CAM’s TEDx Talk Reminds Music Can Help Heal

Cam delivered a TEDx Talk entitled ‘Life Can Be Tough. Music Can Help’ and a performance on Jan. 21 for the TEDx University of Nevada conference in front of a live audience in Reno, NV. She was invited to participate in the event and discuss the power music has on the human condition by TEDx’s event coordinator, Dr. Bret Simmons, after he learned she had worked in psychology labs at Stanford and Berkeley.

“It only lasted about 11 minutes… but I was more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life,” admitted Cam about the experience.”To share knowledge publicly means I had to first believe that I have knowledge worth sharing (and questioning myself is pretty much my superpower). Then came the task of crafting a speech (NOT a song. Very different, for the record) that could help people see the world in a new way: A world that is full of music and has always been full of music. Why that’s not an accident. How we need music on a basic human level. It’s not new information, but it’s just often forgotten that music is an essential part of our humanity. I couldn’t let people miss out on that understanding.”

During the conference Cam also performed three songs off of her debut album, Untamed and spoke about the emotional inspiration that was involved in the making of those songs, “Burning House,” “Runaway Train,” and “Village.”

She closed with this message to the Tedx talk attendees:  “Are you getting the most you can out of music? I really want to remind you that music is not just the background at a shopping mall, it’s not just weekend entertainment. It’s a tool that our species developed to help us heal ourselves and soothe our souls. Music carries the burden of our heartbreak. It allows us to process grief. It reminds us that good things are coming and it lets us know that we are not struggling alone. So let music do its job. Life can be tough, Music can help.”

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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