Silence is Golden

Have you ever sat in a room that was devoid of sound?  Weird, isn't it?  Or in some cases, refreshing.  We tend to have sound wherever we go, and when it's not there, it's weird or uncomfortable.  Often in the evening when I get home from a late rehearsal, I'll sit in my living room and just listen to the silence.  This doesn't always work when you live on a busy street or in an apartment complex like I do, but you get the idea.  Or how about this... silence at Mass?  I tend to fill most silences with music at Mass as it's uncomfortable to be silent with 200 other people, but it's something we have to practice.

Everywhere we go, sound happens.  Whether it's ambient music playing at the mall, or the clink of a shopping cart in a store.  The roar of a motor, or the crash of the waves.  I always say that if you can hear the music echo through a store, that store is doomed to close!  Along with all this ambient sound, we have the sound that we create.  How many of us get in the car and immediately turn on the radio?  Or turn the TV on when you get in the house?

This week, along with continuing on working on our school repertoire for Mass, we're going to talk about where we find music in our lives and how important it is, and how important it isn't, also.  We'll talk about how we listen to music, and how music is part of our individual lives.  In grades 6-8, we'll begin talking about playlists, how to create them and why we create them.  We'll also discuss methods of listening to music, finding music, the importance of BUYING your music, and how music can create the soundtrack of your life.

Here's one of my favorite songs...

Enjoy your week.  Practice silence!

Mr. Mattei