Final Blog Post- How Music Service Society
How does Music help Service Society
Music has been around for hundreds of years and has always had the power to move people, to inspire them, to get a group of people together, to start a movement, and so much more. Music is just a huge part of society and everyday life. We use music in just about every kind of way from setting the mood in a movie to helping someone get pumped up to work out. There is music out there for just about every occasion and every person so find the kind of music that moves them and inspire them. Life just wouldn't be the same without music and all the joy it can bring us. Studies have shown that music and do any wonderful things for people who have issues with stress, anxiety, blood pressure, and much more. Music can help to service society by being used to help to improve our brains, to help us learn and keep us focused. Music can help us do those things by reducing stress, decreasing blood pressure, lowering heart rate, and reduce levels of anxiety.
1) Classical Music
It has been shown by studies that listening to classical music while studying can help you focus because there are no lyrics and lyrics tend to be a distraction while trying to focus. In the article These 6 Types of Music Are Known to Dramatically Improve Productivity shows how classical music also helps with the part of the brain that deals with paying attention, updating events, and memories. Music from 200 years ago helps the brain organize incoming information, such as Mozart, Bach and Beethoven. Classical music can make you feel relaxed and cause a calming effect which can lead up to a 12% increase on exam scores one study had found. Song such as Beethoven's "Fur Elise" helped students study longer and be able to retain more information.
2) Nature Music
Listening to sounds of nature like wave crashing or babbling brook as shown to enhance cognitive function and concentration. The best kind of sounds are soothing ones, such as flowing water or rain fall because jarring noises, such as bird calls and animal noises are distracting. In the article These 6 Types of Music Are Known to Dramatically Improve Productivity, "Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered that natural sounds boost moods and focus. The study found employees were more productive and had more positive feelings when nature sounds were playing in the background while they worked". It has also been shown help mask harsher and more distracting noises, such as people talking or typing.
3) Music Between 50 & 80 beats per minute
Research has shown that it's not the type of music you listen to but the tempo of the music that important in helping you stay focused and productive and it should be between 50 and 80 beats per minute (which is considered slow). A cognitive behavioral therapist by the name Dr. Emma Gray,
"found that listening to music set in the 50- to 80-beat range puts the brain into an alpha state. When we’re awake, we’re typically in a state of mind known as beta, a heightened state of alertness where our brain-wave activity is between 14 and 30 HZ. When our brain slows to between 7 and 14 HZ, we’re in a more relaxed alpha state of mind that allows us to be more receptive and open, and less critical. This state of mind is what scientists associate with activities that involve our imagination, memory and intuition, including our “eureka moments.”".
The alpha state also helps to enhance and stimulate creativity and learning. It's possible you don't even realize you are in this state of mind until it has happened. Do you every find yourself listening to a song you are familiar with only to find yourself deep and thought and really hearing the music at all? Well this is you in the alpha state and "you’re tuning out while being tuned in". When looking for songs that in the 50 to 80 tempo range it may be surprising to see some of the songs that are there.
"Mirrors" by Justin Timberlake who wrote and produced the song along with Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with some additional writing from James Fauntleroy. The song was released on February 11, 2013 but was recorded in June 2012 in the United States. "Mirrors" is played at 76 beats per minute and so it is the right range and can be considered as a slow song which would help to put in to an alpha state of mind to help you study. Not only is the song in the right range but it doesn't have a lot of extra stuff going on in the song so it can help to keep you focused. Such as there isn't a bunch of change in pitch and the song doesn't go from being really loud to soft or the other way around. It is easy for the song to fade to the background while you are working on work or homework.
"Man Down" by Rihanna was writing by Shama Joseph, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Shontelle Layne, and Robyn Fenty. The song was released on May 3, 2011 in the United States for Rihanna's album Loud. "Man Down" is played at 77 beats per minute and would help to put someone in the alpha state. The lyrics to "Man Down" would help in being in the alpha state because they are kind of repetitive and easy to follow so you aren't trying to listen to hard and can put them to the back of your mind. The song also has a nice easy going feeling to it with a reggae under tone and so it feels like music you would relax to.
I know that I have found that when I listen to music while I'm trying to do homework it helps me out a bunch. It helps to keep me on task and focused because without it I tend to wonder off and think about other things or end up picking up my phone or opening another tab on my computer and do something none homework related. The same goes for work when I'm just sitting at my desk and have to do a bunch of boring paper work that I can get thru it faster if I put on music to help keep my mind off how much I don't want to be doing the paper work.
My Journey with Music
When the class first started I was kind of nervous because I wasn't sure what to expect and I was a little worried I didn't know as much about music as I thought. As it turns out I really enjoyed this class and getting to expand my knowledge on music in different ways. I had never really been instead to find out about when a song was made or the social commentary behind different song but now I find myself looking up childhood favorites to see what is said about it. I think over all this class has helped my journey with music and has helped me find a better understand of what music can do for someone and help me see just what it really does for me. Before this class I would use music to help change my mood or to help me feel better about the day or even to get my mind in the right head space first thing in the morning, but I never really thought about how the song I would pick did that. Now I think about the tempo, beat, pitches, timber, dynamics, and more that are the parts of the song that helps to change my mood or helps me study or makes me want to get up and dance.
Sources:
Patel, Deep. “These 6 Types of Music Are Known to Dramatically Improve Productivity.” Entrepreneur, 9 Jan. 2019, www.entrepreneur.com/article/325492. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/325492
Team, Marketing. “The Benefits of Studying with Music.” Florida National University, 13 Aug. 2019, www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/. https://www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/
Ancheta, Michi. “8 Brilliant Benefits of Listening to Music While Studying.” CareerAddict, 11 Sept. 2020, www.careeraddict.com/study-music-benefits. https://www.careeraddict.com/study-music-benefits
“Mirrors (Justin Timberlake Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Dec. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_(Justin_Timberlake_song). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrors_(Justin_Timberlake_song)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you that music helps mitigate stress. Music can be used as an emotional outlet and provide relief from harmful emotions. Music is actually a fully sanctioned type of therapy and is used by many people for their patients. I have never been able to use any music to study, even classical because I get too distracted. I pick apart the piece too much to just sit back and enjoy.
ReplyDelete