Notes from Jenny
Hello everyone, and Happy New Year! I always find January to be challenging; the holidays are over and winter trudges on. This year we find ourselves in a season mixed with hope and sorrow and so many other emotions. And so- we can turn to music!
Discovering new music and learning about the experiences of musicians brings me joy. I wanted to share two places with you where I often find new songs, and that have been tried and tested by many of my teenage patients. I hope you also stumble upon a song or an artist that adds some light and inspiration to your winter.
I am a person who always wants to like podcasts and just…never fully likes podcasts. I’ve tried. I have a whole app full of episodes I’ve saved and have never listened to. But this one show is the exception and has proven to be an asset both to my personal and professional life. Each episode dissects a single song and includes commentary from the artist on their inspiration, lyrics, and how the musical elements evolved and changed to become the final product we know.
I’ve shared episodes from this podcast (and now Netflix series!) with a few of my teenage patients over the past few years. I love how the artists speak about their creative process, their vulnerability, and how music helps them tell their story. These are all themes that often come up in music therapy. I hear from patients how much they relate to musicians’ stories and that listening to the “behind the scenes” brings them new appreciation of a song. Listening to episodes together has led to some really incredible conversations. And it has broadened my own music taste quite a bit!
I often mention this as a place to start when my patients tell me they are in a rut with their music listening and aren’t sure where to look for new artists. This series does an excellent job of covering a range of genres, styles, and feature both established musicians and up-and-coming artists. It has been especially cool in the last year to see so many artists sharing music from their homes!
Again, Happy New Year, and I wish you all some exciting new music finds. Don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know if you find a great artist that I should be listening to :)
-Jenny
