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Music'sMusic'sMusic's languagelanguagelanguage
Stephanie Celine Mamahit - G7
The language we all understand is music. Music is a complex and interesting concept that peaks all of our interests and understandings at the same time. “Music is the universal language of mankind” was said by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which has been proven true with evidence.
Music, according to Google, is defined as “a combination of vocal or instrumental sounds (sometimes both) that produce harmony, beauty, and the expression of emotion through form. ” According to this definition, music is viewed as something beautiful that we all enjoy and love with every emotion: sadness, anger, joy, peace, and most commonly, satisfaction.
Music is a way we express ourselves, with or without words. The melody can speak for itself. The type of music we listen to greatly affects our mood. For instance, when we want to feel optimistic, we tend to listen to upbeat and cheerful songs with fast tempos. We feel happy due to the release of chemicals from the brain, such as serotonin and dopamine, which causes us to feel elated. When we want to relax and meditate, we turn to soothing and calm songs with few to no heavy beats. It’s not fun to relax while listening to heavy metal music, is it?
Another interesting fact about music is that we can predict a person’s personality. According to psychologist Adrian North, people tend to be more secretive about their favourite music because it often relates to their personality. For example, if your preferred genre is pop music, you are more likely to be extroverted and truthful. Your self-esteem is often high, but you might be less creative and prone to worry than others who prefer other genres. The good news is that you are determined and honest as well.
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Music'sMusic'sMusic's languagelanguagelanguage
Stephanie Celine Mamahit - G7
In addition, music is also able to determine the condition of a person. According to theverge.com, a person with depression would most likely listen to downbeat, melancholic songs rather than upbeat songs. The depressed participants told the researchers that listening to depressing songs is a way to cope with their depression. Researchers gave the same participants various clips of happy and sad instrumental music and asked them to describe how the tracks made them feel. Like before, the depressed participants preferred the sad music, but they also stated that the depressing music made them feel better. “They were feeling better after listening to this sad music than they were before, ” observed co-author Jonathan Rottenberg, “it seemed to have relaxing and calming effects on the depressed participants. ”
Whether or not music is a complex subject, as of today it remains as one of the most popular forms of entertainments across the world and continues to thrive in the hearts of everyone.
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Felicia Celine Mamahit - G7
Blast with music with a beat! Music has been around for at least 35,000 years, and it has evolved greatly ever since. The music genres that have become popular include Rock, Pop, Romance and more. Music has been used around the world till now.
What is music?
Music is a vocal, instrument or both combined to make a beautiful sound and express emotion. The instruments used include the piano, guitar, flute and more. The Neanderthal Flute is the oldest musical instrument from 50,000 years ago.Music has been used in dances, rituals, entertainment, and communal events.
Musical examples
Steven Universe is a musical tv show, first showing on 27 July 2013. Steven Universe is about a boy named Steven and the crystal gems : Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. They go along adventures and fight monsters. Steven Universe has music that is calming. “Love like you” is the most popular song. Rebecca Sugar sings most of the songs. The programme showcased around 10 songs and many mini songs altogether. Sadly, Steven universe ended in 20 March 2020. I recommend this to people who like calm music.
The Greatest Showman is a musical movie. It came out on 27 December 2017. The film celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. The music is both rock and calming. It showcased 11 songs altogether. “We ride the Stars” and “Never Enough” are the most popular songs. I recommend this to people who like rock music, with some calmness.
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Felicia Celine Mamahit - G7
The Loud House is an animated musical tv show, which was first screened on 2 May 2016. The plot is about a boy named Lincoln Loud who has ten sisters. They live in the same house, and cause much mayhem. The music is rock. It had about 41 songs altogether. “The Loud House theme song” is the most popular song. Sadly, The Loud house ended on 7 March 2019. I recommend this to people who likes rock ( and maybe chaos )
Blaze and the Monster Machines is a musical tv show which came out on 13 October 2013. The plot is about a red monster truck named Blaze and a boy named AJ. They do STEM concepts, which become the main plot of the episodes. The music is rock using STEM concepts. They made more than 100 songs altogether. “Blaze and the Monster Machines” theme song is the most popular song. I recommend this to anyone want to learn STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) concepts and rock.
Is Music good?
It provides a total brain workout. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain, as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory. Studies have shown that music produces several positive effects on a human's body and brain. Music activates both the left and right brains at the same time, and the activation of both hemispheres can maximise learning and improve memory.
Music can also impact our mood for the long term, increasing depression or anxiety. Certain songs, lyrics, and genres of music are more likely to intensify depression or anxiety, sometimes as much or even more than outside stressors and environmental factors.
Nathanael Edric Sudjoko - G8
Music is one of the universal ways for us humans to both communicate and express our feelings and thoughts. It is present and evident in the everyday lives of people of all ages and cultures around the world. Listening, playing, singing, creating, and composing music, individually and as in groups, are common activities for most of the world’s population. It represents an enjoyable activity, but music’s influence goes way beyond just amusement.
Let’s start with the fact that music not only allows the expression of our inner states and feelings, but also can bring about many positive effects in those who engage in them. These positive effects include:
1. Healthy heart 2. Elevated mood 3. Reduced stress 4. Relieved symptoms of depression 5. Stimulated memories 6. Management and easing of pain 7. Helping people to eat less 8. Increasing workout endurance
Research has also shown that blood flows move more easily when we listen to music. It can reduce our heart rate, lower blood pressure, decrease stress hormones level (Cortisol) and increase serotonin and endorphin levels in our blood. Here is one study that shows our heart rate reduction when we listen to music.
Nathanael Edric Sudjoko - G8
Credit: Journal of Emerging Investigators
Music boosts our brain’s production of the hormone called dopamine. This increased production of dopamine helps to relieve our feelings of anxiety and even depression. This is due to music being directly processed in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain that is involved in our moods and emotions. Music can relieve our stress by triggering the biochemical stress reducers that are present in our brains. This relieves symptoms of depression, much like how exercise also does so.
Surprisingly, music can also stimulate our memories. Despite there being no cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s or dementia, music therapy has been shown to relieve some of its symptoms. It can relax an agitated patient, and improve mood and communication with the patient itself.
Nathanael Edric Sudjoko - G8
And lastly, music will increase your endurance during a workout. If you listen to your favourite workout music, it boosts your workout performance and increases your stamina during a tough exercise session.
Overall, we humans listen to music mostly for the joy it brings from its beats, or the harmonious lyrics, or even the association with our own respective cultures. But we have many other benefits from listening to the vocalisations and sounds of various instruments and beats, even though we might not see or realise them until we self-reflect or examine ourselves.
