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Xavier Roa

Ms. Echols

English 1201

1 November 2021

What are the Benefits of Listening to and Creating Music?

Music has always been an incredibly important part of my life. My parents owned an

extensive vinyl and CD (Compact Disk) collection that would constantly fascinate me. There

was never a moment in which music was not reverberating through my home growing up, from

Spanish music that my parents themselves had grown up with to Michael Jackson’s Greatest

Hits. Even as time has gone on and this collection of music has been lost or put in storage, I have

continued to be influenced by the music I grew up listening to. There is hardly a moment when I

am not listening to music through my earbuds or playing through my speaker while I do my

school work. Music was only made even more important to me throughout the COVID-19

Pandemic. One benefit of this pandemic is the increased attention that has been brought to

mental health, which I and many others struggled with. As I was forced away from my friends

and back into the shell that I had so desperately worked to break out of, I retreated into music.

Whether it was to embrace my loneliness in an attempt to push through it or to find a song that

reminded me of happier times there was a comfort that came in surrounding myself with music.

This became my daily routine, falling into a slump and using music as therapy to keep myself

active and hopeful. Music can benefit us in a variety of ways, depending on whether it is being

listened to or being played, acting as a form of therapy for those who suffer from anxiety or

depression. Music can improve our focus and working potential, to help us recall memories and
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emotions we were feeling during times past, as well as serving as a medium through which to

process our emotions and better cope with the issues we face daily.

While the concept of music therapy was not officially medically referenced until 1789,

music had been used as a treatment for various ailments for centuries before this. Countless

stories exist of music being used as treatments throughout history. They range from Pythagoras

prescribing music as a treatment for various ailments to the biblical story of David playing the

lyre to help soothe King Saul who believed he was haunted by an evil spirit, which was likely

depression or anxiety (TEDx Talks). These stories prove that even when the exact effects of

music were unknown, and mental illness was not well understood, one thing that was known was

that music had healing power. The work done by Edwin Atlee and Samuel Mathews in the early

1800s helped solidify music therapy as a valid form of treatment. These two authored medical

dissertations explaining the value of therapy through music, which brought greater attention and

respect to this method of treatment. Music therapy continued to amass support throughout the

remainder of the 1800s continuing into the 1900s. The mid-1900s marked a significant boom in

the study of music therapy. Eventually, the first academic Music Therapy program was

established at Michigan State University in 1944, and other colleges soon followed, establishing

music therapy programs of their own (AMTA). Therapists now recommend listening to music to

their patients, and music therapy is widely accepted throughout as a medical treatment. Our

ancestors played music as a form of communication, and this practice continues today, with

music serving as an outlet for creative expression that keeps our minds healthy and feeling

accomplished (Warren).

The most common use for music therapy is as a treatment for those suffering from

various mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD or just simply helping those who
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are struggling emotionally. Cortés claims that music is a “calming agent” which helps to regulate

one’s emotions. While emotions may often be difficult to deal with, music provides a medium

through which one can process their emotions and move to work through them (Cortés). Molly

Warren, a Music Therapy specialist, supports this claim in her article for the National Alliance

on Mental Illness (NAMI). She details how her patients have experienced feelings of “safety,

peace, and comfort” through the process of music therapy (Warren). Music that portrays the

emotions that one is feeling can provide a sense of unity with an artist and make dealing with

emotions just a little bit easier. The positive effects of music go as deep as changing human brain

chemistry. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure, has been proven to be released when

enjoying music. Oxytocin, often referred to as the “love hormone” is also beneficially impacted

when listening to music. Adler states that there is even evidence that music lowers levels of

cortisol, the hormone known for causing stress and anxiety, in the body. It is quite clear that

listening to music has very clear-cut benefits that do more than simply make people feel better

but can change people’s perspectives on a biological level. This is not only true of listening to

music, but also of creating music oneself.

Music is unique in its ability to help us process our emotions, as the music one listens to

not only provides something to relate to as they may be experiencing something but also

provides an outlet for one to express themselves in the music that they create. The process of

creating music is wholly unique to oneself, as two struggling with similar problems may express

these feelings completely differently, however, the simple act of expressing these emotions is

incredibly important in moving forwards and working through them. This process is not

exclusive to those who already have experience making music either, as the process of learning

an instrument has value in itself. Learning any new skill can provide a boost in self-esteem, and
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that is also true of mastering a new instrument (Adler). Instruments are not the only way to get

into music, however, as learning to sing is practically free and can be just as satisfying and

effective. Music Therapy can also function within groups, encouraging teamwork and group

improvisation with groups working together to create music that can provide participants with a

feeling of togetherness and boost the overall effectiveness of the treatment (Warren). By working

within a group, patients feel less alone in their feelings. Suffering together is always easier than

struggling alone, and music provides a link between those who are suffering.

