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CW: Technology has allowed music listening and cre- forms. To me, music is more than just instruments
WE ALL HAVE A COMMON LANGUAGE
Global Harmony
Interview with Chloe White
ZGP: What made you want to become a
musician? Early influences?
CW: Music was instilled in me from a young age. My
mom is a band director who raised my sister and me
to experience all types of music and prioritized mu-
sical training throughout our childhood. We went to
Kindermusik classes with my mom from the time we
were babies until we started school, and most of my
early childhood memories involve music in some way.
I started piano lessons at five years old and had a piano
lesson with the same teacher every week until I grad-
uated high school. Then in middle school, I started
playing flute and have played for over 12 years now.
My piano and flute teachers taught me so much more
than just music over the years and I am blessed to
have them as mentors and major influences in my life.
Listening to or making music has always existed as a
part of my everyday life so I did not have any second
thoughts about continuing that into my career.
ZGP: Any hobbies outside of music?
CW: My hobbies include baking sourdough bread,
embroidering, travelling, antique shopping, going to
concerts, trying new foods/restaurants, hiking, and
spending time with friends and family.
ZGP: Can you define music therapy for those who
may not know?
CW: Music therapy is a research based profession
where the therapist uses music as a therapeutic tool
to address non-musical goals such as communication,
emotional expression, physical rehabilitation, social
deficits, cognitive skills, and so much more. You don’t
have to be a musician to benefit from music therapy!
Music therapists work with all types of populations
98 www.zoegracepublishing.com
throughout the lifespan—from premature babies in
the NICU to hospice patients in end of life.
ZGP: What are some of the therapeutic qualities
for the performer and the listener?
CW: Performing music allows the musician to express
themselves and pour their passions, creativity, and
soul into the music they are creating. Listening to mu-
sic is an avenue for so many wonderful human expe-
riences; it allows people a chance to connect with the
lyrics or melodies, stirs emotions to the surface, brings
communities of people together to feel less alone,
encourages through hard times, lifts your mood, and
so much more.
ZGP: Is there a genuine connection between mu-
sic and the soul or the mind? Is it transformative?
In what way?
CW: There is 100% a connection between music and
the mind and music and the soul! Have you ever lis-
tened to music and gotten chills? Or teared up/gotten
a lump in your throat when you heard certain lyrics or
pieces of music? Or even repeated song lyrics in your
head to encourage or pump yourself up? These are all
examples of how music affects the mind and the soul!
Aside from these experiences, there is so much re-
search about how music is processed in the brain and
it is fascinating (check out neurologic music therapy!).
The way music is processed in the brain can literally
transform and create new neural pathways- how cool
is that?!
ZGP: How has technology increased access to
music? Has it increased an ability for anyone to
create music?
ZGP Magazine
ating music to be so accessible! For example, anyone and lyrics—it can be an escape, a source of encourage-
with an Apple device has access to an app called Ga- ment, a creative outlet, a container allowing for space
rageband where you can create original music. It is an to process, a way of connecting to a higher power/cre-
app that I use a lot in music therapy sessions. Not only ator, and an avenue for self-expression.
is it easier to create music with new technology, but it
also has allowed musicians to reach larger audiences ZGP: Can music unify people from diverse back-
of people through platforms such as YouTube, social grounds?
media apps (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), and TikTok. CW: Of course! Different types of music and dif-
ferent musicians have unified people from diverse
ZGP: Can the world learn something from the backgrounds for centuries! Often, people who have
opposing beliefs, or are from very different places/
harmonious relationship between diverse notes backgrounds can agree or find common ground with
played together, rather than alone?
CW: Beautiful music is made up of integrated, mov- musical preferences. Musicians like Prince, Freddy
ing parts that create textures, rhythmic push and pull, Mercury, and Dolly Parton have such diverse fan bases
dissonance and consonance. While hearing one note at and unify people from so many different backgrounds.
a time may be beautiful, the musical diversity is what
creates harmony and interesting sounds. I believe this ZGP: In your opinion, in what ways can music
idea can be a metaphor for life—individually, we are spread kindness?
all beautiful and unique human beings, however, when CW: I consider music to be a universal language and
diverse humans come together, we complement each a shared human experience. Even if two people speak
other, learn from each other, and have the opportunity different languages, they can hear the same music
to create global harmony. and find a human connection through that experi-
ence. Just as we were talking about how music unifies
ZGP: If there wasn’t any music to go by and you people from diverse backgrounds, that alone is a way
had to create it – how would you start? How music spreads kindness to those we love and those
important is musical influence? Today and going who may be different than us—all by experiencing a
forward? shared love of music. Song lyrics can also spread posi-
CW: If I had to create music and had nothing to go by, tive messages that encourage kindness.
I would go with my gut instinct because I think that
immediate response is something raw and original
and is not meant to be overthought. Musical influ- Chloe White is a native of Jackson, TN. She
ence is important, but I think it is important to use attended Belmont University in Nashville
to major in music therapy and returned to
other music as influence and not to replicate, because Jackson after 4 years to complete a 6-month
it’s already been done. This might be a hot take, but I music therapy in-
think at this point, music is only evolving. Pretty much ternship at the STAR
everything has been done before, and there is not Center, Inc. She gradu-
much new that is being created. To me, the pinnacle of ates in April 2021 and
artistry is when someone can use their musical in- is planning to start a
stincts and influences to create music that has evolved Masters in Music Ther-
by putting a different spin on what has already been apy program in the fall
done, overdone, or become mainstream. through Saint Mary-
of-the-Woods College
ZGP: What would the world look like if there was in Indiana. In her free
time, Chloe likes to
not music at all? Is music more than voice and go antique shopping,
instruments? Can we find music in other places? bake sourdough bread,
CW: Music is a way of expressing one’s soul, so if there travel, spend time outdoors, and hang out
were no music, I believe that human beings would find with friends and family!
different ways to express themselves through other art
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