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Music has effects on each other and how we interact together. We experience music together which allows us to grow and share things together

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Impact of Music on Society - Sociological Effects

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How does music affect society? From cultural to emotional impact, Save the Music highlights how music can be an agent of change. ✓ Learn more!

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The science behind by music benefits your relationships. Music produces the dopamine that allows you to experience life more happy and full.

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Picture this: It's a Friday night, and instead of everyone retreating to their own corners of the house, the whole family gathers in the living room. The TV is off, and in its place, a playlist is blasting through the speakers. Why? Because tonight, it's all about music and bonding.

In this article, we're going to explore just how music can be the secret ingredient to bring families together.

From impromptu dance parties to road trip sing-alongs, we'll delve into five ways music can strengthen family ties and create unforgettable memories.

Music Affects Emotions

Have you ever been driving down the road and heard your favorite song on the radio? That rush of joy you feel when you turn up the volume and rock out to your favorite song with the windows down has a scientific explanation.

It's tempting to think that this excitement comes from a fond memory of the past, reminding you of when you first heard the song. While that is true in part, there's a lot more to it.

An actual change occurs in the part of the brain that links the memory of hearing music with emotion. Listening to a favorite song from your past triggers the pleasure circuit of the brain and tells it to release a shot of dopamine and other neurochemicals that create a sense of satisfaction.

Sharing experiences like this as a family can be a wonderful way to leverage the good that music has to offer.

What is Dopamine?

Dopamine has been called " the pathway to pleasure," and is classified as one of the four feel-good hormones along with serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin.

It's activated by the reward system in the brain and primarily serves to help us feel pleasure.

When listening to music, dopamine enhances learning, attention, mood, and movement (think of those songs you can't help but dance to!).

What is it about music that activates this dopamine release?

How does music reward the brain?

The rhythm, melody, or harmony created in a musical piece sets expectations for the brain as it engages the auditory system. When these expectations are met - such as correctly singing all the words to a ballad - the brain activates the reward pathway and produces dopamine.

Successful predictions become rewarding to the brain by activating neurons of the dopaminergic system and its related areas.
- Dr. Patrick E. Savage, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University

Even when guessing the lyrics wrong, the brain views this game as a learning opportunity. The mere expectation of the next sound can release dopamine as the mind tries to guess the next logical sound or word.

Read more about how music affects us mentally, physically, and socially, along with the benefits of listening to music.

Music Affects Relationships

One of the most important benefits of music is its ability to create a sense of belonging between individuals. Music has been linked to forming both social closeness and familial bonds.

Kids typically have a different taste in music than adults, and they use it more to bond with their friends. Nevertheless, parents can still join in the fun.

Whether or not a parent prefers the same artists and genres as their children, as parents choose to engage with their children's music choices and share experiences with them, they can enjoy deepened relationships and create lasting memories.

From playing "name that tune" with kids to creating playlists with your teens, music is unlike any other tool that brings people together and strengthens family bonds.

Creates social bonds

Researchers have been trying to understand why musicality has existed for centuries. Darwin called it an evolutionary puzzle. But the growing body of knowledge suggests that music plays an integral role in social bonding.

One way social bonding forms is through identity fusion.

Source: Cambridge University Press
This "oneness" comes from a sense of belonging to a certain social group and can be created through shared musical activities.

Teens who attend a school dance, listen to music in the car with friends, or talk about music with their peers engage in social bonding.

With this knowledge, we can leverage music choices and experiences in our families to create deeper social connections.

Creates familial bonds

Kids need to know they are part of a family, even when they sometimes push us away. In today's fast-paced society where technology is king, we need every chance we can get to bond with them. Music can create opportunities to forge strong family connections.

Research shows that the effects are magnified when social bonding is applied in a family setting. Within the home environment, music creates a deeper, emotional connection.

Whether experiencing the first instances of musical bonding between a mother and infant or listening to music together as a group, family identity and social closeness are fostered and can continue throughout a child's entire life.

Shared musical activities are often easier for parents of infants, but they are just as critical for parents of toddlers, older children, and teenagers.

This is great news for parents of teenagers who sometimes find it difficult to communicate or form commonalities.

Connecting Through Music

Everyday activities can become powerful opportunities for parents to deepen social bonds with their children. Consider these five activities to add more music to family life.

1. Create a playlist for family outings

Heading on a family road trip? Plan to go boating this summer? Any family outing is a great opportunity to add music and deepen a parent-child bond.

These family activities naturally lend themselves to creating memorable moments together and encourage social closeness. Couple them with a great playlist and those memories will become part of the family identity and strengthen the bond between everyone.

2. Perform for each other during karaoke night

When families feel comfortable performing music for one another, they'll likely feel more comfortable talking together. This may be a helpful way to break the ice for families who are having a hard time finding space for conversations.

Including favorites from each family member will ensure everyone has a pleasant time. Try to have lyrics available so no one feels intimidated by not knowing the words.

Don't know where to begin? Musical soundtracks are always a good place to start. Consider services that provide filters or remove songs with explicit lyrics.

3. Play your high school favorites

Parents spend so much time getting to know their kids and thinking of what to say - or not say - to help them. It's important to teach children a little about ourselves. Sharing our identity with our kids from before we were parents can help them see us as people, not just authoritarians.

They may laugh at us as we tell them about our old-school hair-dos, our retro outfits, and especially our "odd" taste in music, but they will certainly remember what we share and why it's important to us.

They may even think we were pretty cool and our stories could inspire them to be more authentic themselves.

4. Sing in the car

Often, the best chances to connect with children come as part of a daily routine. While kids are busy with extracurricular activities, adults are often the ones driving them.

Parents can take this opportunity to incorporate music on the drive. Settling on a type of music everyone can enjoy may be a battle, but the concession is worth the effort.

Besides, you might find out just what kind of music your child likes, and that is important information to have.

5. Start a dance party

Parents don't have to be good at dancing to bust a move. Research shows that coordinated, synchronous movement to music can deepen social bonds.

Kids learn to move before they learn to read or sing. To allow them to move is to allow them to be some essential part of themselves with you in an important way.
-Aili Bresnahan, Philosophy Professor at the University of Dayton & former dancer

While you may not feel coordinated, you will have successfully created a moment between you and your child that will help them feel closer to you.

So, turn up the volume and show them your skills! Better yet, ask your teenager to teach you the latest dance trends. It's guaranteed to be a moment neither of you will forget.

Always Worth the Effort

Music's benefits can be experienced in isolation or used as a powerful tool to connect families. Informal family bonding time can become a treasured, core memory.

As parents turn off screens and enjoy music together with their kids, they not only help prevent the dangers of excessive screen time, they deepen family connections.

If you are looking for a safe music streaming platform for kids, check out Gabb Music.

What did we miss?

Any ideas we missed that are worth considering?

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How Can Music Bring Us Together? Five Ways to Connect as a Family

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Music has a powerful affect, not only on your mood, but on your relationships. Learn more how music can connect you with your loved ones.

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The different ways music is accessible to our fingertips

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Adding music to your videos, can make it more engaging and results in people watching it for longer

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Do you create videos for your company? Whether you're creating YouTube videos for your business, releasing video ads or explainers, or creating educational content, adding background music behind the main dialogue takes your video from boring to watchable. Choosing the right music is so important, but why?

Video is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to reaching your target audience today, whether it's through promotional content or telling a narrative or story. While visuals are the primary focus of a video, music is a significant facet of what makes the medium such an engaging form of content. The right background music is like a pair of glasses. You need them to see the vision of the video clearly, but the right ones disappear into the background, allowing you to enjoy the experience.

If you take a look at some of the most successful and effective video content made by top brands or influential creators, you'll see that their use of background music of different genres from different artists helps their videos stand out. Using music in your videos can make them more professional, expressive, and enjoyable for viewers.

1) Set The Tone & Evoke Emotion

Try to think of long-form video content like movies or TV without any background music for the entire piece. You can't, can you? That's because music allows the viewer to connect to what they're seeing.

Romance, combat, suspense- the right music behind the action helps evoke the emotions of that particular scene. You can even add humor to a video by pairing a simple task with tense music or dropping the beat right when the punchline occurs.

When you want to create an emotional connection between your video and your audience, music is one of the fastest and easiest ways to do so. You can liven up your viewers with high-tempo beats or encourage them to be more contemplative with slow, steady rhythms. Background music is a powerful tool.

Viewers also expect and appreciate music behind their video content. They're accustomed to hearing it, taking cues from it, and moving from one scene to the next with it. Whether it's a reality TV show, a file, a YouTube video, or an ad, viewers want music with their video.

The somewhat subconscious effect music has can enhance your viewers' experience and truly allow you to create the right mood.

Here's an example of a video using music to evoke a connection with the audience.

2) Create More Dynamic & Interesting Videos

People nowadays have shorter attention spans when they're simply browsing or scrolling. Media and advertising are oversaturated in the current landscape, and this is unlikely to change. While it can be difficult to stand out, we're encouraged from a young age to respond to music and interact with it.

Background music engages your audience and captures their attention because it gives their brain a textural component to grab onto. People, in general, are very sensitive to musical cues. We even expect them to a certain extent. You can help viewers remain focused on your message when you pair it with interesting music.

Music can add texture, color, and depth to your video and keep your viewers engaged by adding a layer of enhanced interest that reinforces the message you're trying to convey.

Here is another example of a video. This time one that uses music to keep you watching.

3) Music Takes Your Video To The Next Level

The overall production value and cohesiveness of your video can also improve by adding music. Professional, well-constructed videos that flow appeal to viewers more. Background music bolsters video transitions, allowing them to appear smoother as things flow from one idea or scene to the next, particularly if you're using jump cuts.

Background music can also fill in moments that would otherwise be silent, creating a more enjoyable experience that could seem like "dead air" if you were to leave it just a visual with no sound.

Sometimes there is only unrelated noise, such as street noise. Instead of an awkward gap, the music maintains the energy of the moment and keeps your viewers engaged.

Complete silence in a video can actually be very uncomfortable, and many will think it's unusual. You could even see poor viewer numbers because they've lost interest and their minds are wandering. Background music can even disguise microphone hiss or tamp down the distracting wind noise from an outdoor shoot.

Background music enhances the other main elements of the video. It helps people stay engaged, encourages them to feel the emotions you're trying to evoke and enhances the professionalism and entertainment value of your brand videos.

Here is one more example of a video that truly takes it to the next level with music.

So, now that you know why it's important to use music, how do you go about getting it for your video?

How To Get Music Added To Your Videos

Not all brands have a professional video editor on hand who might have access to a library of stock music that's approved to use in videos. Hiring in-house can be expensive and finding the right person can take a great deal of time. If you're looking for a freelancer the results and available tools can be hit or miss. Worse, if you don't have a large budget you may be sacrificing the quality of music for a lower price tag.

There are also stock music sites that provide access to music that you can use with your videos. However, the options for premium music often come with a price tag, and if you'll be doing this frequently it can quickly get expensive to purchase individual songs for each video. Additionally, if you'll need other editing services for your videos, a professional will likely have the tools necessary to ensure the sound quality and clipping are the best they can be.

When you need high-quality video editing, including adding background music and sound editing, as well as graphic design, copywriting, and more, a flat-rate creative services subscription can offer access to all the required assets and tools to create an engaging video for a flat monthly rate.

The most beneficial of these types of subscriptions is the comprehensive option you can find at Flocksy.

Getting The Perfect Music for Video with Flocksy

With Flocksy video creation and editing services, you can enhance your video project with background music right from the intuitive dashboard and get the audience-engaging effects you want in no time.

Starting a background music project for your video is easy.

All you need to do is go to the project request page by clicking the "Create new project" option on the dashboard. You'll first select the option for a video project, and from there, you'll want to choose "add background music" as the subcategory.

There are also several other categories to choose from if your video needs additional edits, including openings, transitions, and subtitles. Now, you'll want to describe your project and the type of music you'd like to use. Remember what we talked about and consider the mood you'd like to evoke and the actions you want your audience to take. You can even include reference videos and links to music or styles that you enjoy.

Another good idea is to provide the video editors with a description of what your goal is for the video, what you'll be using it for, and if there is a particular style you're trying to emulate. It's possible your video editor can provide additional guidance to ensure the video captures your audience's attention and leaves them wanting more.

Soon, you'll have a professional video that's been edited by someone who can capture your vision with the highest quality and speed.

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The Power of Adding Background Music to Your Video

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Here's why you need to add background music to your videos and the best way to go about doing so with the help of Flocksy.

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There was no actual person that invented music since it has always been part of our nature, but there were early forms of recognition in every aspect

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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com.
Who invented music? - Rom, age 7, Las Vegas, Nevada

The short answer is: No one knows who invented music.

No historical evidence exists to tell us exactly who sang the first song, or whistled the first tune, or made the first rhythmic sounds that resembled what we know today as music.

But researchers do know it happened thousands of years ago. The earliest civilizations throughout Africa, Europe and Asia had music. Back then, many believed it was a divine creation, a gift from the gods.

Indeed, gods and goddesses from many religions and mythologies are associated with music. Stories and works of art tell us that the African god Àyàn was a drummer; the Greek god Apollo played the lyre, a string instrument. In the Book of Genesis, Jubal - a descendant of Adam - is identified as the father of the harp and flute.

Scientists will probably never be able to credit one person, or even a group of people, with music's invention. But as a musicologist - that's someone who studies the history of music - I've seen many artifacts and much evidence that can help us understand how and why the ancients played music.

Singing

Some scholars say singing was the first kind of musical sound. Not that people back then were crooning full-length songs. Instead, they made simpler vocal sounds - perhaps just a few notes put together. If that's true, perhaps early humans began to speak and sing at about the same time.

Why did they sing? Maybe they had an impulse to imitate something beautiful, like bird sounds. Vocal imitations of other animal sounds, however, may have been used for hunting, like a modern-day duck call.

It's also possible singing was a way to communicate with infants and toddlers, like early versions of lullabies. But again, people were not singing complete melodies or songs; our modern lullabies - like " Rock-a-bye Baby " - took centuries to develop.

Singing in Catholic churches throughout Europe during the Middle Ages is well documented. At first there was only a single vocal melody, sung either by a soloist or a small group of male clergy. Nuns also learned to sing in convents. Later, polyphony became increasingly common - when two, three or four voices would each sing different melodies, adding to the complexity of the sound.

