The Value of Music
By Ivo Duwin, a Senior at iPrep Academy
By Ivo Duwin, a Senior at iPrep Academy
Life is rhythm. Our hearts, lungs, and all other parts of our bodies work on beat, all day and everyday. As we walk and breathe, we create a flow nobody else can match.
Creator: cihatatceken | Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Musicians and instruments have been part of humanity since ancient times. According to the National Museum of Slovenia, a 200 year old historical institution, Neanderthals created flutes 50,000 years ago. Roberto Saez, an anthropologist, explains that Egyptians invented trumpets. According to Masterclass, an online teaching platform, in an article about the history of the drums, early Mesopotamians built some of the first percussion instruments,
The fact that instruments were prominent in civilizations for millennia is evidence that music has presence and power. Those who listen and play realize that music allows us to transcend our lives. Those who play, roar their feelings to the world, and those who listen absorb and find their own meaning in the creator’s work.
According to John Hopkins Medicine, proved through extensive MRI testing, listening to music can “reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain” and “improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory”. Many people do not even realize the many benefits from playing music. |
Neanderthal flute, oldest known musical instrument
|
Students Who Play Instruments
To find the perks of learning an instrument, I interviewed iPrep students about their experiences with instruments and music, researched how the brain changes when learning an instrument, and used my personal journey with music in order to convince you to pick up an instrument.
To find the perks of learning an instrument, I interviewed iPrep students about their experiences with instruments and music, researched how the brain changes when learning an instrument, and used my personal journey with music in order to convince you to pick up an instrument.
Carlos Roig, iPrep Junior:
Carlos Roig, a drummer of three years and bassist of one year, has plenty to say about how music has helped him. Playing music has “given [him] focus in my life.” Before playing the drums, he felt the only defining trait of his life was his schoolwork. Music gave him “drive and a passion for something beyond education or a career path.” What life would Carlos be living had he not sat down at the kit? That’s why he calls himself a “rhythm man” and tells us to “stay musical.” |
Noah Delaportilla, iPrep Senior:
Noah Delaportilla, a guitarist of nine years, exclaims that “music helped [him] grow out of [his] shell” and how “on stage, [he] become a different person.” Noah used to be extremely shy, and playing the guitar “helped [him] grow and be less self-conscious.” What music can do, as evidenced by Noah, is create a sense of self-esteem that gives the everyday persona the confidence in daily life. As Noah says, “With music, it’s infinite.’ |
Amy Zhou, iPrep Sophomore:
Amy Zhou, violinist of 10 years , proclaims how learning the violin “opened a land of opportunity”. She was given the instrument by her parents as a 5-year old, and growing up learning the instrument “dramatically improved [her] learning capabilities.” Because she learned how to memorize “long symphonies” after one rehearsal, her academic performance greatly improved. Apart from scholastics, Amy’s “friends at orchestra are [her] greatest inspirations”. Playing any instrument, but especially orchestral ones, brings you into a world full of like-minded musicians who are easy to talk to. Like Amy, you’ll quickly “become addicted to the feeling” of playing music.
Amy Zhou, violinist of 10 years , proclaims how learning the violin “opened a land of opportunity”. She was given the instrument by her parents as a 5-year old, and growing up learning the instrument “dramatically improved [her] learning capabilities.” Because she learned how to memorize “long symphonies” after one rehearsal, her academic performance greatly improved. Apart from scholastics, Amy’s “friends at orchestra are [her] greatest inspirations”. Playing any instrument, but especially orchestral ones, brings you into a world full of like-minded musicians who are easy to talk to. Like Amy, you’ll quickly “become addicted to the feeling” of playing music.
Likewise, music has helped me become more confident and disciplined. Before learning the drums, I was a drifter. My work ethic was non-existent, and I couldn’t commit to anything. My first musical experience was not with the drums; it was with the guitar. I hated it. My fingers were like stone, and I couldn’t place them in all the complicated formations. I discarded the hobby. When I first sat down at a drum-kit, my body was water. I was loose, and picked up the beginner concepts quickly. I advanced, and the feeling I felt playing was nothing I’d ever experienced. As the weeks went on, my stature changed. My old body, one that was racked with a lack of morale and a fear of other’s opinions, began to morph. My posture physically improved as I began to feel more comfortable in my life. I had given the wheel to my insecurities so long ago that I hadn’t even noticed I wasn’t driving. Like with Noah, the feeling I had playing my instrument trickled into my daily life. As of today, I feel better than I ever have before, and I owe it all to drumming.
The Science Behind Music
Anecdotes are valid but the scientific evidence validates the benefits of music. According to Debra Shipman, a PHD in Nursing and Philosophy from Nova Southeastern and American Sentinel University, finds through her research that music has a plethora of effects on our body. Seniors who played a keyboard class had “improved self-esteem, greater independence, and fewer feelings of isolation” compared to a control group. If they listened to music, they were “less likely to experience dementia than were those whose leisure activities consisted of reading, writing, and working crossword puzzles.” Stress relief is another perk of music. Playing piano, when compared to “calligraphy, and clay molding,” is “significantly more effective at lowering stress levels”.
