In My Feels – Music for When I Feel EXCITED

Sometimes it can be hard to identify certain feelings, let alone experience them! But did you know that listening to music is a great way to experience our emotions fully?

“Where words fail, music speaks.”

— Hans Christian Andersen

Music offers a safe space to explore joy, sadness, excitement, anger, contentment, fear, and everything in between without judgment. Music can paint an even richer and more comprehensive picture of how we perceive emotions by using sounds rather than words to describe feelings.

Think of music as a friend accompanying you on a ride at a theme park. Sometimes the ride looks fun; sometimes, it seems terrifying. But no ride lasts forever, and often, you learn something about yourself from the experience.

In this series, we will explore emotions and use music as our guide.

Music for When I Feel EXCITED

What makes you vibrate with excitement? A ride on a roller coaster? Scheduling a sleepover with your best friend? Maybe you’re excited right now by the prospect of this playlist 😉.

Feeling excited can take on many shades depending on your circumstances, such as…

  • Electrified
  • Eager
  • Thrilled
  • Enthusiastic
  • Exhilarated
  • Inspired

Excitement often arrives in anticipation of an upcoming event and is kicked off by a rush of adrenaline. The key to understanding excitement is that it comes when we are involved in something we care about. That burst of energy from the adrenaline is a reflection of our deepest desires. What better opportunity to welcome in an emotion and celebrate?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stay still when I’m excited. I need to dance, jump, skip, run, and maybe even do a cartwheel. When you feel that surge of excitement, pull up this playlist and move!

“Summer” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi

It may no longer be summer, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still experience the zing of energy that inspired Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi to write this seasonal work. The Four Seasons is one of the earliest examples of program music, meaning music that tells a specific story. Vivaldi even published poetry to accompany the music. If you’re curious, you can find the poem for “Summer,” as well as the poems for the other three movements of the piece, here.

“Akinla” from African Suite by Fela Sowande

Fela Sowande (pronounced “FAY-la SHWAHN-de”) was a composer and organist from Nigeria known for combining European music traditions with his Yoruba heritage. African Suite is the perfect example of Sowande’s style. The suite’s lively and joyful final movement, “Akinla,” is based on a folk melody from Southern Nigeria. Akinla’s distinct rhythms and bright quality make the piece’s energy and excitement positively infectious.

Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin

Russian composer and chemist Alexander Borodin spent nearly two decades working on his opera, Prince Igor, based on a Slavic epic poem from the 12th century. The poem tells the tale of a doomed military campaign against the Polovtsians. “Polovtsy” was a Russian name for a nomadic Turkic-speaking group of people. Borodin based the Polovtsian music from Prince Igor on folk music from Arabia and Turkey. The section from the Polovetsian Dances below, “Allegro vivo,” depicts a wild, energetic dance that is impossible not to move along with.  

Starburst by Jessie Montgomery

American composer Jessie Montgomery portrays exactly what the piece’s title indicates in Starburst – the rapid formation of new stars in our galaxy. When starbursts occur, the structure of our universe is significantly altered. Naturally, such a monumental event would require quite a bit of energy, and energy often comes to us through excitement. Can you visualize the burst of a new star when dancing along to this piece?

Overture from Candide by Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is an operetta, or a cross between opera and musical theater, based on Voltaire’s novel. The overture to Candide has become even more popular than the show itself due to its frenetic energy and captivating melodies. The purpose of an overture is to introduce the audience to musical themes and moods that will be heard throughout the show. You can only imagine the light-heartedness and sense of humor that permeates Candide!   

You can listen to all these pieces, plus a few extras, on our Spotify playlist – Music for When I Feel EXCITED.

Music