Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?

How many times have you turned to music to uplift you even further in happy times, or sought the comfort of music when melancholy strikes?

Music affects us all. But only in recent times have scientists sought to explain and quantify the way music impacts us at an emotional level. Researching the links between melody and the mind indicates that listening to and playing music actually can alter how our brains, and therefore our bodies, function.

It seems that the healing power of music, over body and spirit, is only just starting to be understood, even though music therapy is not new. For many years therapists have been advocating the use of music - both listening and study - for the reduction of anxiety and stress, the relief of pain. And music has also been recommended as an aid for positive change in mood and emotional states.

Michael DeBakey, who in 1966 became the first surgeon to successfully implant an artificial heart, is on record saying: "Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. In medicine, increasing published reports demonstrate that music has a healing effect on patients."

Doctors now believe using music therapy in hospitals and nursing homes not only makes people feel better, but also makes them heal faster. And across the nation, medical experts are beginning to apply the new revelations about music’s impact on the brain to treating patients.

In one study, researcher Michael Thaut and his team detailed how victims of stroke, cerebral palsy and Parkinson's disease who worked to music took bigger, more balanced strides than those whose therapy had no accompaniment.

Other researchers have found the sound of drums may influence how bodies work. Quoted in a 2001 article in USA Today, Suzanne Hasner, chairwoman of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, says even those with dementia or head injuries retain musical ability.

The article reported results of an experiment in which researchers from the Mind-Body Wellness Center in Meadville, Pa., tracked 111 cancer patients who played drums for 30 minutes a day. They found strengthened immune systems and increased levels of cancer-fighting cells in many of the patients.

"Deep in our long-term memory is this rehearsed music,” Hasner says. “It is processed in the emotional part of the brain, the amygdala. Here’s where you remember the music played at your wedding, the music of your first love, that first dance. Such things can still be remembered even in people with progressive diseases. It can be a window, a way to reach them…"

The American Music Therapy Organization claims music therapy may allow for "emotional intimacy with families and caregivers, relaxation for the entire family, and meaningful time spent together in a positive, creative way".

Scientists have been making progress in its exploration into why music should have this effect. In 2001 Dr. Anne Blood and Robert Zatorre of McGill University in Montreal, used positron emission tomography, or PET scans, to find out if particular brain structures were stimulated by music.

In their study, Blood and Zatorre asked 10 musicians, five men and five women, to choose stirring music. The subjects were then given PET scans as they listened to four types of audio stimuli - the selected music, other music, general noise or silence. Each sequence was repeated three times in random order.

Blood said when the subjects heard the music that gave them "chills," the PET scans detected activity in the portions of the brain that are also stimulated by food and sex.

Just why humans developed such a biologically based appreciation of music is still not clear. The appreciation of food and the drive for sex evolved to help the survival of the species, but "music did not develop strictly for survival purposes," Blood told Associated Press at the time.

She also believes that because music activates the parts of the brain that make us happy, this suggests it can benefit our physical and mental well being.

This is good news for patients undergoing surgical operations who experience anxiety in anticipation of those procedures.

Polish researcher, Zbigniew Kucharski, at the Medical Academy of Warsaw, studied the effect of acoustic therapy for fear management in dental patients. During the period from October 2001 to May 2002, 38 dental patients aged between 16 and 60 years were observed. The patients received variations of acoustic therapy, a practice where music is received via headphones and also vibrators.

Dr Kucharski discovered the negative feelings decreased five-fold for patients who received 30 minutes of acoustic therapy both before and after their dental procedure. For the group that heard and felt music only prior to the operation, the fearful feelings reduced by a factor of 1.6 only.

For the last group (the control), which received acoustic therapy only during the operation, there was no change in the degree of fear felt.

A 1992 study identified music listening and relaxation instruction as an effective way to reduce pain and anxiety in women undergoing painful gynecological procedures. And other studies have proved music can reduce other 'negative' human emotions like fear, distress and depression.

Sheri Robb and a team of researchers published a report in the Journal of Music Therapy in 1992, outlining their findings that music assisted relaxation procedures (music listening, deep breathing and other exercises) effectively reduced anxiety in pediatric surgical patients on a burn unit.

