Hey Y’all, I’m Hannah Porter--the other sister on the All Things New Sisters Website. I know you’re used to hearing from Beth, but I’m going to share a little about something near and dear to my heart today!
Most aspects and areas of my life are focused on, involve, or ‘touch’ music in some way or another. I work for a radio station, I have been a worship leader for years and am currently one of the worship leaders at my church, I play/write/sing my own music, and I collaborate with others to achieve a similar goal. Let’s just say, music is everywhere in my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Music has this incredible ability to connect with and be relatable to one million people just as easily as it connects with and relates to one person. Not only that but music is widely and universally accessible for listening to or learning/playing. A kid in Ohio (USA) could be playing a piece of flamenco music on the guitar and instantly be transported to Latin America just as easily as someone in China listening to Frank Sinatra could be transported to ‘America’ (USA) and at that point, it doesn’t matter who they are, what their ‘status’ in society is, what race, gender, religious background, age, or how much money they make, music transcends borders and transports them. A mom driving in her car to pick up her kids from school could be having a really tough day and turns on the radio and a song comes on that gives her hope and she feels it speaks directly to her. Maybe that song was written from the perspective of finding hope after a bad breakup, but that mom felt it spoke directly to her in relation to having a hard time with her kids or friendships, etc. Or maybe someone is snowed in during the winter and they turn on some Jack Johnson or Michael Franti and are mentally transported to a warm beach somewhere, not a care in the world, just relaxing. See? Music transcends and transports. One song that I have written called “Why Use Me?” has received feedback from a lady going through cancer treatment saying it gave her hope, another guy said it helped him with self-esteem issues, one other woman said it touched her while she was going through a season of burnout. All different circumstances and people, one song.
Music for me personally is and always has been my therapy, my escape, and the truest form of my heart. I’m not an outwardly emotional person but I am very inwardly sentimental and therefore I’ve always said to people that if you want to know the truest forms of my heart, listen to my music. The rawest parts of who I am are in the details, from the melodies I play and sing, to the words I write, to the rhythm I choose. When I can’t express what is actually going on in my heart (which is most of the time) I put it in music, the good, bad, and the ugly. Music has helped me heal in ways mere words or other forms of therapy never could (but those do help too!).
It has influenced me deeply in many areas and aspects of my day and my life. I mean, one song timely played can either make my day and set my mood to ‘happy’ for the morning, or another song can bring back a flood of memories that could put me in a funk within a matter of moments and affect the rest of my day. I could listen to a song merely ‘for the beat’ and ‘not pay attention to the words’ and then weeks later I’m absently, quietly singing the words and melody to Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” in my cube at work and wondering why my cubemate is giving me such a confused look. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some JT, but my point here is that music is POWERFUL.
It has been the expression of millions, the voice and catalyst of movements throughout history, and now more than ever, a voice of cultures, people groups, and entire generations. In a society where people are more likely to get their news from Twitter, their visual entertainment from Netflix or Youtube, and their music from streaming rather than a physical copy, music gets either extremely overplayed and overhyped on every social media platform or doesn’t get the time of day at all. There are millions of voices out there right now and people are being bombarded from every direction, so, why this song? Why this artist? Why this album? Are you looking for the next catchy hook and chorus? A smooth jam? An emotional roller coaster? A political statement? A sermon? A masterpiece? Those and so much more are all in music. Choose your music wisely, whether you realize it right away or not, it has a deep impact on you, and for that matter, your kids. With that said, music is also an incredible vessel, teacher, comforter, friend, truth giver, and joy filler--so, enjoy the wonderful gift of music today!
If people only ever hear one original song from me, no matter how deep, sad, happy, random, or simple it may be, I want them to come away with feeling like what they listened to was honest, was possibly their own story, and always feeling the underlying message of HOPE. Music is influential, powerful, and moving; it can tear people down, or it can help and heal on the journey of making All Things New.
-Hannah Porter
Check out the "Media" tab/section of the website to hear some of Hannah's music.