The Power of Music

Guest Blogger: Janet Horvath is the author of Playing Less Hurt. Below is an excerpt of a blog post she wrote on Interlude.

Music has power. Preceding both spoken and written language, the music of every culture reflects their indigenous spirits. Music travelled with the many people who have been displaced and through music they were able to keep their cultures alive. Music is so seminal that dictatorships banned music for its influence on society. Music not only enriches our lives. It deepens empathy and wordlessly bridges cultural barriers unlike any other endeavor. I believe in this power.

As I delved further into my family history, I became painfully aware of the rampant numbers of genocides of the 20th century, which continue today. I have embarked on a new path — to tell my family’s story in an unusual way, through music, pictures and story telling. My intention is to try to teach not only about the Holocaust but also to illustrate the horrific consequences that can result from bullying, intolerance and misunderstandings among cultures.

When one group defines another as the “other”, when classification sucks a community into the “us versus them” vortex, blame leads to a quicksand of dehumanization, humiliation, polarization, and if allowed to fester — organization for persecution and murder.

Keep reading this article on Interlude.

Playing Less Hurt

Playing Less Hurt addresses this need with specific tools to avoid and alleviate injury. Impressively researched, the book is invaluable not only to musicians, but also to the coaches and medical professionals who work with them. Everyone from dentists to orthopedists, audiologists to neurologists, massage therapists and trainers will benefit from Janet Horvath’s coherent account of the physiology and psyche of a practicing musician. Writing with knowledge, sympathetic insight, humor, and aplomb, Horvath has created an essential resource for all musicians who want to play better and feel better.