Instruments

Archaeologists have helped musicologists learn about ancient musical instruments from the artifacts they've uncovered. For example, they have found flutes and whistles made of bone, pottery and stone.

The archaeologists used a process known as carbon-14 dating to find out how old the bone instruments were. All living organisms - animals, plants and people - have some carbon-14 in them; when they die, the amount of carbon-14 decreases, little by little, over years, decades and centuries.

When the scientists measured how much carbon-14 was left in the flutes - which were made from the bones of large birds - they discovered some of the instruments were more than 30,000 years old!

In Japan, some ancient whistles and rattles, made of stone or clay, are about 6,000 years old. Through their small blowholes, these instruments created high, shrill tones. Those using them may have thought the sounds were somehow magical, and it's possible they played them during religious rituals. Some of those stone whistles can still make sounds.

In China, pottery bells, which may be the ancestors to bronze bells, appeared at least 4,000 years ago. In Greece, instruments like the krotola, a set of hollow blocks bound with leather, were played 2,500 years ago. The Greeks also used finger cymbals and frame drums - similar to the kind you might use at school.

Musical instruments could also be associated with different types of people. Shepherds played the syrinx, a whistlelike instrument, known today as the pan flute. It was a simple instrument that was easy to take into the fields. The aulos was a more sophisticated woodwind instrument consisting of two pipes. Because it took more skill to play the aulos, you would need training from a teacher - or perhaps, if you were wealthy, you could just hire experienced musicians to play for you.

Manuscripts and artwork

In Africa, 4,000-year-old rock paintings and engravings found in Egyptian tombs show musicians playing what appear to be harps.

Greek pottery often depicts musical scenes; these images often appeared on vases and urns. The settings, though, are often unclear. Whether the musicians were part of a festival or celebration, or simply playing for their own entertainment, is not always known.

Handmade medieval manuscripts also provide clues. Illustrations with ink, and sometimes gold leaf, often show musicians playing an instrument.

A world without music

Can you imagine living today without music? I can't. Not only does it entertain and enthrall, it allows us to communicate emotions. Music helps us celebrate joyful events and consoles us when we're sad or in pain. Certainly, ancient music made its listeners feel powerful emotions, just as music throughout this century and beyond will do the same. Think for a moment what music in the 22nd century might sound like. And who knows? Maybe - in about 78 years - you'll find out.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you'd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live. And since curiosity has no age limit - adults, let us know what you're wondering, too. We won't be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.

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Who invented music? The search for stone flutes, clay whistles and the dawn of song

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Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you'd like an expert to answer, send it to curiouskidsus@theconversation.com. Who invented music? - Rom, age 7, Las Vegas, Nevada The short answer is: No one knows who invented music.

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Surprisingly the piano wasn't invented until 1876 and that being one of the most common instruments, meant there were not that many instruments at the time

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Music is found everywhere, but mostly in nature, as it is some animals DNA to make noise. Like a bird or cricket, they are genetically crafted to provide music for the world.

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Not only do the listeners benefit from the live performance, but the musician feeds off the energy from an audience

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Recordings are, by nature, performances in quite an unnatural environment. Microphones squat beneath you and leer over your shoulders, wires and cables snake around the floor, and there is no audience, no one to hear the results of your efforts in the immediate moment. How different does it feel to record session music compared with performing in a live concert? Is there any difference at all?
1950s Orchestra Recording Session
In the olden days, recordings were much more like a live performance due to the lack of sophisticated editing techniques.

When we attend a live performance, part of the thrill of the experience is engaging with the performer, seeing them express themselves, witnessing the effort and risk-taking they put into making music. It is partly this risk-taking that gives the live performance its thrill. In a session, however, obtaining an accurate result is the most important thing. There may well still be room for expression and spontaneity, but neither of these should come at the expense of the accuracy of the music.

This makes sense: music underscoring some sort of media is just one part of the puzzle. As session musicians, we're feeding into a bigger picture, and so have to trust the direction we receive from the control room. As mentioned previously, it's exciting to be part of such a complex artistic jigsaw, but it is certainly a different kind of excitement to perform live to an audience. Neither is better or worse - indeed, some may argue that you actually have to be more expressive in a session precisely because there is no audience. You need to make sure the intention of the music transmits over large distances and time scales and as such requires even more effort.

However, this is ultimately up to the music supervisor to direct and comes down to personal preference and what the aim of the project is. I've been in sessions where I've been encouraged to be myself and let my individuality come through, and others where there's been a much drier approach. It's a nice challenge to respond as well as we can to what's being required of us, and we never know which way it's going to go until we turn up on the day!

In a live performance, while the audience connects to the musician, the opposite is also obviously true: musicians feed off the connections established during a concert. In a studio, your only audience is a few microphones and some blurry faces behind several layers of thick soundproof glass. It can feel quite unnatural 'performing' to an empty room, but it's just a different kind of communication. While in a live concert my playing is inherently 'outwards', towards the audience, recording sessions afford us the opportunity to turn inwards, to explore sounds and feelings without the pressure of performing in the moment.

We can explore the same material again and again, and to work with a producer and composer like this is its own kind of 'performance', in a way. Where live performances offer us opportunities to take risks, recordings let us investigate and develop things over time, working towards a longer-term goal.

Recording sessions aren't for everyone - it can feel a little transient, turning up one day, not knowing what you're going to see, recording the music, then leaving, in all likelihood never seeing that music again - but it's a fascinating process to be a part of. You can still take risks and find exciting moments in sessions, and give a thrilling performance - just don't expect any applause at the end.
"A Whole New World" Recording Session
Recording the famous 'A Whole New World' from Disney's Aladdin - performers have to imagine an audience even when they're in an insulated booth, completely alone!
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What's better - recording music or performing it live?

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One musician talks about the very different experiences of recording music in the studio and giving a live performance for an audience.

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Even though we all speak different languages and come from different backgrounds, we all feel music and hear the same notes which allows us to speak through music together

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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "Music is the universal language of mankind." Scientists at Harvard have just published the most comprehensive scientific study to date on music as a cultural product, which supports the American poet's pronouncement and examines what features of song tend to be shared across societies.

The study was conceived by Samuel Mehr, a fellow of the Harvard Data Science Initiative and research associate in psychology, Manvir Singh, a graduate student in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, and Luke Glowacki, formerly a Harvard graduate student and now a professor of anthropology at Pennsylvania State University.

They set out to address big questions: Is music a cultural universal? If that's a given, which musical qualities overlap across disparate societies? If it isn't, why does it seem so ubiquitous? But they needed a data set of unprecedented breadth and depth. Over a five-year period, the team hunted down hundreds of recordings in libraries and private collections of scientists half a world away.

"We are so used to being able to find any piece of music that we like on the internet," said Mehr, who is now a principal investigator at Harvard's Music Lab. "But there are thousands and thousands of recordings buried in archives. At one point, we were looking for traditional Celtic music and we found a call number in the [Harvard] library system and librarian told us we needed to wait on the other side of the library because there was more room over there. Twenty minutes later this poor librarian comes out with a cart of about 20 cases of reel-to-reel recordings of Celtic music."

Mehr added those reel tapes to the team's growing discography, combining it with a corpus of ethnography containing nearly 5,000 descriptions of songs from 60 human societies. Mehr, Singh, and Glowacki call this database The Natural History of Song.

Their questions were so compelling that the project rapidly grew into a major international collaboration with musicians, data scientists, psychologists, linguists, and political scientists. Published in Science this week, it represents the team's most ambitious study yet about music.
Manvir Singh, a graduate student in Harvard's department of Human Evolutionary Biology, studied indigenous music and performance as a part of his fieldwork. Here Mentawai children in Siberut Island, Indonesia, are practicing in a kitchen. Video courtesy of Manvir Singh.
Music appears in every society observed.

"As a graduate student, I was working on studies of infant music perception, and I started to see all these studies that made claims about music being universal," Mehr said. "How is it that every paper on music starts out with this big claim, but there's never a citation backing that up ... Now we can back that up."

They looked at every society for which there was ethnographic information in a large online database, 315 in all, and found mention of music in all of them. For the discography, they collected 118 songs from a total of 86 cultures, covering 30 geographic regions. And they added the ethnographic material they'd collected.

"I started to see all these studies that made claims about music being universal. How is it that every paper on music starts out with this big claim but there's never a citation backing that up ... Now we can back that up."

- Samuel Mehr, researcher

The team and their researchers coded the ethnography and discography that makes up the Natural History of Song into dozens of variables. They logged details about singers and audience members, the time of day and duration of singing, the presence of instruments, and more for thousands of passages about songs in the ethnographic corpus. The discography was analyzed four different ways: machine summaries, listener ratings, expert annotations, expert transcriptions.

They found that, across societies, music is associated with behaviors such as infant care, healing, dance, and love (among many others, like mourning, warfare, processions, and ritual). Examining lullabies, healing songs, dance songs, and love songs in particular, they discovered that songs that share behavioral functions tend to have similar musical features.

"Lullabies and dance songs are ubiquitous, and they are also highly stereotyped," Singh said. "For me, dance songs and lullabies tend to define the space of what music can be. They do very different things with features that are almost the opposite of each other."

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New Harvard study says music is universal language

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Scientists at Harvard published a study on music as a cultural product, which examines what features of song tend to be shared across societies.

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This is touching because music really is everywhere, you just have to be observant enough to hear and appreciate it

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One health benefit is improvement of sleep which can be crucial to students in school. Classical music was being used to start treating insomnia as it calms the brain

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Abstract

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to investigate the effects of music on sleep quality in young participants with poor sleep.

Background: Sleep disorders may result in fatigue, tiredness, depression and problems in daytime functioning. Music can reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, decrease anxiety, blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate and may have positive effects on sleep via muscle relaxation and distraction from thoughts. Control groups have not been used in most previous studies.

Methods: We used a three-group repeated measures design. Ninety-four students (aged between 19 and 28 years) with sleep complaints were studied in 2006. Participants listened for 45 minutes either to relaxing classical music (Group 1) or an audiobook (Group 2) at bedtime for 3 weeks. The control group (Group 3) received no intervention. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index before the study and weekly during the intervention. Depressive symptoms in experimental group participants were measured using the Beck Depression Inventory.

Results: Repeated measures anova revealed a main effect of TIME (P < 0.0001) and an interaction between TIME and GROUPS (P < 0.0001). Post hoc tests with Bonferroni correction showed that music statistically significantly improved sleep quality (P < 0.0001). Sleep quality did not improve statistically significantly in the audiobook and the control group. Depressive symptoms decreased statistically significantly in the music group (P < 0.0001), but not in the group listening to audiobooks.

Conclusion: Relaxing classical music is an effective intervention in reducing sleeping problems. Nurses could use this safe, cheap and easy to learn method to treat insomnia.

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Jespersen KV, Pando-Naude V, Koenig J, Jennum P, Vuust P. Jespersen KV, et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Aug 24;8(8):CD010459. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010459.pub3. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022. PMID: 36000763 Free PMC article. Review.

Study on the Intervention Effect of Music on Insomnia of College Students.

Dos Santos LM. Dos Santos LM. J Healthc Eng. 2022 Feb 9;2022:4037240. doi: 10.1155/2022/4037240. eCollection 2022. J Healthc Eng. 2022. PMID: 35548481 Free PMC article. Retracted. Clinical Trial.

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sleep initiation and maintenance disorders / diagnosis

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sleep initiation and maintenance disorders / therapy*

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national center for biotechnology information

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Music improves sleep quality in students - PubMed

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Relaxing classical music is an effective intervention in reducing sleeping problems. Nurses could use this safe, cheap and easy to learn method to treat insomnia.

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Many schools make it a requirement for students to participate in musical groups because they are aware of the benefits. Studies show that majority of students continue with the group even after requirement is out of play.

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Front Psychol. 2022; 13: 1056542.

Abstract

Introduction

Music is central in the lives of adolescents. While listening is usually the most common form of engagement, many adolescents also learn music formally by participating in school-based and extracurricular programs. This study examined positive youth development (PYD), school connectedness (SC), and hopeful future expectations (HFE) in middle school students ( N  = 120) with four levels of musical participation in school-based and extracurricular music programs. Levels of participation were based on students' engagement in different music programs, including the Virtual Middle School Music Enrichment (VMSME), a tuition-free, extracurricular program that focuses on popular music education and virtual learning. We also investigated student listening preferences, musical tuition, and daily instrumental practicing.

Method

Study participants completed an anonymous, online survey that contained five self-report measures including the very-brief form of the PYD questionnaire, a scale of school connectedness, and a scale of HFE.

Results

Findings revealed significant differences in PYD scores by grade and gender, and associations between levels of musical participation and competence, a PYD component. Liking music and participation in extracurricular activities predicted scores on SC, and starting formal music education before age 8 predicted scores in HFE. We also found VMSME students to stem from neighborhoods with lower HDI than students in the other study groups, which points to issues of access to formal music education.

Discussion

Findings are discussed in light of earlier research on PYD, extracurricular activities in adolescence, the ubiquity and functions of music in adolescence, and deficit thinking in education.

Keywords: positive youth development, popular music education, middle school, extracurricular activities, adolescence, music

Introduction

From its early beginnings, research on adolescence has been rooted on perspectives of deficit. "Storm and stress," "developmental disturbance," and "crisis" are terms that were used in the past when referring to adolescence (see Lerner, 2007; Bowers et al., 2010; Shek et al., 2019). These terms have accompanied the construction of a pervasive view of adolescents as "problems to be managed" ( Bowers et al., 2010, p. 720). In light of such a view, a wide range of prevention programs were developed over the years to target problems like depression, delinquency, antisocial behavior, and substance use ( Lerner, 2007). This is understandable as it is probably easier to focus on what young people should avoid like violence and drugs, or "not experience" (e.g., mental health issues) than to reach an agreement on experiences and adolescent characteristics that might enhance their lives, and help them thrive ( Bowers et al., 2010, p. 720). Deficit thinking often hinders our capacity to view the strengths of young people and their potential to contribute positively to their communities. As a dominant paradigm, deficit thinking not only shapes research, practice and policy, but may also fuel a mistrust in young people and, consequently, interfere with "the natural and inherent capacity of human collectives (e.g., cities) to be community" ( Benson, 2007, p.33).

