Regardless of where you are, music has the powerful ability to set the tone and evoke feeling. Have you ever watched a movie without sound? Or even tried to ignore the background music during a tense scene? It changes the show entirely even when you don’t notice it’s there.
Family reunion songs are songs about family, like love songs and other songs with meaningful lyrics which can significantly influence the atmosphere. Music has a profound effect on the emotions and can direct the mood of any gathering, especially a family reunion.
A family chooses a reunion song or songs that will easily characterize them. Categories for the choices usually includes a song that describes something good that happened to a particular family, any bad circumstances experienced and surpassed by a prominent member through the help of the family members and sometimes when a song mentions a trait that resembles that particular family.
Other families utilizes a song that was created by their ancestors, songs that narrates the family’s history, a memorable occurrence or event, how a family came to certain place and what they are well known off (eg. Products like coffee or grapes).
We are not talking here about the kind of ‘memory’ that happened within the family, like when you travel to visit your sister and everyone takes turns using the puke bucket. I’m talking about the kind of memory that happens when you go camping and play songs by the light of the fire. Or when you watch your Grandpa crawl on his hands and knees to play.
Generally, the idea is that family reunion songs can be a great way to strike at some charming chords of years gone by. Many times families just like to jam together with old tunes or compose new tunes with lyrics written with special ideas known only to the family members. Example, a camp fire, where some light music on the guitar played by a father or by a son under the moonlit sky is a perfect setting that takes you right to the roots of your family.
There are times, you might have wondered why your Dad always hums the tune when he sits alone, but when you meet the older generation of your family who knows the exact song then you’ll be delighted to discover the true meaning of your Dad’s occasional whistling.
A Family reunion song is very personal and very special, only a member knows the true essence and meaning of the song. Each family song has its own unique identity which is preserved by teaching the song to incoming generations and generations to come.