The new music album, “Reflections” was released by composer, teacher and musician, Dr. Stephen Grieco on Friday Nov, 1. The album features a collection of original instrumental compositions that portray major issues that people in today’s world are currently facing. The album also tries to get listeners to reflect on their own issues in relation to what is happening in the world today.
“It’s a pretty interesting world we live in today and I just wanted to take a moment for myself to reflect on what’s happening around me and I hope my viewers will take to time do the same and think about some things,” Grieco said.
Dr. Stephen Grieco has been a teacher at Cabrini University for three years and has been an artist since he was 7 years old. The target audiences for this album is not limited specifically for Cabrini students. He says that the album is easily accessible off of several different music streaming services. Grieco has said that his current listeners include a wide variety of different people.
Cabrini’s mission in social justice was a huge motivator for Grieco to take his current job because he is a strong believer in the mission himself. However Cabrini’s mission was not the main motivation to create this album. Grieco has worked in higher education for 20 years and he has come across many students who are suffering from the issues that are still active in our world today.
Kayla Hunt, a junior writing major with a minor in philosophy and music, has worked with Dr. Grieco since the fall semester of her sophomore year. Hunt recently listened to Grieco’s album and enjoyed listening to it. What she enjoyed especially was how different each song was. However there were two songs in the album that she found to be very similar.
Hunt said, “The only two songs that were remotely similar were “Introspection” and “Reflections” and that’s only because they were both solo piano pieces. Even those songs, like the rest of the pieces, were unique and had their own characteristics that made them distinct.”
Hunt also explained that when listening to the album, people should have the digital booklet that is offered with the album downloaded. This way they can read about his inspirations for each piece and be able to better understand how the music expresses current issues the word faces today. Hunt also believes the album can serve other purposes besides reflecting on world issues.
Hunt said, “What’s nice about the album is that even if you’re not aware of the meaning behind each song, you’re still able to reflect on anything in your life when you listen to the album. Conversely, it’s the kind of music you can get lost in.”
It is common for many musicians to spread awareness on current issues or past tragedies in the form of music. Such as Eminem’s “The Storm,” Downtown Boys “The Wall,” P!nk’s “What about us,” and JAY-Z’s “The Story of OJ.” Many listeners find it to be a very creative way of exercising the right to free speech. Grieco’s style of music provides listeners with the opportunity to be creative and reflect on the issues the world faces in their own way. Through the use of multiple instruments and no written lyrics, Grieco spreads awareness to the world through his creativity and musical talents. Details of the album and places to purchase it can be found on https://drstephengrieco.wixsite.com/music