"Music," says Esther Mok in the AORN Journal in February 2003, "is an easily administered, non-threatening, non-invasive, and inexpensive tool to calm preoperative anxiety."

So far, according to the same report, researchers cannot be certain why music has a calming affect on many medical patients. One school of thought believes music may reduce stress because it can help patients to relax and also lower blood pressure. Another researcher claims music allows the body's vibrations to synchronize with the rhythms of those around it. For instance, if an anxious patient with a racing heartbeat listens to slow music, his heart rate will slow down and synchronize with the music's rhythm.

Such results are still something of a mystery. The incredible ability that music has to affect and manipulate emotions and the brain is undeniable, and yet still largely inexplicable.

Aside from brain activity, the affect of music on hormone levels in the human body can also be quantified, and there is definite evidence that music can lower levels of cortisol in the body (associated with arousal and stress), and raise levels of melatonin (which can induce sleep). It can also precipitate the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkiller.

But how does music succeed in prompting emotions within us? And why are these emotions often so powerful? The simple answer is that no one knows… yet. So far we can quantify some of the emotional responses caused by music, but we cannot yet explain them. But that's OK. I don't have to understand electricity to benefit from light when I switch on a lamp when I come into a room, and I don't have to understand why music can make me feel better emotionally. It just does - our Creator made us that way.

Win Friends & Influence People Through Music -- Is It Possible?

The idea that studying music improves the social development of a child is not a new one, but at last there is incontrovertible evidence from a study conducted out of the University of Toronto.

The study, published in the August issue of Psychological Science was led by Dr. E. Glenn Schellenberg, and examined the effect of extra-curricular activities on the intellectual and social development of six-year-old children. A group of 144 children were recruited through an ad in a local newspaper and assigned randomly to one of four activities: piano lessons, voice lessons, drama lessons, or no lessons.

Two types of music lessons were offered in order to be able to generalize the results, while the groups receiving drama lessons or no lessons were considered control groups in order to test the effect of music lessons over other art lessons requiring similar skill sets and nothing at all. The activities were provided for one year.

The participating children were given IQ tests before and after the lessons. The results of this study revealed that increases in IQ from pre- to post-test were larger in the music groups than in the two others. Generally these increases occurred across IQ subtests, index scores, and academic achievement.

While music teachers across the country greeted the new research enthusiastically, in fact, many other studies have previously shown a correlation between music study and academic achievement.

In 1997, well known music researchers Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw and their team at the University of California (Irvine) reported that music training is far superior to computer instruction in dramatically enhancing children's abstract reasoning skills, the skills necessary for learning math and science. A group led by the same two scientists had earlier showed that after eight months of piano lessons, preschoolers showed a 46 percent boost in their spatial reasoning IQ.

The March 1999 issue of Neurological Research published a report by another group of researchers, also at the University of California (Irvine), who found that second-grade students given four months of piano keyboard training, as well as time playing newly designed computer software, scored 27% higher on proportional math and fractions tests than other children.

Students with coursework and experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT, according to a Profile of Program Test Takers released by the Princeton, NJ, College Entrance Examination Board in 2001. This report stated that students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation.

Another part of this same study shows that longer music study means higher SAT scores. For example, students participating in the arts for two years averaged 29 points higher on the verbal portion and 18 points higher on the math portion of the SAT than students with no coursework or experience in the arts. Students with four or more years in the arts scored 57 points higher and 39 points higher on the verbal and math portions respectively than students with no arts coursework.

Another study also found support for a relationship between math achievement and participation in instrumental music instruction. The researchers found that students who participated in instrumental music instruction in high school took on the average 2.9 more advanced math courses then did students who did not participate.

In fact, various studies over the last 10 years suggest teaching kids music can heighten their aptitude for math, reading, and engineering. (One explanation for improved ability in mathematics is that music theory is based on mathematical truths. Rhythms are divided into fractions - half notes, quarter notes and eighth notes. Scales have eight tones, and the steps between them follow an equation.)

A McGill University study in 1998 found that pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly for students given piano instruction over a three-year period. The researchers also found that self-esteem and musical skills measures improved for the students given piano instruction.

