Shiney Yu
4/13/2022
The Powers of Music
Before I begin this essay, I would like you to close your eyes and imagine something. You’re sitting at your cluttered desk, it’s 11: 00 PM, and you're drowning in homework papers, notes, textbooks, deadlines, and expectations. The only thing on your mind is finishing the last part of your project and studying for just a bit longer. Some days I just want to stay home so I don’t have to face the expectations of the people around me, and the expectations I put on myself. It’s also on those days where I put in my earbuds and hit play on my favorite playlist. The feeling of a steady, reassuring beat dancing through your mind, the tune conjuring images of dreams, people, and futures while reality fades away. I have always believed in the power of music. How music conveys emotions, sparks wild imaginations, and brings people together. Sometimes, I log onto my Spotify account and listen to music that inspires me. On other days, I listen to music that makes me happy. And from time to time, I listen to music that helps me relax. No matter what emotion you’re feeling, there is always a song that can connect you to the people around you, or to change your emotions to something positive.
A power of music is its ability to bring people together. Music is a worldwide language that people all around the world speak. Have you ever listened to music in another language? Well, you can probably tell whether its sad, happy, dance, or pop. Even though you don’t understand their language, you can still understand the music. Music allows people from all across the world, from different nations and cultures, to share their emotions and beliefs through a universal language, music. Music can also bond people through an experience. For example, a concert. At concerts you are surrounded by people who listen to the same music and experience the same emotions that you do. It’s in moments like these where a sense of community and belonging is created that attracts and bonds people. During the covid 19 pandemic I attended several concerts through YouTube on my couch. The miraculous thing was that I felt surrounded by people, light sticks, music, cheering, sing alongs, and the screaming of love-struck fangirls. Even in quarantine I could still feel like I was in the middle of a crowd, singing and waving light sticks in the air, being a part of a community hundreds of miles away. Even though virtual concerts were never as good as the real thing, music helped me connect to people across the world at times when I felt alone and isolated. Along with connecting people across the world, music can also change emotions in people positively. Studies have shown that a healthy amount of dopamine is released when listening to your favorite song. Dopamine is a chemical that is created in the brain that makes you feel happy and motivated. Low levels of dopamine are linked with depression and anxiety and listening to music can immediately lift your mood after a rough day at school or make you more motivated to do work. Another example of positive emotional change from music is the relaxing aspect of music. Not only does music make you happy, but it can also help you relieve stress and relax. Music with a slower beat and frequency can relax the body’s muscles and quiet the mind, which is necessary after a stressful day. On a daily basis I listen to lofi or classical music when I’m studying or sleeping to wind down after school. Music can fill the silence when studying and make me more focused. Listening to lofi has become a major part of my study habits and wellbeing, and I’ve only just realized how much I rely on lofi.
In conclusion, music is important in bonding people from around the world and in making you happy and relaxed. Without music, our understanding of other people and the connections we foster with the people around us would be diminished and our mental health and well-being would also take a toll. Music is an important aspect of my life and I use it every day to relax, destress, sleep, focus, be happy, and to form connections with the people around me. Music is an escape from reality, a comforting hug, a warm blanket, a dance partner, a box of tissues, and an unbreakable bond connecting everyone on Earth.