Poems About Music

It may seem a little redundant to talk about poems about music, since the lyrics to most music is some form of poetry. Yet, the connection between the two can be enhanced by one of them sharing about the other. We all appreciate music. It speaks to our emotions and to our senses. Instrumental music has a way of provoking certain feelings and thoughts, and, of course, music that is accompanied by lyrics tells about ideas, thoughts, people, events and so on. Sometimes this music is so powerful that it helps us to escape for a while from the reality of life around us. It can take us to a different world, where we are able to experience a life that is special and unique. So to have poetry that helps expound upon the impact of music in our lives actually makes a lot of sense. Music can help to enrich our lives, so why not add to that enrichment through poetry?

Music To Me
by Aleigh Miller

Poems about music don’t necessarily need to be only about the songs themselves. It can also be about the process or experience of music. Consider the first time you hear a particular song — how did it make you feel? Where were you when you first hear it? Who was with you when you heard it? These are all relevant thoughts, and they can be expressed through poems. For anyone who is a musician, it makes sense to write about the experience of playing music. A poem about the way it feels to hold an instrument in your hands, and to feel the vibrations from the strings or from the air passing through the body of a horn or woodwind. Musicians are probably the very first people to have real appreciation for poems about music, and have probably written about their experiences. Perhaps one might right about the first time they played in front of a group of people, or the preparations they went through in order to give their very first recital. In fact, that is the topic of the following poem which I wrote just recently. I am sure that almost any musician can appreciate the story of the combined stress and joy that is felt when getting ready to give a recital — especially that very first one!

The Recital
by Scott Berry

Poems about music are also appreciated by children. Teachers have found that using poetry enhances the learning process, and that poems can serve as mnemonic devices to aid in remembering details. Poems about music can be more than just talking about music, but saying the poems out loud can also help with learning rhythms and styles of music. For instance, the style of the limerick poem can be quiet useful if one were teaching about folk music. In particular, the limerick can be used when learning about different types of jigs. The jig is usually done to a 6/8 tempo, and the bouncing tempo is enjoyed by children as well as adults. An example of such tunes follows, sung to the tune of Cielito Lindo.

Untitled
by Anonymous