Interview:

Just as personal preferences in religion, politics, love, and cuisine vary, I do not believe that there is a single definitive answer to the spiritual significance of music. Every culture has its own unique musical traditions, with various groups gravitating toward one style of music or another. Ultimately, one must be willing to accept the belief that music exists that is good enough to attain spiritual significance. While some have chosen to worship the music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Coltrane, or The Beatles, among countless others, I recommend the “existential” approach: it is up to each individual to seek the music that has spiritual significance for you. This begs the question: what constitutes “spiritual significance” as applied to music? Speaking as a lifelong performing musician, I can only refer to my personal experience. There are a limited number of artists and compositions that affect me very deeply, emotionally, intellectually, physically, and ultimately spiritually. I become a different person after listening to, or playing this special music. I experience life and the world around me in a deeper, more meaningful way, because of the existence of such fantastic music. I encourage you, the reader, to discover for yourself and embrace the music that affects you so powerfully.

“I encourage you, the reader, to discover for yourself and embrace the music that affects you so powerfully.”
– Dallas Smith, co-author of “Sound Choices: Using Music To Design The Environments In Which You Live, Work, And Heal”