Let it flow

For my last blog entry, I decided to talk about the power of music in making a change. Music can really make a difference in influencing people and their way of thinking. It is also a therapeutic way to deal with your emotions. You don’t need the same language to be able to feel the music you are listening to. For me, music has always brought me closer to people and helped me to deal with painful emotions.

This song you are going to be able to listen to is a song I made in my first job placement in this spring. The lyrics are made together with the clients in the group 5 of the social employment project Askel kerrallaan. The clients actually didn’t know that their thoughts are going to be apart of my song. They were just told to let go and fill in this flow exercise I had made for them. There were lyrics typed in like “Motivation, family, change” and so on. 10 words about life and about things that I felt were connected to Askel kerrallaan and our group. Then I picked two sentences from every client who made this exercise and turned it into a song. This song was my final gift for the clients and something they could remember me from. I made the chorus and the C part of the song myself. I used the same method we used for this exercise which is the flow technique. Flow technique is basically a method where you just let yourself go and let your thoughts and ideas just flow not thinking about it at all. I wrote all the sentences on my computer and started doing the lyrics. I didn’t think too much. I came up with the melody and on the same day we went to the studio to record this. The recording was also done fast and with feeling.

When I played this song to the clients one customer started crying and so did my boss. That was all I needed. The point of this wasn’t to make the perfect song, which is perfectly done or sang. The point was to create something together and feel connected to each other. Our stories combined in to a one song. That is forever.

“Musiikin harrastamisella on vahva syrjäytymistä ehkäisevä ja hyvinvointia lisäävä vaikutus. Yksi syrjäytynyt nuori maksaa yhteiskunnalle noin 1,5 miljoonaa euroa. / Music as a hobby has strong preventive impact on fighting social exclusion and increasing wellbeing. One marginalized youngster costs the society about 1,5 million euros.” (Lapin Kansa, Ville Mankkinen, 18.1.2017)

Music is a great method helping fighting social exclusion. With music, you can truly make a change. Music empowers people in hard life situations and gives them the strength to face the hardships in their life. It has the power to do so much. It can motivate, make you deal with your emotions, bond with other people and even in some cases save your life.

For me it did that.

Thank you for this journey I have been on writing this blog. Here are the lyrics in Finnish as well as in English so you can understand what I am singing about. The song is at the end. Hope you have the time to listen to it.

Askel kerrallaan  / One step at a time. 

Verse 1: 

Jokainen askel on uusi alku.  / Every step is a new start.

Ja uusi suunta eteenpäin.  / And a new way forward.

Elämä alkaa siitä,  / Life begins from that,

Päämäärä edessäpäin.  / A goal ahead.

Kun muutosta parempaan.  / When there’s change for the better.

Motivaatio kehittyä,  / Motivation to improve.

Vaikkei sitä just nyt oo.  / Even though it’s not there now.

Motivaatio ei ole kaupan,  / Motivation is not for sale.

Loppuu aina lyhyeen.  / Always ends in short.

Motivaatio olen, / Motivation is.

Olen minä itse. / Motivation is me.

Motivaatio olen.  / Motivation is.

Minä itse… / Me, myself.

Chorus: 

Jos askel kerrallaan pystyisin kulkemaan.  / If I could walk one step a a time.

Ei askel ollenkaan niin paljon painais. / Not nearly as much would my step weigh.

Jos päivän uuden ottaisin vastaan vaan,  / If I could just take the new day in.

Ei kulku raskaskaan synkkyyteen päätyis.  / Not even the hardest walk, would end up in darkness.

Askel kerrallaan… / One step at a time.

Verse 2: 

Ajassa riippumaton, kiinni ja auki. / Not dependent on time. Closed and open.

Minä olen ihmisenä, vaikea tavoittaa. / As a person I am hard to reach.

Minä olen kaistapää, / I am insane.

Tulevaisuus on hämärä. / My future is dark.

Minulla on aikaa. / I have time.

Minä olen… / I am.

Mikä olen. / What I am.

Chorus: 

Jos askel kerrallaan pystyisin kulkemaan. / If I could walk one step a a time.

Ei askel ollenkaan niin paljon painais. / Not nearly as much would my step weigh.

Jos päivän uuden ottaisin vastaan vaan, / If I could just take the new day in.

Ei kulku raskaskaan synkkyyteen päätyis. / Not even the hardest walk, would end up in darkness.

Askel kerrallaan… / One step at a time.

Bridge: 

Toivo ottaa kiinni, koskettaa. / Hope crabs you, touches.

Toivo antaa uskoo parempaan.  / Hope gives you belief for the better.

Toivo ottaa kiinni kuuntelee, / Hope grabs you, listens.

Näkee sinut siinä. / Sees you there.

Chorus: 

Jos askel kerrallaan pystyisin kulkemaan.  / If I could walk one step a a time.

Ei askel ollenkaan niin paljon painais. / Not nearly as much would my step weigh.

Jos päivän uuden ottaisin vastaan vaan,  / If I could just take the new day in.

Ei kulku raskaskaan synkkyyteen päätyis. / Not even the hardest walk, would end up in darkness.

Askel kerrallaan…  / One step at a time.

References:

ttps://www.lapinkansa.fi/kulttuuri-koskettaa-musiikin-harrastamisella-on-va/76081

Suurin osa Showcasen blogeista on toteutettu osana Laurean opintojaksoja. Koko koulutustarjontaamme voi tutustua nettisivuillamme. Tarjoamme kymmenien tutkintoon johtavien koulutuksien lisäksi myös paljon täydennys- ja erikoistumiskoulutuksia sekä yksittäisiä opintojaksoja avoimen AMK:n kautta!