How Music Changed My Life (Revised)

In the beginning of "Rebel Music" by Daniel Felsenfeld, the main character is 17 years old and is living in Orange County, California. He was attracted to music for reasons he could not explain and according to him, was from "the least musical of families". Some afternoons he would go over to his friend's house and listen to his cassette tapes. One of these tapes changed the character's life forever. His friend, Mike, started to play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and this was the first time the character actually heard music. He described it as "the most beautiful thing I ever heard". He had a passion for classical music and decided to do something with his passion and become a composer. After going to school to become a composer, he moved to New York and continued to write and listen to classical music.

 

This text personally affected me because I too came from less than ideal origins for playing sports. Most of my teammates and friends came from families with athletic siblings and parents who competed collegiality. Since I'm an only child, I never had siblings to look up to or compete with to better my athletic skills. When the main character described listening to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as "the most beautiful thing I ever heard", it really got my attention. I wondered how something so little can be so powerful to someone. Listening to that song literally changed his life and I think that is so surreal. Reading this text made me think about how the little choices you make can change your life for the better.

 

Beethoven's 9th Symphony