One of music’s more obscure abilities lies within its connection to memories of a specific

point in time. As time marches onwards there are constant reminders of the past, however, few

are as effective of a time machine as hearing a song that was constantly on the radio or an old

favorite. A large part of the connection between music in memory lies within its usefulness in

remembering complicated stories. Stories often used to be passed down verbally in the form of

poems with repeating flows and patterns that made these long and complex legends easier to

remember and pass down (Jenkins). Human brains work very similarly to computers when it

comes to storing memories, and like computers, the brain can break down information into

repeating patterns to reduce the strain of remembering the entirety of said information as is. This

is why teachers often put critical information into songs or pneumonic devices since the brain

can retrieve information more effectively when guided by the rhythm or melody of a tune

(Jenkins). Students are taught this way more than many even realize, from singing the “ABCs” to

singing the quadratic formula to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel.”

Another thing to consider is how often we hear certain pieces of music. Songs that rule

the billboard for weeks on end often feel tiring at the moment, seeming as if they are constantly

being played on loop anywhere we go. However, in just a few years, hearing a song that you
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were once absolutely tired of may feel comforting and nostalgic. So much time was spent

listening to that song, whether consciously or unconsciously, that it becomes associated with a

period in time that you have grown to miss and can make you feel as if you are back there. This

effect can be achieved in other ways, with foods that remind one of their childhoods, or other

such sensations that are associated with a point in time, but music is the most versatile, as there

are so many different songs that can be associated with so many different feelings or times or

places. Even those who suffer from diseases, such as dementia, that destroy their memory can

find treatment in music. Memories associated with music are stored in a separate area of the

brain that is unaffected by diseases that cause memory degradation such as dementia, allowing

those suffering from these diseases to recall memories of their earlier life. So as time marches on

we can find solace in the fact that music will always serve as a window into our past, allowing us

to experience memories and feeling all over again.

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Music is also beneficial in how it is capable of boosting productivity and aiding in focus

during work or study. Working while listening to music as a way to increase productivity is by

no means a new concept, having even been used by British factories during World War Two in

what was called the “Music While You Work.” This program included broadcasting live music

throughout factories twice a day as a way to increase the efficiency and output of these factories

to keep up with the increasing wartime demand. Reports of these factories found that as a result

of this program the overall factory output increased by “12.5-15%”(Gorvett). While it is

impossible to say for certain, it can be reasonably assumed that this increase in productivity was

very valuable in the eventual Allies victory of World War Two. Production of war supplies is an

incredibly crucial factor in deciding the victor of a war. The North’s major advantage during the

American Civil War was their greater number of factories, so, especially in times of war, the

increased productivity that music provides can prove instrumental. This tradition continues

today, with many companies adopting similar strategies to increase work performance,

broadcasting music throughout the building or encouraging employees to listen to their own

music while they are working. The type of music is particularly important however, as depending

on the type of work something upbeat may end up being distracting, or something too slow may

end up making work feel monotonous which could, in turn, make productivity go down. The

most common example of this is the idea that listening to Mozart and the works of other classical

composers will make one smarter and more attentive. Many believe that this effect has

something to do with the music itself, that listening to classical music specifically is what is

causing this phenomenon. However, studies have been done that prove otherwise, as some

classical songs have inverse effects. It seems much more likely that music, whether classical or

not, has a greater effect on mood, and when one is in a better mood they are more productive and
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attentive (Gorvett). Since mood is the main factor, the type of music one listens to is largely

irrelevant, as long as it is something that one enjoys and is relaxed by, their mood will certainly

be improved by listening to it, whether it is Kanye West or Beethoven.

This increase in productivity is most relevant in reference to studying, where students

have often been told conflicting opinions, with some being told that listening to music while

studying is a bad idea outright, some being told that it is okay as long as the music does not have

any words, and some being told that it does not matter what they listen to as long as it helps

them. An article written by students at Florida National University (FNU) gives a clearer view as

to which answer is true. They found that music “music moves [the] brain to pay attention” by

activating parts of the brain associated with attention and making predictions (FNU). Studies

have even shown that listening to music during a timed test allowed students to complete more

questions in less time (FNU). The reason for this increase in focus is, in addition to the

improvement in mood, the simple fact that music activates both hemispheres of the brain which

allows students to “maximize learning and improve memory” (FNU).

