Music is defined as an arrangement of sounds having melody, rhythm, and usually harmony. This would simplify the idea of music and would not describe what it means for our lives. Music is universal, therapeuthic, emotional and the place we go for solace.
The universal language
We know that mathematics is the universal language. However, music unifies citizens from all around the world. It can be used as a social tool: it can remove all prejudices and all biases. When you are at a concert or a festival, you do not care about who is standing beside you. You are there for the artist and the songs. No one is worried about other people’s background, their culture, race, and how they identify themselves. You are not there to judge people.
Therapeutic powers
As Bob Marley sang in ‘Trench Town Rock’, “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain.” The idea that songs can have therapeutic powers dates back to the ancient Greeks, in some writings of the philosophers Aristotle and Plato. They, in fact, believed that music could have direct impacts on our souls and could penetrate into their very depths. Some researches at Stanford University have also demonstrated many benefits for people with anxiety and depression. The brain uses many pathways to process music that are the same as the ones that process pain. So, if it is focused on one song there will not be much room left to overthink. The heart rate responds to changes in volume and tempo, and listening to music releases dopamine, feel-good chemicals.
It makes us feel
Music is the language of the soul. Where words end, music begins. People who have difficulty expressing their feelings in words, sometimes feel more comfortable expressing these emotions through music, whether it is the artist or the listener. The temporal patterns of music mirror our emotional lives, such as the introduction, buildup, climax, and closure. For example, a slow tempo naturally conveys sadness, because it has a structural resemblance with the slowness that we might expect in a sad individual.
The place we go for solace
Music inspires and helps us to become more human. An example is the spontaneous outbreak of songs in Italy, where residents were living under a coronavirus lockdown and started singing songs on their balcony. During the lockdowns, many performers were reaching out to their fans through social media with songs of hope and inspiration. Music makes us move, dance, jump up and down, and feel joy. In a time of stress, music can provide us solace, and help. It will always be with us: during good times and bad, during our celebrations and mournings, and whenever we need hope.
Music is the essence of life. It affects you in many ways, but primarily your brain. It dictates our mood, controls our thoughts, and affects our relationship with others. Man’s history cannot be fully written without the impact of music on our lives.
