A love affair with classical music

Its changed who I am and how I want to live

Hello, I’m Molly and I write about my slow and simple life in the Scottish Highlands. Please subscribe to support my work and if you want to read more of my stories. You can also find me on YouTube and shop my Slow Scottish Store and sustainable Teemill Clothing.

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I’ve never considered myself much of a music lover.

In truth, I’ve always been a bit embarrassed to admit my music taste. For most of my adult life this has consisted of Taylor Swift and playlists with throwback pop or indie hits from the 90s/00s.

As a teen, I wasn’t particularly bothered about music. Beyond the odd dance routine or sing song into my hairbrush mic, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time thinking about it. I instead favoured being immersed in my favourite novel or catching up on the latest scandal in my beloved teen TV shows (ahem Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries..).

My music repertoire improved somewhat when I went to university. I would groove away to the hits blasted on nights out. Create playlists for road trips with friends. Sing along to tunes whilst getting ready (which somehow took me hours). It became the backdrop to my thriving social life.

But this is where I got stuck.

For the past few years, I’ve occasionally tried to find new music I liked. I’d turn on Radio 1 or listen to different playlists on Spotify.

I only last a few minutes before I have to turn it off. I just couldn’t connect with this new music. I had fallen into the cliché of only enjoying tunes from ‘my era’.

I accepted this. I realised that this ‘hit’ music didn’t really fit with my lifestyle anymore. I no longer go on big nights out and don’t come across viral hits on TikTok or Reels, now I’ve left social media.

My relationship with classical music happened quite by accident.

I was sat in a coffee shop. A Costa tucked away on a cobbled side street in Inverness. The rain was softly falling on window that was dripping with condensation Steam was curling from my tea. I was all set to write, inspired by the romance of this moment.

Then I had the misfortune of being seated near a man who was having a rather loud phone conversation.

Undeterred, I dug out my headphones, intending to listen to whatever chill background music YouTube suggested.

That’s when I found The Dreamers, a YouTube account dedicated to creating classical playlists inspired by the dark academia aesthetic. I’ve recently become rather obsessed with this aesthetic, so I was intrigued.

The first notes changed my music landscape forever.

It felt achingly familiar. Like learning a language I’d forgotten I already knew.

It spoke to the child I was. Who would become overwhelmed when watching theatre, rewatch period dramas until I knew the lines by heart and refuse to play anything else but classical on piano. It turned out, this music was a subconscious thread that had been woven through my life all along.

I was taken back to my time on Derbyshire. This is when I met my piano teacher, also named Molly. Young, with an open face and gentle smile, she encouraged me to play whatever I wanted. This was essentially anything that had been in the soundtrack of Austen movies.

I felt my fingers twitching as I let these notes wash over me. Its been over 10 years since my last piano lesson and 4 since I last played a note, since I’ve not lived anywhere I could fit a piano.

Yet I could envision myself sat back in that tiny Derbyshire cottage, perched on the frayed cushioned piano stool, feeling like I was the main character in my own story as the music poured from my fingers.

I’m so grateful to have had the experience of learning an instrument for the pure joy of it. I’m already in discussions with my partner in how we could fit a piano in our Tiny Home…

Listening to Classical music has now become a ritual. It reminds me to romanticise even the most ordinary of moments.

Its fuelled my inspiration as a creator. My writing flows easier. The words feel like they are surging directly from my heart. I create films in my mind and spend hours choosing the perfect soundtrack for my YouTube.

This music has infiltrated every aspect of my life. As I enter my 30’s, and move into this creative career fulltime, I know this love affair will carry me with it.

I’ve found the soundtrack for my life.

Until next week,

Molly xx