MUSIC BRINGS AN ANTIDOTE TO TOXICITY

VACCINES AND VIOLENCE

The year 2021 began with hopes of new vaccines for COVID-19 and a more unified United States with the promise of a new administration. Instead, in the past week, we witnessed resurgence of coronavirus cases worldwide and insurgence with the storming of the US Capitol. So many of us, myself included, are feeling like there are so many things happening that are well beyond our individual control. Furthermore, in order to preserve our own safety and health, we are disconnected from our usual channels of social support and cultural interchange, as we continue to endure the consequences of this global pandemic. I pine for the days when we can attend concerts together again. But what can we possibly do now to take control of our feelings and regulate our emotions?

In Greater Good Magazine, Dacher Keltner provides an answer. He says, “Choose awe: Wander outdoors looking for awe, reflect on people whose courage and kindness give you the chills, listen to music that lifts you up. If you open yourself up to feeling awe, our research suggests you’ll gain strength for facing our collective challenges. And perhaps lead us out of the toxic dimension of these times, to an age of awe.”

I like to think that we can do this – enter the age of awe – when we really listen and allow ourselves to feel the awe of music. Music can echo our feelings, helping us identify and acknowledge how we feel. It can also change our moods, soothing or exciting us, validating or empowering us. Back in March, my first blog post after learning about COVID-19 addressed how to use the “iso-principle” to create music playlists to modulate emotions and manage moods. This concept is based on matching your feelings with music and slowly changing the music with the intention of changing your mood. Here’s a video from my Berklee Online course that explains this technique and illustrates it in a single piece of music. Currently, I am partnering with Pandora to show listeners how to create their own Mood Manager Playlists, based on the iso-principle.

Find mood manager playlists on the Pandora app.

HOW TO CREATE A MOOD MANAGER PLAYLIST

The next time you listen to your favorite music, notice how you feel – in your body, mind, and soul.

How does your body feel? Are you moving to the music or bopping around and dancing to it? Are you breathing more deeply? Is it energizing or relaxing you, or something else entirely?

What thoughts come to mind? Does this music remind you of someone special or a memorable time in your life? If you close your eyes, do you see beautiful places or perhaps, where you were when you first heard this music? Is there an important message in the lyrics that confirms your attitude?

These are some ways to get in touch with how each piece of music affects you. Now for the mood manager part:

Sometimes you feel out of sorts or simply not yourself, and your musical favorites aren’t doing the trick to shake you out of a funk. Try this: Find some music that matches your mood. Maybe it speaks to you, reflects how you’re feeling right now, or has that vibe that meets your energy or natural rhythm. The lyrics might express something that makes you say, “Yes, that’s exactly how I feel!” Listen to that music and notice how your body and mind react, perhaps even your soul. Take some time to reflect on how you feel while you listen. Be aware that it might be easy to wallow in music that matches your loneliness, sadness, or nervousness. But, while acknowledging your true feelings can be good for you, you don’t want to stay there too long.

So the next step is to find music that communicates the way you’d like to feel – hopeful, content, energized? – you decide. What music evokes that mood you’re looking for? Those will be the final selections on your mood manager playlist.

Next identify some music in the middle – music that takes you from where you are to where you want to be. Maybe it has a sad vibe, but hopeful lyrics, or it’s upbeat but has a serious message. There’s your new mood manager playlist! It starts with the music that fits your mood, adds that music in the middle ground, and ends with the music that gives you the mood you are seeking.

Here are some mood manager playlist samples from music therapists who have helped people build their own. They might give you an idea of what one looks like, but you really need to create your own unique playlist to truly make a difference!

SAMPLE MOOD MANAGER PLAYLISTS

Four gifted music therapists shared the following playlists that they developed for people in distress. It is imperative to keep in mind that these are only examples of playlists. Pandora published these as Mood Manager Playlists on their app. Please check them out and then create your own!

Lonely to Connected

Feeling lonely? Here’s a playlist that starts in a lonesome place with a song of that title by Kina Grannis, and takes a musical journey all the way to connection with Whitney Houston. This lonely to connected playlist comes to you from Mark Fuller, Jr., a music therapist at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Mark Fuller Jr.

