By Paul Roberts
Special to The PREVIEW
Join musician and music therapist Paul Roberts for a free hand-drumming class at the Pagosa Lakes Clubhouse on Tuesday, May 14, at noon.
Music can be a bridge from disturbance to health. A young lady in my music therapy program at a psychiatric hospital said, “Music is the easiest kind of communication there is. It gives me an outlet for my emotional buildup, which I am having trouble expressing in other forms. Music is a great release for me. When I please myself musically then I please myself all around.”
She continued: “I feel creative when I’m doing music. Right now, I don’t feel very creative or spontaneous, as far as people go. I’m depressed and, as a result of it, I don’t feel the spontaneity that you do when you’re not.
“In music, it’s almost as if I’m normal. I’m not sick when I play music. It’s a realm that’s beyond sickness, so it’s marvelous for me. It’s magic almost. I have said I’m going to kill myself in the morning and then in the afternoon, I’m singing my heart out. It’s brought me time and time again out of depression.”
A friend’s question goes to the heart of one of life’s mysteries.
“How can there even be such a thing as music and beings like us who are so affected by it?” she asks rhetorically.
The interesting thing about this question is that it shifts awareness away from rational thinking to a state of wonderment, wherein resides the marvelous magic of music.
The hand-drumming class is a family-friendly activity in which joy, fun and playfulness abound. No previous experience is necessary. Drums are provided for those who do not have one. For more information, call 731-3117. The Pagosa Lakes Clubhouse is located at 230 Port Ave.
