Beebs Feels The Music

Yesterday in church, one of the young men in our ward played a beautiful rendition of "If You Could Hie To Kolob" on the piano. Beebs was restless and by this point in the meeting it was becoming quite difficult to get her to sit quietly. I pulled her up on my lap and asked her to sit quietly and feel the music. I asked her to tell me what she felt. She sat quietly, and after a few moments, she turned to me and whispered, "It feels like something is about to happen!". The music had just gotten a bit louder and dramatic and I was blown away that she had recognized that and then was able to put it into words. Another minute passed and she looked at me and said, "Now it feels like someone is sad!". As the song came to an end, Beebs whispered to me once again, this time telling me, "Now it feels like someone is crying!".

I was so beyond impressed that Beebs was able to sit so quietly and feel the music, then put into words an explanation of what she was feeling. I knew I had to try this with her again.

Tonight, I put on a couple of different pieces of classical music that I love. At first Beebs was just playing around. She wasn't interested in sitting and listening to the music, but when I put on Itzhak Perlman's version of Cinema Paradiso- Love Theme, she sat quietly and began to feel the music.

First, Beebs told me that it felt like someone was lost- that a child was lost. His parents were looking for him, but couldn't find  him because he was lost in the woods. Then she said it felt sad, because he was lost and it felt like they were looking for him but still couldn't find him and they were scared he would get eaten by an animal. As the song ended, Beebs told me she felt like it was sad because he was still lost and everyone was crying.

I had to agree! Though my version doesn't involve a boy being lost in the woods, that is a song that has always felt sad to me. Itzhak Perlman makes that violin cry and it tugs at my heart strings each time I hear it.
I loved spending that time with Beebs tonight and hearing how the music touched her. I can't wait to find even more songs to listen to together. I love hearing Beebs explain to me what she feels when she listens to music!