As you plug in your ear buds and play your favorite play list you may start to notice something. Your head starts bobbing, you start tapping your feet, and you mouth the lyrics. Depending on what you’re listening to you can always feel some type of emotion. Whether it’s sadness, joy, anger, relaxation or inspiration, music is able to produce those kinds of emotion. Music has a significant role in your life, most importantly while growing up.
Music is very important, it can help make better communication skills. It can also help in repairing brain damage and Evoke memories. That’s only a few of the things music can do. Music has also been proven to reduce stress, pain, and symptoms of depression.
“Music really clears your head and opens up a new world of creativity. When I was growing up, my mom used to listen to Selena Quintanilla and my sister listened to G-Eazy. They made me listen to them, so growing up I used to hate music.” said Eduardo Nuño a sophomore at SWHS
Music affects many parts of the brain and each part has a different job when it comes to music and also just in general. The frontal lobe is the most important to being a human and music has the ability to enhance its functions. It’s mainly used in decision making, planning, and thinking. The temporal lobe is the part of the brain that allows us to process what we hear. The Broca’s area enables the production of speech, It has been observed that those who play musical instruments are better communicators than those who don’t.
“If I don’t listen or don’t eat or both at the same time then i just get mad. Music really can help people through rough times and it’s one of the reasons I’m passionate about music,” said sophomore Eduardo Nuño
There are a lot of areas of the brain that enable the ability to manipulate the way music affects emotions. The Wernicke’s area, the area that analyzes and allows for the enjoyment of music, is just one of many examples. It was once believed that classical music increased brain activity and made it’s listeners smarter. This was called The Mozart Effect. Two University of Central Florida(UCF) professors, neuroscientist Kiminobu Sugaya and world-renowned violinist Ayako Yonetani, teach a class called Music and the Brain. They debunked the theory by saying that it is not necessarily true, and that people with dementia were discovered to respond faster when listening to the music they listened to while growing up.
“Music really helped me with my depression. Any way I am able to listen to music I take the advantage to,” said Eduardo Nuño
In late stages of patients having Alzheimer they are usually unresponsive. Once they put in the headphones that play their favorite music, it was discovered that their eyes would light up and they would start dancing or moving and sometimes start singing. The effect goes on for maybe ten minutes or so even after it was turned off.
Alzheimer is the most common cause of dementia, which is just a fancy word for memory loss. Alzheimer’s usually affects the elderly of 65 year’s or older but in some instances it can also affect people under the ages of 65. The only real risk of getting Alzheimer’s is getting older and there is no cure. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging. As Alzheimer’s worsens over time it can eventually lead to memory loss, ability to carry on a conversation, and respond to their environment.
Music is able to affect the brain in nine different ways according to a study provided by The University of Central Florida. Music can: Change your ability to perceive time, tap into primal fear, reduce seizures, make your communication skills better, strengthen the mind and body, boost the immune system, assist in repairing brain damage, evoke memories, and help parkinson’s patients.
“In 6th grade an orchestra group came to perform for us. When I watched them play I felt a need to be able to do what they do. The instruments themselves looked powerful and I felt excited whenever I heard the cello especially. After they played they were really encouraging about us joining. The first time I held the bow it felt right,” said Bella Rinne a sophomore at SWHS
Parkinson’s disease is a disorder that affects a specific part of the brain. Parkinson’s starts with mild shaking, the shaking get worse leading to problems while walking and bad posture. Losing your balance becomes another part of the disorder, slow movements and falling down happens often. Getting dressed and eating becomes more difficult. It’s possible for them to stand by themselves but a walker should be used while walking. Usually in the last stage of Parkinson’s stiffness of the legs make it almost impossible for them to stand or walk, so a wheelchair is required. The person may also experience hallucinations and delusions.
Music Genres are also a hefty part to the brain and the body. Classical can enhance dopamine secretion, synaptic function, learning and memory. Heavy metal is able to elicit a sense of identity and a knack of community development. Rap can stimulate emotion, language, motivation, motor function, and processing via Flow State. Pop/Rock will improve endurance, physical performance, but can also distract you while you work. Jazz just soothes the body.
With all this information it’s really no wonder why people rely on music to get through the day, whether it’s during school or work or just a walk through the park, people need music. Whenever people listen to music it takes them to their own world it distracts them from what they don’t want to see. Music brings people together. Students like to listen to music while they work, it usually motivates them but sometimes it distracts them. It’s good to listen to music and just relax every once in a while.
“It’s just entertaining how these artists can turn poems into verbal art. In my opinion rappers are more talented than any artists in any genre. The way they produce their own songs and tell stories really paved the road for how I am today,” said Eduardo Nuño.