The Importance of Music in Daily Life

Have you heard of the ‘Mozart Effect’? It is the name given to some research findings that indicated that if you listened to the music of the famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, you might actually become smarter. In fact, these days it is commonly believed that if you are trained in music at an early age, the parts of your brain that deal with reasoning and language also develop more.

As a human experience, there isn’t much that can surpass music. Humans have learnt to listen for music in pretty much every sound that nature or man can create. All sorts of events are made more significant by the music that is played. In fact, around the world, there are specific songs and types of music for specific events. For example, the Bridal Chorus (better known as ‘Here Comes the Bride’) is standard at formal church weddings, when the bride walks up the aisle towards the groom.

Everyday Music

Even in our daily lives, music plays a significant role, especially in this day and age. Go on any public transport or in any public area and you will find people standing around listening to music through their headphones which, in turn, are connected to their iPods or cell phones or MP3 players. Running, a sport that has become very popular amongst the general population, is just not complete without the proper playlist. There are plenty of people who swear that listening to music helps them concentrate on what they are doing much better. And the list goes on and on.

Genres

There are, of course, many different genres in music ranging from classical to pop to rock to hip hop and much more. Each genre has its own sub-divisions which means that if you stop and think about it, the styles of music are almost infinite. In fact, there is something for everyone – emo rock for those who are, well, emo to opera for those who prefer something with a story. Some people can become almost as passionate about the specific sub-genre of music they like as they generally are about more divisive topics such as religion and politics. Others prefer to listen to all sorts of different genres rather than just limiting themselves to one. The point is that unless you don’t like any kind of music at all, you will probably find a genre or many genres of music that you enjoy.

A Part of Education

Music has been a part of education since ancient times. The famous Greek philosopher Plato believed that music was an important part of education. He believed that music was necessary for the realization of the soul, just as gymnastics were necessary for the development and training of the body and mathematics was necessary for the development and training of the brain. Even on a more practical level, music can help you retain information better and more efficiently. Simply think about putting the multiplication tables to a song or learning grammar rules in the form of rap. Even learning how to play an instrument such as the guitar or the piano can have a profound effect on a child. This, however, does not mean that children should be forced to learn an instrument that they don’t want to. This type of coercion can be counter effective and leave the child with a distaste for music, or at least for that particular instrument.

Soothing and Relaxing

Places such as airport waiting areas or the doctor’s waiting room often have soft music playing, almost as though it were part of the background. Elevators play muzak and when you call customer service and are placed on hold, you hear music playing instead of just some sort of a dial tone. Why is this? Well, the popular saying, “Music soothes the savage breast” is most definitely true here. Most of the situations mentioned above can be quite tense. The music playing in the background influences you subconsciously and calms you down when you are angry, afraid or nervous. Without that music, there might be a lot more violence in the world.

There is no question that music influences us hugely. Whether it calms us when we are anxious or whips us into a frenzy when we are ready to party, music speaks to us on multiple levels. The very fact that we even describe many of nature’s sounds such as birdcalls as music speaks to how significant music is in our lives.

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