by Susanne » Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:57 am
Perhaps nostalgia is the wrong word. For me, listening to old music triggers memories of different times, places, people and events in my life. Because I still live in the same neighborhood that I grew up in, the triggers are especially strong. I happened to be driving past my old high school recently, and at the same time a Beach Boys song came on the radio. For just the length of a red light, it was 1966 and I could almost see my old classmates walking across the street. Currently, I work with college students who need to improve their writing skills. One of the exercises that I give them is to pick a song and then write a descriptive paragraph about a situation or place that the song reminds them of. They write about noisy, sweaty dance clubs, romantic evenings, cruising around, deceased family members, you name it! I always start them off with something I wrote about a hot summer day at the beach when I first heard Light My Fire on my transistor radio. Nostalgia? I don't like to think of it that way. We should not live in the past, but we should definitely remember the times that brought us to where we are today.
Perhaps nostalgia is the wrong word. For me, listening to old music triggers memories of different times, places, people and events in my life. Because I still live in the same neighborhood that I grew up in, the triggers are especially strong. I happened to be driving past my old high school recently, and at the same time a Beach Boys song came on the radio. For just the length of a red light, it was 1966 and I could almost see my old classmates walking across the street. Currently, I work with college students who need to improve their writing skills. One of the exercises that I give them is to pick a song and then write a descriptive paragraph about a situation or place that the song reminds them of. They write about noisy, sweaty dance clubs, romantic evenings, cruising around, deceased family members, you name it! I always start them off with something I wrote about a hot summer day at the beach when I first heard Light My Fire on my transistor radio. Nostalgia? I don't like to think of it that way. We should not live in the past, but we should definitely remember the times that brought us to where we are today.