I am not a musician. I am unable to sing or play an instrument. 

It took me years to learn to clap on time to “We Will Rock You.” 

Regardless, music is one of the most important things in my life – as can be said for a lot of people. 

Baseball players hear their favorite songs when they walk to pitch. Bookworms listen to music as they study. Everyone needs music because it’s how we communicate – and has been for thousands of years.

My mom became nostalgic when a friend made me a playlist. She recalled mixtapes she received when she was my age. Even though my friend’s gesture was small, it resonated with her. 

I have a handful of Spotify playlists I’ve made for other people, and a few playlists I’ve received. I have curated songs for old friends with whom I’ve wanted to reconnect, as well as new friends I wanted to know better. Sharing art that means something to me is my favorite way to grow a relationship, both for its intimacy and its originality.

It’s not just friendships that make music such a spectacular form of expression.  It’s about songs that remind you of specific moments. 

It’s hearing a song and then feeling absolute bliss because that song is a time capsule, an instant portal to beloved times. 

It’s listening to the song for the first time and knowing it’s your new favorite because of the way it made you feel – like nothing you’d ever heard.  

It’s feeling understood because a musician captured the same emotion you’re feeling in something beautiful. 

Music is a comfort as well as motivation. I often find myself getting out of bed after a hard night feeling better because I know I can put my headphones in and get through the next day. I can listen to other people’s thoughts and dreams, and I see my own feelings reflected in them. 

Music pulls me out of rough times, but more often it’s used to celebrate the good ones. I remember being in my room, dancing my heart out, only to discover my brother and mom laughing from the yard.  

At a party where I didn’t know many people, I danced on my own until my friends joined me. Both times I felt amazing. 

Maybe those shameless one-person dance parties should have been embarrassing, but they weren’t. Music allowed me to unapologetically be myself, no matter how I looked to others. 

Once, to see for myself the impact music has made on me, I made a playlist with every song I associate with a memory, a realization, or a person. That playlist is long and extends into many aspects of my life. It made me sentimental, thinking of all the moments and relationships that have made me who I am. 

Music has allowed me to explore relationships with myself and others, as I think it can for everybody. Whether you adore music or haven’t felt a spark in a while, think back to instances where it  meant something to you. Draw from there. Ask friends for song suggestions, and think of why that song may be important to them. Look for yourself and the people you love in music, and it will become a very valuable thing. And, when in doubt, have a shameless one-person dance party.