a video that was sexually demeaning. These researchers felt that the results backed up other studies in the literature that sexually violent rap does lead to a tendency towards negative views and aggression towards women. I have many college students in my classes, who list rap and hip hop as their favorite music style. This is disconcerting when I hear what they are filling their minds with lyrically. It reminds me of the old computer programming phrase, “Garbage In, Garbage Out!”. I tried a search for positive rap artists and none of the famous artists show up. That is because most of their rap songs are garbage promoting a demeaning view of women or promoting violence. . It would be nice to reach a point in the world, when all the women and men with critical thinking skills would walk out of a rap concert when the rappers start one of their derogatory misogynous songs, leaving the rappers standing in an empty concert hall all by themselves.

I am not encouraging censorship as I believe in the constitutional right of free speech. What I encourage people to do is think about what they listen to and support musicians that promote positive music to impact our living the best life possible. Here are some of my favorite musicians that I find as being very positive:

Phil Keaggy -- www.philkeaggy.com An amazing guitarist and singer/songwriter

Keiko Matsui -- www.keikomatsui.com My favorite smooth jazz pianist

Tom Braxton -- www.tombraxton.com Fantastic Saxophonist!

Switchfoot -- www.switchfoot.com A band introduced to me by a former TSTC student. They write songs that make one think about life and the afterlife.

Matthew West -- matthewwest.com A very inspiring singer/songwriter/storyteller

Lecrae -- www.lecrae.net A rapper who is trying to make a difference with rap music.


Reflection – Who are musicians and music styles that you like and find very positive? Check out a couple of the websites I list above and try out some new music.

References
Barongon, C. & Hall, G.C. N. ( 1995). The influence of misogynous rap music on sexual aggression against women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19. 195-207

Chen, M., Miller, B.A., Grube, J.W. & Waiters, E.D. Music, substance abuse, and aggression. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, May, 2006


Krahe, B. & Bieneck, S. ( 2012). The effect of music-induced mood on aggressive affect, cognition and behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42. 271-290.

The Joy of Enjoying Music

This past weekend I was enjoying the PBS show, Woodsong’s Old Time Radio Show. I have always enjoyed folk and bluegrass music and this show and the website www.woodsongs.com specializes in promoting this music genre. The host was emphasizing the importance of music in our lives as a force for good. Music makes us happier. It brings joy in our daily experience which helps us have a more than ok life. Seek out music in your life to bring more joy into your life journey.

As I did a workshop on Test Anxiety on my campus the other day, I used music to show also the health benefits of music in relaxing and aiding in overcoming anxiety. Music can also act as a motivator to stimulate us to be active. In the workshop I played a song from a Keiko Matsui CD. Her style is contemporary smooth piano jazz. Her music can be very relaxing to listen to. Her music writing is varied and listening to her CD’s over and over I always pick up on new nuances I never heard before. She is one of the most creative pianists I have ever heard. Click on her name here, (Keiko Matsui), to listen to one of her songs.

Even though I played trumpet in High School I always was impressed and enjoyed the saxophone. It can really capture the emotion of the artist playing the saxophone. One of my favorite sax players is Tom Braxton of Texas. He is an amazing player. Click on the hyperlink of his name to listen to one of his videos. Watching and hearing him play you can tell he enjoys communicating joy in his songs. When I hear him in concert I can sense how easily he gets into the flow of his songs and works in tandem with his band. We have enjoyed hearing him at the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival over the past years. I also appreciate he has a deep Christian faith and is not afraid to be open about his beliefs. Part of the flow of his music is that he is worshipping while he is playing which adds to the deep emotion of his performances.

I always try to be open to new artists to keep an open expanding creative mind. Recently we as a family went to a concert locally by the world renown Ahn Trio. They are three sisters from Korea all trained at Julliard. I was a little skeptical at first, as I am not too big of a fan of modern classical music. I prefer the old classics. In their literature they mention that their music is all composed for them by modern composers. I am glad we went. They definitely brought joy into our evening. Their talent and skill on the piano, cello, and violin was breath taking. Click here on The Ahn Trio to hear a sample video of their music.

I encourage you to try to attend a concert of your favorite music artist or go to a concert of someone new to you. Nothing is better than live music with the sight and sounds. Of course you may say your budget just doesn’t allow for that. Then do what my wife and I do sometimes. Put one of your favorite CD’s in the stereo and then sit back in a soft recliner with your eyes closed and imagine you are listening in a concert hall.

Also for enjoying live music on a budget watch for local university student programs that are often free or a low cost. We recently enjoyed a wonderful classical guitar concert of high school guitar ensembles and the University’s guitar ensembles for only $7.00 knowing that the funds were going for music scholarships. Some towns and cities during the Summers offer free music concerts. The free music festivals are one aspect of Chicago we miss.