In the past years, a new approach to adolescent development emerged. Moving away from the dominant paradigm of adolescence as a time of deficit that had been so pervasive in earlier research in psychology, education, developmental science and public health, positive youth development (PYD) focuses on the strengths of young people and their potential to contribute to society ( Bowers et al., 2010; Lerner et al., 2011a; Shek et al., 2019). PYD has been conceptualized in multiple ways. Different frameworks and conceptual models have emerged in the literature, all predicated on individual-context relations that promote positive development in youth ( Lerner et al., 2011a). In this study, we adopted Lerner's Five Cs Model of PYD as our main theoretical framework ( Lerner et al., 2011b). This model is not only well supported by empirical work, but also has been applied to the design and evaluation of programs aimed at youth ( Bowers et al., 2010; Lewin-Bizan et al., 2010).

Theoretical underpinnings: The Five C's Model of PYD

Grounded on developmental systems theories, the Five Cs Model of PYD posits that positive development happens when the strengths of youth, such as their potential for growth and brain plasticity, are aligned with developmental assets ( Bowers et al., 2010). Developmental assets theory, in turn, is based on conceptions of the developing individual, the context in which this individual is situated, and the dynamic interactions between them ( Benson, 2007). This theory also takes into account the saliency of developmental processes like identity construction and issues of self-evaluation, autonomy and meaning making in adolescence, and adopts a view of adolescents as agentic beings who act upon and impact their contexts ( Benson, 2007). The theoretical construct of developmental assets, therefore, refers to a group of environmental and interpersonal strengths that are known to promote and enhance educational and health outcomes in childhood and adolescence ( Benson, 2007).

Developmental assets can be divided into internal (i.e., those related to dispositions, skills, competencies and commitments) and external (i.e., those related to contextual and relational issues within communities). Internal assets include commitment to learning (e.g., achievement motivation, school engagement and attitudes toward school), positive values (e.g., caring, responsibility, honesty), social competencies (e.g., interpersonal and cultural competence, resilience), and a positive identity (e.g., sense of purpose, positive view of one's future). External assets are support systems (e.g., family support, parental involvement in school, positive family communication, caring school climate), empowerment (e.g., safety, service to others, youth as resources), boundaries and expectations (e.g., family and school boundaries, adult role models, high expectations), and constructive use of time (e.g., creative activities, youth programs; see Benson, 2007, pp. 7-9).

The positive development that emerges from the alignment of these developmental assets with the strengths of adolescence have been operationalized by five key domains known as "Five 5Cs" ( Lerner et al., 2005; Lerner, 2007). The Five Cs of PYD emerged from earlier empirical research in adolescence, and from experiences of and language used by practitioners working with young people when defining youth "who are thriving." Competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring & compassion are the Five Cs of PYD ( Lerner, 2007; Bowers et al., 2010). Competence refers to positive views of one's actions in social (e.g., interpersonal skills), academic (e.g., school grades, test scores), cognitive (e.g., decision making and self-regulation) and vocational (e.g., career-related explorations and entrepreneurship) areas. Confidence is an internal sense of positive self-worth and self-efficacy. Connection relates to positive, reciprocal relationships with peers, family members, schools and communities. Character refers to one's respect for social and cultural norms, integrity and a "moral compass," as well as standards for correcting behaviors. As Park (2004) suggested, character strengths such as kindness, optimism, hope and social self-control function as a buffer against mental and physical health issues, helping youth thrive. Finally, Caring & Compassion refer to sympathy, empathy and prosociality toward others ( Bowers et al., 2010). Development in these five domains over time may lead to contribution, a sixth domain. Contribution expands beyond the self, and is associated with family, community, and civil society ( Acosta et al., 2021; Bowers et al., 2010). Adolescents who manifest the Five Cs over time are more likely to make contributions to society (i.e., the sixth C), and are also less likely to be on a life journey that is marked by risk and problem behavior ( Bowers et al., 2010). While PYD does not postulate happiness as one of its goals, the development of the 5Cs is "consistent with the acquisition of habits that lead to happiness in the eudaimonic sense" ( Romer and Hansen, 2021, p. 84).

PYD, extracurricular activities and music participation

As noted, PYD has been used in research and as a framework to develop and evaluate programs aimed at young people ( Bowers et al., 2010). PYD has also been associated with young people's participation in organized activities, including extracurricular programs that take place during out-of-school time ( Mueller et al., 2011; Ettekal and Agans, 2020; Sorsdahl et al., 2021). A large number of U.S. children and adolescents participate regularly in one or more forms of organized activities ( Pew Research Center, 2015). The term organized activities has been adopted by some scholars when referring to regimented, extracurricular activities that occur outside the school curriculum such as afterschool and youth programs held in schools, churches, community centers and clubs ( Bohnert et al., 2010). These programs typically center around athletics, artistic and academic areas, tend to be structured and led by adults, and are typically designed and delivered for youth of similar ages at regular, pre-scheduled times ( Friedman, 2013).

Several studies have examined outcomes derived from participation in a wide range of extracurricular program offerings (e.g., Howie et al., 2010; Metsäpelto and Pulkkinen, 2014; Ilari et al., 2016; Zarobe and Bungay, 2017; Molinuevo et al, 2010). A closer examination of these works suggests that outcomes are associated with demographics, individual/person factors (e.g., motivations and dispositions, interests), peer relations, family influence, and community characteristics and affordances. Because participation in extracurricular activities is multifaceted, their outcomes are also said to be mediated by breadth (number and types of activities), intensity (time devoted to activities), duration (months or years of participation), consistency of participation (regularity of participation) and individual levels of engagement (e.g., emotional, social, physical, cognitive; see Busseri et al., 2006; Bohnert et al., 2010; Oberle et al., 2019).

A solid body of evidence exists to support the association between prolonged participation in extracurricular activities and positive developmental outcomes (e.g., Catalano et al., 2002; Mueller et al., 2011). Aside from developing specialized skills in areas like music, dance, sports and academics, sustained participation in extracurricular programs may enhance cognitive, motor and socioemotional skills in children and youth ( Mahoney et al., 2005; Fredricks and Eccles, 2006; Metsäpelto and Pulkkinen, 2014; Hedemann and Frazier, 2017; Zarobe and Bungay, 2017; Ilari et al., 2019). This includes the reduction of boredom and antisocial behaviors, and an increase in self-control, self-esteem and empathy in young people ( Bone et al., 2021). Participation in extracurricular programs has also been associated with educational attainment and college admission, civil engagement in adulthood, and social mobility of youth from underserved communities ( Snellman et al., 2015). These outcomes have been partly explained in terms of the characteristics and affordances of specific programs, which may allow youth to develop initiative and leadership skills, grit, socioemotional skills, agency and a sense of belonging ( Mueller et al., 2011; Snellman et al., 2015; Zarobe and Bungay, 2017).

Extracurricular music programs may be particularly suitable for PYD, given the associations between musical engagement and psychosocial and emotional wellbeing ( Saarikallio and Erkkila, 2007; McFerran et al., 2019; OECD, 2021), self-regulation ( Krause et al., 2021), executive functioning ( Hennessy et al., 2019), and community building ( Eerola and Eerola, 2014). To date, only a handful of studies have examined adolescent participation in extracurricular music programs through the lens of PYD, most of which through qualitative approaches (e.g., Barrett and Bond, 2015; Hickey, 2018; Hospital et al., 2018). Of the existing studies, none was found to center on a learning model that incorporates digital technologies, popular music, acoustic instruments, and group classes involving a diverse student body. Uncovering the impact of such programs is vital, given the centrality of popular music and digital technologies in adolescence ( North and Hargreaves, 1999; Lamont and Hargreaves, 2018), recent calls for reform in school music education ( Rinsema, 2017; Schmidt, 2017), and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to education, and their associated perceptions of learning deficit, particularly in high-needs schools located in underserved neighborhoods ( Lehman et al., 2021).

Schooling, music education, and adolescent wellbeing in times of disruption

The United States is recognized worldwide for having a strong tradition in school music education. However, pre-pandemic studies with nationally representative samples suggested that only a fraction of U.S. students (i.e., 21% in 2004 and 24% in 2013) actually participate in high school music programs, with higher participation from affluent students and those attending large schools ( Elpus and Abril, 2011, 2019). A recent study focusing on musical participation of ethnically diverse, middle-school students from predominantly low-income backgrounds revealed similar results. Conducted in Miami, Florida, the study found that only 22% of the entire student body was participating in school music programs ( Alegrado and Winsler, 2020). A common finding to these large sample studies is the low participation of students from less affluent backgrounds, and a much higher participation of white and wealthier students in school music programs. Due to the many disruptions caused by COVID-19, it is likely that participation in school music programs has decreased even more, especially in high-needs schools and in specific populations (e.g., students with learning disabilities). Likewise, participation in extracurricular music programs was also negatively affected by the pandemic ( Ilari et al., 2022).

Aside from disruptions to schooling, extracurricular program participation and leisure (see Ettekal and Agans, 2020), the pandemic has also taken a toll on mental health, raising stress levels and depression in youth ( Ellis et al., 2020; Magson et al., 2020). A challenge that lies ahead is engaging youth in learning programs that may foster positive development and strengthen their mental health and wellbeing. Although there is no reliable, comparable data on young people's wellbeing across the world, a report by UNICEF (2020) suggests that a very large number of children and adolescents from 41 predominantly wealthy nations do not have good mental wellbeing, with the U.S. ranking 32nd in the list. Analogously, a recent report by the OECD (2021) found socioemotional skills to have taken a dip in students aged 10-15 years since the outbreak of COVID-19. These findings are troublesome.

At the same time, studies conducted during the lockdowns imposed by the pandemic showed connections between musical engagement and emotional wellbeing in adolescents and adults (e.g., Carlson et al., 2021). This is not completely surprising, given people's uses of music as a technology of the self ( DeNora, 2002), and the links between musical participation during adolescence and socioemotional development and wellbeing ( Saarikallio et al., 2014). Adolescents not only listen to more music than any other age group ( Bonneville-Roussy et al., 2013), but also develop identities around musical practices and preferences ( North and Hargreaves, 1999; Campbell et al., 2007; Miranda, 2013). Pre-pandemic studies suggest a central role of music and arts programs-in and out of schools- in anxiety and depression reduction ( Hedemann and Frazier, 2017), and in the promotion of resilience and wellbeing ( Zarobe and Bungay, 2017) in young people. Participation in music programs has also been associated with school connectedness ( Eccles and Barber, 1999; Eerola and Eerola, 2014), a key factor in adolescent mental health and academic success ( Gamboa-Kroesen, 2019). It is possible, then, that participation in a music learning program that capitalizes on youth musical preferences and popular music ( Bonneville-Roussy et al., 2013), digital affordances ( Valkenburg and Piotrowski, 2017), and student agency ( Saarikallio et al., 2020) might function as a protective factor during the critical years of middle school, especially in these nihilistic times. To this end, we designed the current study to explore the associations between different levels of participation in music and PYD, school connectedness, and hopes and beliefs about the future in adolescents. Our study focused on the Virtual Middle School Music Enrichment (VMSME) program, an innovative and accessible extracurricular music program that was designed in response to the educational challenges imposed by the pandemic.

The VMSME program

The VMSME Program was launched in summer 2020 through a partnership between the Fender Play Foundation and one of the largest school districts in the United States. Drawing from earlier research in expert learning theory, biomechanics, psychomotor learning, habit-building and motivation, the VMSME program was designed following five main principles: (1) students are initially inspired by the songs they hear and want to learn; (2) learning something new motivates students and keeps them engaged; (3) learning how to play an instrument is a complex psychomotor skill that requires specialized instruction; (4) relatable teachers provide excellent lessons, and (5) students learn in multiple ways and, therefore, require personalized learning tools. In the VMSME program, students are involved in guided, active, "bite-size," integrated and song-driven learning. Teachers work with students from the first step - how to hold an instrument - all the way through fundamental skills, chords, technique and playing a wide range of songs.

The VMSME program offers middle school students a unique music learning experience through the provision of musical instruments, access to a music learning app called Fender Play, and group online music lessons with credentialed teachers, all free of charge. Interested students sign up to receive instruments at their home for the program on a "first-come, first-serve" basis. Aside from being tuition-free, the VMSME program is also unique in that it focuses on popular music education delivered through an online platform. Weekly music classes are offered for mixed groups of students who attend different schools in the district; students from widely different neighborhoods meet regularly and learn together in the same virtual class. Classes are offered in guitar, electric guitar, electric bass and ukulele, with teachers taking advantage of digital "breakout rooms" to focus on both individual technique and small group activities. Students are also encouraged to perform with their peers, and to record and submit recordings of their playing to their teachers, and for virtual concerts. The Fender Play app includes a carefully-designed learning sequence, and students have many choices of songs to play in terms of musical genres and styles. The Fender Play app also helps with practicing and progress tracking, and includes a video library with tutorials and performances. Since its inception, the program has been made available to more than 15,000 middle school students in a large U.S. metropolis, with a recent expansion into an "in-person" ukulele program in partnership with Grammy award winners. This new program is held in a specific neighborhood for elementary school students, reaching a wider age group. It should be noted that the school district served by the VMSME program caters to a large number of Latino/a students (73.8% in 2022-2023, according to official data), one of the populations marked by low participation in school music education (see Elpus and Abril, 2019; Alegrado and Winsler, 2020).

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study was to examine PYD, school connectedness, and hopeful future expectations in middle school students with four levels of musical participation in school-based and extracurricular music programs, with a special emphasis on the VMSME program. The levels of participation were: (1) VMSME only, (2) VMSME and school music programs, (3) in- and out-of-school music programs but no VMSME; and (4) no participation. We also investigated PYD, SC, and HFE as a function of student grade level, reported gender, and socioeconomic background.

Materials and methods

Participants

One hundred and eighty-six middle-school students attending public schools in a large urban center participated in the online survey. Included in the final analysis were 120 students (59 males, 51 females, 4 non-binary, 6 prefer not to answer), who completed the entire survey. Students ranged in age from 11 to 14 years (Median age = 12 years), and were attending 6th ( n = 56), 7th ( n = 33), and 8th ( n = 30) grades. Most students were of Latino ethnicity (52%), along with White (11%), African-American (3%), Asian-American (11%), and mixed-race/other (27%). This is largely consistent with the racial/ethnic makeup of the school district ( Fingertip Facts, 2022).

