Human connection is beautiful. Within this complex life we are all living, the want for being wanted is screaming throughout everyday life. It is human nature to feel and want to connect with someone. Connection does not have to be physical and can be effectively felt through music. The art of songwriting is and has been a way to communicate and can be used as a coping mechanism.
“There are a lot of issues in daily life that can’t be solved normally and in those cases music is a good outlet for that” senior Maggie Peng.
It is incredible how one can connect with someone they don’t even know by just listening to a song. The song does not have to have words, but you can still feel something and know how the person who wrote the song was feeling. If you listen to the words of a song, actually listen to the words. If you understand the words to a song, then that is the ultimate connection with the writer of the song. You are literally listening to someone’s thoughts and feelings. If that doesn’t blow your mind, have fun being an unpassionate person.
Songs feed off of feelings and follow with ideas. People have a common misconception that songwriting is for musicians and you have to have some amazing songwriting ability. False. Anyone can write a song. It does not have to be the most beautiful and literate thing ever, but if you get your message across, who cares. The greatest song writers are just like you, they sit in their rooms and write.Believe it or not, students among you are writing songs and using them as comfort. Songs are a way of inspiring other people and inspiring yourself to be more able to express yourself.
“I get inspired by the people that I meet and the things that happen to me and my friends in life,” senior Gabe Galang said.
“I think you write your best songs when you’ve experienced something that’s had a great emotional impact on you,” Junior Clara Chiu said.
You might ask, how does one start writing a song for the first time? Sometimes writing songs cannot be forced and sometimes you cannot think of anything. But ask yourself, how you are feeling and what are you thinking about? These questions could spark some inspiration but it can also be liberating to check in with yourself.
“I normally write songs when I’m going through time of my life that cause really strong emotions, happy or sad,” sophomore Alexandra Stump said.
It is a lot like writing a poem and can be changed while going along, but once you are done and happy with a song, it can be very freeing. Writing songs can help people through hard times and allow them a way to sort their thoughts. This is why anybody could do it. Everyone has thoughts and feelings and should use them to their advantage. Even if the songs are just for yourself, the process of writing them is what helps you through whatever you were going through and can be looked back upon.
“It’s really hard to just wake up and decide to write a song if you don’t have any inspiration from a real-life experience,” Chiu said.
Writing songs can also become a routine and allow a person to reflect on their life or even just their day.
“I try to write something everyday. Just like a part of a riff or even just a line or two of lyrics. I aim to just try to be productive,” senior Gabe Galang said.
Listening to someone’s song and understanding and connecting with it can be a curious but comforting feeling. But once someone connects with your song, it is one of the most empowering and emotional feelings. Even if it’s just one person who connected with you. They listened or read your song and understood. You let yourself be vulnerable and a person appreciated it. That is the beauty of music. Music is communication.
“Writing music has been a sort of outlet for me, so to hear that others connect with my music feels really wonderful”, sophomore Alexandra Stump said.
We are all trying to find ourselves music gets us a little closer to real feeling. No one should feel discouraged out of writing songs or even just writing down your feelings. Get in touch with yourself and others, and carry on the alluring art of songwriting.
“I only make and release music that I enjoy myself, so when other people comment on it and say they like it I appreciate that,” senior Will Kast said. “But what makes me the happiest I made it in the first place.”
