The Timeless Band

Over the past summer, many movies have come out. One, in particular, piqued my interest: Yesterday, the movie recalling the classic band, The Beatles. When I heard about a movie in which everybody on the planet, besides one man, has forgotten about The Beatles, I knew I had to see it. Although this movie was not great, it made me remember my love for the fantastic music written by John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Growing up, my father had all of their CDs (yes, CDs were a thing...) and would play them for me and my siblings on all of our long drives. During the time, I did not know that I would be forever grateful to have grown up listening to "Yellow Submarine," "Octopus's Garden,"Penny Lane," and many, many more. 

​Something I appreciate dearly about The Beatles is their timelessness. There are so few musicians and bands that I can truly say I will appreciate forever...sadly, many musicians these days are here for a chunk of time, and they are more or less a trend. The Beatles will be in my heart and remembered forever. With their huge array of songs, anytime I am in need of virtually any type of music, I can throw on The Beatles. Additionally, they have inspired me in many ways... 

The Beatles were one of my greatest inspirations that led me into the world of music. While essentially all kids try some sort of instrument, The Beatles led me to experiment and experience multiple instruments. I started with piano, which lasted for a few years; after I grew tired of the piano, I moved on to the guitar. After that, it was percussion. If you're not a musician, you might not know how much knowing how to read music because of piano helped me. I joined the percussion ensemble in middle school and got to learn about all sorts of instruments including the marimba, the xylophone, the timpani, and the drum set. Aside from learning about music, being in the percussion ensemble showed me how to be more confident in front of an audience; in addition, I learned how to be a  leader, as I became more aware that I had what it took to create great music and then put on a fantastic performance. I took lessons with Ettiene Bowler, drummer in the band MisterWives, and he showed me how to throw away my fear of making mistakes. Being in the percussion ensemble showed me how much I loved music and how much it could help me in the simplest of ways. It may sound trivial, but when I am feeling upset in any way or just restless, I can safely say that I count on music to revive me in some way. To this, I definitely credit The Beatles on some level.  

​Needless to say, the history and stories of The Beatles are fascinating; I've written papers on The Beatles, read their books, and seen some of the documentaries. I would recommend checking out their music and reading about them to anyone who is even remotely interested in music. Something that always stuck with me was discovering that "Penny Lane", one of their hits, was made by the simple act of sitting outside one day and observing the day and everything going on outside. This showed me how while they were creatively and musically geniuses, The Beatles had no secret- they were people that loved music and sought inspiration in any way that they could. I am so grateful to have The Beatles be such a significant piece of my childhood, and will never forget the times I have happily drove along with my family jamming to their greatest hits, regardless of my age or whatever is popular at the time.