Anytime-Music

Outer Journey

I have heard music every day, almost all day long, in the city.  I heard music as I walked the street going from place to place.  I heard music coming out of open doors of stores, bars, restaurants, shops, and even the church.  This music is played in many forms and by many different people.  I have heard street performers, homeless people, amateur performers, and volunteers from the church parish.  My most interesting performance are the street performers.  I am amazed at how they set up and how they perform in the middle of everyone.  I am also amazed at the instruments they use.  I have seen these performers use five-gallon buckets to drum on and I have seen them use different size plastic cups to control the sounds coming out of their horns in order to create a different note and appreciation for their music.  I love listening to jazz with a dash of funk.  My favorite is mixing different styles and creating something new and exciting and unpredictable.  One day we were walking down a street and in the middle of the street was a group playing and everyone was standing around listening.  The leader of this group was engaging the audience between songs and the audience members were participating and enjoying it.  They had buckets set up to collect money and people would walk up and give money as a token of gratitude and support for these amazing musicians and their gifts and talents.  This was a way of life for these musicians. 

Inner Journey

As I listen to these musicians, I recognize that this is their way of life which is different then what I am accustomed to.  Nevertheless, I admire their passion and the life they have.  This city has confirmed to me that it is ok to accept everyone for who they are and what they need to do on their life journey.  We are all just trying to figure out this life we have been given, and we don’t have to have everyone fit inside a box that is perfectly square and wrapped neatly with a bow on top.  As a small-town Midwest girl, I have seen people in the midwest be very judgmental and unaccepting of people who are not like us which is sad to me.  In the Midwest, we are not comfortable with the unknown.  In fact, we teach the younger generations to be afraid of the ones who are different than us.   I don’t like this and definitely, don’t agree but this city has confirmed to me that it is good to accept others and learn from each other.  One of the biggest ways I have learned from this city is through music.  Music connects us to the history and heritage of this city, and it reminds me that we don’t need as much as we think we need in this world.  Meaning long ago when people migrated to New Orleans, they did not have much but they made do with what supplies and gifts and talents they did have and they persevered.  Today we still learn from these ancients even if they are not our own ancients.  In this city, we eat their foods, listen to their music, and enjoy the buildings they have left us.  Their legacy still lives on.