Mellody Alexandra DaCruz

Julian Saporiti

Make Music

1-17-17

Music Appreciation Group

Bread- Aubrey

I never thought I would say this but I, a girl who is winded by a single pushup, am forever

grateful for PE. It was my freshman year at Saint Raphael Academy and because my class was

comprised of 125 students, our teachers Miss Scungio and Mr. Drake split us up into 4 huge

groups. I were placed in a PE class with absolutely none of my friends and my anxiety started to

kick in. I tried to distance myself from all contact of my classmates, but it is difficult to do so

when participation is what you was graded on. I later found myself waiting in Mr. Drakes office

while Miss. Scungio monitored my class. As I waited, Mr. Drake would play popular 60s bands

like The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Bee Gees, and my soon to be favorite, Bread.

I had never taken an interest in older music, considering I was born the last year of the

90s. Most of the songs on my music player app at the time were heard on the radio or

mainstream bands. I slowly gained interest in his music and later got him to pull me out of class

and review songs he suggested to me to listen to in my free time. Since he was also a PE teacher,

he pulled a few strings to prevent me from failing the class because I never showed up. One
album we listened to was from a band Bread and I honestly fell in love with the first song Mr.

Drake played. The name of the song was Aubrey and I cannot explain how I felt after listening to

it. It felt like I fell in love and I was listening to a song my significant other wrote for me on

my wedding day. It was at that moment I knew there was a whole different side of music I

needed to discover.

Listening to 60s bands became a weekly ritual for us. I would get changed for class,

participate for about 15 minutes, get called into Mr. Drake's office for a talk, sit on the rolly

chair he cleared his books off for me, and just simply listened. Four years have passed and I still

listen to all the bands I discovered in his very office. Now that I think about it, 60s 70s 80s and

90s music is the only music I listen to with the exception of Arctic Monkeys. Uncovering music

from decades before me sparked an interest I still have today. At first I was a bit hesitant in

opening up to my friends about the songs I listened to because what 17 year old listens to The

Beach Boys? However, I learned not to care what others think because my music taste makes

who I am and I have Mr. Drake to thank for that.

Arctic Monkeys- Old Yellow Bricks

I found my soon to be best friend and favorite band in one day. It was two weeks into my

freshman year and I had detention from arriving to school late for the 5th time that week.

When 2:09 came I was to report to room 210 on the third floor to serve my hour. The DT

monitor, Mr. Thibault (Tee-bow), announced if we wanted to leave 20 minutes early we had to
clean the desks with clorox wipes. It sounded pretty reasonable so I agreed and walked over to

the desk where the wipes were and got them from a girl named Sarai.

Sarai and I were the only people in detention that day and to eliminate the awkward

silence that filled the room, we decided to converse in hopes of making time fly. I learned that

we lived near each other, our mothers are both named Maria and our brothers knew one another

from working at the YMCA. After we completed our 40 minutes of DT, Sarai received a call

from her mom saying she was outside and her ringtone was a band I have never heard before.

When I asked, she replied with Oh yeah, theyre an alternative British rock band called Arctic

Monkeys. The lead singer Alex Turner is my husband omg.

This was all new to me because I never listened to bands let alone an alternative rock

one. I asked what songs she prefered and she said the Favourite Worst Nightmare album was the

best and that Old Yellow Bricks was her favorite song. I started downloading songs before I

pulled into my driveway because curiosity was eating at me. My entire day was devoted to going

through each song on the album. During school the next day I realized she was in my history

class and we spent the entire period discussing Alexs cute accent and what our favorite song

was. Today Sarai is my best friend despite attending different schools and Arctic Monkeys is my

number 1 go to band.
UB40- I Got You Babe

One of the most cherished memories I shared with my dad was bonding over CDs he

found at corner stores. My father is the type of person to wait until Cape Verdean and Dominican

stores or bodegas sold burned CDs so he wouldnt have to pay $30+ for a new copy. Since I

am a daddys girl, I went everywhere he went and listened to all the songs and artists he listened

to, but his albums started to get old. One day we went to a Dominican store on the west side to

get cheese and he found The Very Best of UB40 CD. Why that CD was in a hispanic store still

stumps me. My father is the one to try new things so he bought it and played it on the way home.

We never did get the cheese

That CD became a huge part of our relationship. Wherever we went, indoors and out, I

Got You Babe played on repeat. I remember one afternoon my mom worked late, my brother

stayed after school for academic enrichment, and my father and I had the whole house to

ourselves. What did we do? We went into the living room, pushed the couches and coffee table

to the side, and made our own dance floor. He took me by the hands and danced for hours as I

tried to keep up with his moves. UB40 became our group and we have made amazing memories

with this one CD that will last a lifetime.

Our time together did not last very long because a few years later my parents got

divorced for a reason I am still not sure of. My father no longer living with me affected my life

and I became saddened by the situation. Living room dance sessions and carpool karaoke

became a thing of the past. I see him twice a week now, and even though I am all grown up and
we both have busy schedules, UB40 will always have a place in our lives. Sometimes he puts the

song on after months of not hearing it and surprises me with the dance moves we made up when

I was a child to remind, me hes still got me.

The Beatles- Blackbird

I have never told a living sole this and do not wish to share such information with my

classmates but I trust that you will keep this between us. In 2014 I was diagnosed with Anxiety

disorder at the age of 15. Ive always knew there was a reason why I was always anxious and

couldnt complete daily activities without feeling worried or nervous. From public speaking to

making simple decisions like where I should go for lunch, my anxiety seemed to control me in

every situation. It had gotten to the point where I did not even want to ask for assistance in class

because I thought my teacher was going to think I was incapable of completing tasks and

understanding the material presented to me. Believe me when I say I used to be so much worse

compared to my life now. For that I have music therapy and The Beatles to thank.

I was a frequent visitor at Memorial Hospitals neuropsychology center because of my

ongoing struggles with anxiety. Most of the coping strategies she suggested did not seem to work

and I was becoming more and more hopeless until one day I met Ed. Ed was a musicologist that

sat across from me as he waited for his daughter to return from her appointment (what are the

odds of that happening). He knew I was here for my anxiety because he noticed the way I shook

my leg and chipped at my nail polish whenever he tried to start a conversation. I proceeded to

tell him how I came here in search of a solution and he suggested music therapy. At first I was
skeptical because how can music calm me down when not even medication can? But at this

point, I was willing to experiment with anything. He told me his daughters favorite album was

The White Album by The Beatles and that I should give it a listen.

I can honestly say this band changed my life. I have listened to every song on The White

Album and Blackbird was the one song that stuck with me. The line all your life you were only

waiting for this moment to be free has so much meaning to me because living with anxiety is

beyond stressful. You feel as if you are trapped in your own feelings and no one can aid you

because you are too anxious and hesitant to let them in. Music was the way out for me because in

that moment, as I opened up and really listened to every lyric of that song, I felt free like the

blackbird. This pretty much explains my animated attitude in your class and why I decided to

take the course. I never did see Ed again, but if I did I would thank him for showing me my

escape. Since then my anxiety has gotten much better and I keep headphones on my person at all

times in case I need Paul McCartney to calm me.