Music is in everyone’s life. People encounter music in a variety of places on a daily basis. For example, music can be found in elevators, malls, schools, and cars. It is also used in television commercials to gain the audience’s attention and in movies and television shows to appeal to the emotional state of viewers. Both the young and the elderly spend time listening to their favorite music. Whether that be pop music, jazz music, rock music, rap, country music, classical music, or even the blues, all music brings joy and excitement to people.

Music has been in existence for thousands of years and can be found in cultures around the world. It allows people to express themselves in different forms and to communicate feelings without the use of words. Music bonds people together, whether that be with a lullaby between a mother and her child or a concert with friends. Music brings much entertainment, but could it also improve a person overall? Research says that the answer is yes. Music can better a person’s life, health, and even intelligence.

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The Transformative Power of Music: Enhancing Life, Health, and Intelligence

People like to listen to different types of music at different times. For example, while doing homework, one may desire to listen to relaxing classical music. However, while at the gym, one may want to hear music with a faster tempo, like rap. Tone and rhythm are responsible for the changes in our emotions. Music with a slow tempo tends to make a person’s heart slow down with it, and humans relate slow-paced music to sadness.

Music with a fast tempo makes people feel energized and happy. When listening to music, several parts of the brain are activated. These parts of the brain are associated with planning, attention, memory, and movement. Music changes our brain chemistry as well. There is a release of a hormone called serotonin and a neurotransmitter called dopamine in the brain. Also, with upbeat music, the hormone norepinephrine is released, causing feelings of exhilaration. Emotions play a huge role in our quality of life.

Music motivates and encourages people. Powerful music can change a person’s state of mind and overall mood. Songs with inspirational messages can help people change their lives by uplifting them and making them see the world more positively. Music can heal both the body and the soul by allowing the expression of feelings that are hard to say in words. For those struggling to find motivation, focusing on good music or a favorite song can make even the most mundane task more bearable and fight against fatigue and boredom. Music can inspire a person to keep going, to reach his or her goals, and to move on from the negativity in order to think positively.

Music’s Therapeutic Potential and Cognitive Enhancements

Because music makes such a large impact on people’s feelings and emotional well-being, music therapy has become a widely used practice. “Music therapy is a type of expressive arts therapy that uses music to improve and maintain the physical, psychological, and social well-being of individuals.” Music therapy helps patients feel more positive, confident, and hopeful. It allows patients to be able to express how they feel through song. Not only does music therapy improve how a person feels on the inside, it has been shown to improve a person’s fine motor skills. For example, the music therapist may hand a patient a drum, maraca, or tambourine. The therapist will then ask him or her to keep a steady beat and even play a rhythm. An activity such as this improves fine motor skills and emotions while the patient creates beats or rhythms and expresses himself or herself through music.

In addition, music therapy has been shown to improve the symptoms associated with several disorders. For example, children and adults with autism, a brain disorder that negatively affects communication and social skills, have demonstrated improvement in verbal and nonverbal skills and increased developmental processes through music therapy. Strategies used during music therapy have also been found to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and cerebral palsy. Music therapy is effective with children and adults with disabilities due to its multisensory experiences. All systems are engaged during music therapy, including the tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, and visual systems. Because of this, music therapy appeals to their sensory strengths and their needs while improving social interactions and those developmental deficits that adults and children with disabilities may experience.