QOTD: Is music an important part of your day?

From Motherhood Your Way, a little questionnaire:

Do you listen to music all day, or just during certain activities?

I don't listen to music for much of the day.  If I'm not listening to an audiobook in the car, I have Jazz.FM playing, or a classic rock station.  However, my fifteen-year-old son loves to have music on, and it's usually trad jazz from his iPod through speakers, or classical. Sometimes alt-folk, or whatever The Tallest Man on Earth and the like would be, which is great because we have similar tastes and he has introduced me to a number of new artists. While I don't listen a lot, I love singing in choirs, listening to music in bars and cafe's, going to concerts of pretty much any kind including opera, and am very opinionated about music.  I just prefer a lot of silence. It may be an introvert thing.

What is your favorite type of music?

Classic rock (70s), jazz (leaning toward traditional but open to new experiences), choral (all types), renaissance/baroque, movie scores, Celtic, opera.  I'm eclectic. 

Do you find music distracting or soothing?

I despise music played in most malls and outside (I don't mean outdoor concerts here - I'm thinking of the outdoor mall near where I lived in Georgia).  When I have a headache, am down, or ill, and I can choose my own selections, it's great.  Singing choral music is incredibly soothing....kinda like tai chi or meditation. I find live music incredibly energizing.  If it's music that is forced on me or unpleasant, I either leave or use the mom-card to have it turned off.

Do your kids like music?

Older son (18) plays the guitar and listens to a ton of music that I am unable to describe other that with the tag "alt-".  Younger son (15) is considering music as a career. He plays tuba and bass trombone in numerous school and community ensembles and sings in two choirs. My father and brother were/are both brass-players and jazz-lovers, so it must be at least partly genetic, particularly since Michael never knew his grandfather and didn't grow up with a lot of jazz around him.

Do you keep music playing while you sleep?

The thought of music playing all night is appalling to me.  However, when I have had periods of insomnia in the past, I found that playing meditation music while falling asleep helped me sleep through the night.  But I always set my CD player to turn off after a set period of time.  I also used to enjoy waking up to music rather than an alarm.  Sadly, I have no more issues waking up in the morning and do not require an alert of any kind!