“Howdy Neighbor!” Steve Smith addresses the crowd as he takes a sip of his Narragansett before returning back to the set he and The Naked’s have prepared for the night.    “Joe Souza on the keyboard!” Smith announces as Dad gets ready for his big solo.     When Dad wasn’t a daily commuter to Boston under the exciting life of Underwriting for insurance, he was a musician for many years. Dad worked so hard writing, producing, and playing piano for many bands. In April of 2013, all of Dad’s hard work finally got recognized by some locals. The band “Steve Smith and The Naked’s”, which my dad had played and produced  for 7 years, got inducted into the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame. I was so proud to see Dad up on the wooden stage of The Met Café, playing again for the band that he’d been with for so many years. A benevolent grin illuminated Dad’s face as he slammed that Yamaha organ. Seeing Dad in his element, showing the tricks he had done for so many years, not just to pump up mass crowds, I realized he was really playing  to entertain himself. In this moment, I realized that my listening to music from the time my hands wiped the Sand Man’s presents from my eyes until the time the Sand Man returned, had a purpose. Most people would assume that since my dad is so musically inclined that I would be as well. I would like to say I am, just not like everyone thinks I am, or should be. I don’t believe that I need to know every piece of Beethoven to appreciate music. I do believe though that music fills the empty void in my life and helps me cope with the challenges life can bring.    Music can change lives and move nations. Trust me, I’m not saying that to sound philosophical, it’s true. In times like the earthquake in Haiti, the song We Are the World, brought together artists of all genres of music to show their sorrow and determination to help. Music has certainly changed my life for sure. In one song it may be the way Taylor Swift vocalizes her breakup, the beat of a good rap song, or maybe the silence of instruments with subtle acappella. All of these are contributing factors to my true passion for music and how it fills me. I get chills from listening to harmonies in songs that mirror every feeling that I wish to express. If it’s a breakup with a friend or boyfriend, fight with my parents or studying for a math exam, the 612 songs in my iPod, make all of it vanish. With one note I can feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders and new, relaxed breaths forming.    Music depicts life in stages. Part of Your World by Ariel in her grotto, and The Best of Both Worlds by Hannah Montana remind me of my transition from a toddler to a pre-teen. It’s like a time traveling machine. By listening to each of those songs I go to taking Dad’s green pants so I could pretend to be a mermaid and searching all stores to find a scarf that matched Hannah’s. I could go years without listening to these songs and still know every single word.  So, at that inductee ceremony at the Met Club with the squeaky floors and my best friend on stage, I realized how important music is to me. No one else can appreciate my love for music and understand it quite like Dad can, and I am forever grateful for getting that gift from him.