At the time he did not know that the piano would allow him to find his center, his muse, and perhaps his happiness. It would perhaps become his most powerful prescription. This passion for the piano would begin shortly after getting struck by lightning. Dr. Tony Cicoria was a man of science, but this would quickly change after his out of the body experience. He remembers leaving his body and watching his loved ones surround him as they were trying to resuscitate him. His life’s highs and lows flashed before his eyes, and as the warm white light surrounded him, he came to the realization time did not exist in this new state of consciousness.

Just a couple of weeks after, Dr. Cicoria would go back to his regular work as an orthopedic surgeon, but his quest to learn more about lighting started almost immediately. His quest for music began a few days later when he started hearing piano music in his head. He listened to any piano music he could get his hands on, and quickly realized he wanted to do more than just listen to the piano, so he started his first attempts at playing the piano without any help. His babysitter was moving and needed a place to store her piano, and as soon as the piano was in his possession, he quickly started to hear what he describes as “music from heaven”.

Dr. Cicoria would start composing his own piano music, and as soon as he became more proficient with his solo piano playing, he started to recreate the melodies he heard in his head, and although he was not able to notate them properly, he found his way to write them on a piece of paper and eventually perform them proficiently.

Since his supernatural experience, music has become a regular part of his life, and from the time this “insatiable desire to listen to piano music” started, it has become a powerful companion in his life.

Have you ever had a “music calling”, an experience where you are almost involuntarily drawn to a particular music activity like listening, playing or performing? Please share your music experience below.