WFMW – Letting music help make your home a haven

By megret | September 16, 2009 at 9:11 am | 2 comments | WFMW

For the next several days, I’m going to be sharing ways that I work at making our home a haven.

We entertain friends (and semi-strangers) within our home very often, and I have to say that one of the compliments we receive most by all different people is that our home is welcoming, cozy, calming. To a stay-at-home wife and mother, this is one of the greatest compliments I can hear. I have begun to brainstorm to try and figure out exactly what makes people see our home this way….what specifically do they notice, what stands out, to make such esteeming things be said about this humble house of ours.

I was going to attempt to cram all the ideas into one gigantic post, but then decided that it’d be much more enjoyable broken down into bite-sized segments. Though the main idea themes may seem a little redundant, I truly hope that you can find a few snippets of things to latch onto and appreciate. The subject matter is a huge passion of mine, and I am excited to talk about it with you all.

Today’s focus? I help make our house a haven with music.

I grew up knowing well and deeply appreciating music. I was raised in a house where music was a treasure, one of art’s finest contributions. Whether my parents played music themselves or we played it via LP, tape, or CD, it was rare to walk into my childhood home and not hear sweet melodies playing.

It rubbed off. Big time. We started G early on the importance of music appreciation.

I like all kinds of music. Really. People rarely believe this, but it’s true.

Yet when I need to create a calming, tranquil atmosphere in our home to help settle little ones down, provide a welcoming harbor for my hard-working husband, or provide a relaxing atmosphere for approaching dinner guests, I generally narrow down our music genres to a certain few.

Jazz. It’s one of my favorites musical styles to cook with. Jazzy beats and saucy horn and piano tones pair so well with dicing and sauteeing. It creates a classy, refined tone. Kind of satiates that small part of me that still longs for my childhood dream of living in a lavish apartment in a big city. Toe tapping. Soul stirring. Makes you want to get dressed up-kind of music.

Classical. Growing up, Dad always had classical pieces playing during dinnertime. I ate many a meal over Handel’s Water Musick and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. We love to play this during school time, and it’s our go-to music of choice for reading and drawing time.

Praise/hymns. Praise music and instrumental (and vocal) hymns were also a commonplace in my growing-up years. I grew up a Maranatha kid, a Dino Kartsonakis kid, an Agapeland kid, and a Sandi Patty kid. Though we embrace and LOVE the music that our church performs (and teaches our kids, and that we also listen to on a regular basis), I also choose to fill our home with these timeless pieces that hold so much truth. Even the instrumental melodies stick in our heads and we hum them all day long, helping the truth within these songs stick and inspire us daily.

Other music. I don’t dare label this genre “new age” because of the negative undertones that has for many people. Yet there is sometimes a great need for nondescript, lyric-less music that soothes, calms, and allows you to relax and breathe….and not just while doing yoga. One of our favorite musicians in this category is George Winston. whose beautiful piano music my long-time friend Karna introduced me to years ago (you can read about Winston’s five best CDs, according to NPR’s Echoes, here). Speaking of Echoes, it’s an NPR program that we frequently let play nightly on the radio, the perfect music for winding down.

Stay tuned as I share more ways that I attempt to make our home a harbor and a haven in the next few days.

Stop by We Are THAT Family, the host of the WFMW carnival each week, for more spectacular tips and ideas!