Participating students came from 52 different middle schools (out of a total of 77) located in multiple neighborhoods and cities served by the school district. We used the American Human Development Index (HDI) corresponding to the neighborhoods and cities where the schools were located as an estimate of student socioeconomic status. The American HDI is a composite score of human development that includes three dimensions: life expectancy, educational attainment and median earnings. HDI scores in our study ranged from 2.26 (very low) to 9.24 (very high), with a mean score of 5.19 ( SD = 1.50). In 2021, the American HDI scores for the state and county where the study took place were 5.85 and 5.43, respectively.1

Consistent with earlier works on extracurricular program participation and human development ( Bohnert et al., 2010), we adopted a person-centered approach (see Oberle et al., 2019) to sort study participants into groups. A person-centered approach takes into account "the ways in which multiple variables are configured within individuals rather than the relative standing of individuals on multiple variables" ( Good et al., 2011, p. 539). Based on the combinations of types and levels of musical participation reported by our participants, four study groups were devised: (1) VMSME: Students participating exclusively in this program ( n = 69); (2) COMB: Students enrolled in combinations of VMSME and one or more in-school music programs ( n = 16); (3) INOUT: Students participating in one or more music programs, in- and/or out-of-schools, but not in VMSME ( n = 32); and (4) NM: Students not participating in any music education program ( n  = 3). Hereinafter, we refer to these study groups, respectively, as VMSME, COMB, INOUT, and NM.

Over 97% of our sample ( n = 117) played one or more musical instruments, with plucked string instruments (electric guitar, acoustic guitar and electric bass and ukulele) being the most popular ( n = 101), followed by keyboards ( n = 24), bowed strings ( n = 20), woodwinds and brass ( n = 17), and percussion ( n = 5). Among all students enrolled in the VMSME program ( n = 85), the acoustic guitar was played by the majority (54%), followed by the electric guitar (22%), electric bass (13%), and the ukulele (11%). A small number of students (24%) participated in school-based music programs, and these included band ( n = 11), orchestra ( n = 7), general music ( n = 5), Mariachi ( n = 3), music technology classes ( n = 3), and other (e.g., keyboard classes, jazz, n  = 8). A large number of students in the COMB (62.7%) and INOUT (50.1%) groups began learning a musical instrument before middle school, whereas about 70% of students in the VMSME group picked up their instruments in middle school. This suggests that the VMSME program was likely a first opportunity for many middle-school students to engage with instrumental music education.

Measures

The following measures were used in our study:

The PYD - very short form (PYD-VSF, see Geldhof et al., 2013) is an abbreviated, self-report with 17 items using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = completely agree). Participants are asked to rate their agreement with statements like "All in all, I am glad that I am me" (confidence) and "I do very well in my class work at school" (competence). The PYD-VSF yields individual scores for each of the five components of PYD and a composite score. PYD-VSF© Tufts University 2022. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

The out-of-school time (OST) structured activity ( National Mentoring Resource Center, n.d.), is an abbreviated scale of student extracurricular activities in schools, community centers, religious centers and others. It contains 4 items, and asks respondents to report time spent in different types of extracurricular activities over the past 6 months.

The school connectedness (SC) subscale from the Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness ( Karcher, 2003), measures engagement, enjoyment and success in school. This subscale includes 6 statements (e.g., "I feel good about myself when I am at school"), and respondents are asked to state how true they are for them, using a 5-point scale (1 = not at all, 5 = very true).

An adapted version of the Hopeful Future Expectations Scale (Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, 2022) containing 4 questions about student expectations towards the future (e.g., chances of being safe) using a 5-point scale (1 = very low, 5=very high). HFE © Tufts University 2022. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

A 12-item, researcher-developed demographic profile on age, gender, ethnicity, SES/school location, grade, musical background, musical preferences, and music education experiences, in and out of schools.

Data analysis

Analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics 28.0. We began with a descriptive analysis to explore participants' engagement in music and in different types of extracurricular activities (OST). Next, we examined if there were group differences in PYD, SC, HFE, and OST using independent-samples t-tests, one-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs), and linear regression models. For the analysis of OST and age at the commencement of formal music education, we utilized non-parametric tests (i.e., Kruskal-Wallis H-test, Mann-Whitney u-test) since the dependent variables were ordinal. With ANOVAs, in the cases where the assumption of homogeneity of variance was violated (as assessed by Levene's test of homogeneity of variances, p  < 0.05), we used the Welch ANOVA with the Games-Howell post-hoc test.

Multiple regressions were then performed to examine the variables that best predicted students' PYD, SC, and HFE scores. Variables shown to have significant bivariate relationships with any of PYD, SC, and HFE from the preliminary analysis were entered as potential predictors in the regression models. Predictor variables that were categorical (i.e., grade, gender, and music participation) were dummy-coded. All assumptions for multiple regression were tested prior to the analysis. There was independence of residuals, as assessed by Durbin-Watson statistics with values between 1.69 and 2.23. The assumptions for linearity and homoscedasticity were met, as assessed by visual inspection of plots of studentized residuals versus unstandardized predicted values. The tolerance values used for checking multicollinearity between independent variables were above 0.8. SPSS Casewise Diagnostics detected one outlier whose standardized residual was slightly greater than 3 standard deviations in PYD Confidence, Caring, and Connection; however, we kept the outlier, as it had little effects, as seen when the analysis was run with and without the case.

Results

Students' musical participation, preferences and liking

Most participants (98%) were involved in one or more musical activities, in and out of schools, with a large number reporting that they practiced their instruments daily, but for less than an hour (77%). Only a small number of participants reported daily instrumental music practice for more than 2 h (4%). When asked to rate their overall liking for music using a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being "I love music," over 85% rated 4 or 5. Students' high levels of musical engagement were also evident in the amount of time that they spent listening to music, as over 50% reported listening to music daily for more than 3 h. Their musical preferences and taste were very eclectic, involving a wide range of genres and styles, such as K-pop (e.g., BTS, Blackpink), rap, heavy metal, pop, indie, and Western classical music (see Figure 1 ). Interestingly, of a total of 152 responses, 20% were related to artists and bands from the 1990s or earlier (e.g., AC/DC, Beatles, Queen) which suggests some links to parents'/caregivers' listening preferences and "reminiscence bump" ( Krumhansl and Zupnick, 2013). Because the Fender Play app offered a variety of genres and styles for students to select from, including "older" pop tunes, it is also possible that VMSME students learned this repertoire through participation in the program.

Participation in extracurricular activities

Most students in our sample participated in extracurricular activities offered at schools, outside of regular school hours (62%). Some students also participated in extracurricular activities in community spaces (e.g., Boys & Girls Club, YMCA; 35%), religious facilities (33%), and other settings (30%). A Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed no significant differences on levels of participation in extracurricular activities between study groups.

PYD, SC, and HFE

We first calculated mean scores and standard deviations for PYD, SC, and HFE ( Table 1 ) and compared them with earlier findings. Previous studies from different parts of the world (e.g., Malaysia: Abdul Kadir and Mohd, 2021; Philippines: Buenconsejo et al., 2022; Spain: Gomez-Baya et al., 2022; United States: Tyler et al., 2020) that have employed the PYD-VSF or PYD-SF (PYD short form; Geldhof et al., 2013) reported the following range of mean scores for its subcomponents: Competence, 3.19 to 4.16; Confidence, 3.64 to 4.62; Character, 3.85 to 4.16; Caring 4.07 to 4.45; Connection, 3.67 to 4.17. Mean scores from our study were comparable, given that our participants scored 3.52 ( SD = 0.82) on Competence, 3.83 ( SD = 0.91) on Confidence, 4.20 ( SD = 0.57) on Character, 4.38 (0.61) on Caring, and 3.98 ( SD  = 0.64) on Connection.

Table 1

Variables

n

PYD

SC M (SD)

HFE M (SD)

Overall M (SD)

Competence M (SD)

Confidence M (SD)

Character M (SD)

Caring M (SD)

Connection M (SD)

Next, we examined if any group differences existed on PYD, SC, and HFE due to demographic variables (i.e., grade, gender, HDI) and levels of participation in extracurricular activities (i.e., OST scores). A one-way Welch ANOVA revealed significant differences on Overall PYD (composite) scores, Welch's F(2, 57.824) = 4.104, p = 0.022, η ² = 0.088; and on PYD components: Confidence, Welch's F(2, 56.724) = 6.844, p = 0.002, η ² = 0.113; Caring, Welch's F(2, 62.174) = 4.293, p = 0.018, η ² = 0.088; and Connection, Welch's F(2, 56.866) = 3.278, p = 0.045, η ² = 0.059. A Games-Howell post hoc analysis showed that 6th graders had higher scores for Confidence than 7th graders (95% CI (0.03 to 0.88), p = 0.032), and also scored higher on Overall PYD (95% CI (0.03 to 0.72), p = 0.028) and Confidence (95% CI (0.17 to 1.25), p = 0.008) than 8th graders. Seventh graders scored higher on Caring (95% CI (0.08 to 0.86), p = 0.014) than 8th graders. In addition, we found significant differences for Overall PYD scores, F(2, 117) = 3.574, p = 0.031, Confidence, F(2, 117) = 5.689, p = 0.004, η ² = 0.089 and Connection, F(2, 117) = 5.808, p = 0.004, η ² = 0.095, between different gender groups. A Tukey post hoc analysis revealed that students who self-identified as non-binary or who chose not to report their gender scored significantly lower than students who identified as females on Overall PYD (95% CI (−0.89 to −0.52), p = 0.023) and Connection (95% CI (−1.13 to −0.22), p = 0.003), and lower than males on Confidence (95% CI (0.08 to 0.86), p = 0.014) and Connection (95% CI (−1.03 to −1.00), p  = 0.015).

There were no significant differences on SC and HFE due to the demographic variables; however, linear regressions showed that levels of participation in extracurricular activities held at schools (outside of regular school hours) significantly predicted students' scores of SC, F(1, 110) = 5.822, p = 0.017, adjusted R ² = 0.042, and HFE, F(1, 110) = 12.970, p < 0.001, adjusted R ²  = 0.097. We found no significant relationships between HDI and PYD, SC, and HFE scores.

We also checked whether there were any differences on PYD, SC, and HFE scores due to music-related variables (i.e., levels of music participation, age at the beginning of formal music education, music liking, hours spent on music practicing, hours spent listening to music). Students who were participating in one or more musical programs, in and out of schools, were included in the analyses ( n = 117). A significant difference was found for PYD Competence, Welch's F(2, 37.155) = 5.160, p = 0.011, η ² = 0.066, and for HFE, F(2, 112) = 4.251, p = 0.017, η ² = 0.079. A Games-Howell post hoc analysis revealed that INOUT students rated themselves significantly higher for Competence than VMSME students (95% CI (0.12 to 0.79), p = 0.005). We also found a significant difference on HFE due to the age when students first began their formal music education, F(2, 112) = 3.180, p = 0.045, η ² = 0.053. Students who started to learn instrument(s) before age 8 scored higher than those who began at ages 8-11 years (95% CI (0.02 to 0.66), p = 0.036). Lastly, a linear regression revealed that how much students liked music significantly predicted their scores on SC, F(1, 114) = 4.659, p = 0.033, adjusted R ²  = 0.031.

Additionally, an independent-samples t-test revealed that VMSME students tended to come from schools located in lower HDI neighborhoods, compared to COMB and INOUT students, t(114) = 2.086, p = 0.039. Furthermore, VMSME students tended to participate in fewer extracurricular activities at schools than their COMB and INOUT peers, U = 1146.5, z = −2.298, p = 0.022, d = −0.310, and also tended to begin formal music instruction at later ages (i.e., over 12 years), U = 2161.0, z = 2.829, p  = 0.005, than COMB and INOUT students. It seems evident that the VMSME program has been effectively serving students who might not have access to music learning in schools through curricular and afterschool programs.

Predicting PYD, SC, and HFE

Multiple regressions were performed to examine which variables might predict students' PYD, SC, and HFE scores. Table 2 presents the unstandardized regression coefficients and standard errors of all regression models. Predictor variables included three music-related variables (i.e., music liking, hours spent on daily music practice, level of music participation), one extra-curricular activity-related variable (i.e., OST1), and two demographic variables (i.e., grade and gender) that showed significant bivariate relationships with any of the criterion variables from the preliminary analyses. Music participation, grade, and gender were dummy-coded, with VMSME students (music participation), 6th or 8th graders (grade), and female students or those who self-identified as non-binary and chose not to report their gender (gender) being the base variables.

Table 2

Predictor variables

PYD

SC B (SE)

HFE B (SE)

Competence B (SE)

Confidence B (SE)

Caring B (SE)

Connection B (SE)

¹ Music participation VMSME = 1

−0.36* (0.16)

−0.05 (0.18)

−0.02 (0.05)

0.07 (0.12)

−0.04 (0.08)

−0.23* (0.11)

⁴ Extracurricular activity participation

0.02 (0.07)

0.07 (0.08)

−0.06 (0.12)

0.08 (0.05)

0.07* (0.03)

0.14** (0.05)

2 Grade

3 Sex

R ²

0.123

0.123

0.133

0.186

0.146

0.185

Adjusted R ²

0.073

0.073

0.083

0.139

0.097

0.139

N

112

111

112

112

112

112

In the analysis of PYD, the multiple regression model significantly predicted scores in four of its subcomponents, Competence, F(6, 105) = 2.459, p = 0.029, adjusted R ² = 0.073; Confidence, F(6, 105) = 2.450, p = 0.029, adjusted R ² = 0.073; Caring, F(6, 105) = 2.683, p = 0.018, adjusted R ² = 0.083; and Connection, F(6, 105) = 3.986, p = 0.001, adjusted R ² = 0.139. Three of the PYD sub-components, Confidence, Caring, and Connection, were significantly predicted by the demographic variables grade and/or gender. None of the music-related variables significantly predicted these PYD sub-components, except for Competence which was predicted by students' level of music participation.

