Crescendo

Crescendo

Crescendo:  A gradual increase in loudness and intensity

In music, a crescendo is tool to add a level of excitement or suspense to a part of a song. They are often used to engage, excite, and elicit certain emotions from the listener.  A crescendo can be abrupt and startling, or it can be more gradual to build anticipation. When a piece of music crescendos to a high point, it is almost always followed by a decrease in sound and intensity. Many pieces of music can leave you with a calm feeling after the peak of a large crescendo. Like many other elements of music, a crescendo can be used as a great metaphor for many different aspects my life and experience being an intern with MTCCA.

My life is full of crescendos, of all different shapes and sizes. My days can often be one giant crescendo. From the moment I wake up the day gradually builds with intensity and excitement. My days are also filled with short bursts of intensity that can be startling or stressful. Similarly to a crescendo in music, the crescendos in my life are also followed by a decrease in excitement, leading to a calmer and mellower feel. My work as a music therapy intern has contributed a great deal to these crescendos, filling my days with constant excitement, stress, and anticipation.  Life is a constant crescendo and diminuendo.

Mark