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| A lady playing the piano, Carl Holsøe, 1900 |
To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray
I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more
-Sound of Music, RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN
There is one thing that instantly creates a happy home, and it's never talked about. Our cozy home is filled with music. This is not just any music but beautiful and joyful music. Just like a scent or a candle can create a cozy feeling, music is something that has gotten us through some sad days, months, and years. I can't count how many times I've woke up blue and music has changed my mood. Within a few minutes of listening to my kitchen boombox, I'm smiling. Even Mr. Peasant is uplifted by sweet melodies and calming instrumentals.
Do you remember when the stores were filled with muzak or instrumental versions of songs? Walmart had listening headphones to sell those CDs with mood music and sounds of whales. Today, when I go to the stores, they play loud awful pop songs that really distract me. I can't focus on my shopping list, and the music is either really annoying or nihilistic. I wish they'd bring back elevator music or easy listening music. I can't help but think that when our common areas were filled with happier music that people were less crazy and were calmer than today.
Music is a free and simple way to make the days brighter. Here is how I use music to manipulate our mood.
MORNINGS:
I wake up and as I get our breakfast and/or coffee going, I play a soft instrumental Reader's Digest CD. This CD is in the kitchen boombox at all times. I just hit the on button and the play button and a piano version of Moon River starts the day. Having lovely music on a low volume in the background helps put us in a better mood as we start the day. In fall, I'll play a cozy coffee shop jazz playlist. At Christmas, Spotify has a great free Christmas Cocktail Jazz playlist.
CHORES:
When I'm doing the dishes, chopping vegetables, putting the groceries away or cleaning the house, I'll turn on the radio. I'll play our local oldies radio station or the 80s radio station. I need motivation and songs I can sing along to. A good beat helps me get my chores done happily. I have programmed the three best radio stations into my boombox, so I can quickly press a button to switch stations.
NIGHT TIME:
There is also a great radio station we discovered online that plays beautiful love songs from the 40s through the 70s-- WKSN 1340AM. This one is great for folding laundry at night, doing dishes, making dinner, or cuddling in bed. It has a Sundays with Sinatra radio show at 9 p.m. At night, we play instrumental CDs or mix tapes as we read books or play Connect Four at the table.
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| A Family Listening to the Radio, Royal Oak, MI 1939 |
HOUSE MUSIC DOS AND DON'TS:
1. Find a radio station
Radio stations are easy because they are an automatic mix. You don't want to be a DJ tending to the music. To create a mood, you need the music to play and not have to worry about it. If you are talking over dinner, the last thing you need to be thinking about is the next song or flipping over a record.
The Radio Garden website is incredible. It lets you hunt for new radio stations from a map of the entire USA.
As mentioned earlier, we love WKSN 1340AM all the way from Jamestown, New York. We found it on the Radio Garden Website and it's playing all the time in our home. It is nonstop sweet and lovely music.
2. Create themed playlists
Try to create a theme with your mixes. That way you can start the music and not think about it. You can make a playlist mix from YouTube music videos or Spotify for free. Just be sure to include songs that everyone will enjoy. Mr. Peasant and I have made 10 mix tapes. We spent weeks choosing and creating tapes of our top favorite songs. We have two tapes with all of our must have versions of Christmas songs and carols. We have Instrumental tapes that we made with our favorite TV theme songs, cowboy western songs, and new instrumentals we found while hunting on YouTube. Some ideas for music mixes include love songs, a cleaning mix, a fall vibe mix, a summer pool mix, party mix, a mix for a rainy day, or a classical music mix for reading.
3. Make a playlist of love songs with your spouse.
When you are creating a mix, you are learning about the other person's favorite songs. You are sharing the experience of happily listening together. Their favorites become your favorites. It's a lot easier to listen to their favorite song than to listen to the whole album of something you might not like. Our love song tapes are some of the most precious things that I own. I would have never known that "Groovy Kind of Love" brings on the water works with us until we spent the time listening and narrowing down the best 20 songs. It's a great way to find out what songs remind them of you and vice versa.
4. Play instrumental music in the background
During dinner, a board game, or over morning coffee, instrumental music can create a cozy mood and still allow for conversations. Be sure to keep it at a lower volume, so you aren't talking over the music.
Search for mixes using these terms-- acoustic, instrumental, ambient, playlists for studying, jazz, piano or classical guitar. Then, type your favorite style of music. Almost any music can be turned into instrumental music such as worship music, bluegrass, classic rock, oldies, and 50's. Even soundtracks of movies can be great.
Here are some of my favorites mixes to get you started:
Nostalgic playlist for daydreaming Mornings, Creative projects
Pure reminiscent of childhood Mornings, Creative projects
Soft Jazz Music for Foggy Nights, Rainy Days For dinner or board games or rainy bed nights.
Beautiful Instrumental Hymns, Peaceful instrumental Music Decluttering, Reading
you study to prepare for the upcoming exam | Dark academia playlist Decluttering, Reading
Here is the motherlode playlist of Readers Digest Albums Dinner, Date Nights at Home, Home Life
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| A Farm Family Listening to Their Radio, 1926 Dept of Agriculture |
5. Don't pick sad or merely okay songs.
When you make a mix, only pick songs you could listen to forever. Go with songs that immediately make you smile and remind you of a happy time. Pick songs that always brighten your mood and fill you with joy. Only pick the very best as you'll be listening to them a lot.
6. Don't make it hard.
Have music players easily available. I have a simple boombox in the kitchen because that's where 75% of our life happens. I have all the radio stations programmed in and a CD loaded and a tape in the ready, so I can have music playing quickly at any time. For music in the bedroom, I use my Chromebook. I have all of the radio station websites and Spotify/YouTube playlists in an easy to find folder just a click away.
7. Remember that music is a shared experience.
Try to include everyone in the house and consider what they like to listen to. Be sure to have a mix that is well liked, so it boosts the mood of everyone in the home. I know what some of you are thinking. This is way too sappy and silly for my husband or my family. Give it time. I promise you that it will slowly change your home. As long as the instrumental music is soft during dinner and conversation, they shouldn't notice. Let the music be like a candle sweetly permeating the room with calm. For the radio or mixes, I hope your home is full of bad singing and silly dancing and joy. I hope you discover what music your family likes. I hope this creates cozy rituals that fill your souls with joy. We can see how dark music has changed our culture. We can use music strategically to uplift and nourish our souls. Let us fill our homes with beautiful music. Beautiful music can bring peace, calm, sweetness and joy to our homes. And what is more cozy than that?
Happy listening, and thank you for reading!
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| Thomas Eakins - At the Piano 1871 |
At the sound of your voice
Heaven opens its portals to me
Can I help but rejoice
That a song such as ours came to be?
But I always knew
I would live life through
With a song in my heart for you
-With a Song in my Heart, RODGERS AND HART
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