“…Music Be the Food of Love…” is taken from the first line of Shakespeare’s play, Twelfth Night.

In that play “…the character asks for more music because he is thinking that an excess of music might cure his obsession with love, in the way that eating too much removes one's appetite for food*. The statement is an amazing idea, and we can use it in our own context to have it mean whatever we want. I will talk about what it means to me. I’d love to hear feedback of what it means to you in the comments below.

Music helps to put people in moods. So sharing music with friends and family is a common thing to do, whether you listen to a recording or go to a live concert. Often it improves moods, and makes people happy. But it also keeps people company when they are sad, whether you listen to the blues or a song with a sad minor sound or sad words. There have been studies in the field of music psychology showing that music can give someone an experience that makes them feel a certain way, like putting them in a shopping mood. Studies have also shown certain personality types like specific types of music. Of course this is a generalization made by surveying lots of people. This is valuable information to marketers, politicians, and anyone seeking to have influence. For fun, I looked at some of these studies posted on line, and posted a quiz** that coincides with the findings of these studies. So I veered off topic, but it was fun!

For purposes of practicing, planning to playing music for others can inspire you to play. If you play for family or friends, it can be informal with mistakes and corrections. It is a great way to practice playing in front of people before a formal performance. If you need to practice a piece and still need metronome work and lots of repeated sections with an audience before your music is “ready”, most parents love hearing your practice at any stage, but they might not have time to sit with you. So perhaps, you can line up your stuffed animals or dolls to play for when you practice. Perhaps your cat or dog keeps you company when you practice. My cat comes into the room and sits on a chair when I practice. You can plan performances for family or friends in the future to give yourself a motivating goal. One time I arranged for my kids to perform a few songs together at a local restaurant.

*https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings

**https://www.didgeproject.com/therapeutics/music-psychology-introvert-extrovert-your-playlist-may-have-the-answer/