Music: An Introduction
They say music is composition of vocals and instrumental sounds that make an art. Music can also be defined as the Sound, Rhythm, Beat, Stories being told or even Messages being sent. Rousseau argues that "music is the philosophy of human nature that builds their emotional behavior to express themselves." This is music. Getting a glimpse of a normal day walking, driving, getting ready for a big game, working on homework, at a party, even just when you are relaxing, I bet at some point in your day, you are probably listening to music. On average, one study revealed a person will spend 13 years listening to music over their lifetime. There has always been music, music just has changed. Progression of music from the 1980s till today has changed a lot, and in many ways other than just music itself. The changes in music industries today are impacted by the changing generations. Change of music, in turn change how people behave, feel or face challenges.
The Dominance of Music in the 2000s
In the 2000s to present, music has significantly dominated the beginning of the 20th century. Teen pop continued to be extremely popular, along with boy bands. Additionally, music today has created reality television shows such as American Idol and The Voice. But, the number one thing that impacted the 20th century in the music world was the iPod. From a compact disk to an iPod, and no matter the name of the artist and the type of music playing, or the decade of music, music will always be around. Music is a part of us every day and always will be.
Positive and Negative Effects of Music on Behavior
Music is a part of us every day; so music must do something to a person. Well, in fact, music does play a role in a person's behavior both positively and negatively. During a study, music was played to alter the climate of the classroom of special needs students, which was an additional component to the classroom. The effects of organized implementation of music proved to have a positive effect on behavior of the special needs students. The results showed a reduction in the volume of the participants' voices and out of seat behavior decreased. Not only can music benefit in the classroom, but music can also benefit toward behavior outside of the classroom. Several studies have shown that mood can influence the likelihood of a person showing helpful behavior. Definitely, we cannot stop listening to the music since it impacts positive behavior and soothes emotions.
On the other hand, music does have negative effects on a person's behavior. As we all know and have seen numerous videos, some songs come out with a music video. Rap music is not the type of music that is accepted by the majority of individuals, and some artists get scrutinized not only with the lyrics they sing, but also from the music videos that go along with rap songs. Well, this study supports why rap artists get scrutinized. One study shows that, rap videos are causing African American girls to act so socially unacceptable, which strongly correlates to the lyrics of the songs having a poor purpose that negatively influences the young girls. Another experiment was conducted to test effects of rap music on verbal and nonverbal behavior in males' social behavior. One group of males heard rap music with lyrics as they played in the background, while completing both competitive and cooperative tasks. The other group of males listened to non-lyrical rap music, while they also performed the same tasks as the first group of males. The results showed that the lyric group showed a higher rate of nonverbal aggression during the competitive task. The type of music and the artist a person decides to listen to is a personal choice, in most cases, that we are faced with every day. Remember, the lyrics we listen to every day influence our behavior. Would you rather listen to music that influences you in positive ways or negative ways? The choice is yours.
Music's Impact on Mood
Well, while listening to music, a person's mood is affected. A good question to ask is, have you all of a sudden felt happier once listening to music, or even suddenly felt all mellow or sad? Music has been named "The International Language" since though some languages are not understood, we can dance to the beats, but most importantly, understand and enjoy the beauty of music. I do not know about you, but if I am dancing and enjoying the music being played, I am in a positive and happy mood.
The Effects of Different Types of Music on Mood
Furthermore, different types of music have an effect on a person's mood. When listening to rock music, there is found to be significant increases in hostility, sadness, tension, and fatigue, and significant decreases in caring, relaxation, mental clarity, and vigor (Garrido 252). When listening to music that has specific effects on the listener, known as designer music, there is found to be an increase in caring, relaxation, mental clarity, and vigor. On the other hand, significant decreases were found in hostility, fatigue, sadness, and tension. Designer music is most effective in increasing positive feelings and decreasing negative feelings, which leads to designer music being a useful treatment of tension, mental distraction, and negative moods. Try listening to more music that makes you happy.
Music's Impact on Mood: Scientific Evidence
Additional studies show how music improves mood. Psychology and music students at Penn State University reported their moods before and after each musical episode for two weeks. Results from the Psychology and Education: Psychology of Music showed "the students reported more positive emotion after listening to music, and their already positive emotion was intensified by listening to music." (Van den Tol 453) Even though students listened to different types of genres such as rock/pop, soft rock, oldies, classical, and new-age music, the students all had similar effects. Also, it also did not matter when the music was being played: whether it was played during socializing or during an activity, the student had similar results. Overall, every positive mood except loving rose in intensity after episodes of listening to music. As you can see, music affects our life every day. Now since you know how music will help make your mood more positive and better, the choice is again yours on the music you decided to listen to.
Music and Concentration
Have you ever wondered if music helps you have an increase in concentration with homework, or getting pumped up for a huge sporting game, or even just focus in general? In fact, music does help us focus. When we are stressed, our decision-making is more unwise, and we tend to narrow our focus on attention (Fancourt 20). When we are in a positive mood, which can come from listening to music, we are able to take in more options. Many high schools, college, professional, and Olympic athletes, always seem to be listening to their favorite music before their game or meet. Dr. Patrick Cohn, a psychologist, found that listening to music before a game yields performance benefits such as relieving pre-game anxiety. This will ensure an athlete's focus by getting them in the zone before the game.
The Importance of Supporting Artists
Just as we have the option and choice to listen to certain music that will affect us every day, we have choices to purchase music and give credit to the artist. But there is also the choice where people take the easy way out and illegally download music. Digital music privacy is taking a heavy toll on the music industry and leading to lump sum losses. It is clear that illegal songs are downloaded globally annually. Due to this, measures have been taken to safeguard the privacy and ownership of music. Some individuals have been sued thousands of dollars for music piracy. Be smart and actually purchase the music you listen to. Artists, therefore, will get the credit they deserve and you won't even have to worry about getting caught for illegally downloading music.
The Evolution of Music and Its Impact
Not only has the genre and type of music changed over the decades, but music has also escaped from a compact disk to the iPod, which changed everything. Now, we can literally carry our entire musical collection around in our pockets. So, what does this do for us now? This gives people easier opportunities to listen to music. Music has the power to positively and negatively shape a person's behavior. Also, music has the power to increase more positive moods and increase concentration levels. Ultimately, music has the power to impact and change a person's life, as it did for Eminem. Be smart and download music legally, which will also give artists the credibility they deserve. Music is a part of us every day, affecting our life. The choice is yours on the music you listen to. Music isn't going anywhere. Don't stop the music!
Works cited
Deutsch, Diana, ed. Psychology of music. Elsevier, 2013.
Fancourt, Daisy, Adam Ockelford, and Abi Belai. "The psychoneuroimmunological effects of music: A systematic review and a new model." Brain, behavior, and immunity 36 (2014): 15-26.
Garrido, Sandra, and Emery Schubert. "Moody melodies: Do they cheer us up? A study of the effect of sad music on mood." Psychology of Music 43.2 (2015): 244-261.
Negus, Keith. Music genres and corporate cultures. Routledge, 2013.
Shuker, Roy. Understanding popular music. Routledge, 2013.
Van den Tol, Annemieke JM, and Jane Edwards. "Exploring a rationale for choosing to listen to sad music when feeling sad." Psychology of Music 41.4 (2013): 440-465.