And data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 revealed music participants received more academic honors and awards than non-music students, and that the percentage of music participants receiving As, As/Bs, and Bs was higher than the percentage of non- participants receiving those grades.

In 1994, a report entitled "The Case For Music Study In Schools" was printed in Phi Delta Kappan, the professional print journal for education. It included details of research conducted by physician and biologist Lewis Thomas, who studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. Thomas found that 66 percent of music majors who applied to medical school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group.

The same report asserted that the very best engineers and technical designers in the Silicon Valley industry were, almost without exception, practicing musicians.

The world's top academic countries also place a high value on music education. In a study of the ability of fourteen year-old science students in seventeen countries, the top three countries were Hungary, the Netherlands, and Japan. All three include music throughout the curriculum from kindergarten through high school.

St. Augustine Bronx elementary school, about to fail in 1984, implemented an intensive music program, and today 90 percent of the school's students are reading at or above grade level. And a ten-year study at UCLA tracked more than 25,000 students, and showed that music making improves test scores. Regardless of socio-economic background, music-making students get higher marks in standardized tests than those who had no music involvement. The test scores studied were not only standardized tests, such as the SAT, but also in reading proficiency exams.

Music training helps under-achievers as well, according to research published in Nature magazine in May 1996. In Rhode Island, researchers studied eight public school first grade classes. Half of the classes became "test arts" groups, receiving ongoing music and visual arts training. In kindergarten, this group had lagged behind in scholastic performance. After seven months, the students were given a standardized test. The "test arts" group had caught up to their fellow students in reading and surpassed their classmates in math by 22 percent. In the second year of the project, the arts students widened this margin even further. Students were also evaluated on attitude and behavior. Classroom teachers noted improvement in these areas also.

In 2005, it appears the pace of scientific research into music making has never been greater. The most recent evidence from the University of Toronto confirms what many other researchers have already detected - that music boosts brainpower, academic achievement,socialization skills, and emotional health.

It's logical, when you think about it. People who learn to play an instruments are in groups -- bands, choirs, orchestras, combos, worship teams, etc. And working and making music with others is bound to help relateabilty with people and foster close bonds with fellow musicians.

So it appears that learning to play music, whether guitar, piano, or some other instrument, actually does contribute to your ability to "win friends and influence people."

What Is Music Theory? FAQs

1) What is music theory?

Music theory is the language of musical construction. Those who understand the language of music, those who can read and write music are called musicians. Just as people who share a common language communicate everyday, musicians communicate through a common musical language.

The language musicians communicate in is not by speaking but rather by the use of sheet music. Sheet music contains information that allows musicians to play the same piece of music on their instruments regardless of which language they speak. People all around the world communicate through the language of music and that is why music is called the universal language.

2) Do I need to know music theory in order to play a musical instrument?

This is a tricky question and the answer is yes and no. Allow me to explain. If some noise or sound has rhythm, a melody, and harmony, it can be called music. Without these components it is simply noise or organized noise.

A musician, someone who understands music theory and is able to communicate in the language of music, will compose a piece of music and know what they are doing and why they are doing it. A musician will know the name of the notes, chords, and scales they are using and more important, they will know why the musical composition works or sounds good.

A musician does not need to hear the musical composition to know wether or not certain notes and chords sound good when played together, because the theory has already determined what note and chord families will sound good together and why it is so.

On the other hand many people who play music, do play by ear. Many of those who play by ear do not know the name of the notes, chords, and scales they are playing, yet they are able to create a musical composition that is pleasing to the ear of the listener.

Players who learn and create music by ear have developed a good sense of pitch and as they continue to train their ear, their ability to identify notes, chords, and qualities of chords, will improve.

Typically, those who play by ear are limited to playing simple forms of music like blues, rock, pop, and country. It is very difficult to play classical and jazz music without some form of musical training and a decent grasp on music theory.

People who have the ability to learn complex forms of music by ear have an extraordinary musical gift and they might even be considered musical prodigies.

To help draw a distinction between musicians and those who play music by ear I offer this example. A person who uses a computer may not have a clue about how a computer works, yet they can type a letter, send an e-mail, or surf the net. The same is true with music.

So, if a person who plays music by ear creates a musical composition that pleases the ear then they are likely applying principles of music theory wether they realize it or not.