The multiple regression model also predicted scores for SC, F(6, 105) = 2.989, p = 0.010, adjusted R ² = 0.097. Participation in extracurricular activities measured by OST1 ( t = 2.118, p = 0.037) was the significant predictor, with students with higher participation in extracurricular activities at schools feeling more connected to school than those who were not. Similarly, the regression model significantly predicted scores for HFE, F(6, 105) = 3.981, p = 0.001, adjusted R ² = 0.139. In addition to students' participation in extracurricular activities ( t = 2.998, p = 0.003), level of music participation also emerged as a significant predictor ( t = −2.079, p  = 0.040) for HFE scores. Specifically, COMB and INOUT students were likely to score higher on HFE than VMSME students.

Discussion

In this study, we adopted a person-centered approach (see Oberle et al., 2019) to explore the associations between PYD, SC, and HFE in adolescents with different levels of participation in school-based and extracurricular music programs. We were particularly interested in the experiences of adolescents participating in the recently-created VMSME program, which focuses on popular music and online classes for mixed groups of students. We also investigated PYD, SC, and HFE as a function of grade level, gender, and socioeconomic background.

Contrary to earlier research that suggested an increase in PYD scores over time (e.g., Lewin-Bizan et al., 2010), we found younger students to show higher scores for some PYD components than their older peers. Sixth grade students scored higher for overall PYD than 8th graders, and also showed higher scores for Confidence than their 7th and 8th grade counterparts. Additionally, 7th grade students scored higher for overall PYD than 8th graders. These findings can be interpreted in at least three different ways. First, studies that found an increase in PYD scores usually adopted a longitudinal design ( Lewin-Bizan et al., 2010), whereas we used a cross-sectional design. Therefore, it is possible that our results were impacted by the nature of our study. Second and on a related note, it is possible that the decrease in PYD scores by grade levels reflected different developmental trajectories of PYD, as seen in earlier longitudinal studies. Lewin-Bizan et al. (2010), found four distinct patterns for PYD scores in U.S. adolescents over time (i.e., decreasing, increasing-to-stable-moderate, increasing/decreasing, and increasing-to-stable-high). Similarly, in a study that adopted a person-centered approach, Good et al. (2011) found different patterns of stability and change in adolescent development over time, which reinforces the role of individual differences. Although the design of the present study does not allow one to make claims about developmental trajectories and stability/change in adolescent responses, we suspect that differences in PYD scores could have been due to these factors. It is possible that students in 8th grade who took part in our study were undergoing different developmental trajectories than their 6th and 7th grade peers, as reflected in their PYD ratings. Third, our study centered on the experiences of middle school students. Middle school is known to be a difficult time for students as they grapple with the transition from childhood to adolescence and new social pressures. It is during the middle school years that early adolescents work toward "fitting in." In this search to find their niche, adolescents calibrate and organize their social identities ( Graham, 2018). Unsurprisingly, the role of peers peaks in middle school, and so do vulnerability and peer victimization ( Graham, 2018). Most 8th grade students in our study had spent a considerable time immersed in online learning due to the pandemic, with limited social interaction with peers. Perhaps their lower scores for overall PYD and Confidence reflected challenges to adapt to their first and final year of middle school upon returning to in-person learning.

Gender differences for Overall PYD and specific components that emerged in our data are also worthy of commentary, as they partially mirror earlier findings. For example, Chauveron et al. (2015), who studied Scottish 7th grade students, found males to score higher in Confidence and Competence, and females to score higher on Character and Caring. Zimmerman et al. (2008), who analyzed data from the longitudinal 4-H study, found females to score higher on overall PYD than males. Gomez-Baya et al. (2022), in turn, found Spanish males to score higher on Confidence and Competence. and females to show higher scores for Connection, Caring, and Character. Yet, a limitation of these studies was their focus on the gender binary. In our study, students were able to choose from multiple gender categories. Students who chose the categories "non-binary" and "prefer not to answer" were grouped together and found to score lower than females on overall PYD and C onnection, and lower than males on Confidence and Connection. While these findings are in agreement with earlier works that showed higher scores for Confidence in males ( Chauveron et al., 2015; Gomez-Baya et al., 2022), and higher scores for overall PYD in females ( Zimmerman et al., 2008), they are also of concern. Given recent findings on high levels of depression and suicidality rates in LGBTQ+ and non-gender conforming students ( Rawlings and Espelage, 2020; Ancheta et al., 2021), it is central that future research using PYD as a framework move beyond the gender binary. Findings from these studies will not only contribute to our understanding of PYD in adolescence, but will also inform the development of programs and policy for all young people.

It was also interesting that students in the INOUT and COMB groups scored higher for Competence than VMSME students. Competence refers to positive views of one's actions in social, academic, cognitive, and vocational areas ( Bowers et al., 2010), including agentic and adaptive decision-making skills ( Romer and Hansen, 2021). This finding does not come as a complete surprise if we consider the novelty of the VMSME program. Additionally, some participants in the INOUT and COMB groups were enrolled in private lessons and/or playing in small ensembles where there is comparatively more individual attention than in large group classes. Many of these participants also had more years of formal music education than their VMSME counterparts. The latter came from lower HDI areas and were attending fewer extracurricular programs in schools than their peers in the INOUT and COMB groups. Because intensity and breadth of extracurricular programs play a role in the development of positive attributes in youth ( Busseri et al., 2006), it is possible that the differences in Competence scores between VMSME, and INOUT and COMB students were more reflective of socioeconomic issues and time in programs, rather than the characteristics of the music programs themselves. Future studies could disentangle these issues by examining the development of Competence and other PYD components in music students from the VMSME and other music programs using a longitudinal design, controlling for participation time, and program breadth and intensity.

By giving access to instruments and music classes for students from low HDI areas, a population that is often left out of school music programs (see Elpus and Abril, 2011; Alegrado and Winsler, 2020), the VMSME program contributed to the democratization of music education in the studied school district. This is also evidenced by the fact that INOUT students, who were participating in one or several music programs, showed higher ratings for Competence and HFE than the VMSME group. Participation in COMB and INOUT programs also predicted student scores on HFE, an adolescent strength that is theorized to partly assist with achieving future goals ( Schmid et al., 2011). This finding not only reinforces the central role of VMSME as an enrichment program (and not a substitute for in-school music programs), but also hints at the idea that more time spent in music programs-in and out of schools-may contribute to the development of one's hopeful expectations toward the future. We hypothesize that prolonged participation in music programs can, indeed, lead to enhanced and positive expectations toward the future, due to the many links between music learning, skill development, character building ( Hallam and Cuadrado, 2018), and socioemotional development and emotional regulation ( Saarikallio and Erkkila, 2007; McFerran et al., 2019; OECD, 2021). Formal music education has also been associated with the development of self-regulation ( Krause et al., 2021), which is another predictor of PYD in adolescence ( Schmid et al., 2011). Our finding that students who started their formal music education before age 8 scored higher on HFE supports this hypothesis.

Participation in extracurricular activities in schools predicted scores on School Connectedness. This is not surprising, given earlier research that links extracurricular activities to student positive experiences in schools (e.g., Eccles and Barber, 1999; Romer and Hansen, 2021). Music liking also predicted scores on SC, which could possibly be explained by student emotional regulation through music listening ( Saarikallio and Erkkila, 2007; McFerran et al., 2019) and identity work ( North and Hargreaves, 1999; DeNora, 2002; Miranda, 2013; Lamont and Hargreaves, 2018). Music has been defined as a "badge of identity" in adolescence ( North and Hargreaves, 1999), with musical preferences playing significant roles in friend selection and group affiliation ( Franken et al., 2017). Musical preferences have also been associated with externalizing behaviors in adolescence ( Franken et al., 2017). It is possible that through the expression of their eclectic musical preferences (as seen in Figure 1 ), our participants found ways to express and regulate their emotions, and developed intrapersonal skills during the challenging years of middle school. That is, music may have served as a protective factor (see Miranda, 2013), helping to strengthen student confidence and connections with their schools. While this explanation is in line with earlier research ( Eerola and Eerola, 2014), it could be further explored.

Finally, we would like to highlight the role of the VMSME program in promoting access to music education, and opportunities for middle-school students to experience diversity and inclusion. Aside from a focus on popular music, instrumental learning and the use of an educational app, a central characteristic of the program was the delivery of online music lessons by credentialed music teachers for mixed groups of students from different neighborhoods. This aspect of the program was not only praised by its music teachers and students, but is actually vital in our current context. Due to the pandemic, schools went on lockdown, depriving young people from physical and, in many cases, social contact with same-age peers for several months, at a time when peer groups are central ( Graham, 2018). Additionally, public schools, particularly in urban areas, are often siloed. With the exception of occasional athletic, artistic or academic competitions, there are few opportunities for students from different schools to interact. By bringing together students from different neighborhoods, the VMSME may have also contributed to student social identity development. Middle school students have been shown to develop more complex social identities and more positive attitudes toward outgroups when they participate in extracurricular programs that are diverse ( Graham, 2018). While this study did not investigate social identity development in the context of VMSME, this is another point for future exploration.

Concluding remarks

In this study, we found students who participated in multiple forms of music education (including the VMSME program) and for longer periods of time to score high on Competence (a component of PYD) and on HFE. Participation in extracurricular activities in schools and liking music also predicted students' SC. These findings add to the body of literature on the role of curricular and extracurricular music programs in adolescent development as they relate to the acquisition of specialized skills, emotional regulation and character building ( Hallam and Cuadrado, 2018), and student positive connections to schools ( Eccles and Barber, 1999; Eerola and Eerola, 2014; see also Weiss et al, 2017). Our findings also align with the idea that through music programs, adolescents may regulate and work through emotions and engage in identity work, developing positive views of their selves and the future. Music programs that capitalize on young people's strengths and agency ( Lerner et al., 2011a; Mueller et al., 2011) and musical engagement and preferences ( Bonneville-Roussy et al., 2013), may be particularly suitable for PYD during the challenging middle school years, and we encourage scholars to scrutinize these programs and their potential outcomes.

Macro-time issues ( Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2006) are also worthy of commentary, given their impact on our data and their implications for education. Our study was conducted in the aftermath of a global pandemic that produced devastating effects on schooling, socialization, and mental health. The pandemic reinforced deficit thinking in education, as seen in the increase of narratives of learning loss that place the blame on individuals, children and adolescents alike ( Lehman et al., 2021). Several reports have described how students who were socially and/or economically-disadvantaged and those with disabilities were disproportionately affected by the educational inequalities generated and exacerbated by the pandemic ( Jandrić and McLaren, 2021). Yet, most responses and solutions proposed to mitigate the educational problems caused by the pandemic have been steeped in a neoliberal educational paradigm, through "econometric forms of analysis" ( Jandrić and McLaren, 2021). Following this logic, some schools have reduced or even cut their music programs, replacing them with remedial courses in language arts and mathematics. But as our study suggests, music programs may play a protective role in adolescence. In light of these results, it appears that schools and districts may need to revise approaches to learning that center on deficit models. Attention to the well-established links between youth activity involvement and PYD ( Mueller et al., 2011) can assist in the design of programs that could help to mitigate some of the educational losses that were exacerbated by the pandemic. A focus on the development of PYD competencies in schools (see Gomez and Ang, 2007) is also in alignment with the central tenets of positive psychology ( Seligman, 2010), including the acquisition of habits that may lead to eudaimonia ( Romer and Hansen, 2021). Music may assist in the acquisition of such habits, given its prominent role in the lives of adolescents ( Miranda, 2013; Lamont and Hargreaves, 2018). As one participant expressed in a post-study communication with the research team:

Music is the closest thing to a time machine that we will ever have. When we want to transport ourselves into another time or place, we can listen to music or play our instruments, and feel those emotions. Being in the music program has helped me find myself, my peace, and my place in school (7th grade student).

Limitations and future directions

Despite our recruitment efforts, our study sample was composed predominantly by students who liked and were invested in music, most of which enrolled in the VMSME program. The vast majority of our participants were learning music formally through one or more in-school and/or extracurricular music programs. Additionally, our sample included a large number of students in grade 6, and fewer students in grades 7 and 8. Although this particular sample offered rich information about music learning during the middle school years, future studies could include a larger contingent of students including those in elementary and high school programs and students who are not learning music formally. The adoption of a person-centered, longitudinal, pre- and post-test design, could also help to uncover issues of stability and change in adolescents' PYD development, as well as shed light on youth developmental trajectories ( Good et al., 2011; Oberle et al., 2019). And as our data suggested, it is also vital that future research move beyond heteronormativity, to better represent the identities of today's students.

Due to privacy issues, we were not able to collect data on music program attendance or school grades, which could have offered additional insights into PYD, HFE and SC in middle school students. By gathering such information, future research could offer a more granular view of student experiences as they relate to musical participation and PYD. Concerning the VMSME program, future studies could also examine the uses of educational apps in relationship to student musical self-efficacy and PYD scores, including its role in the development of Confidence and Competence. Other studies have found these two components to be central to adolescent mental health and wellbeing (e.g., Tomé et al., 2021); hence their relevance in current times. Because individual differences including personality traits have been associated with music learning experiences (see Corrigall et al., 2013), we further suggest that future studies include measures of personality.

Finally, it is important to highlight that our study was conducted in 2022, when the world was still under the impact of a global pandemic. Future studies could offer comparative views of adolescent musical participation and PYD over time. Such information will not only help us situate adolescent development in social and historical perspectives, but will also inform curriculum development and educational policy.

Data availability statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by USC IRB (protocol # UP21-00906) and the Research Office of the School District where the study took place. Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the participants' legal guardian/next of kin. Participating students also signed assent forms.

Author contributions

BI designed the study, collected and analyzed data, and worked on manuscript preparation. EC assisted with data collection and analysis, and manuscript preparation. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Funding

This study was partially funded by the Fender Play Foundation (AWD-00005768) and by USC's Advancing Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences (ASHSS-2022) grant to BI. The Fender Play Foundation assisted in the liaison with the schools for the purpose of participant recruitment. The Fender Play Foundation grant assisted with research assistant stipend and publication fee.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Michael Karcher (University of Texas San Antonio), Richard Lerner and Mary Buckingham (Institute for Applied Research in Youth Development, Tufts University) for granting permission to use the study measures. Our gratitude is extended to the School District and to all participating students.

References

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Articles from Frontiers in Psychology are provided here courtesy of Frontiers Media SA

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Musical participation and positive youth development in middle school

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Music is central in the lives of adolescents. While listening is usually the most common form of engagement, many adolescents also learn music formally by participating in school-based and extracurricular programs. This study examined positive youth development ...

