Music 🎵 can sweep away the cobwebs of the mind and give us great fodder for our journals.
Here are journal prompts utilizing songs or music.
- Playlist – Make a list of the music or songs that you have listened to this week or this month. Overtime, the list becomes a unique look into your mindset and your world.
- Song Exploder – There is a podcast called Song Exploder where an artist is asked to explain the various layers to one meaningful song on their album. For your journal, find a song that resonates with you and try to write why that is the case. What makes you choose that song? Why is it meaningful? Which part or parts speak to you the most?
- Mood Thermometer- What music or song describes how you feel right now? Why?
- Mood Thermostat- What music or song could regulate your mood? Which mood? Why?
- First Song- What is the earliest song or music you recall from childhood?
- Compare/ Contrast- Choose two songs and muse how they are similar or different. Do you have a favorite? Which one and why?
- Important Dates- Are there songs or music connected to important dates in your life? e.g. “Pomp and Circumstance” at your graduation. If so, what are they? Why are they connected to that point in time? Is this a pleasant experience? Why or why not?Does the piece reoccur throughout your life? In what context does it reoccur?
- Special Person or Place- Does a piece of music or song remind you of a special person or place? Which song? Which person or place? Describe what you think of when that piece of music plays.
The power of music takes you to an intimate space in your mind, unearthing memories. Have fun with these prompts, if you can. Be gentle with yourself if these prompts bring you unpleasant memories.
Peace,
Deborah