My Musical Culture

 Hey guys! My name is Madeline Greene and I am a Junior Music Ed major. My primary is cello, but I can also play piano and a bit of guitar. Blah blah blah... *very general college introduction things here*. I was born and raised in Lexington, South Carolina (right next to Columbia if you aren't well versed in SC town structure). I have an older brother named Devin who is 24 and is in the United States Coast Guard. Currently, he is stationed in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is a Marine Science Technician, and his job is to basically fine boats in the gulf for spilling oil. 

Anyone that knows me knows that I have quite a passion for animals and their conservation. During the summers, I work as a camp counselor at Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. I also have had quite an assortment of pets in my life. I used to have 28 birds (Yes, 28. Yes, they had names. Yes, they slept at night and were loud during the day.) Today I have four dogs, a cat, and a fish. Diesel, my brindle greyhound, and Mookie, my obese black cat, live with my mom in Lexington. My dad has Coastie, a Maltese mix, Sandy, a Golden Retriever mix, and Roscoe, an Anatolian Shepherd/Great Pyrenees mix. I keep my veil tail betta Bowzer with me at Converse. 

                     

I love working with animals and being outdoors, but I also love curling up with a good book and a hot cup of tea. But most of all, I love listening to and creating music. Hence the music major and all :). I started playing cello in 6th grade, and never stopped! Now on to the more musical topics!

I'll start with my current go-to. As we entered December last year, all of us with Spotify were blessed with our Spotify Wrapped. Going through all the fun little tidbits given, it was revealed to me that I was in the top 0.7% of people who listened to Our Last Night. Now, if you haven't heard of them, I'm not surprised, I only found them at the end of 2020. This NC-based band does a lot of rock covers of different kinds of songs while also creating their own originals. My favorite song at the moment is one of theirs, called "when we were broken." This song talks about meeting someone while going through a tough time and everything becoming clear. Have a listen... 

This song has been a real beacon to me as I have been through some bad times. It reminds me of the people I have in my life that want to help me overcome obstacles and stand by my side as I achieve my dreams. 

So, for all musicians, it's a given that music holds a special place in our hearts. For some, it's that one Rachmaninoff piece. For others, it's the first song in a Kanye West album. For me, it's Working For You by Jake Scott. This piece was released in 2018 and it's not exactly the happiest song. I found it when I was listening to my *sad noodle* playlist on Spotify. You know, we all have that one playlist with all the depressing music we need to hear when we are blue.......

Well, this song came on, and every word struck my heart like a crystal dagger. For the majority of my life, I have struggled with anxiety and depression, and they have progressively gotten worse since I started high school in 2015. The chorus of this song begs to know what coping mechanisms help and how can I feel like myself again? It is a really powerful song and I don't think it will leave my life any time soon. 

This part should be interesting. Music that I don't really connect to. Here's the problem. I listen to almost every kind of music. Country, Rock, Classical, Showtunes. However, I have never really been able to connect with every single song by every artist that I listen to. For instance, Pharrell William's Happy is not one that I particularly like a lot. I can't really explain it. Maybe I've heard it too much. I'm not sure. I just don't feel very happy when I hear it. 

Now comes the fun one!

I have been anxiously awaiting the sixth season of Outlander and the second season of The Witcher to be released. Well, one of those has happened. The soundtrack of The Witcher is beautiful. I love the power behind some of the songs that our lovely bard Jaskier sings. my current favorite is Burn, Butcher Burn. This song has had me so giddy since the new season premiered. Written in anger, Jaskier creates his most famous and most heart-tearing song. Have a listen!

That's pretty much it! I'm a little all over the place, I know, but I appreciate all music.