Haylee Tyree ’11
Guest Writer
Music affects all of us. Just ask my mother.
“Classical or choral music may help calm people in anxious settings such as hospital emergency rooms. Children being treated for illnesses may have their spirits lifted by upbeat music played in their hospital wards. […] Even the drudgery of the post office or grocery stored may be lessened if rich and moving music were played in the background. Even the common challenge of waiting, whether in line, in a waiting room, or in traffic can be made more tolerable if music is present.”
She is a psychology major from Boston College and knows about the human mind and what has an impact on our personality, moods, and behavior.
Music is art in the form of sound. We are nourished differently by its various forms, whether rock, classical, pop or opera. Music touches the soul of the listener.
How we perceive sound, however, is an important step in understanding how music evokes our emotions.
At a physical level, sound around us enters our ear canal and vibrates the eardrum, also known as the tympanic membrane. The vibrations then send signals to the brain. It is within the brain that the true power and mystery of music unfolds.
One phenomenon related to the human experience of it is that music can summon strong feelings or memories. It creates a distraction from the real world and its difficulties.
For example, if I’m in a mood to run, I would put on rock music. If I want to sleep, I put on soothing music. Examples of such rock music may be “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race” by Fall Out Boy, while soothing music may include a song like “No Air” by Jordan Sparks and Chris Brown.
How music evokes emotion is a great mystery that cannot be explained by science. Some would say it cannot be described at all, only experienced.
Different music evokes different emotions in different people. For example, heavy metal may evoke feelings of rebellion or anger, while a lullaby may bring peace and tranquility. An opera may spark a feeling of euphoria or love, while pop may excite and energize its listener.
My friend Melissa Goldstein ’10 believes that certain music invokes nostalgia in her. She explained this is because music evoked memories of her childhood and the various thoughts that she looks back on with joy, thus making her happy.
No matter what the genre, music has the power to awaken emotion and alter one’s state of mind.
I asked Mr. Mariconda, the Staples band teacher, about how he thought music could help society. “I know that music can now help morale and get people through hard times or disasters. People in Haiti are singing folk songs to get through their earthquake disaster.”
Movie makers, retailers and advertisers know the power of music, and they use it to transport us, to attract us, to make us linger a little longer in a favorite store. For example, a fight scene in an action movie might seem more intense if set to rock music. In a movie with a romance-based plot, one might hear soothing music when two lovers come together in a kiss.
When I asked Charlotte Axhelm ‘12, how she thought music could make a movie, product, or store more interesting.
“Music creates a new dimension to the product, movie, or idea. Also, people respond in different ways to the different types of music, so it sort of evokes a natural reaction that creates a feeling of interest that the industry is looking for,” Axhelm said.
This, she remarked, makes the person want to see the movie, buy the product, or embrace the idea presented by the company.
The beauty of music is that one needs no education to interpret it. It is truly a universal language.
It has been observed that animals react differently to music, both emotionally and physically. “It is common practice for dairy farmers to have loudspeakers installed in their milking parlors and to play music to the cows during the milking process. It helps the cows to relax and allow their milk to flow more freely,” Jack Hill from St. Albans, England said.
Music has an amazing effect on emotion and state of mind. It isn’t easy to explain with words; in fact, it is close to impossible.
“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music,” Albert Einstein once said.
Einstein, a man of science and logic, was profoundly influenced by music. Music is truly a universal language of sorts, one which we all recognize, and one which often renders words themselves unnecessary. All people are in touch with music, no matter what their background, beliefs, education, or age. It is the language that binds all creatures to one another.