3) Is music theory only beneficial to musicians?

No. Many studies have concluded that those who study music and the arts excel in school, career, and in life.

A degree in music is most always a liberal arts degree and therefore does not limit one to just being a musician. There are many career paths one can pursue with a music degree.

A person who understands music theory will typically pay close attention to the music they are listening to. Musicians will listen for rhythm, melody, harmony, note juxtaposition, point counterpoint, dynamics, etc... The better someone listens and can understand the nuances in the music they are listening to, the more they can enjoy it.

4) What is tablature and is it the same thing as reading music?

Tablature would not be considered reading music. Tablature is a system that shows guitar players exactly what notes and chords to play by showing where to place their fingers on the neck of the guitar. Tablature does not give enough information to play the music as it was written, with tablature you must know the song to be able to play it as it was written.

Tablature is a very effective tool for musicians and players alike and is widely used by both. Accurate tablature will allow a player to to copy a piece of music very close to the way it was written if they are familiar with the piece of music.

Tablature is not the same thing as reading music but it is a very useful tool for learning note for note transcriptions, and is a good learning tool as well.

5) What is the best way to learn music theory?

I believe the best way to learn music theory is through formal musical training. Music study can be acquired at a school that teaches music or by way of private instruction or tutoring. Learning music theory without the assistance of a teacher is possible but it would be a challenge.

My own experience is that the best time to learn music theory is when a person is young, between the ages of 8 and 12 or when a child is in elementary school. The chances of successfully learning music theory seems to be much better when the music training starts at an early age.

Learning How to Play Piano Chords For Songs

If you're interested in learning how to play the piano, you first need to learn the chords. This is the quickest and best way for you to learn how to play this wonderful instrument. Not everyone has a lot of time to spend on learning how to play, and if this is your case, your best bet is to learn piano chords before anything else.

The very first thing you need to do is get yourself some instruction manuals and videos. You can buy them at music stores. Keep in mind that notes make up the chords, so if you learn the chords, you'll also be learning all the different notes. Some people mistakenly believe that it takes years to learn how to play, but that's not true at all. You can learn to play the piano yourself within a few months if you take the time to learn the chords.

Once you have all the instruction materials, you can begin learning the chords. You need to practice every day and must not ever allow yourself to become bored. You're going to have to play the same chord over and over again. Get it down pat and then practice it some more! Your hands will need to memorize the correct positioning.

Once you've mastered all the piano chords, you can give music sheets a try. Don't put your focus entirely on the C chord; you'll need to master the other chords as well if you want to play simple songs. If you don't learn all the right chords on piano, you'll never play songs with perfect rhythm. Traditional pianos have 88 keys, but if you're going to use an electric keyboard, you'll find that it has fewer keys. The keys always follow a pattern. The left side of the piano consists of lower keys and the right side has higher keys.

Unlike the alphabet, which starts out with the letter A, the C piano chord is what you need to learn first. Later on, after you get plenty of practice, you'll begin to familiarize yourself with different chords. The white keys on a piano are: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. These notes also make up the C chord. With the aid of your instruction manuals and piano chords poster, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know about notes and chords.

It's very essential to memorize the notes that make up each chord as well as the chords themselves. If you're not very good with remembering things, then you need to try improving your abilities. Memorizing the right notes doesn't have to be all that difficult---especially if you practice frequently! Eventually, everything will seem natural and you won't even have to force yourself.

Go to a music store and find good instruction material that you think will be helpful to you. You can choose from chord charts, guide books, videos, computer software, and so forth. Your investment will be well worth money spent, because you'll learn to play the piano easily. Don't forget to focus on the chords, and remember: practice makes perfect!

Why Study music? The Important Role of the Family

The 21st century will see children be born that are capable to build such complex thoughts that these will be the reflection of new ways to explain and understand a world that will be becoming more difficult for us to define.

We have to educate them well for the survival of our species, for an increased sensitivity towards other human beings, for increasing comprehension of diversity and for maintaining peace in our planet. All our efforts towards defending what belongs to us, our nations, and the Earth will be wasted unless we consider that mankind needs peace, internally and externally. What good does us to prepare our children other than for the evolution of our species, the advancement of arts and science, the increased understanding of the roles of different cultures, the search for spiritualism?

