Last night, I had the opportunity to chat with my cousin Roya about the role that music plays in her life. Roya is a really awesome girl and one of my favourite cousins 😉 She has a background in dance and theatre and works as an occupational therapist.
I want you to hear from her though, so let’s get right to it!
What’s your name and how old are you?
“Roya and I’m 29 years old.”
Which musicians do you listen to the most?
“I’ve never been really good with remembering musicians names and I’m sorry about that for all you musicians out there. But I do really like a variety of different styles of music. Music for me is very mood dependent, so if I feel like I need something to pump me up, I’ll listen to something more upbeat like house, R&B and hip-hop, but if I’m looking for something to relax, reflect or just chill I’m more into the alternative type.”
What do you mean by alternative type?
“I guess by alternative I just mean music that’s not so mainstream, something with a slower rhythm that connects with my inner being or soul.”
What’s your favourite use of music?
“I guess I’ve always used music for a couple of different things… maybe I’ve used it to help myself get out of bed in the mornings. In that sort of instance I might throw on some house music to just get me energized and going. In other instances I’ve used music as a form of expression. So I might throw a song on if I’m feeling a certain way and just express how I’m feeling through movement or dance and I’ll just kind of improvise some kind of dance to really connect with that song and to really connect with my experience in that moment. I guess it’s kind of a self-coping strategy or more of a therapeutic use of music that I’ve developed over the years for myself. I’m pretty sure I’ve been doing that for at least 10 years now. It [music] also makes the long drives in the GTA much more manageable… if I’m stuck in traffic for an hour or so I’ll just throw some songs on, throw some beats on in my car while I inch along the 401.”
You mentioned that you listen to music when you dance. Can you imagine dancing without music?
“It’s funny I’ve actually done that before… but I just find a dance to the music in my head. So really even if there’s no music per se playing, there’s always music going on [in my head] and it might just be something that I’m making up as I move… and it’s got its own rhythm, its own beat…and it probably doesn’t make sense to anybody else but… it does guide, you know, that particular sequence that I end up creating when I’m on the spot.”
So now here’s a question for all you readers out there. What role does music play in your life? Comment below.
Until next time…
Creative Lodestone 
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