Life Without Music: A Reflection

I read this prompt and had a sudden memory of the movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus. In this amazing movie, Richard Dreyfuss plays a music teacher. While heading to set the world on fire, he takes a detour into a small town. There he becomes the music teacher at a local high school.

And he never leaves.

Sometimes he really influences lives. Other times, he thinks he’s wasting his time.

But man, are there moments. One of those most heartfelt moments was when the football coach came to him with a problem. He has a player who is on the verge of becoming ineligible to play because of academics. The long story is he brings the young man aboard as a drummer.

A few years later we see him, the coach, and another student standing at the edge of a grave. The student he’d taught to play drums was killed in ‘Nam.

But of all the challenges he faces, the hardest is dealing with his son. Mr. Holland loves music. His son is deaf and will never hear a single note. How do you convey something you love so much like Beethoven’s 9th to someone you love when they’ll never hear it?

In an effort to bridge the gap, he tries a light show. And then he sings to his son, using sign language. It’s incredibly moving.

Now to answer the question. What would my life be without music.

Very sad, I’ll admit.

I’m not the guy who can make the music. I can read the notes (more or less) and to a degree, I can even play some. But to make the music is not a gift God gave me.

So, I set back and I enjoy it. I smile when my wife plays piano. I love a good violinist. Piano. Bach. Beatles. Whatever.

And a world without hearing music.

I don’t even want to think about it.