As my gentle fingers glide over the keys,
Memories stir in my mind like soft symphonies,
All emotions surface
with music giving a voice to thoughts I couldn’t speak.
On normal evenings, I go out for a walk with three things: my phone, my earbuds, and my peace of mind. Listening to music with the twilight glow reflecting on the leaves and shrubs I pass by, watching the orange sun fade into the horizon, is the most refreshing part of any day for me. Most often, my heart yearns for songs that resonate with hope and new beginnings. Other days, I feel like harmonizing with my favorite artists. On rare occasions at home, there are opportunities for my dog to catch me jerking my head to pop rock with a hairbrush as my microphone.
Music holds the power to inspire creativity and harness focus while also bringing comfort to the soul. Many times, I wonder how exactly music transports us to another realm. Every note reminds of a cherished moment with loved ones, as if floating among the soft crystal flakes inside a snow-globe, untouched by reality.
From the very first time my parents sang me lullabies, to the time I sang with them on New Year’s Eve, music has simply brought happiness and a sense of calm.
Psychological research states that by listening to music, our brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with a feeling of reward and motivation, when you hear just the first few seconds of your favorite song. In fact, a study by McGill University shows that nine percent of participants, when listening to music, experienced feelings of euphoria and joy.
As a student of psychology, the most astonishing discovery I have made is that music increases one’s oxytocin or “happy hormone” levels, which generate a feeling of social bonding and trust. When you attend concerts or sing with your friends, there is an emotional as well as a spiritual connection you build with others, which makes music a very powerful element to widen your social circle.
Music has been so effective in improving human beings’ emotional and social well-being, that a new branch called “music therapy” has been developed. By weaving specific melodies, rhythms, and beats together, psychologists orchestrate a symphony that helps patients manage their stress and anxiety and brings significant relief.
Another way in which music influences us is with its presence in the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. Music shapes the landscape for the perfect emotional roller coaster in any movie; whether it’s the blaze of tension, the thrill of action, the tears of joy or the jump-scares in horror films, each carries a different flavor of melodies, composed with the most unique and mind-blowing combinations of majors and minors in instruments.
One of my favorite background scores is “Hedwig’s Theme,” composed by the musical genius John Williams in each sequel of the Harry Potter series. This masterpiece opens with the sounds of a celeste (a keyboard instrument) which resembles tiny bells. This creates an ethereal sound that belongs in the imaginative world of Harry Potter. When you listen to the music, you notice that it paints the picture of wizards casting magical spells and performing charms using their wands. Gradually, a violin joins in, accompanied by the flute, harp, and strings, creating an aura of mystery with an eerie atmosphere. The composition, despite sending chills down your spine, conveys an image of elegance, befitting the ability of wizards to create magic with grace and poise in every movement.
Music is an omnipresent element of life. Be it the gurgling of the streams, the whistles of the soft wind, the chirps of a nightingale, the rustling leaves in a deciduous forest, even in silence where your heartbeat can be felt, music exists. Psychology professor Dr. Jason Rentfrow rightly said that “music is an expression of who we are.” Anything and everything it touches becomes priceless. It’s the language of the soul universally understood, by you, and by me.
