Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities by Sedaris - Essay Example

Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities by SedarisIntroductionMusic is part of our everyday life. Not only does music have a positive impact over our emotional well-being but also brings back a lot of our past memories in life. Despite the importance of music in our daily life, it will always remain a fact that not everyone has the talent to become either a successful singer or a musician.The “Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities” written by Sedaris was about the author’s father who loved jazz music up to the extent that his father would bring his family members to watch several concerts in town.

(Sedaris, p. 19) His father’s passion for music even made himself purchase a baby grand piano for Gretchen, a flute for Lisa, and a guitar for David and signed David up for “a guitar lessons with Mister Mancini in one of the local music stores at the North Hills Mall” (Sedaris, p. 20 – 21, 24). After reading Sedaris’ “Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities”, my personal experience wherein my mother has forced me to participate in a piano lesson will be thoroughly discussed. For the conclusion, some psychoanalysis with regards to the impact and importance of music in some people’s life will be provided.

My Personal Experience wherein My Mother Placed “Musical” Expectations on MeMy mother’s close friend is a piano teacher. Since the two were very close, my auntie decided to convince my mother that I should receive a piano lesson every weekends. Since my mother agreed to her friend’s idea, my mother ended up purchasing a piano.The incidence wherein my mother forced me to receive a piano lesson happened when I was between 8 to 10 years old. Since my mother paid a piano teacher to drop by our house every Saturday afternoon, I was left with no other choice but to participate in the piano lesson.

Playing a musical instrument is not really my passion. I would always prefer to listen to other people play some musical instrument rather than me playing the piano. After a couple of years of going through the piano lesson, I did learn the basics on how to play the piano but I never really played the piano without having a piano teacher sit beside me. I also remember that there were several occasions wherein my piano teacher would bribe me with candies or a few dollars just to make me stay focused on playing a few notes throughout the day.

Upon reminiscing the past, it was good that I had personally experienced playing the piano at some point in my life but it never made me a competent pianist even after having received piano lessons from a competent piano teacher for several years.ConclusionMusic is important in our everday life because of the fact that it can contribute a positive impact over the lives of the people. Since music enables the people to develop a positive emotions and self-esteem, music therapy has been concluded to be an effective strategy in terms of removing the emotional and physical work-related stress aside from treating drug addicts and sick people among others (Horesh).

In line with this matter, the research study that was conducted by Winnicot revealed that happy or love songs can be used as a ‘drug substitute’ to divert the interests of the drug addicts into the habit of listening to music.References:Horesh, Tsivia. "Music is My Whole Life - The many meanings of music in addicts’ lives." Music Therapy Today (2006): Vol.VII, No. 2, pp. 291-317.Sedaris, David. Giant Dreams, Midget Abilities. In "Me Talk Pretty One Day". US: Little, Brown and COmpany, 2000.

Winnicot, D. "Transitional objects and transitional phenomena. In Horesh, Tsivia. (ed) 'Music is My Whole Life - The Many Meanings of Music in Addicts' Lives' Music Therapy Today. 2006. Vol.VII, No. 2, pp. 299 - 319." (1953).