The Open Ears Project - Episode Ten: On Happiness

CLEMENCY BURTON HILL: This is the Open Ears Project, it’s day eight. 

[Music - Sonata No.1, I. Allegro by WA Mozart]

RACHEL STRAUSS-MUÑIZ: I know, Mozart must be saying: This girl with big hoop earrings is listening to my music, I never thought that this Hispanic chick from Brooklyn would be digging it. But I do Mozart! I really do, I hope you can hear me! This is awesome.

Hi, I'm Rachel "La Loca" Strauss-Muñiz, I know it's a lot of names. There's a stage name, is a government name. And I'm an actor, writer, podcaster, mom. I'm still not sure if I'm related to any of the famous Strauss composers, Richard or Johann. Maybe I'll do an Ancestry.com just check. I feel a connection to them, but I'm not sure if it's by blood. 

This piece you're listening to right now is my jam. This is Mozart's first Piano Sonata. And this is the first movement. 

I've always had the performance bug in me. In South Brooklyn where I grew up, music and arts just was very much instilled into the curriculum. One day I was in band class, the teacher said: I think you'd be really good at clarinet. And then it was thrown into my lap, literally and physically, and I said OK! I'll try this. And then I went on to play for seven years.

This reminds me of being super pregnant, not being able to be on my feet, and just lounging and listening to this with my babies in the womb, and I knew that they can hear me. They would react. You feel the movement. 

What was really miraculous too is that when I started playing this music for them after they were born they recognized it. And I thought that was magical, I was like oh my goodness your ears worked in there, and it's programmed in their brains. 

So this conjures up such happiness for me. You know, you know so much of this worldly music is connected, and the foundation of some of the music that we listen to today, some of the popular tracks have roots in classical music. 

Great music transcends time everything, right? No matter when this came from or where this came from, happiness is happiness. 

This piece reflects me my personality, how I view life. But, I do appreciate how music can transform you and take you to a different place in time of need. 

CBH: Rachel “La Loca” Strauss-Muñiz with the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 1. As ever the whole thing is coming up right now, it’s a sprightly 5 minutes or so if you fancy it, hang tight, and a reminder that if you head over to openearsproject.org, you can follow along with our playlist which is growing by the day. See you tomorrow. 

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