Why prepare our children for other than developing the need for them to become better each day that passes? Philosophy, antropology, sociology, psychology, among other disciplines, highlight themes of importance, among them those that explain the importance of deriving meaning and increasing communication in interactions among men.

Each one of our generations sees itself creating meaning for what was defined regarding the importance of life in society, and as the time passes, the new inhabitants of Earth create new ways in which to explain new meanings to facts and acts in which men find themselves involved in.

Men need to comprehend each other. One culture needs to value the others. The teaching of music can provide a favorable environment for a specific type of communication in society and this is why it is necessary to teach music to babies and infants. The earlier we start, the better!

Teaching music provides the learning of signs and/or symbols, which amplify the human capacity to know and create from systems and conventions that the child cannot find in other systems and/or disciplines. And this practice helps develop intelligence. In this opportunity, other concepts are developed. Objects and processes which are unconventional are developed and from this arises the opportunigty for the musical cognitive system to satisfy a specific type of human desire: that of creating with sound, utilizing and thinking with sounds. Communicating with sound!

To live musically gives the child the opportunity to develop meanings which go beyond those simply intellectual. Hence, the child exercises complex thoughts through experiencing music, by participating and integrating him/herself in this ‘difficult to define’ world.

When the child is capable to communicate emotional needs, he/she exteriorizes aesthetic meanings, treating the abstract in a concrete way and assigning objective meaning to other types of communication that he/she can create. Practicing music in groups unifies children. To listen to music created by another exercises communication abilities. To have your own music heard by others improves self-esteem. Music is not, however, a language.

It results from complex systems of sound utilization, which through form, structure, and the instruments it utilizes, concertizes itself through the works, and conveys meaning. This is why music has to be taught to be understood in all its complexity. The result for someone listening, or making music, is the exchange of emotions. And the exchange of emotions promotes simplicity in this interaction.

This exchange also deepens communication. These manipulations with sound and structural models must be linked to the context in which the individuals involved in the musical experience are into. Therefore, each musical experience communicates the disposition, creativity, and traces of different cultures, which reflect themselves in the processes of musical production, appreciation, and reproduction.

In this manner, in order for us to defend the idea that it is necessary to promote internal and external peace for mankind, we need to foment learning and musical experience for our children, since an early age.

Music is life. It involves us since it is a human creation. It can be created and executed by us throughout many phases of our development. It is in the satisfaction of making music that children involve themselves cognitively with processes of creativity, problem-solving, and gaining the initiative to take risks, to express themselves, and to evolve as a thinker and innovator. Musical learning leads to interpersonal relationships, acceptance by the group, the desire to create, and the motivation to communicate.

In the following paragraphs we will suggest some ideas about how to promote teaching/learning music in our families:

1 – How to lead the musical experience?

First, babies or young children need a favorable environment. It is necessary to create success values in the family. In order to have success it is necessary that the parents have courage and take risks to live happy days and each day more satisfying moments for their children. We can enumerate 10 aspects that must be considered if we would like to improve our success in creating a more musical environment for our children:

1 – SUCCESS! Believe that your child is capable to understand and to make music! In the least this will create a person with music appreciation and will be part of an audience that will understand and will derive satisfaction from quality music. S/he will capable to appreciate our collective and historical musical culture of mankind and will be able to maintain it and promote it.

2 – OPTIMISM! Yes, it is possible to appreciate, create, live, and become highly satisfied with the musical activity and learning! Many are those who did and still currently do this.

3 – INITIATIVE! Have in mind an action plan. See how the child is going to be exposed or become into contact with music. Will it be through and/or from listening since in utero? What kind of music will s/he listen to? Only after birth will you expose the baby to music? Who might sing to the baby (nursery rhymes or other songs)? Have you selected them?
Have you found out whether music from a particular musical instrument pleases the baby more? One must remember that any and all initiative must lead to experiencing music daily, and always in an environment of satisfaction and appreciation for music of good quality.