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Variety in musical genres are there because each different genre is just a different way for an artist to express themselves. There is no identical song that exists.

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Music comes in many different types and styles ranging from traditional rock music to world pop, easy listening and bluegrass. Many genres have a rich history or geographical significance, a cult following or music roots that go far beyond the 20th century.

The Music Genres List site covers many of the most popular styles of music, the site is becoming the definitive list of music genres on the Internet - thanks to you - and if you feel any music genres are missing (we're sure there are many!) please send an email to add @ musicgenreslist dot com and we'll add to get closer to completing the music list of genres.

And a big thank you to the folks who have already sent in suggestions. We haven't added them all as some are not easily verified or differentiated from our current list (and we get many music genres suggestions that are duplicates), however all the genres we can research and confirm as valid or derivatives or existing genres or music types, we've added and have attributed by way of thanks.

Keep them coming!

LIST OF TYPE OF MUSIC | MUSIC GENRES

Different types of music genres
2009-2016 Music Genres List

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Music Genre List - A complete list of music styles, types and genres

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Music comes in many different types and styles ranging from traditional rock music to world pop, easy listening and bluegrass. Many genres have a rich history or geographical significance, a cult following or music roots that go far beyond the 20th century.

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Cover songs were created so a musician can sing/play a song in their style and interpretation. That way, other audience members can feel and hear the music in a different perspective

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"indicates music students are less likely to be truant, less likely to get involved with drugs and alcohol, more likely to graduate on time and more likely to go to college. Music students outperform their peers on the SAT, scoring on average 57 points higher (verbal) and 43 points higher (math) according to reports by the College Entrance Exam Board."

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Live music you are able to feel, see, and hear. When listening to a recording it can be harder to find the connection with the piece.

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If you're a nugs.net subscriber, chances are you already love live music. As it turns out, though, live music loves you back. In recent years, study after study has shown that concerts have a huge impact on physical and mental health. The health benefits of live music range from physical to mental: Concerts reduce stress, release happy hormones like oxytocin and dopamine, improve brain function and longevity, provide essential social connection, and even relieve pain. Essentially, your live music habit is really, really good for you.

Concerts are a communal experience

Sociologist Émile Durkheim coined the term "collective effervescence" to describe the sense of communal energy and shared emotion people feel when they come together for a single purpose. Before public spaces were shut down at the onset of the pandemic, these moments were baked into our everyday lives; in one study, the majority of people reported experiencing collective effervescence weekly, or even daily. We went to live concerts, sports events, movie theaters, and crowded bars, all of which provided us with connection and some kind of common purpose. Those activities spark a unique kind of connected joy and fulfill our need for belonging in a way that studio albums or binge-in-your-own-time TV series simply can't replicate. Even as many aspects of our lives return to some version of pre-COVID normalcy, it is necessary to actively seek out these experiences in a way that it wasn't before, whether by watching live sports, going to the movies, or, of course, streaming a live concert.

Live music benefits physical health

Psychology and sociology researchers are increasingly interested in the impact of the arts on health and, more specifically, the impact of live music on physical health. Studies show that live concerts reduce the release of cortisol, the stress hormone which controls our body's responses to stress (sustained spikes in cortisol are linked to heart disease and diabetes). Researchers also noticed that participants had reduced blood pressure and heart rate after experiencing live music. Live music experiences can even act as a natural pain management method; concerts can relieve physical pain by triggering the release of endorphins, which reduces a person's perception of pain, or even intercepting pain signals before they reach the brain.

Live concerts improve mental health

There are significant benefits of live music on mental health. One study shows that "engaging with music" - which the researchers in this case defined as dancing or attending a concert - leads to an overall sense of well-being, with participants reporting improved mood and a sense of connection to others.Concerts are a unique opportunity to experience both music and social interaction. There's a neurochemical connection between music and mental health with hugely positive impacts. Live music has been shown to trigger the release of oxytocin - improving our senses of vitality, companionship, and trust - as well as dopamine. Music in general has even been prescribed to treat depression and improve mood and fine motor control in patients with Parkinson's disease. One study even described live music as "better for your mental health than yoga." Hormonal and chemical shifts aside, music creates space for emotional expression and processing beyond what we're able to put into words.

Live music improves brain function

Listening to live or new music also challenges the brain - it has to work to understand a new sound - acting as a workout for the brain. Music improves creativity, memory, alertness, and clarity, and live music has been linked to improved cognitive function in patients with dementia. When looking at subjects' brain activity in MRI scans, researchers found that music activates more areas of the brain than even language; in fact, in early development, babies start processing music before they can process speech. Studies have shown that listening to music releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which promotes neurogenesis: the growth of new neurons. Essentially, listening to music, recorded or live, keeps your brain young.

People who regularly experience live music boost their creativity and cognitive abilities; reduce stress hormone levels while increasing the production of endorphins, dopamine, and oxytocin; experience consistent social connection or "collective effervescence; and even live longer (up to nine years longer, in fact).

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mental & physical health benefits of live music | nugs.net nugs.net

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Mental & Physical Health Benefits of Live Music | nugs.net

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Discover the benefits of live music to boost your sense of connection and improve your mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Learn more!

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Live music with other people can help on many benefit levels but mostly being the fact that you are experiencing it with others and that grows connections. "These shared experiences create a sense of belonging, fostering social connections and deepening our ties to the communities we are part of. Live music venues and festivals become vibrant hubs where friendships are forged, and a sense of community thrives."

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Introduction:

Live music possesses a unique ability to touch our souls, awaken emotions, and create lasting memories. From the joyous energy of a lively concert to the intimate atmosphere of a small venue performance, experiencing live music has a profound impact on our lives. In this article, we explore the myriad ways in which live music benefits us, from fostering personal connections and emotional well-being to promoting cultural appreciation and self-expression. So, let's delve into the transformative power of live music and how it enriches our lives.

Emotional Connection and Well-being:

Live music has an unparalleled capacity to evoke powerful emotions and connect people on a deep level. The shared experience of being part of a live audience, immersed in the rhythms and melodies, creates a collective emotional journey. Whether it's the thrill of a high-energy rock concert or the introspective beauty of a symphony orchestra, live music can uplift our spirits, provide solace during challenging times, and bring us together in moments of celebration and reflection. The emotional resonance of live music promotes well-being, reducing stress, and enhancing our overall mood.

Creating Lasting Memories:

Attending live music events creates memories that stay with us for a lifetime. The anticipation leading up to the concert, the excitement of the performance, and the connection formed with fellow attendees contribute to the creation of lasting and meaningful experiences. Live music allows us to relish in the present moment, immersing ourselves fully in the sounds, energy, and atmosphere. The memories forged during live music events become cherished stories we share and reminisce about, fostering a sense of connection and nostalgia.

Cultural Appreciation and Diversity:

Live music offers a gateway to diverse cultures, traditions, and musical genres. From local community concerts to international music festivals, experiencing live performances exposes us to a wide range of musical styles, instruments, and vocal expressions. This exposure enhances our understanding and appreciation of different cultures, fostering empathy, and promoting inclusivity. Live music acts as a bridge, connecting people from various backgrounds, and nurturing a sense of global unity through shared appreciation for the universal language of music.

Connection and Community:

Live music serves as a catalyst for forming connections and building communities. Whether it's singing along with fellow concertgoers, sharing a dance floor, or engaging in conversations with like-minded individuals, attending live music events creates a sense of camaraderie and shared passion. These shared experiences create a sense of belonging, fostering social connections and deepening our ties to the communities we are part of. Live music venues and festivals become vibrant hubs where friendships are forged, and a sense of community thrives.

Self-Expression and Artistic Inspiration:

Live music inspires creativity and self-expression, both for the performers and the audience. Witnessing talented musicians bring their art to life on stage can ignite our own artistic aspirations. It encourages us to explore our own musical abilities, pick up an instrument, or find our voice. Attending live music events provides inspiration, empowering individuals to express themselves creatively, whether through singing, dancing, or even starting a band. Live music becomes a catalyst for personal growth, fostering a sense of empowerment and unlocking our own artistic potential.

Conclusion:

The experience of live music transcends mere entertainment; it enriches our lives in profound ways. Through its emotional resonance, ability to create lasting memories, promotion of cultural appreciation, fostering of connections, and inspiration for self-expression, live music holds a special place in our hearts. So, let us seek out live music experiences, attend concerts and festivals, and embrace the transformative power of shared musical moments. Together, we can celebrate the universal language of music and continue to be enriched by its beauty for years to come.

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The Benefits of Live Music: Enriching Lives Through Shared Musical Experiences

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Live music possesses a unique ability to touch our souls, awaken emotions, and create lasting memories. From the joyous energy of a lively concert to the intimate atmosphere of a small venue performance, experiencing live music has a profound impact on our lives.

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Music has benefits when listening and preforming as it can help prevent dementia, and improve sensory and motor systems.

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Music has often been described as having healing powers, but can it influence our physiology in a way to help protect against cognitive decline? Recent studies suggest that music may enhance cognitive function and promote healthy aging.

Playing a musical instrument throughout life is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia [1]. This has been attributed to the ability of musical training and performance to increase the resiliency of the brain. Playing a musical instrument requires active engagement of a wide-range of cognitive processes, including the sensory and motor systems [2]. It has been unclear whether these neuroprotective benefits are restricted to life-long musicians, or also apply to people who begin musical training later in life.

A research group in Spain set out to address this question by performing a meta-analysis of studies assessing cognitive function in adults age 59 or older that engaged in musical practice over the course of their lives, and a separate analysis of studies where participants received musical training as older adults (age 60-85) [3]. Consistent with previous studies, they found that involvement in musical performance throughout life was associated with protective effects on cognitive function, particularly when musical training began during childhood. Notably, the associated cognitive benefits extended beyond tasks directly relevant for musical practice to also include improvements to general cognitive functions, such as attention, reasoning, and speed of information processing.

The results were also encouraging for musical training in late adulthood, as the participants showed similar general cognitive function enhancements as the life-long musicians. Unlike training that begins in youth, where benefits appear to be maintained throughout life, the effects of training in later life may be more transient, as some of the cognitive function improvements were lost after participants stopped their musical training. This suggests that continued engagement in musical practice may be necessary for long-lasting benefit. However, the number of studies included in the second analysis was much smaller, so additional studies are needed to confirm these results.

While active musical practice may offer the greatest level of neuroprotection, there is evidence that simply listening to music can also have beneficial effects toward cognitive function and aging. In a randomized clinical trial, adults with subjective (self-observed) cognitive impairment who listened to 12 minutes of music every day for 12 weeks showed a decrease in a cellular biomarker of aging in the blood, as well as improvements in memory, mood, sleep, and executive cognitive function [4]. Similar, or in some cases more robust, benefits were also seen in participants who engaged in meditation for the study. Music and mediation are known to reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and feelings of pain, which may underlie the beneficial effects on both mind and body. Participants who engaged in these practices with the most regularity were the ones who obtained the highest level of benefit.

These studies suggest that it is never too late for the brain to benefit from the powers of music, and the more actively one engages in music-making, the greater the powers become.

1. Balbag MA, Pedersen NL, Gatz M (2014) Playing a Musical Instrument as a Protective Factor against Dementia and Cognitive Impairment: A Population-Based Twin Study. International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 2014, 6.

2. Herholz Sibylle C, Zatorre Robert J (2012) Musical Training as a Framework for Brain Plasticity: Behavior, Function, and Structure. Neuron 76, 486-502.

3. Román-Caballero R, Arnedo M, Triviño M et al. (2018) Musical practice as an enhancer of cognitive function in healthy aging - A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE 13, e0207957.

4. Innes KE, Selfe TK, Brundage K et al. (2018) Effects of Meditation and Music-Listening on Blood Biomarkers of Cellular Aging and Alzheimer's Disease in Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory Randomized Clinical Trial. J Alzheimers Dis 66, 947-970.

Betsy Mills, PhD, is a member of the ADDF's Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention program. She critically evaluates the scientific evidence regarding prospective therapies to promote brain health and/or prevent Alzheimer's disease, and contributes to CognitiveVitality.org. Dr. Mills came to the ADDF from the University of Michigan, where she served as the grant writing manager for a clinical laboratory specializing in neuroautoimmune diseases. She also completed a Postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, where she worked to uncover genes that could promote retina regeneration. She earned her doctorate in neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she studied the role of glial cells in the optic nerve, and their contribution to neurodegeneration in glaucoma. She obtained her bachelor's degree in biology from the College of the Holy Cross. Dr. Mills has a strong passion for community outreach, and has served as program presenter with the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to promote dementia awareness.
Get the latest brain health news:

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Music has often been described as having healing powers, but can it influence our physiology in a way to help protect against cognitive decline? Recent studies suggest that music may enhance cognitive function and promote healthy aging. Playing a musical instrument throughout life is associated with a lower risk of developing dementia [1].

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Not only does listening to music benefit the brain, but knowledge on music helps your brain learn something from a different perspective rather than math.

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Music Education Matters to Cognitive Development

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Music education boosts fine motor skills, promotes memory and nurtures critical-thinking skills.

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Making music can be different than just listening to music as it improves your brains ability to complete tasks. It stretches your brain to focus on concentration and think creatively

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[Position Paper]

By Susan Hallam

Abstract

This paper provides a summary of the report "The power of music: A research synthesis of the impact of actively making music on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people" (Hallam, 2014), which is freely available on the world wide web. Readers interested in the way that active music making can impact on children and young people are advised to read the full report.

Keywords: academic achievement, cognitive benefit, power of music

Editorial note: In 2016, Voices hosted a special edition to accompany the launch of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on the topic of "How Music Can Change Your Life". Thirteen authors agreed to develop position papers for the MOOC, with two articles being developed to accompany each of the six topics within it. Each author has highlighted the theorists and researchers who have influenced their thinking, and included references to their own research or music practices where appropriate. These papers have been written with a particular audience in mind-that is, the learners who participate in the MOOC, who may not have had previous readings in any of the fields being canvassed. We hope that you find these articles interesting, whether reading as a MOOC learner, a regular VOICES reader, or someone who is discovering VOICES for the first time.

