My Musical Culture

 Hey everyone! I'm Sabrina Roche and a sophomore here at Converse College. As soon as she could, my mom got me started with piano lessons at the age of seven and only a few years later I started taking voice lessons as well. In the fifth grade I began performing in shows held by local companies but it wasn't until my junior year of high school that I really fell in love with singing and performing and now I can't see myself doing anything else. 

I was born in Texas and lived there till 2008 when I was adopted and moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Little did I know I'd become 1 of 6 children in a family of 8! Both of my parents have their master degree in music and my mom is a professor here at Converse. Music is such  big central point for my family. I remember when I was little and we would take long car trips, we wouldn't be watching movies or playing video games, but would play a CD of an opera or musical and sing along to it. There was many a time that me and my three sisters would fight over who sang the best "Queen of the Night". 

Below I'd like to share that with you through a few pieces that hold great importance to me. 

1) An example of music that really means something to me personally. Back in high school I suffered a lot from depression and hit a really low point in my life. That is until I found "Blessings" by Laura Story. This song reminded me that I was never alone, that God was always there with me, even when it felt like no one was. I would play this song on repeat, cry a lot, and be reminded that things can and would get better. "Blessings" by Laura Story:


2) An example of music that got me through the pandemic. My favorite genre of music is country and my favorite singer is Luke Combs. I would die to go to one of his concerts in the future. On October 23, 2020 he released his newest album "What You See is What You Get". A few of my favorite songs off of this album include "Forever After All", "Without You", and "Six Feet Apart". "Six Feet Apart" was actually a song that he wrote in response to the pandemic that we were all suffering from. My favorite line from that song is "There will be light after dark, someday when we aren't six feet apart." I loved that he didn't dwell on the negative and showed optimism for the future despite the pandemic feeling endless. Here is "Six Feet Apart" by Luke Combs:


3) An example of music I don't like. The first thing that comes to my mind when thinking about music that I can't stand to listen to is anything by the Beatles. I know there's a lot of people out there who would kill me for admitting that but there's something about their voices that make my ears bleed. "Yellow Submarine" in particular is one that I remember learning when I was little and even back then I didn't like it. I find the melody and lyrics annoying and unbearably boring. Anyways here's "Yellow Submarine" by The Beatles:










 




Comments

  1. Kimberly LeoneJanuary 13, 2021 at 3:49 PM

    I loved reading your story! I can’t imagine what it must be like to be in a family of 8! I am also very familiar with the song you listed, “Blessings”. I have memories of my mother playing this song and listening to it when I was younger. The song “Six Feet Apart” was new to me! I find it interesting to hear the different things that people anticipate enjoying again no matter how simple they are. I am curious to see the music that will be released that was inspired by the pandemic. Finally, I am surprised to hear that you do not care for the Beatles! That is the first time I have heard someone say that. I enjoyed reading your blog!

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  2. SimonJanuary 13, 2021 at 8:35 PM

    Sabrina, you and I disagree on many things, but the one thing I fervently agree with you on is your disdain for "Yellow Submarine." My parents (my Mother especially) loved the Beatles and had a particular fondness for this song. I would close my eyes and go to my happy place whenever it played. And although I am not a huge fan of country music, I very much appreciated the lyrics in "Six Feet Apart." Thank you for sharing!

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