I’ve been spending a lot of time in a physical therapy office lately. Since I can’t turn off my job in my head while I’m strengthening my ailing knee, I watch everyone that is picking up marbles with their toes, twisting their forearm on a chair, and balancing on one leg. All the tasks take concentration, but I am rewarded as I see them mouth the words of Smokey Robinson’s “Cruisin’” or tapping a foot to Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
I’m especially rewarded when I hear the young physical therapist assistants, most in their early 20s, singing along with great Motown songs.
I am not the Music Designer for this physical therapy office, but I work with many clients who are trying to appeal to a broad range of customers, from teenagers up to senior citizens. It’s great to see my beliefs about music in action out in the real world. There is a huge catalogue of music that is familiar to everyone. Just because a song was a hit in the early 60s doesn’t mean it only appeals to those who were alive and liked it in the early 60s. Songs like “My Girl” from the Temptations, “Pride and Joy” by Marvin Gaye, and “Dancing in the Streets” by Martha and the Vandellas find a new appreciative audience in every generation.
When I begin the designing process with a new customer, it is fun to explore that broad range of music available to us and find the right songs from many eras for their customer and to represent their brand. No need to make every song completely familiar to every customer and no need to eliminate a song because it is “old.” Good music is timeless. Clerks, customers, patients, and staff will all be singing along, energized, and boosted by the right mix of music.
– Submitted by Janice Williams, Music Design