Chris BeazerMusic Can Alter Moods...
July 16th 2006 23:12
Music is a fascinating entity. It adds so much to our lives, yet how often do we attribute our mood or state of being to the sounds around us? Eminem, in his song Sing For The Moment, says “Music can alter moods and talk to you, but can it load up a gun for you and cock it too?”. This statement is brilliantly thought provoking. For music does alter our mood.
Don’t believe it, just try yourself. Listen to a gangster-rap song, like Brenda’s Got A Baby by Tupac. Then listen to Canned Heat by Jamiroquai, or Together Again by Janet Jackson. You’ll probably find that after the rap song, you feel angry/depressed. Yet after the pop songs (and I chose these because I believe they’re more than just commercial “radio” pop), you may feel like dancing and singing... But certainly not like you want to go out and purchase a gun.
It would seem that Eminem, and others like him, are trying to alert us to something very important. If music speaks to us, then the music we choose to listen to must have a profound effect on not only our mood but also our actions and thoughts. Indeed, there have been many studies aiming to prove that for example Mozart’s music (and other classical music) stimulates better recall and improves our memory. It has been suggested that when students are studying, they should avoid music with lyrics and instead listen to classical music. Whilst this is not exactly the taste of many teenagers (myself included, for the most part), it had been proven to work - so maybe it’s worth a try!
Apparently the music, when listened to often, tracks out new (and improved) pathways to our brain. Think the Cross-City Tunnel, but without an outrageous cost (you can pick up a Mozart CD for a few dollars, and that’s not one way). This means we are able, in stressful situations like exams, to recall the information we need more quickly and efficiently (to keep the analogy going, we can avoid peak-hour traffic to the city centre).
Then again, this is all scientific testing saying this. Yet it’s always worth a try... Because even if it doesn’t work quite to one’s expectations, at least there’s an education of its own in it... And then next time Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies is playing in the waiting-room or elevator, you’ll be able to hum along. Who wouldn’t want that!
Don’t believe it, just try yourself. Listen to a gangster-rap song, like Brenda’s Got A Baby by Tupac. Then listen to Canned Heat by Jamiroquai, or Together Again by Janet Jackson. You’ll probably find that after the rap song, you feel angry/depressed. Yet after the pop songs (and I chose these because I believe they’re more than just commercial “radio” pop), you may feel like dancing and singing... But certainly not like you want to go out and purchase a gun.
It would seem that Eminem, and others like him, are trying to alert us to something very important. If music speaks to us, then the music we choose to listen to must have a profound effect on not only our mood but also our actions and thoughts. Indeed, there have been many studies aiming to prove that for example Mozart’s music (and other classical music) stimulates better recall and improves our memory. It has been suggested that when students are studying, they should avoid music with lyrics and instead listen to classical music. Whilst this is not exactly the taste of many teenagers (myself included, for the most part), it had been proven to work - so maybe it’s worth a try!
Apparently the music, when listened to often, tracks out new (and improved) pathways to our brain. Think the Cross-City Tunnel, but without an outrageous cost (you can pick up a Mozart CD for a few dollars, and that’s not one way). This means we are able, in stressful situations like exams, to recall the information we need more quickly and efficiently (to keep the analogy going, we can avoid peak-hour traffic to the city centre).
Then again, this is all scientific testing saying this. Yet it’s always worth a try... Because even if it doesn’t work quite to one’s expectations, at least there’s an education of its own in it... And then next time Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies is playing in the waiting-room or elevator, you’ll be able to hum along. Who wouldn’t want that!
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Comment by Anonymous
Thank you for this insigtful blog - I actually read a report on this issue before sitting my final exams and found that I had a remarkable improvement in my results after taking on board the advice about classical music. I also play the violin, and have found that this improves my concentration a lot, especially when I'm studying for long periods of time.
So to everyone who is wondering whether it's just a wanky scientific experiment or actually relevant at all - I really do believe in it. And I've heard that jazz is pretty good too (if there's no singing).
Congratulations Ella, this is a fine post.
Andrew
Comment by Ella
Thanks for the comment! You read that quickly!!
I much prefer jazz to classical music, so I'll give that a try. Good to hear it worked for you! Maybe it's not just a wanky scientific experiment, as you so eloquently put it! =)
Ella
Comment by Peter
Comment by Anonymous