Try to incorporate more music into your life and see how more joyful your journey is. Building music in your life will increase your own personal creativity levels as well. Think over who are your favorite musicians. Presently my top 5 are:
1. Phil Keaggy
2. Steven Curtis Chapman
3. Tom Braxton
4. Keiko Matsui
5. Michael Card

Reflection:
Think over what does music mean to you? Jot down your top 5 music artists. Take some time out of your busy life to sit in a comfortable chair and listen through one of your favorite CD’s.

Appreciating Each Moment

This week I am continuing to look at music and will again use a song to look at how we can use the songs we enjoy to help in our daily journeys. One helpful resource in looking at the power of music to help and to heal is The Tao of Music: Sound Psychology by John Ortiz. This book looks at how music can relate to a variety of life issues such as depression, self esteem, stress, grief, loss and anger. He presents songs from a wide variety of songs with differing music styles that relate to these various problems people face in life. He offers practical applications and exercises to see how music ca be used therapeutically to improve our lives. His book can help you appreciate the healing power of music.

Time is important and it is a topic that I will come back to, as our journey through this life, is based in the dimension of time. Today I want to look at another song that is one of my favorites, as an example the effect music and lyrics can have for our benefit. The song is Miracle of the Moment, by Steven Curtis Chapman. First look over the lyrics and then watch the You Tube video by clicking on the video link below.

Miracle of the Moment by Steven Curtis Chapman

It's time for letting go; All of our "if onlys"Cause we don't have a time machine
And even if we did; Would we really want to use it.
Would we really want to go change everything.
Cause we are who and where and what we are for now,
And this is the only moment we can do anything about.
So breathe it in and breathe it out; And listen to your heartbeat.
There's a wonder in the here and now, It's right there in front of you.
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment.

There's only One who knows, What's really out there waiting.
And all the moments yet to be, And all we need to know,
Is He's out there waiting, To Him the future's history.
And He has given us a treasure called right now.
And this is the only moment we can do anything about.
So breathe it in and breathe it out, And listen to your heartbeat.
There's a wonder in the here and now, It's right there in front of you.
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment.

And if it brings you tears, Then taste them as they fall.
Let them soften your heart.
And if it brings you laughter, Then throw your head back. And let it go,
Let it go, yeah, You gotta let it go.
And listen to your heartbeat.
And breathe it in and breathe it out, And listen to your heartbeat.
There's a wonder in the here and now, It's right there in front of you.
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment.
And breathe it in and breathe it out, And listen to your heartbeat.
There's a wonder in the here and now (here and now)
It's right there in front of you,
And I don't want you to miss the miracle. Of the moment.

Link to the Miracle of the Moment video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rResKXjKqjQ

This song speaks to an important part of Living More Than OK. Making the most of each moment, by appreciating each moment can have a dynamic effect in our lives. We can increase our happiness levels in life if we can appreciate each moment in our time line as a miracle. By buzzing around busily, we miss the wonder of the world around us. That is a key element I see Chapman is getting across to us in his song. Watch the video again and appreciate the wonder of nature in the pictures found in the video created to go along with the music. Truly awesome!

I know too many times I have missed the sunsets, and here in South Texas, we have some beautiful ones. I have passed by the flowers unknowingly of their beauty. I have missed the treasures of relating to the people around me -- to enjoy sharing their joys or helping with their hurts. Why? I am too caught up rushing on a train to nowhere or blindly floating on autopilot routinely doing tasks that have no lasting value. Do you ever find yourself this way? Be active in your present with awareness as our choices in the present have a great impact on our futures. As Chapman writes, “And this is the only moment we can do anything about”.

Make it a point to choose a day this week to go through the day more mindfully aware of the moments around you. At the end of the day take a short time to write down a reflection. Before you write relax a few minutes just breathing slowly in and out. Then write down the treasures and wonders that the God behind the moments brought into your life that day! Appreciate each moment!

The Sound of Music Impacts Our Self-talk

Many will agree that Music has a powerful influence on people. As I am discussing impacts on our self-talk, I want to look at the subject of music. At a music concert whether a classical symphony or a rock concert, there is emotion and power that you can feel in the performance. The power of music can also be seen in the positive effectiveness of Music Therapy which has been used with many different people groups effectively.

Music has been an integral part of my life. When my mom moved my brothers and I, when I was in first grade, into her mother’s house there was a old upright piano in the back living room. Grandmother would regularly play old gospel hymns and old time songs from the 30’s and 40’s. My brother who is very musically talented was able to teach himself piano and memorized numerous classical pieces. I always considered myself too awkward to play the piano so I never attempted it. Musically I followed my older brother’s example of playing trumpet in band through high school. Then in High School I started to play the acoustic guitar, singing and playing in church. Through my personal experience I have seen the effect music can have for the good in inspiring fans during high school football games and emotionally moving hearts and minds in spiritual worship settings.

