Setting the Mood

Music sets the mood for more than romance. It can set the mood for sleep... One of my sons always falls asleep with music playing in the background. My husband drifts off most easily while watching TV. As sports announcers natter or comedians banter back and forth..., the music of their voices lulls him to sleep!

I love the sound of silence - whether I'm trying to fall asleep or focusing on reading or writing. Music and talking distract me, so I need absolute quiet, punctuated perhaps by the occasional chirping of birds... (to remind me I haven't gone deaf!) Silence helps me think. During my high school years, I used to go to my room (on the second floor, away from household noises) to do my homework. The one year I lived with hundreds of women in a university residence, I did my serious studying and writing after midnight, when the building finally fell silent.

But this doesn't work for everyone. Several of my children liked to do their homework while listening to music - they said it helped them block out random noises, helping them concentrate. I didn't stop them, since my brother did his high school homework at the coffee table during TV commercial breaks - and he graduated with good grades. In those days, before TVs were controlled remotely, he was able to "turn off" his attention and totally focus on his homework... until the program resumed. Later, while studying for his doctorate, he tried to work in the library. But it was too quiet! So he headed home. There, at the coffee table in the living room, while his two young sons played around him, he was able to write his doctoral thesis.

I was reminded of all this recently while attending a writers' workshop. The instructor, Ginger Kolbaba, (editor of the newsletter, Marriage Partnership and author of a number of books) mentioned that she listens to music when she writes - varying the music to match the mood of the story or article she is working on. The music sets the mood for her writing, heightening her emotions and influencing her writing style.

When she has a hard time making herself sit down and write, she also puts on music. The association between the music and the writing task draws her in...

Would that work for me - a lover of silence?!

I'm not sure! But I may try it for other tasks I often resist - like washing the dishes and cleaning the house...! (Do I need a house-cleaning theme song?! ... Perhaps the theme song from the movie Chariots of Fire? Or from one of my favorites, The Triplets of Belleville? ... Or will any music do?!)