By Alankrita Singh
We are all aware of our anxieties and concerns, which grow as the progress through secondary school continues. Concerns about assessments, as well as the frequent changes that secondary school entails, follow us throughout our school days. Everyone requires a coping method to deal with stress and change, and different people employ various strategies. Some people read, talk with friends, and even play video games! However, by far one of the most efficient ways to cope and maintain our work-life balance is by listening to music. Numerous people enjoy listening to traditional music, such as classical music, while others prefer to listen to trendy songs. Similarly, some people like lo-fi, while others might prefer jazz. There are countless examples, depending on cultural backgrounds, varied life experiences, and distinct personalities. But regardless of your music taste, they all serve the same purpose: to bring people together by expressing emotions that others can relate to, and as a grounding point, something we can use to cope with the relentless realities of life. Music helps us to relate, improve our memory, give therapeutic benefits, and cope with our daily struggles in this relentless reality. By exploring all these uses in this article, we can also better understand the importance of music and how essential it is in our lives.
While different music comes from different places and has various impacts on different people, it still manages to bring us all together. Whether that may be going to a concert or karaoke with your friends, it still manages to connect us all and help us understand each other better, through a universally spoken language. Above all, music is not just something pleasant to hear; it’s a way for people to socialize and relate with others. It constantly reminds us all of a comforting and essential fact: we are not alone. Many others are also facing the same challenges, overcoming the same fears, and, more importantly, voicing them. In fact, a study done at the University of Vienna talks about how just one Hip Hop song may have prevented more than 100 cases of suicide! It helps to raise the point that music is also a very efficient way to develop the frontal lobe of our brain, and helps in things such as enhancing our memory. Listening to music helps reactivate areas of our brain associated with memory, speech, reward, reasoning, and emotion. According to a Harvard research article, music doesn’t just reactivate old memories; it also invites new ones.
Musical therapy is actually a health care profession, one that helps people in a variety of ways, from basic emotional support to more advanced procedures. For example, the research done by the University of Boston found that music can help stroke victims recover mobility. Studies suggest that people who tend to use music while relearning to walk after a neurological diagnosis (such as strokes or Parkingston’s Disease) move faster, with improved gait, and less energy spent as compared to people who do not use music during rehabilitation. Music, and its rhythm, is ultimately one of the most powerful stimuli on earth. One such story of a person who found musical aid is Chrissy Bellows. She wears headphones and clips a hard plastic sensor to both her sneakers, and then turns on her favorite music while practicing to walk. You might wonder: why does she need music to walk? Well, whenever we listen to music and walk, it causes our feet to follow along at the same pace as the beat. The plastic sensors on her legs help the headpiece understand if her leg pace changes, so that they can change the song into one where the tempo matches the leg movement.Â
Different music can have different impacts on people based on their preferences and personality. For example, exercising while listening to an upbeat song will give you energy and motivation to continue, while listening to Lo-Fi music while studying can help you focus more, as compared to listening to blaring hip hop. Even listening to a soothing playlist can help induce deeper sleep (Harvard Health Publishing). Each type of music has a different impact on our bodies and is therefore used in different ways based on the situation. A meta-analysis showed that the use of music interventions can create huge improvements in mental health, and vital improvements in physical health–related quality of life (Harvard Health Publishing).Â
Music is one of the most popular ways to cope with daily life, and different music have several impacts on different people. Some music can be perceived as soothing, to ease into sleep, while others can be perceived as energetic, or help with things like studying. Music is an essential and ubiquitous part of our lives, with many professional therapeutic facilities using music to restore health. Music is not just something to listen to and enjoy; it’s a way for people to relate, to connect, to gain better healthcare, and to aspire. It’s a way to let people know that they are not alone, and we are all in it together.