I was at a pre-season football game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. During a break in play, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond came over the speakers. When the chorus hit, the entire stadium sang along and you could feel electricity run through the crowd as everyone bonded over that song.
Music unites communities, whether it is the Qawwali music of the Sufis, Reggae music of Jamaica, or bluegrass music of the Appalachian region. Every culture has the songs, chants, hymns, and rhythms that identify its community.
Suddenly hearing a song from your childhood that you may have forgotten about can take you back in time. Some have only fiteen minutes of fame, like Gangnam Style by Psy. Some have their moment, fade, and are resurrected again like Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Others stay with us year after year, because they become associated with a specific tradition or season, like Auld Lang Syne, originally a Scottish poem that was set to music in 1788.
Here at the Glen Ellyn Public Library, we honor and enjoy music in all its diversity – whether it is carols shared by local high school students at the annual Holiday Walk, music of Mexico from Ballet Folklórico Nacional, Hawaiian melodies at a luau, or jazz with Jammin’ in the Stacks. This winter, turn to the library for more opportunities to explore, enjoy, and participate in the music of our community.
Visit our calendar for upcoming music programs:
Campfire Sing-Along – January 2
Istvan and His Imaginary Band – February 17
GEPL Get Together: Feel the Beat – February 20
If anything I mentioned above has piqued your interest, Check the Library to discover a vast collection of CDs and emusic accessible for free through digital resources like Hoopla . You can even try creating your own composition in our Digital Media Lab!