The power of music 音乐的力量

韩良朋

弗雷迪·富勒是一位68岁的乡村和民谣音乐家。多年以来，他笃信听觉是人临终前最后丧失的感觉。为此，他用自己的音乐为一位位临终病人送行。

When Freddie Fuller， a 68?year?old country and folk musician， arrived to perform in the hos?pital room. Pam Golightly worried it was already too late. Her stepfather， Dennis Strobel， was dying.

“Youre probably wasting your time，” Golightly told Fuller.

But Fuller， shared with her what medical professionals had told him over the years： Hearing may be the last sense to go. “Let me go in and play，” he said. “Its as much for you as it is for him.”

Growing up in Salado， Texas， Fuller heard music all the time from his mother. When she was dying of cancer in 1987， he put their love of song to its greatest use. He would crawl into her hospital bed with his guitar and sing her favorite songs. His mother seemed to relax， a peaceful look crossing her face.

“That moment allowed her and me to connect like we used to when I was singing as a kid，” Fuller recalls. It emphasized to him the power of music. Consciously（有意識地） or subconsciously， people allow it to go to deep parts of their hearts and souls， Fuller believes.

Since 2005， he has performed dozens of musical vigils（守夜祈祷）. Sometimes theyre almost festive， with terminally（晚期地） ill people surrounded by family. Other times， theyre quieter， as Fullers experience with his mom was. And sometimes they feel a bit like a miracle.

That was the case with Golightlys stepfather. When Fuller arrived at the hospital that day， Strobel seemed ready to say goodbye. Golightly watched their stepdads every breath， each holding one of his hands. Fuller played some music. After 45 minutes， Golightly asked for just one more song. Fuller chose Love， Me， a country ballad by Collin Raye. “I played the last song and he took his last breath，” Fuller says.

“Golightly and I looked at one another， saying， ‘Oh my God， we just experienced one of the most magical moments in our lives.”

“It was a gift for us all，” Golightly says of Fullers singing. “At a really sad time， it was beautiful.”

Bliha， a young Jordanian makeup artist has shot to online fame with videos of herself imitating famous figures from across the Arab world and beyond.

The 27?year?old artist started making the clips after losing her job as a theater makeup artist in Bahrain and returning to a coronavirus lockdown in Jordan. Based in a basement apartment in northern Amman where she lives with her mother and young brother， she has transformed herself into many celebrities like Angelina Jolie， Michael Jackson and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Everyone was bored and under great pressure when the pandemic began. So she decided to bring people a bit of happiness. Months later， she has some 30，000 followers on TikTok and another 24，000 on Instagram， where comments on her videos are full of praise.

She was surprised by peoples positive reactions and encouragement. But while they may be light?hearted， each video takes hours of preparation. She spends entire days watching videos to understand their behavior， their move?ments， and the way they talk， dress， walk or smoke. It takes her out of herself and she becomes another person. Its a really strange feeling.

Blihas clips provided a distraction from Jordans tough three?month lockdown in 2020， which was followed by months of curfew（宵禁令） to prevent COVID?19 that has killed more than 4，300 people there.

She says the pandemic has given some people time to discover themselves and develop new skills. And since she arrived home jobless， her videos have won her two offers of work at TV stations. Jordanian actor and screenwriter Omar Zorba has also hired her to work on a sitcom（情景喜剧） which was aired during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

“During the lockdown， Bliha made an amazing impression on me. She was able to totally change actors faces， meaning they can play two different roles in the same series.” “Honestly， I havent seen another makeup artist in Jordan with this level of creativity and craftsmanship，” he added.

What does Omar Zorba think of Blihas clips according to the text？（one word）

What power does music have in your eyes？Share your music story with your partners.