I believe music can be for the good or bad an influence in our mental programming. I will focus on the positive and there are positive songs of abundance in all genres of music. Classical music and jazz can be a positive influence in relaxing the mind and reducing stress. On of my favorite musicians for smooth jazz is Keiko Matsui, (http://keikomatsui.com ). Her music is often playing in my office as it is very soothing and relaxing for when I am working on reports and getting stressed compiling data.

With vocal music the lyrics can be a positive influence. For example a song I often use at the beginning of a new semester with students is Tracy Chapman’s New Beginning. Listen to this video of Tracy Chapman’s New Beginning video and reflect over her words:

New Beginning by Tracy Chapman
The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing It's time to start all over, make a new beginningThere's too much pain, too much suffering Let's resolve to start all over make a new beginningNow don't get me wrong - I love life and living But when you wake up and look around
at everything that's going down -All wrongYou see we need to change it now, this world with too few happy endingsWe can resolve to start all over make a new beginningStart all over Start all over Start all over Start all over

The world is broken into fragments and pieces That once were joined together in a unified wholeBut now too many stand alone - There's too much separation We can resolve to come together in the new beginning

Start all over Start all over Start all over Start all over

We can break the cycle - We can break the chain We can start all over - In the new beginningWe can learn, we can teach We can share -- the myths the dream the prayerThe notion that we can do better Change our lives and paths Create a new world

Start all over Start all over Start all over Start all over

The whole world's broke and it ain't worth fixing It's time to start all over, make a new beginningThere's too much fighting, too little understanding It's time to stop and start all overMake a new beginning

Start all over Start all overStart all over Start all over

We need to make new symbols Make new signsMake a new language With these we'll define the worldAnd start all over Start all over Start all over Start all over ...

From a student standpoint I try to encourage the students to choose some new beginnings for their habits as they begin life at the University. Also Tracy Chapman’s lyrics fit well with the faulty beliefs some people cling to as noted by Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. Ever hear people say ,”My world’s too broken, it’s no use trying anything new.” “ No one understands the pain or struggle I am in.” “Everything that happens to me is always wrong.” Those are some faulty self-talk statements the song speaks to. The encouragement is that we can break the cycles of our faulty programming. We can start over again. I like how she says “We can make new symbols, …Make a new language , with these we’ll define the world…” We need to encourage ourselves and others to make new symbols and new language statements for our success and living more than OK.

Think through the music you listen to, what are your favorite songs? Are you choosing music that builds you up. Google the lyrics of your favorite songs and see what the lyricist is saying and how it applies to your life.

Why Consider More Than OK?

I enjoy listening to all kinds of music. There is power in the music itself and also power in thinking through the lyrics. In my previous teaching of a college success course I tried to use songs to have students think of building success in life. One semester I had a student bring me a CD of the band Switchfoot and said, “Sir, you have to listen to this band. Their song “More Than Fine” I felt had some important thoughts to ponder about life and how to live to the fullest. Click on the highlighted title to hear the video of the band and then reflect over the lyrics below.

More Than Fine by Switchfoot
When I wake in the morning, I want to blow into pieces. I want more than just ok, more than just ok.When I’m up with the sunrise I want more than just blue skies.I want more than just ok, more than just ok.I’m not giving up, giving up, not giving up now. I’m not giving up, giving up, not backing down.More than fine, more than bent on getting by. More than fine, more than just ok.When I’m wet with the sunshine. I want more than just a good time. I want more than just ok, more than just ok.I’m not giving up, giving up, not giving up now. I’m not giving up, giving up, not selling out.More than fine, more than bent on getting by. More than fine, more than just ok.More than fine, more than bent on getting by. More than fine, more than just ok.More than oceans away from the dawn. More than oceans away from the dawn.More than oceans away from who we are More than oceans, more than oceans, yeah.More than fine, more than bent on getting by. More than fine, more than just ok.More than fine, more than bent on getting by. More than fine, more than just ok.

The lyrics point out to me an exciting way to look at life. It challenges me to consider what am I putting into my life to enjoy a better life for myself and my family. Living with expanded possibilities for the potential we have is like looking out at the vastness of the ocean. If you have been to any large body of water you can picture what the song is saying “more than oceans away from who we are…”. I remember gazing off into the Pacific Ocean going on forever; so can be our impact in the world if we are open to living more than ok.

Not settling for the mundane of getting by, but blasting off beyond the blue skies. How many of us blast out of bed in the morning looking at the opportunities we have to serve and grow. Instead we cover our heads and hit the snooze button hoping the day disappears. How many of us give up on our dreams or are not open to new dreams for our lives? We settle for what we begin to think is fine when there is so much more potential out in the vastness of the ocean of life for better present situations and futures. My desire with this blog is to send out ideas and thoughts to make myself and those who stop by to read, move beyond the boredom of ok and getting by-- to blasting out in the possibilities of life. Don’t give up or back down in your life!