The Five Towns, doo-wop and the power of music

Memory can be elusive, but the ties that bind can remain strong. Friendships born out of time remain long after others have come and gone. Lawrence High School is one of those places where time-honored friendships began and remain.

Countless class reunions continue to bring friends back together after time and place separates them for long stretches of time. Music is a critical part of those reunions, because the music of each class runs through our memories like blood through our bodies. It is part of our identity.

A time-honored example of this is doo-wop, encompassing rhythm and blues, Golden Oldies and rock ’n’ roll. The height of doo-wop’s popularity spanned the 1940s through the 1960s and influenced music to come. In the minds and hearts of those who grew up with it, it continues to inspire and convey feelings of wellness.

The Lawrence High class of 1961 continues to feel the power of doo-wop. When they talk on the phone, email and text, and keep in touch with social media, they share their fondness for doo-wop. Listening to it energizes and sustains them, makes them laugh and leaves them with a sense of wellness. In addition to the nostalgia, doo-wop’s special rhythm affects them on a physiological level.

If you’ve ever watched people when doo-wop is played, you’ve observed the change in their body language, especially while dancing. Their bodies in motion and looks on their faces tell the story. It’s no wonder that the doo-wop Inexperience, a unique museum in Wildwood, New Jersey, is popular and radio shows still play doo-wop.

Wellness practitioners understand how music works with a variety of treatments. Scientists are studying music’s healing effects. Sometimes, musicians are hired to play music, including doo-wop, for a wellness experience. Doo-wop continues its legacy for fun and a feel good experience.

Playwright Karen Setowe is a Lawrence High School graduate. Her work has taken her throughout the U.S. and overseas. Her current research and development is experimental video theatre with a focus on the arts, especially music, in small-town America and the global healing power of music.