Anecdotes are valid but the scientific evidence validates the benefits of music. According to Debra Shipman, a PHD in Nursing and Philosophy from Nova Southeastern and American Sentinel University, finds through her research that music has a plethora of effects on our body. Seniors who played a keyboard class had “improved self-esteem, greater independence, and fewer feelings of isolation” compared to a control group. If they listened to music, they were “less likely to experience dementia than were those whose leisure activities consisted of reading, writing, and working crossword puzzles.” Stress relief is another perk of music. Playing piano, when compared to “calligraphy, and clay molding,” is “significantly more effective at lowering stress levels”.
Anne R. Stoklosa, a scientist from St. John Fisher College with background in Psychology, Biology, and Chemistry, also corroborates the claim that music is beneficial for the body. Her research claims that compared to children who did not play instruments, children who had “at least 3 years of instrumental music training” had better ”fine motor skills [and] vocabulary and nonverbal reasoning skills”. The benefits aren’t only for children and seniors, as “The creating, storing, and retrieving aspects of memory are faster and more efficient in the brains of musicians” than in non-musicians.
|
Made by Vibenomics.
|
Final Thoughts
Playing an instrument has numerous benefits for individuals, both mentally and physically. It can provide a sense of purpose, improve confidence and self-esteem, and even enhance academic performance. Music has been a fundamental part of human civilization for thousands of years and continues to bring joy and enrichment to those who experience it. Whether you're a seasoned musician or a complete beginner, picking up an instrument and exploring the world of music is a rewarding and enriching experience that is worth trying. So pick up that guitar in the attic, dust off your dad’s old drumsticks, do whatever you can to get in touch with your melodic side.
Playing an instrument has numerous benefits for individuals, both mentally and physically. It can provide a sense of purpose, improve confidence and self-esteem, and even enhance academic performance. Music has been a fundamental part of human civilization for thousands of years and continues to bring joy and enrichment to those who experience it. Whether you're a seasoned musician or a complete beginner, picking up an instrument and exploring the world of music is a rewarding and enriching experience that is worth trying. So pick up that guitar in the attic, dust off your dad’s old drumsticks, do whatever you can to get in touch with your melodic side.
Work Cited
Shipman, Debra. “A Prescription for Music Lessons.” Federal Practitioner : For the Health Care Professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS, vol. 33, no. 2, 2016, pp. 9–12, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6368928/.
Stoklosa, Anne, and St Fisher. The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research the Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research Instruments of Knowledge: Music and the Brain Instruments of Knowledge: Music and the Brain. fisherpub.sjf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1187&context=ur
“A Brief History of Drums: On the Origin of Percussion - 2022 - MasterClass.” MasterClass, 2020, www.masterclass.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-drums.
“Keep Your Brain Young with Music.” Hopkinsmedicine.org, 13 Apr. 2022, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20listening,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and%20memory..
“Neanderthal Flute.” Www.nms.si, 2014, www.nms.si/en/collections/highlights/343-Neanderthal-flute#:~:text=The%20oldest%20musical%20instrument%20in%20the%20world%2C%20a%2060%2C000%2Dyear,and%20has%20four%20pierced%20holes.
Sáez, Roberto. “The 10 Oldest Musical Instruments.” Nutcracker Man, Nutcracker Man, 12 Jan. 2016, nutcrackerman.com/2016/01/12/the-10-oldest-musical-instruments/.
Shipman, Debra. “A Prescription for Music Lessons.” Federal Practitioner : For the Health Care Professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS, vol. 33, no. 2, 2016, pp. 9–12, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6368928/.
Stoklosa, Anne, and St Fisher. The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research the Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research Instruments of Knowledge: Music and the Brain Instruments of Knowledge: Music and the Brain. fisherpub.sjf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1187&context=ur
“A Brief History of Drums: On the Origin of Percussion - 2022 - MasterClass.” MasterClass, 2020, www.masterclass.com/articles/a-brief-history-of-drums.
“Keep Your Brain Young with Music.” Hopkinsmedicine.org, 13 Apr. 2022, www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music#:~:text=Research%20has%20shown%20that%20listening,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and%20memory..
“Neanderthal Flute.” Www.nms.si, 2014, www.nms.si/en/collections/highlights/343-Neanderthal-flute#:~:text=The%20oldest%20musical%20instrument%20in%20the%20world%2C%20a%2060%2C000%2Dyear,and%20has%20four%20pierced%20holes.
Sáez, Roberto. “The 10 Oldest Musical Instruments.” Nutcracker Man, Nutcracker Man, 12 Jan. 2016, nutcrackerman.com/2016/01/12/the-10-oldest-musical-instruments/.