4 – GOALS! It is necessary to know where the family wants to arrive. It is necessary to ask whether experiencing music leads to increasing music appreciation in the family, community and county, or whether it is to develop musical performers/musicians. You should establish goals and follow the development of music cognitive skills and then this will lead to a decision of whether or not the child should dedicate him/herself to professional performance. If the child decides, between 6 and 10 years of age, that s/he wants to deepen his/her knowledge as a performer, new goals will have to be developed and implemented. We have to embrace the idea together with the child if this makes them happy and indeed encourage them to play and pursue the mastery of their favorite instrument.

5 – WORK! Work means regularity, seriously dedicating yourself to the compromise of providing the child with the opportunity to experience music everyday. Work means to develop, through music, habits and attitudes of musical execution. This means that there has to be dedication to learning music theory, vocal, instrumental, and improvisational practices. And that there must be a commitment to theoretical learning (musical concepts) and musical elements essential to the utilization of musical structures and schemes in the process of musical experiencing and creation .

6- COMMUNICATION! Music is an excellent medium for teaching us the importance of communication. A baby’s cry already is an element of communication and it is composed by notes and musical intervals. Many children sing, hum melodies long before they begin to speak. Therefore, when music is already being exercised and played, musical improvisation becomes an example of sophistication reached by those executing the process. It is possible that different culture see themselves through similarities of esthetic emotions promoted by listening to different songs, which bring in their scope similar musical ideas. It is possible for people from one culture to love and admire another due to their music. Music creates communication links and bridges the distance among men.

7- ATTITUDES! It is necessary to believe in the importance of teaching music in order for children to develop in a rich and healthy way. The alignment of the parents’ attitudes to that of valueing music, is understood and assimilated by the children. Parents that dislike classical or popular music, or any other type of music, pass this attitude down to their children. What matters is to help our children by giving them the opportunity to evolve, become better than ourselves, for the benefit of all of humanity.
In this context, attitude means to pass down to your children the family values of musical appreciation.

8- PERSISTENCE! Musical learning only becomes reality when the child has a desire/disposition to make music. In order for us to find our whether s/he has this disposition, s/he has to be exposed and has to experience music. Hence, it is necessary to give time and continuity to the exposure to music so that the cognitive development system can go through the appropriate stages. In order to develop cognitively in a musical context, it is necessary for the parents and children to remain persistent, which will result in the succession of levels which lead to each day deeper knowledge and complex specialized learning.

9- PRACTICING! All the steps above lead to a system of how to experience music. The child that experiences rewarding musical practice goes on to practice music, in a routine of instrumental study which will lead s/he to aesthetic expression through execution of his/her works or works of other composers.

10- CONCLUSION: The child’s process of experiencing music, with parental support, will lead to a unique reality: A dream has been visualized, goals have been set, and the participants have been persistent. There has been practicing of communication, training to reach the goals outlines, and a conclusion about what should be done at each step lived. To “live” and experience music and learning “how to make music” adds much to family life and this increment in quality provides improved communication in society. The overall result is a quest for the evolution of humanity, through the cultivation of art, intelligence, and emotion.

Music and Healing: The Power of Meaningful Words and Music.

We All Have a Favorite Piece of Music that Moves Us to a Special Place in Our Hearts. A Conversion About the Music We Love and How It Colors Our Lives.

JUSTIN:

My favorite piece of music, depends on the mood, jazz is music for all moods. My favorite jazz piece would be - as a sax player - My Favorite Things by Coltrane, or anything by Thelonios Monk. Soft lighting, Kalhua and milk and company always suits Monk or vice versa.

Driving is made for music so anything by crowded house makes a trip to anywhere (even work) worth it. How can a song sound so simplistic yet be difficult to play. what does Neil do?

but my favorite piece would be from the shine soundtrack, a piece called "Nulla in mundo pax" by Vivaldi, which I am listening to now.

EMELDA:

Every piece of music represents the expression of the composer of that music. The piece of music that I like the most is the piano instrumental music because it does not say in words as other kind of music. The person who listens to the instrumental music has to try to understand what messages the composer is trying to tell through the piece of music. It is challenging in finding the meaning. Furthermore, when I listen to the instrumental music, such as "A Maiden's Prayer" by T. Badarzewska, I believe that this piece is messaging us to surrender to God. If I got chance, I'd love to play my favorite pieces.

