Music and Solitude
How to use music to brighten your life.
I sometimes think to myself, what would our world look like without music?
I listen to music to brighten my day and fill the silence in moments of solitude. As a city girl — from Washington, D.C. to Paris — music is an essential part of my day from the moment I step outside.
On my 40 minute morning walk to university, I pop in my AirPods and begin my musical journey. I put on my pump up playlist which helps me wake up and puts me into a spirited energetic mood. As I am usually running late, this is an essential part of my morning because it increases my sense of urgency, gets the blood flowing, and speeds up my pace.
If I really get into the song, I may even dance a little or sing the words out loud. This attracts some looks, but hey, I see a lot weirder shit than that in the city.
I find myself listening to music when I am alone with my thoughts. As an extrovert, when I am not around people, I get bored and fill the void with some form of action. So when I’m walking or doing any action by myself, I crank up the music. Cooking pancakes? Music. Studying or journaling too quietly? Music. Sitting in a café working? Music.
Music can be especially good for those who need background noise to be productive. There are those kinds of people who need absolute silence to be productive in completing a task. For me, it is the exact opposite. If I’m writing any type of essay, writing piece, or journal entry, music is a must. If I need to complete work in a public place where people are talking around me, this can be so distracting that jamming over their noise is necessary.
When I’m alone, music acts as my companion: my best friend to keep me company. Music is for long car rides, walks, and having solo dance parties in your living room.
Another must for music playing is solo traveling. For me, traveling alone would be a completely different experience without music. There are benefits to having moments of silence, of course, like when exploring an ancient cathedral or walking through an outdoor market. It’s important to take in the noises — or lack of — in certain contexts when you want to be ultra in-tune with your environment.
But when I am discovering a new place along, walking miles and miles discovering a new city, listening to music makes me feel less alone. Music offers me a sense of familiarity among the unfamiliar.
I have all of my songs that I know, mixed against the new foreign landscape, which makes me feel more at ease.
Listening to certain music that is famously associated with a location can also add something to your experience.
For example, what is your stereotypical idea of music you would hear in Paris? For me, it is Edith Piaf, the Amélie soundtrack, anything played on the accordion. So when I am wandering down the Parisian streets — and want to feel like I am in some French movie like Midnight in Paris, I’ll put on one of these artists.
Doing this can honestly feel a little magical, especially when you are walking right next to the Eiffel Tower or by the River Seine.
So I encourage you to fill your little moments of solitude with music. If you are looking for some company, a way to jazz up your life, to get into a certain mood, all you have to do is hit play.
