A current ad for a resort on Lake Simcoe, “Friday Harbour,” has as background the song “Sunny Days” by the late somewhat-lamented Canadian rock band, Lighthouse. They were immensely popular in the early 70s when they blasted past the weed-masking flags in university residence windows from Dual turntables and Kenwood speakers into campus pathways. Hearing the music evokes all kinds of memories. Which is why, I guess, music is such an important tool used by therapists in the whole not-much-heralded field of music therapy.
A number of my classmates from Western (then University of Western Ontario) music class of ‘75 went on to graduate training in music therapy. I observed in pastoral visiting, in my many, many visits with seniors over the years, that the mere mention of some bit of music can change a person’s demeanour and make an opening for delving into important, maybe even healing avenues. So maybe when we hear the next nostalgia-driven musical background to some otherwise-unworthy product or service, we can consider what connection we might make, that we may have been overdue in making, with those who might share the experience, in spite of grievances or silly ideological niceties.