Music: The Healer
- Jonathan Gerstl
- Apr 3, 2017
- 2 min read
Taking the podium, tears collect as his thoughts disperse. He looks out into his wind ensemble family to find one empty seat. One empty seat that will never be occupied again. This seat belonged to a former student, who at a mere 21 years of age, was taken from this Earth.
As a member of this ensemble, loosing a fellow musician takes more than the shape of internal loss, but a visual one as well. His empty seat leaves every score forever incomplete. Every song will never reach the full beauty it once had.
In the tragedy of his loss, the music brings us healing. As the music grieves the loss of its composer, we can grieve our own losses together in the comfort of its sound. With music, you never grieve alone. It was a sad, but consoling sight to watch a mourning mother hear her son through the masterpiece of a mourning conductor.
As I approach my twenty first birthday, I can only think how tomorrow is not a promise, but a blessing. What legacy will I leave behind? What music will console me and my family during future loss? Music is the universal healer with undeniable abilities. It was an incredibly powerful sight to watch the music wrap its arms around the room, and leave us temporarily feeling as though the all the seats were there.
(Left Matthew Allegrezza, Middle: David Heywood (Director), Right: Me)
In Perfect Silence, I Often Gaze At The New Stars- performed by the College of Charleston Wind Ensemble 4/2/17
(a song about the devastation in New Orleans)
This post is in honor of Zachary Bolt 7/11/1995-12/31/2016
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