VSSA2041

PUBLIC SPEAKING IV

GROUP D

A212 SESSION 2021/2022

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

INDIVIDUAL PERSUASIVE SPEECH

PREPARED BY:

NAME MATRIC NOM.

NUR NASUHA BINTI ABDUL RASHID 279712

PREPARED FOR:

MADAM NOOR AIDA BINTI MAHMOR

TITTLE: MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO HEAL

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to ladies and gentlemen! It is my pleasure

to welcome all of you to our talk sharing today. I can say that today is a wonderful day to see
you all here and I hope that you are all healthy and cheerful. Let me introduce myself, my
name is Nur Nasuha Binti Abdul Rashid, and I am a degree student from University Utara
Malaysia (UUM) will be your speaker for today. With that, it’s an honour to have the
opportunity to address such a distinguished audience. Before I begin, let's have a quick
question and answer. Have you ever believed that music has its own healing powers for
humans? I have a quote from a famous American musician named Bob Marley who says,
"one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain". Therefore, I am standing
here to deliver a speech titled “Music has power to heal” in which I will persuade you about
how music can be a healer in our lives, focusing on three main aspects of improving learning,
mental health, and physical well-being.

To begin with, music is a pleasant arrangement and flow of sound in the air that
differs in rhythm and systematic method, where dictionaries have defined music as sound art
in time that expresses ideas and emotions significantly through elements of rhythm, melody,
and harmony. It can be said that music can affect our lives including emotions, health and
feelings because they are interconnected where according to Barbara Else, senior policy and
research advisor at the American Music Therapy Association, "We have such a deep
connection to music because it is 'hardwired' in our brains and bodies, "and "The elements of
music, which are rhythm and melody, are echoed in our physiology, functioning, and being."

First and foremost, I believe it is important that we raise awareness about the
importance of music in the lives of students, as music has healing powers that can improve
learning performance. Willingness to learn necessitates a calm brain and body in order to
concentrate well. However, we can see that people find it difficult to learn when they are
stressed, so music can be a healer in creating a positive learning environment. Studies have
shown that using background music in the classroom increases positive levels and calmness
in teachers and students, and can even reduce anxiety, frustration, and violent behaviour.
Besides that, music can improve memory because music has a strong and robust connection
in the brain, according to Dr. Marsha Godkin, a professor at Northcentral University, who
stated that "music has the potential to bring a person from a state of Beta brainwaves to a
deeper Alpha, and then the Theta brain wave where it depends on music." In fact, she stated
that "music activates both the left and right brain at the same time, and activation of these two
hemispheres can maximise learning and improve memory”. What's more, it also helps
students be more focused where the Stanford study discovered that "music moves the brain to
pay attention, make predictions, and update events in memory" is able to help students
categorise information that be an influential asset for learning.

Secondly, music has a unique healing power against mental health problems and
illnesses, which explains Bob Marley's earlier statement that music is more effective than
prescription drugs in reducing pain and anxiety in patients who have undergone surgery. Do
you believe it? As a result, various research findings in the field of musical neurochemistry
have provided an answer. A report from a 2011 study by Prof Levitin, for example, found
strong evidence that music interventions can play an important role in health care, with the
results showing that music can increase antibodies that are important in mucous system
immunity known as immunoglobulin A, as well as natural killer cell count, which generates
cells which attacks germs and bacteria in the body. While, Dr. Mona Lisa Chanda, her
research partner, also stated that listening to and playing music can lower cortisol levels in
the body, which is a stress hormone. Furthermore, a 2011 study from McGill University in
Canada discovered that listening to music increases the amount of dopamine produced in the
brain, a chemical that aids in mood improvement, making it an appropriate treatment for
depression. Furthermore, certain music and song memories have the ability to remind us of
specific events or periods in our lives, and a 2013 study published in the journal memory &
cognition discovered that it can restore memory for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's
disease in the early stages. As an outcome, the findings of this study conclude that the health
benefits of music may extend beyond mental health, prompting most health experts to
advocate for the widespread incorporation of music therapy into health care settings.

Finally, we may be unaware that music is a powerful element in enhancing the

healing of physical well-being, which helps us cope with daily activities more effectively.
Insomnia, for example, is one of the sleep-deprivation diseases that has the potential to ruin
lives because we do not get enough rest. However, in a meta-analysis of ten randomised
controlled trials, researchers tracked 557 participants with chronic sleep disorders and
discovered that music significantly improved sleep quality, which can help patients with
acute and chronic sleep disorders. Further to that, music has the ability to improve mood
because it increases the brain's production of the hormone dopamine, which helps relieve
anxiety and depression and can even create a positive mood. Moreover, music's rhythm can
increase exercise endurance, and listening to music on exercise tracks can improve physical
performance while doing difficult exercise sessions. Music can not only distract you from
body awareness of exercise pain, but it can also have health effects. Music releases
endorphins in the brain, giving us a higher sense of excitement, which can relieve anxiety,
pain, and stabilise the immune system past high endorphin levels, causing us to have fewer
negative effects of stress. Even turning on a song while exercising can also increase the
amount of effort you put in. For example, rhythm-based exercises like running or musical
weightlifting can help control the rhythm and signal to the brain when the body needs to
move. As a result, these signals assist us in using energy more efficiently, ensuring that we do
not exhaust ourselves too quickly.

Therefore, I'd like to conclude that, while music is a minor consideration, it's
important to remember that even minor changes can lead to significant changes that shift a
person's life pattern toward a healthier and more prosperous path. I will conclude this speech
by quoting a famous American musician, Billy Joel, who said, "I think music itself is healing
where it is an exploding expression of humanity because it is something we are all touched no
matter what culture we come from, everyone likes music”. Hence, music is a type of melody
that soothes our bodies and makes us feel refreshed and relaxed, making it one of the most
effective ways to treat stress and anxiety in people of all ages. In fact, there is no doubt that
music is the best way to relieve pain because it transports us to a world of beautiful melodies,
allowing us to forget about unpleasant and disturbing thoughts. It is also effective in assisting
a person's recovery from any type of mental or physical problem. So, we all should always
live with music! That's all from me. Thank you for listening.