Lonely to Connected Playlist

Lonely to Connected Playlist

1) Lonesome by Kina Grannis

2) Palace by Sam Smith

3) Distance by Emily King

4) Light On by Maggie Rogers

5) Count On Me by Bruno Mars

6) Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra

7) Another Night On Mars by The Maine

8) Feel the Need by Eryn Allen Kane

9) Parachute by Ingrid Michaelson

10) I Want to Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) by Whitney Houston

Sad to Hopeful

When you’re feeling down, Beck’s “End of the Day” may agree with you. Sarah Blacker’s “Ease the Burn” might resonate. Slowly, gradually, these selections move to a more hopeful state of mind. This sad to hopeful mood manager was created by singer-songwriter and music therapist, Sarah Blacker.

Sad to Hopeful Sample Playlist

1) End of the Day - Beck

2) Ease the Burn - Sarah Blacker

3) I Can Change - Lake Street Dive

4) Slow Burn - Kacey Musgraves

5) A Beautiful Noise - Alicia Keys, Brandi Carlile

6) My Silver Lining - First Aid Kit

7) If It Takes a Lifetime - Jason Isbell

8) I'll Get Along - Michael Kiwanuka

9) Brightest Light - Radio Edit - FDVM, Josh Wantie

10) A Sky Full of Stars – Coldplay

Sluggish to Energized

Maybe you’re just so tired that you cannot muster the energy to get going. H.E.R. might affirm that you’re not OK right now. But slowly, this sluggish to energized mood manager might transport you into “Bittersweet” territory with Lianne La Havas, and land you with a rousing “Rain on Me” by Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande. This playlist is brought to you by Marisabelle Diaz, music therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital.

marisabelle_diaz copy.jpg — Marisabelle Diaz

Sluggish to Energized Playlist

Sluggish to Energized Sample Playlist

1) I’m Not OK - H.E.R.

2) Moral of The Story - Ashe Feat

3) Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi

4) Making Do - Lake Street Dive

5) Bittersweet - Lianne La Havas

6) Underdog - Alicia Keys

7) Sunday Best - Surfaces

8) Backyard Boy - Clair Rosinkranz

9) Dynamite - BTS

10) Rain On Me - Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande

Nervous to Calm

Here’s a different take. Rather than enhancing your energy, this playlist is designed to gradually soothe your soul. Sometimes it’s really hard to relax and settle down when you are feeling anxious or nervous. If jazz is your genre, you might see if this nervous to calm playlist by music therapist, Samuel Gracida, takes you to a place where you can chill. Remember to develop playlists like these with your own special mood managing music, and enjoy!

Nervous to Calm (with jazz) Sample Playlist

1) Super Nova - Wayne Shorter
2) All of Us - Pat Metheny & Ornette Coleman
3) Caravan - Duke Ellington
4) Questar - Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek
5) Island Feeling - Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain
6) Dear Lord - John Coltrane
7) My Funny Valentine - Grant Green
8) Here’s That Rainy Day - Joe Pass
9) Blue in Green - Miles Davis
10) The Beauty of Dissolving Portraits - Ambrose Akinmusire

ANOTHER WAY TO HAPPINESS

I think we could all use a few more happy moments, so I am pleased to include another playlist, this one by Tom Sweitzer. Tom is the co-founder, creative director, and head of music therapy at “A Place To Be,” a non-profit agency serving more than 400 families in Virginia. Tom also writes musicals for musicians of all sizes and shapes, and they always make me smile. So I close with Tom’s playlist for moving from Sad to Happy.

Tom-8 x 10 crop-BW.jpg — Tom Sweitzer

Sad to Happy Playlist

Sad to Happy Playlist

1) People Help the People – Birdy

2) Fix You – Coldplay

3) Begin Again – The Piano Guys 2

4) Theme from Forrest Gump

5) Rise Up – Andra Day

6) Before the Parade Passes by – Barbara Streisand

7) Waving through a Window – Dear Evan Hansen (Musical)

8) Feeling Good – Michael Buble

9) Higher Love – Whitney Housten

10) Wake Me Up Before I Go Go – Wham

11) Happy – Pharrel Williams

One of the most inspiring films I have seen is about a man named Forrest Allen and his music therapist, Tom Sweitzer. Please enjoy this winner of “Best Social Impact” film at the Greenwich International Film Festival, Music Got Me Here.