The development of electronic media in the latter part of the 20th century revolutionised access to and use of music in our everyday lives. We can turn on the radio, play a CD, download music from the internet onto an iPod®, or listen to music on video or TV with very little effort. This has not always been the case. Prior to these developments, music was only accessible for most people if they made it themselves or attended particular religious or social events. The effect of these changes has been dramatic. It is now possible for individuals to use music to manipulate personal moods, arousal and feelings, and create environments which may manipulate the ways that other people feel and behave.

Neuroscientific research has demonstrated the way in which the cerebral cortex self-organises in response to external stimuli and the learning activities engaged in by individuals. The brain responds quickly to engagement with musical activities but permanent and substantial reorganisation of brain functioning takes considerable time. Overall, the evidence from neuroscience suggests that each individual has a specific learning biography that is reflected in the way the brain processes information (Altenmuller, 2003, p. 349). As individuals engage with different musical activities over long periods of time permanent changes occur in the brain. These changes reflect what has been learned and how it has been learned. They also influence the extent to which developed skills are able to transfer to other activities.

Transfer of Learning

The transfer of learning from one domain to another depends on the similarities between the processes involved. Transfer can be near or far and is stronger and more likely to occur if it is near. Far transfer may occur in relation to the impact of making music on intelligence and attainment, while high road transfer may also occur in relation to self-regulatory and meta-cognitive skills. Low road transfer depends on automated skills and is relatively spontaneous and automatic, while high road transfer requires reflection and conscious processing.

Some musical skills (near and low road) are more likely to transfer than others, for instance, those relating to the perceptual processing of sound (timing, pitch, timbre, and rule governed grouping information), fine motor skills, emotional sensitivity, conceptions of relationships between written materials and sound (reading music and text), and memorisation of extended information (music and text) (Norton et al., 2005).

Methodological Issues in Research

Research exploring the ways in which active engagement with music impacts beyond the development of musical skills has been undertaken within a number of disciplines and paradigms. The designs and methods adopted vary widely as do the sizes of the samples of participants. The different approaches adopted can lead to different and sometimes conflicting findings. Much early research considering the impact of engaging with music on other skills was based on correlation studies undertaken with professional or young musicians with varying levels of expertise. Some research has made comparisons between groups identified as musicians or non-musicians. Experimental studies where the outcomes of musical interventions are compared with those where there is no musical intervention offer the possibility of establishing causality. Such studies vary in the length of the intervention, the range of measures adopted to measure outcomes and the ages of the participants. This can produce conflicting evidence. Qualitative research (interviews, focus groups, ethnographic, and case studies) is able to provide insights into the perceptions of participants and the contexts within which music may have a wider impact. All of this research has the potential to make a contribution to our developing understanding of the nature of transfer of musical expertise to other domains and skills albeit in different ways and has been included in this review.

Aural Perception and Language Skills

Musical training sharpens the brain's early encoding of sound leading to enhanced performance on a range of listening skills improving the ability to distinguish between rapidly changing sounds and enhancing auditory discrimination, thus having an impact on the cortical processing of linguistic pitch patterns. There is now considerable accumulated evidence that active engagement with music in childhood produces structural changes in the brain which are related to the processing of sound and that these changes can occur after a short period of time (e.g. Moreno & Besson, 2006). The quality of aural encoding is related to the amount of musical training (Wong et al., 2007), and the nature of instrumental requirements (Rauscher & Hinton, 2011). A number of studies have focused on the development of musical skills and auditory discrimination in young children. For instance, Trainor and colleagues (2003) found that 4-year olds who had received Suzuki training had a better-developed auditory cortex and were able to discriminate better between sounds.

The Development of Phonological Skills

The auditory analysis skills used in language processing (phonological distinctions, blending, and segmentation of sounds) are similar to the skills necessary for the perception of rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic discrimination. A number of studies have specifically explored the relationship between phonological awareness and musical ability. Cross sectional studies have shown that children with musical experience are able to make stronger distinctions between speech syllables than those without (e.g. Strait & Kraus, 2014).

The Development of Literacy Skills

Correlation studies have suggested that there are relationships between musical skills and various skills related to literacy including verbal and auditory working memory (e.g. Butzlaff, 2000). However, where research has attempted to demonstrate causality, the findings have been mixed. For instance, Elliot and Mikulas (2014) investigated the effectiveness of an integrated music curriculum within a preschool setting on language and literacy skills. The students in the treatment group showed significantly greater gains in language and literacy with a small to medium effect. However, Butzlaff (2000) found no causal effects in a meta-analysis of six experimental studies which varied in the type of musical training and the reading tests used;, although a later meta-analysis (Standley, 2008) of 30 experimental studies found a strong overall effect.

Reading requires the development of both decoding and comprehension skills. Decoding skills are a prerequisite for being able to comprehend. Musical training may have a differential impact on these. Corrigall and Trainor (2011), examining the association between length of music training and reading ability in 46, 6-9 year old children enrolled in music lessons, found that length of training correlated significantly with reading comprehension but was not associated with word decoding scores. These findings were robust even after age and socioeconomic status, auditory perception, word decoding, general intelligence, and the number of hours spent reading each week were taken into account.

Research on children experiencing difficulties with reading has shown improvement after engaging with music. For instance, Long (2014) studied 15 children identified as poor readers by their school who demonstrated statistically significant gains in reading comprehension, accuracy, and rate of reading following a rhythmic music intervention. Comprehension and rate of reading had large effect sizes. Miendlarewska and Trost (2014) in a review suggested that rhythmic entrainment is an essential mechanism supporting the learning and development of executive functions that may underlie enhancements in reading and verbal memory.

There has been little focus on the impact of active engagement with music on spelling or writing in comparison with reading. It is impossible to draw any firm conclusions.

Aural and Visual Memory

Musical training has been found to have long-term, positive effects on auditory memory. Children with musical training have significantly better verbal learning and retention abilities. In a typical intervention study, Roden and colleagues (2014) investigated the influence of group instrumental training on the working memory of children. The music group showed a greater increase on every measure of verbal memory (verbal learning, delayed recall, recognition) than science and control groups. There were large effect sizes. These differences remained when the statistical modelling took into account age and measured intelligence. The evidence related to visual memory is mixed. This may be because of the different methods used and the nature of the musical training particularly the extent to which it involves learning to read musical notation.

Spatial Reasoning and Mathematical Performance

Spatial Abilities

The evidence for the impact of active engagement with music on spatial reasoning is compelling. For instance, in a review of 15 studies Hetland (2000) found a strong and reliable relationship and concluded that music instruction leads to dramatic improvements in performance on spatial-temporal measures. She commented on the consistency of the effects and likened them to differences of one inch in height or about 84 points on the SAT (p. 221). She showed that the effects were likely to be stronger among younger children (3-5 years) than those aged 6-12 years. The consistency of these findings suggests a near transfer, automated effect.

Mathematical Performance

The evidence for the impact of musical activity on mathematics performance is mixed. One of the reasons for the low levels of association between musical training and mathematics may be that musical training is associated with some aspects of mathematics, but not others. For instance, Bahna-James (1991) found that high-school students' music theory grades correlated with their grades in algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus, but not with grades on an advanced mathematics course on logic. Similarly, Bahr and Christensen (2000) reported that performance on a mathematics test and a musicianship rating scale correlated in areas where music and maths shared structural overlap in pattern recognition and symbol usage, but not for other areas of mathematics where there was no overlap. Courey and colleagues (2012) found that musical concepts could be positively used to support the understanding of fractions. Playing an instrument seems to have a greater impact than other activities, and the length of engagement and level of commitment are also important.

Intellectual Development

Intervention studies with children have shown that active engagement with music can impact on IQ scores, particularly on elements related to spatial reasoning (e.g. Kaviani et al., 2014). If the quality of music tuition is poor and unstructured, there is no impact. The evidence suggests that the longer the training the greater the impact and that the relationships between musical training and intelligence remain when a range of confounding variables related to family background are taken into account (e.g. Schellenberg & Mankarious, 2012).

Executive Functioning

Executive functioning and self-regulation may act as mediators of the impact of musical engagement on intelligence. Executive functions are related to working memory and also involve the conscious control of action, thoughts, emotions, and general abilities such as planning, the capacity to ignore irrelevant information, to inhibit incorrect automatic responses, and to solve problems. Executive functions also include cognitive flexibility-the ability to adjust to novel or changing task demands. Playing a musical instrument, particularly in an ensemble requires many subskills associated with executive functioning including sustained attention, goal-directed behaviour, and cognitive flexibility. Formal music practice involves cognitive challenge, controlled attention for long periods of time, keeping musical passages in working memory or encoding them into long-term memory, and decoding musical scores and translating them into motor programmes. Supporting this, some intervention studies have shown greater improvements in children who participate in making music in some executive functions as compared with controls (e.g. Moreno, Bialystok, et al., 2011; Moreno, Friesen et al., 2011). Overall, the jury is still out on the possible impact of music training on executive functions and their relationship with measured intelligence; although it is clear that musical training enhanced some elements of executive functioning.

Creativity

There is relatively little research on the relationship between musical learning and creativity. Such as there is suggests that where creativity is enhanced the greater the engagement with music the stronger the relationship. The development of creative skills is likely to be particularly dependent on the type of musical engagement. Where the music making is creative (e.g. improvisation) the effects are likely to be stronger (Koutsoupidou & Hargreaves, 2009).

The Impact on Attainment at School

The evidence from correlation studies suggests that children who experience musical training have advantages in their attainment at school across all school subjects, except sport, even after general intelligence is controlled for (Wetter et al., 2009). However, the relationship may not be causal, as more able children may be more attracted to musical activities. Evidence from music intervention studies has tended to show that those participating in music groups attainer higher scores or grades than those who are acting as controls, although there are exceptions. High quality musical activities seem to affect aspirations that enhance motivation and subsequently attainment across other school subjects. Research with a range of disadvantaged groups supports this. Overall, the evidence suggests a positive relationship between active music making and general attainment at school. What underpins this relationship is less clear. Other factors, for instance, transfer of aural, phonemic, spatial, and memory skills, or those relating to planning, motivation, or changed aspirations may mediate the relationship.

Educational Motivation and Re-Engagement of The Disaffected

There is evidence that musical activities can be effective in reengaging disaffected students, including those in the criminal justice system (see Daykin et al., 2011). Music offers the potential for enhanced self-efficacy, self-esteem and self-concept, improvements in mood, reduced anger, increased motivation, and improved behaviour. The impact is in part mediated by the extent that young people have ownership of the music. This varies across contexts and is influenced by a range of factors, including the skills and approaches of those leading projects. Research with young people not in education, employment, or training, otherwise known as NEETs has indicated that those participants' self-confidence and aspirations are enhanced following active engagement with making music. Outcomes include increased motivation to engage in education, employment, or voluntary activity including gaining qualifications, heightened aspirations, and a more positive attitude towards learning. Participants also developed a range of transferable skills (see Qa Research, 2012). The context within which such projects operate is important in their success, as are the musical genres focused on and the quality of the music facilitators.

Social Cohesion and Inclusion

Cohesion in school classrooms can be enhanced through extending music making activities leading to better social adjustment and more positive attitudes. These effects seem to be particularly marked for low ability, disaffected pupils (e.g. Spychiger et al., 1993). Group music making has been shown to contribute to feelings of social inclusion (e.g. Rinta et al., 2011). Participating in group music making can also encourage tolerance and the development of social ethics (e.g. Miszka, 2010).

Pro-Social Behaviour and Teamwork

There is evidence of the impact of group music making on pro-social behaviour in children and adults. Collective music making supports co-operation, pro-social behaviour, belongingness, relationships, collaborative learning, social advancement, group identity, solidarity, taking turns, teamwork, and helping others (e.g. Creech et al., 2013). Cross community music education projects have been effective in addressing prejudice amongst young people (e.g. Odena, 2010), although the specific contexts of each setting can set limits on what can be achieved.

Empathy and Emotional Sensitivity

There is relatively little research in this area. Such as there is suggests that participation in active music making may increase the development of empathy and emotional sensitivity in children. For instance, Rabinowitch and colleagues (2013) studied 52 children aged 8-11 years who were randomly assigned to musical activities, games, or acted as a control group. The musical intervention consisted of a range of musical games that were designed to encourage musical interactions and working together creatively. Entrainment games were designed to encourage rhythmic coordination, and imitation games to highlight imitative and gestural encounters, shared intentionality and inter-subjectivity. The children took a battery of tests at the beginning and end of the study that included three measures of emotional empathy. Two out of three of the empathy measures increased in the music group children.

Well-Being

There are many definitions of well-being. Typically, it is considered as relating to the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. The benefits of active engagement with music in relation to well-being across the lifespan are well documented. Music is increasingly being recognised for its beneficial effects on physical health and wellbeing (see MacDonald et al., 2012). Research with looked after children (or fostered children) has shown that engagement in high quality music-making projects can support the development of resilience when dealing with the challenges that they face. Music-making can contribute to improved negotiation skills, co-operative working and learning to trust peers. It also provides respite from problems and opportunities for having fun (Dillon, 2010). Music making can play a role in supporting the healing of those who have been traumatized. (e.g. Hesser & Heinemann, 2010) and creative musical activities can benefit children who have experienced war promoting the development of self-esteem, trust, and identity (e.g. Osborne, 2009).

Personal Development and Self-Beliefs

Active engagement with music can support the development of musical and other identities and impact on self-beliefs. Depending on the nature of feedback received from others these may be positive or negative. Most of the evidence supports the positive impact of music on self-esteem and self-confidence. Opportunities to perform and receive positive feedback are important in this process (Hallam, 2016). Intervention studies have shown that school-based music classes can prevent a decline in global self-esteem measures (e.g. Rickard et al., 2013).

Music and Health

There is increasing interest in the role of music in enhancing health (MacDonald et al., 2012). The impact of music on psychological wellbeing and subsequently good health is largely, although not exclusively, through the emotions it evokes which can be wide ranging. Music has a particular role in the reduction of stress and anxiety and related to this the reduction of pain and the strengthening of the immune system. Many health benefits are reported from adult participants in music making (e.g. Clift et al., 2008). It is likely that these benefits also apply to young people and children.

Music in hospitals has been used effectively to promote the well-being of young patients enhancing relaxation, providing distraction and helping them to cope with their hospital experiences (see Preti & McFerran, 2014).