KENNY:
This is old stuff to those who know me, but I am a huge James Taylor Nut. And my favorite song is 'The Water is Wide'

Every time I hear it, I feel transformed to a different place, where everything is pensive, and people walk in the streets heartbroken, but with the hope that life will be kind to them again. It leaves me with a lump in my throat each time. There is something comforting in the song that leaves me appeased and convinced that whatever trial I'm facing, someone's faced it before, and someone's overcome it before.

That's what music should do. The song and the artist both inspire me endlessly. It inspires me in a way I hope that I can inspire people.

Listen to it if you can find it

TOLULOPE:

Many times, when I just close my eyes and listen to music I escape to this other level. It does something to appease me, as you put it feeding my soul I guess. I appreciate music very much, which to me is as much art as creating it. Music is a part of everyone's life, and everyone is connected to it in someway. For me it keeps me going when I'm down, or just makes me happy when I'm happy. I have music for all occasions. All in all, I'd be a very unhappy girl if music were suddenly taken away.

UGOCHUKWU:
At the end of a busy day..
I love listening to music. I did dancing and singing lessons when I was a child but never learnt to play an instrument. This year, at the ripe old age of 40, I decided to learn to read music and play the keyboard. It is all part of having a balanced life, setting goals and taking time for me to do the things that I enjoy.

My nine year old son and I now have lessons at home each week
and are encouraging each other to practice and enjoy our music. It is something we are doing together and I hope that my son
continues to enjoy music and continue playing as he grows up.
I love listening and now playing music to "switch off" and relax at the end of a busy day. I have only had a few lessons so far and play poorly, but I am enjoying it and improving week by week. My son is doing the same and we, as a family, are enjoying playing music, listening and singing along with our simple tunes. I consider the keyboard as my "best buy of the year 2000" so far!

OSHOMO:
Divinity..

Music embodies life. A physical and emotional manifestation of divinity, music is an integral part of the loving bond that has fulfilled us and strengthened us, and brought harmony to individuals, societies and nations around the world throughout time.

EMEKA:

Without Words..

Music is an expression of what is going on inside a persons' mind/heart. You don't need to concentrate to realise its power. I think the most moving music is music performed by an artist who is playing with a passion, who feels precisely, or deeply empathizes with, the meaning and feelings conveyed in the song.

I play the piano by ear. That is, I can listen to music and once the music has made an impression on me , I can more often than not, play back what I heard. I have always played the piano this way (since I was 4) and I wouldn't have it any other way because its made me sensitive to music - the melody, the beats, the volume and pace of songs.

The most wonderful thing I believe music can bring to a person is when a person can sit down with their instrument and play (and/or sing) whatever feelings they would otherwise keep bottled up inside them - the kind of feelings you just wouldn't be able to tell another person, the kind of feelings that only music can really bring comfort to.

Many times, when I just close my eyes and listen to music I escape to this other level. It does something to appease me, as you put it feeding my soul I guess. I appreciate music very much, which to me is as much art as creating it. Music is a part of everyone's life, and everyone is connected to it in someway. For me it keeps me going when I'm down, or just makes me happy when I'm happy. I have music for all occasions. All in all, I'd be a very unhappy girl if music were suddenly taken away.

Linda:

The most important things..

Music keeps me in touch with life, real life. It reminds me of the basics and the most important things. While we are all rushing around from day to day it is too easy to get wrapped up in 'getting it all' done and we forget to get in touch with ourselves and with each other often enough. Music takes us away and provides the ultimate escape for the soul - a renewal, and its free for the taking. We all need to take advantage of what it offers on a daily basis to stay in touch with 'life'.
Have a good day - and take some time out today to be embraced by music!!

HAKEEM:

How Music Moves Me

(Apart from the obvious way in wanting to get up and dance around!)
Music moves me in many ways but the most memorable experience I have had was (eyes closed, sitting in an armchair) listening to a particular piece of Mahler's. At one point the string section builds up to a high note which is so exquisitely haunting and sad that tears streamed down my face. I'm not sure if I knew at the time, but I now know that he wrote this music about the death of his child and I find it amazing that this emotion could be conveyed so clearly.

Most of the time music makes me glad to be alive, but I suppose this experience was more memorable because the emotion was so powerful.