In my experience, May has always been an unsettled month. The push toward the end of the school year, graduations, holidays. All of these interrupt normal schedules and routines. Also weather that is unsettled. Sometimes bright and sunny, sometimes dark and stormy, but usually warm and even hot.
Warmer weather means more outdoor games and sports. When I was young this meant scouting activities like hiking, camping and scout camp, work on merit badges, campfires and exploring in a woods somewhere out of town. Boy scouts helped me through some difficult times when I was young. It became almost a surrogate family experience. Challenges without judgment or recrimination, striving, learning, growing, being shown how to lead and how to follow. All of these were a great help later in life, especially in music and bands and choirs.
The month of May always makes me think of parades. Throughout my school years I participated in parades in many places and in many aspects such as Boy Scouts, marching bands, drum & bugle corps, etc. They were always long & hot with crowds of people, other bands, floats, various motor vehicles, and always ended at a cemetery with a program of speeches and inspirational messages – also hot, and usually with an assortment of bugs, especially if you were sitting on or near a grassy area. After taps, when the program finished, we always hunted for the graves and headstones of deceased relatives and close family members. A yearly ritual. Then a picnic.
The cemetery became a favorite place for me and a few friends to play through grammar school. It was close to home, quiet, contained mysterious places to explore, and small ponds with weird creatures, algae, and multicolored bugs and insects. The varied sizes and shapes of the headstones made games like hide & seek and tag more fun than usual because of the expansive territory. Best of all, we were never bothered by anyone in charge. We just climbed the chain link fence and took advantage of our freedom to roam unfettered. These were times I could think and dream, make up melodies and imagine the instruments that might someday play them. Beginning arranging & composing. This could go on until either dinnertime which one never missed or twilight (depending on the time of year), which changed the whole dynamic. You DO NOT want to be caught in a cemetery when it is getting dark! The imagination tends to run wild with bizarre images. Best not to go there.
May was always a muddle or jumble of activities, but still seemed exciting and refreshing after a harsh winter. Definitely a time for music and rejoicing and happiness whether it was raining or sunny. We heard songs that ranged from the sweetness of Mother’s Day to the marches and hymns of Memorial Day. Styles may change a lot, but the original intent & purpose remain the same: highlight the day or the moment or the occasion or the season with meaningful words set to musical sounds which move our emotions to a higher plane.
Music helps us to express the inexpressible. There are many songs that come to mind on these occasions. But if there isn’t anything that works when you need it, then make one up! It doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated or long. But first, you must turn off your TV, iPod, stereo, boom box, or at least remove your earbuds. Let the dust settle a bit. And then invite the appropriate words & sounds to your consciousness. Creativity usually likes a clean slate and…….quiet……..good luck!