Why Do You Make Music?

Last week I wrote about leaving a legacy.  I urged the reader to not just settle.  My desire was to have you, the musician, finish the blog and be left with the feeling of, “Yes, I need to move with a purpose.”

But that begs the question of what is your purpose?  When it comes to your music, what is the reason you continue to write and/or perform?

Is it SO overused these days in business, but even I have to give in to it in this case and ask, “What is your ‘why’?”

Until you know your ‘why,’ you’re just going through the motions.

Mind you, even if it’s “just” because you love it (songwriting, playing an instrument, singing, or some combination thereof), great, then fuel that passion every time you work.  You have been blessed with a talent and/or you’ve worked hard to learn how to do (or get better at) songwriting or those one or more instruments that you play, or singing.  Now put everything you’ve got into executing it/them.

I’m a big sports fan and it bothers me when I hear an athlete or coach referring to someone giving “110 percent” – as if 100 percent isn’t enough.

But if it’s not only because you “just” love it, meaning that this is actually your livelihood, then come strong every time.  And not because you think your ‘why’ is, “So I can make money to pay my bills.”  You still got into this for some reason before it was decided that this was what you’d ultimately use to pay the bills.  So be a difference maker with your music.

How many times have you seen someone be emotionally touched by a song?  A love song can make people cry.  A – as I call them – novelty song can make someone laugh.  A tribute song can pay homage to a legend and conjure up memories of him/her.  Christian artists have serving God as their ‘why.’  Back on Episode 115 of “Now Hear This Entertainment” Roman Morykit from the duo Gypsy Soul said, “I think the classic 60s and 70s protest songs, I think those are not as prevalent as they used to be and that’s, I think that’s the job of an artist is to comment on things that are going on in the world and get people thinking about them.”  Certainly Bruce Springsteen and U2’s Bono are known for doing just that.

I’m someone who has a mental rolodex of not only NHTE episodes, but movie quotes.  Here I’m thinking of Al Pacino in “Scent of a Woman” saying, “You hold this boy’s future in your hands, committee.  It’s a valuable future.  Believe me.  Don’t destroy it.  Protect it.  Embrace it.  It’s gonna make you proud one day, I promise you.”

So, yes, maybe this week’s installment could be considered Part 2 of last week’s blog.  More importantly is to embrace your ‘why.’  Marc-Alan Barnette, the guest on one of the most popular episodes ever of NHTE (so much so that we brought him back for Episode 102), has a song lyric that says, “You don’t choose music, music chooses you.”  So in the words of Lt. Col. Frank Slade, “Embrace it.  It’s gonna make you proud one day.”  Be someone that people say gives 100 percent to your music.