Overcoming Failure to Launch with Music

failure to launch music“Music is the Universal Language.” This may be true, but why is it? I, being an English speaker, may listen to Tristan Und Isolde, an opera by German composer Richard Wagner, and miss the whole point because I don’t understand German. Even if the opera is performed in English, part of the message may be lost in translation. I may listen to an ancient Indian folk tune and ‘not get it’ because my ear is not attuned to the modes used in the melodies, and the harmonies are foreign to me.

One of the quintessential components to the human makeup is the ability to experience and express emotion. A key impetus to writing music is emotional expression. Therefore, a common factor making music the universal language is emotion, because emotion is expressed by the composer/songwriter and experienced by the listener, regardless of the cultural background of both the listener and the writer. Though I may not understand German, I am capable of understanding the emotion Wagner expressed in the previously mentioned opera.

Emotion is subjective especially when attempting to discover it in music. Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky (most famously portrayed in Disney’s Fantasia) may make one listener cringe in fear and another leap for joy. This subjectivity provides the perfect opportunity to develop self-confidence in students because any experience of emotion is legitimate and the student learns that her/his thoughts are valid.

Not only is discussing emotion in music useful for helping develop self-confidence, it is also useful as a springboard for discussion in various forms. This, in turn, is an invaluable tool to develop in those taking part. Engaging in these types of discussions can help young adults, in a real world way, to develop the social skills crucial for making a positive impact in the workforce, for example.

In my six years experience working with college-age clients I have found that, when given a safe, open environment to speak in, my clients will share their more intimate thoughts regarding their feelings. When one is allowed to share her/his feelings in an environment lacking judgment, one gains a sense of validation, which, in turn, leads to the development of self-confidence. As one gains self-confidence, one gains the ability to communicate clearly. The ability to communicate clearly is crucial in developing lasting, mutually fruitful relationships both in the workplace and in one’s private life.

The safe classroom is built when mutual respect is modeled by the teacher and replicated by the students. Open dialogue guided by suspended-judgment, open-minds, and a willingness to speak freely creates an environment where self-confidence is fostered. Regardless of the subject being taught, this is the end goal of every classroom: creating a safe environment where the student is free to explore new ideas and ways of thinking, share her/ his ideas freely and learn to collaborate with others.

At Optimum Performance Institute, we strive to provide a safe “classroom” environment for participants to learn valuable life-skills and further develop their passions that they might be prepared to pull themselves out of a failure to launch scenario and move forward down their path of life. I am so pleased to be a part of this process on a daily basis.

 

By Michael Klinedinst, Independent Living Specialist

 

At OPI, we offer compassionate, clinically sophisticated intensive residential help for young adult men and women who suffer from a variety of mental health and failure to launch issues, including genetic testing to determine the best course for medications, if needed. Rather than a sterile, hospital-like environment, we offer beautiful accommodations in luxury apartments just outside of Los Angeles.  At OPI, we treat the individual, not the diagnosis.  Our clinical team is made up of a diverse community of passionate, highly skilled individuals working together with you to help you find your joy and express it.   For more information on OPI Intensive residential programs and our measures to help young adults with mental health and failure to launch issues, call us at (888) 814-5985 or click HERE to submit an online form. We’ll be in touch promptly.