Music is not Just a Hobby...It's a Therapy

Hello everyone!

Of course as someone who loves music, and writing about it, I review concerts, festivals, etc but I thought that you guys might like to read a post that is deeply personal. The thing is music to me is not just a hobby...it has been a therapy.

Getting ready to watch one of the best live bands around...Coldplay

I have always loved music. Whether it be singing along to my Dad's (sometimes questionable) choice in music to developing my own taste in music, my parents could always hear me singing. In fact...I'm surprised that I haven'e been told to stop! I also loved going to concerts, with my first concert being Steps (don't judge me...I was 7).

In 2007, what I thought was going to be simple routine spinal surgery to treat scoliosis became a nightmare...I became paralysed from the waist down.

You may be thinking...what has this got to do with music?! Well..here we go...

Like I said before, I have always loved music but it was after my spinal injury that music became even more important to me, particularly as I ended up remaining in hospital for a year. Music kept me entertained...but there was something wrong...I stopped singing.

Over time, I became better, health wise. At Christmas 2007,  I was allowed to come home and during this time, I watched Take That: Live at the O2 for New Year's Eve. In March 2008, I got out of intensive care and moved onto a ward, so I was able to go out a bit more. However I was still in hospital but I still had my trusted music beside me. Those days, I preferred to listen to Take That and Girls Aloud and other pop artists.  But I still wasn't singing.

However, over time, I came out of my shell. It was around the time that I went to see Girls Aloud, with my Mum. As always, I got the CD linked to the concert, in this case Tangled, to get to know the songs. Okay...I still wasn't singing a lot but I was getting there. I would sing the odd song and I enjoyed the music.

One of my favourite pictures from Take That's III tour.

I think I finally started being more like my old self when I was allowed back to school.  It gave me a sense of normality for a start. My favourite bit of the school day would be, apart from seeing my friends and learning new things, listening to the radio in the morning. That meant new songs to listen and sing along to. It definitely made those car journeys more fun!

Looking back on my life now, music has shown that just because I have suffered this paralysis doesn't mean I shouldn't enjoy my life. Since then, I have continued to go to concerts, with the now added bonus of (mainly) good disabled seats and of course, any moment of the day, I would have music on, whether it be via the radio or from my own selection of music. In fact, I believe that our lives would be boring without music. After all, the role of music is to help us create memories. For me, it has been a sad but also happy memory, due to helping me feel better about my injury.

You often hear people on the radio saying "Oh this song brings back so many memories for me!" You also often see people contacting their favourite celebrity on social media, saying "Your music helped me through tough times." Next time you think "Really? In what way?" just remember my story and also the fact that someone else out there may also be using music as an important therapy tool.

Em x