While the benefits of music are almost universally accepted, there are still some who take

issue with certain genres of music and dismiss any benefits that they bring. Genres of music such

as hip-hop, rock, and metal music have been labeled as “devil’s music” by the older, more

conservative, generation since their inception. This rhetoric is especially strong when it comes to

Hip-Hop and Rap music which, to this day, constantly receives criticism for the lyrical content of

the songs within the genre. John McWhorter writes about his problems with Rap in the 2003

article “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back.” He credits a rise in misogyny, gang violence, and

drug use to the examples set by Rappers in their music and their increasingly vulgar lyrics. The

vulgarity of Rap lyrics is something that simply cannot be denied as it has become one of the
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staples of the genre. However, there is no inherent problem with something being deemed vulgar

or inappropriate. An artist has the right to sing or rap about whatever they want, and within that

vulgar language, many Rappers such as Kendrick Lamar have used their platforms and talent to

spread positive messages of African American empowerment and pride. While it is true that not

all Rap music contains these positive messages, it does not fall on the artist to make their music

more appropriate for their audience. If the main qualm targeted at Hip-Hop and Rap is that it is

negatively influencing black children then it should be clear that the responsibility of this

influence does not fall on the artist but on the parents of the influenced. The same is true of all

media, with studies having proven that children who see smoking and drug use in movies are

more likely to do the same, yet in those cases, the blame for this influence is placed on the

parents, as movies are rated for their intended audience. Music is rated similarly, with “Parental

Advisory” stickers placed over the top of any album containing explicit content yet people like

McWhorter place the blame on the music itself and not on the guardians of those listening to it.

Music surely has the potential to be a bad influence on children, but no more than other forms of

media, all of which are less vilified for their influence. It is ignorant to ignore the good that lies

within music and solely focus on the bad. Albums such as “Swimming” by Mac Miller, “KIDS

SEE GHOSTS” by KIDS SEE GHOSTS, and “CARE FOR ME” by Saba are all examples of

introspective music made with the explicit purpose of healing. These artists created music that

helped themselves heal and in turn, helped their audiences heal. As mentioned before, Kendrick

Lamar’s music has been an incredibly positive influence on the African American community,

detailing the injustices African Americans face in his Grammy Award Winning Album “To Pimp

A Butterfly” and bringing greater attention to a variety of social issues in the process.
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Even now as I write this I am listening to music. I encourage you to take a step back and

consider not only how much music you listen to, but also consider why you listen to the music

that you do. How do your favorite songs make you feel? Music is a brilliant way to not only

express yourself but can provide an escape when you do not feel like you can express yourself.

Music brings us together in happiness and in sadness. Music serves as a time machine back to

when things were just a little bit simpler. Just the same way that you can immerse yourself in the

escape of a good book, you can surround yourself in the world of a particular song or album. It is

in these things that music is entirely one-of-a-kind in its benefits, it is a whole new medium

through which we can perceive the world and makes dealing with reality just a little bit easier.
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Works Cited

Warren, Molly. “The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health.” NAMI, 19 Dec. 2016,

www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Impact-of-Music-Therapy-on-

Mental-Health

Adler, Sarah Elizabeth. “Positive Effects of Music for Mental Health.” AARP, 30 June 2020,

www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2020/music-mental-health.html.

TEDx Talks. “Music Therapy and Mental Health | Lucia Clohessy.” YouTube. 14 June 2018,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-io-uld2JFU

Clements-Cortés, Amy, and May Tianyang Yu. “The Mental Health Benefits of Improvisational

Music Therapy for Young Adults.” Canadian Music Educator / Musicien Educateur Au

Canada, vol. 62, no. 3, Apr. 2021, pp. 30–33. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=149346483&site=eds-live.

“History of Music Therapy.” History of Music Therapy | American Music Therapy Association

(AMTA), American Music Therapy Association, n.d.,

https://www.musictherapy.org/about/history/.

Marketing Team. “The Benefits of Studying with Music.” Florida National University, Florida

National University, 13 Aug. 2019, https://www.fnu.edu/benefits-studying-music/.

Gorvett, Zaria. “Does Music Help Us Work Better? It Depends.” BBC Worklife, BBC, 18 Mar.

2020, https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200317-does-music-help-us-work-it-

depends.

Jenkins, Tiffany. “Why Does Music Evoke Memories?” BBC Culture, BBC, 21 Oct. 2014,

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20140417-why-does-music-evoke-memories.
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McWhorter, John H. “How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back.” City Journal, City Journal, 18 June

2019, https://www.city-journal.org/html/how-hip-hop-holds-blacks-back-12442.html.