It's easy to get hooked on music. To play an instrument is to enter an altered state of consciousness in which we leave behind the rational, the routine. Adults become more child-like. Kids get deeper into the business of being kids.

Under music's spell, what's just below the surface takes center stage. The magic of music is the thrill of experiencing what we often brush aside—our playfulness, sadness, tenderness, trust.

Music helps us to remember who we are.