Conclusions

This synthesis of research findings has indicated that there can be many benefits of active engagement in making music. Some of these benefits have a direct relationship while others have an indirect effect. Those that the evidence currently suggests are likely to have a clear and direct relationship with musical activity include those relating to:

aural perception, which in turn supports the development of language and literacy skills;

enhanced verbal memory skills;

spatial reasoning which contributes to some elements of mathematics and constitutes part of measured intelligence;

self-regulation which is implicated in all forms of learning requiring extensive practice;

creativity, particularly where the musical activities are themselves creative; and

academic attainment.

Currently, the natures of the specific types of musical activity that are implicated in bringing about particular changes are not clear. There is also the issue of the quality of the music teaching. When the music teaching is poor there may be no benefits and even negative outcomes (Rauscher, 2009).

A range of factors may contribute to the impact of musical training on children's intellectual, personal, and social development. The age of commencement of training may be an important factor. Some neurological changes may only occur if training starts early, although not all of the research supports this. Length and intensity of musical training may also be important. A further issue relates to individual differences. Several studies have found a subset of participants who have not shown the same degree of improvement in related neuroplasticity in auditory training studies (e.g. Gaab et al., 2006). Genetic factors may be implicated here (Drayna et al., 2001). Some individuals are known to have difficulty in processing pitch (e.g. Peretz et al., 2007) and there are also differences in sensitivity to music (e.g. Wengenroth et al., 2013). Learning capacity and the motivation to engage in training may be genetically modulated (for a review see Frank & Fossella, 2011) thereby leading to differences in the outcomes of standardised training (Merrett et al., 2013). This does not mean that training cannot modify pre-existing anatomical factors and behavioural skills. It is also likely that differences in musical experiences prior to formal training play a role in the ongoing impact.

Some of the benefits relating to engagement with music depend on indirect factors, the social aspects of group music making including those relating to:

motivation and re-engagement with education;

social cohesion and inclusion;

pro-social behaviour and team work;

empathy;

well-being; and

personal development and self-belief.

For these benefits to be realised the quality of the interpersonal interactions between participants and those facilitating the musical activities is crucial. The quality of the music teaching, the extent to which individuals experience success, whether engaging with a particular type of music can be integrated with existing self-perceptions, and whether overall it is a positive experience will all contribute to whether there is a positive impact.

Some common characteristics of musical programmes which are beneficial seem to be emerging (Creech et al., 2013). The musical activities themselves need to be highly interactive and enjoyable (Stupar, 2012) and have resonance for the participants. There need to be opportunities for developing new skills and performing; acquiring cultural capital; developing interpersonal bonds and solidarity in pursuing shared goals; ongoing intensity and frequency of contact; developing mutual respect; and recognition and rewards for excellence. Receiving positive affirmation from others relating to musical activities, particularly performance is crucial in enhancing self-beliefs. If the performances are in high status cultural venues this also seems to enhance the impact (Stupar, 2012).

Implications for Education

The research undertaken to date exploring the wider benefits of making music suggests that:

active engagement with making music should start early for the greatest benefits to be realised;

engagement needs to be sustained over a long period of time to maximise the benefits;

the activities need to include group work;

opportunities need to be available for performance;

the quality of music teaching needs to be high;

the curriculum needs to be broadly based including activities related to pitch and rhythm, singing, instrumental work, composition and improvisation, and the reading of notation;

musical activities have to be in a genre to which disaffected and at-risk young people, can relate in order to have a positive impact.

References

Altenmuller, E.O. (2003). How many music centres are in the brain? In I. Peretz & R. Zatorre (Eds.), The cognitive neuroscience of music (pp. 346-356). Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198525202.003.0022

Bahna-James, T. (1991). The relationship between mathematics and music: Secondary school perspectives. Journal of Negro Education, 60, 477-485. doi: 10.2307/2295499

Bahr, N., & Christensen, C. (2000). Inter-domain transfer between mathematical skill and musicianship. Journal of Structural Learning and Intelligent Systems, 14, 187-197.

Butzlaff, R. (2000). Can music be used to teach reading? Journal of Aesthetic Education, 34, 167-178. doi: 10.2307/3333642

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The Impact of Actively Making Music on The Intellectual, Social and Personal Development of Children and Young People: A Summary

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Position Paper] By Susan Hallam This paper provides a summary of the report "The power of music: A research synthesis of the impact of actively making music on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people" (Hallam, 2014), which is freely available on the world wide web.

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Music involves technology, politics, and even messages that they want to spread rather than just noises. The popularity in genres has also changed over time and will only continue to change as more genres are introduced

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The Evolution of Music Genres: How Music Styles Changed Over Time and Across the World - Neon Music - Digital Music Discovery & Showcase Platform

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One of the most inclusive forms of expression and communication is music. It cuts across linguistic and cultural barriers as well as geographical boundaries. Music has the power to move people, evoke strong feelings, and tell stories. But in addition, music is always changing due to a variety of influences, including technology, politics, social trends, […]

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"The purposes of music genres are pretty much endless.

First and foremost, they help us to organise a huge amount of music so it’s easier for us to locate and identify it. It helps us identify the genre of a song we like, and listen to more like it."

we all deserve to love music

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Music Genres Explained | Blog | Startle Music

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Whichever is your favourite, genres make the music world go round. Let's take a look at them.

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Each musician makes music for different reasons. The two main ones are because they have a message to share, and others are because they enjoy music as a whole and want to share with others

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Once in a while I imagine different general musician types, among which I include myself. Here are six types:

The underplayer. The underplayer doesn't play "out" or deliberately enough. He's often fairly recently out of school (a college music program), has his playing together and knows the notes, but there's something missing. Maybe his strokes are too delicate-as if he's not convinced of what he's playing? The notes are there but they sound ventriloquized, as if they are those of someone else (his teachers, his favorite musicians as he imagines them playing). His gestures are proper but not yet his own. His solos don't explore the music or dynamically interact with it-frozen riffs and patterns that he inserts at the appropriate time (the same way each night too), hoping for the best. If you change up your dynamics on him (as a friendly experiment), he doesn't respond. He means well but you feel like he always needs to be turned up-way up. You want to compress and add reverb to his sound to compensate for his lack of presence.

The overplayer. Unlike the underplayer who may have some doubts about what he's doing, the overplayer over-believes in the power of his own presence. The overplayer has confidence in his musical-motor skills to a degree that he has no problem, well, overplaying. Overplaying is doing too much of something-throwing in too many unnecessary "licks", filling too many of the music's spaces, playing too brashly or loudly, and so on. The overplayer's confidence makes it difficult for him to listen well and interact sensibly (i.e. complementarily) with anyone else as he's too caught up in the acrobatics of his own playing to notice. Watching the overplayer overplay, you wonder if he does that because he's bored or because it's in his personality. Maybe he's insecure?

The steadyplayer. The steadyplayer is reliable yet somewhat boring (though apparently not bored), content to play the same way over and over, confident in the proven power of this or that phrasing, of playing the notes just like this, every time. The downside of the steadyplayer is that he can sound like an edited MIDI sequence. On the plus side, the steadyplayer is always attentive: he has space to notice what's going on around him as he plays. He's thoughtful, well-adjusted to being a professional, and always gets the job done.

The flashyplayer. Related to the overplayer is the flashyplayer, who knows he's very, very good, and his playing reminds you of that at every turn. The flashyplayer is one step down from a virtuoso-the difference being that, unlike the virtuoso, the flashyplayer's playing can't make you cry; and unlike the virtuoso, the flashyplayer can never make himself disappear into the music. Like the reflective ball hanging above the disco, the flashyplayer is designed to perpetually disperse his own reflections around the space of the music. Here I am- Rat-a-tat-tat!!

The emotionalplayer. The emotionalplayer has sunk his life into these sounds in this musical moment, his every expression connecting to the currents of his inner life. But sometimes it feels awkward to listen to the emotionalplayer because there seems to be no line between his life and the life of the music. Even though that line-blurring is a courageous artistic accomplishment in itself, you sense that maybe the emotionalplayer depends on the music's cathartic powers too much (and certainly more than you do). You fear that one day music could let him down, and then what will he do?

The naiveplayer. Whether a child just learning music or an adult with zero musical experience, the naiveplayer is free of the music world's heaviness and has not yet learned the sonic signs of underplaying, overplaying, steadyplaying, flashyplaying, or emotionalplaying. The naiveplayer simply taps around on a musical instrument, delighting in the sounds being themselves, smiling because he gets one of the keys things about music-which is that its sounds provide instant feedback on your actions. This is so cool he says. It sounds mysterious! Watching the naiveplayer tapping around reminds you that every expertise has its downsides.

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Once in a while I imagine different general musician types, among which I include myself. Here are six types: The underplayer. The underplayer doesn't play "out" or deliberately enough. He's often fairly recently out of school (a college music program), has his playing together and knows the notes, but there's something missing.

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This photo represents how many different types of instruments their are in one group even though they sound similar because, every musician has their own style and desires different instruments

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"Learning to play a musical instrument can also be beneficial in reducing stress and anxiety. Many can attest to using music as a coping strategy for their stress and anxiety, but playing an instrument helps to take this a step further. It can serve as a creative outlet to express any negative emotions and turn it into something beautiful"

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The Healing Abilities of Music: How Making Music Impacts Mental Health - NAMI Wake County, NC

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Music is magic. From being an universal language to convey emotions of love and anger to being an outlet for stress relief, music really does it all. Just

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Making music together is so impactful because you are creating memories together, having a connection, and being able to feel the music you are making

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Each artist represents a different person, culture, and story. You should be open to listening to them to understand why we have such a variety in musicians

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Do you have a favourite artist you listen to all the time? Or maybe a playlist you have on repeat? Maybe your friends suggest other artists to you and you say naaah, not my cup of tea. I was definitely guilty of this in my first few years of learning guitar. During the first 2 years of learning guitar, I would ONLY listen to blues, alternative and classic rock (such a guitarist thing to do). I absolutely refused to listen to other genres of music such as pop, RnB, jazz, metal, country, etc. Around my 4th year of playing guitar, I started to branch out and explore different genres.

Here is why you should explore different musical genres:
Expanding Your Palate
Listening to different kinds of music introduces you to new concepts, techniques, tones, rhythmic patterns, melodies, playing styles, the list goes on and on. Being exposed to all of those things listed previously allows you to diversify your playing and often enhances your preferred style. There are so many new techniques I subconsciously use in my playing just by learning music that I don't usually listen to. It allows you to become more creative in your preferred style.

Think of it like your actual palate. If you taste the same flavours all the time, it would get boring and bland. You'd get so sick of the same flavour right? I would...

Your musical journey is like an empty pan. If you only add butter to the pan, sure you'll have more butter, but all you're going to taste is butter. Add eggs and wow already a new flavour. Add bacon and you got yourself a meal.

What I love about working at Eliette's Music Academy is that all the tutors have their own genres/style that they play. So when we have an impromptu jam, I hear and learn new melodies, rhythms, or tones. We often share songs we love to jam and everyone learns something by the end of the jam session (make sure you ask your tutor what kind of music they like to play and maybe they'll play something for you!)
Versatility in Your Playing
When listening and learning different genres, you equip yourself with a larger vocabulary. Your instrument isn't made for one type of music. It can do so many things and that all depends on you. Embracing techniques from different genres allows your creativity to grow and adapt to different musical contexts.

You may have noticed that your tutor encourages you to increase your repertoire as you progress in lessons. The point of this is to diversify what you can play and often makes other songs easier to learn.

Here's another analogy for you. When you are learning how to speak and write, we start with basic words. As you grow older, you learn more words and you're able to express yourself through your expanded vocabulary. Without learning more words, we would speak like cavemen. "Me like guitar, play fun, I strum". That was me trying to convey speaking like a caveman through text. Versatility in your playing not only increases your knowledge and skill on your instrument, it also allows you to be more creative, which brings me to my next point

Enhancing Creativity
Integrating techniques from a multitude of genres breaks creative boundaries. A lot of recent songs are pushing boundaries from the "norms'' of what their genre is.The blending of different genres has been present for a very long time. Old RnB music from the early 2000s or even the 90s use elements of jazz, hip-hop, and funk. While modern RnB still uses those elements, they have integrated elements of EDM, latin, trap, indie, soul, disco, I could go on and on.

Musicians, songwriters, and producers are constantly finding new ways to be creative and they cannot do that without exploring different genres and taking ideas from them. Breaking creative boundaries doesn't mean you're abandoning the type of music you like, you're enhancing it. I encourage you to approach your musical journey with a fresh perspective and experiment with different genres. You might even find different ways to play the same song.

Every week I am introduced to so many songs and I really appreciate that students are comfortable enough to share their music. It's great listening to so many genres and I always hear something cool in every song.

I don't have an analogy for the third point but I hope this has inspired you to be open to all genres of music.

Good luck, have fun, and play your instruments!

Written By - Marcella Adisurya (HOD Guitar)

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Why You Should Explore Different Musical Genres

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Do you have a favourite artist you listen to all the time? Or maybe a playlist you have on repeat? Maybe your friends suggest other artists to you and you say naaah, not my cup of tea. I was definitely guilty of this in my first few years of learning guitar.

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"Research has consistently shown that the synchronization of music with repetitive exercise provides enhanced physical performance, helping people both work out for longer and train more efficiently."

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We all know that music is a universal language and as much as you know about your favorite song or artist there are still plenty of opportunities to be introduced to some new facts that you can share at the next party. We came across a list of interesting facts and will be sharing them periodically.

Below are 10 facts and bits of trivia that will blow any music fan's mind.
1. Singing in a Group Boosts Mood
Multiple studies have been conducted that prove singing as a part of a group provides numerous physical and emotional benefits. Researchers have discovered that singing is soothing and does indeed raise one's spirits and mood. When you sing with others, the body releases feel-good hormones, like oxytocin, and reduces stress-causing ones, like cortisol.
2. In 2016, Mozart Sold More CDs than Beyoncé
In fact, Mozart sold the most CDs in 2016, beating out Adele, Drake, and Beyoncé, even though all of those artists had Grammy-winning hits that year. So, how'd an 18th-century composer sell more than pop music's greatest names? Well, in October 2016, the Universal Music Group released a box set commemorating the 225th anniversary of Mozart's death. Each disc included in the box set counted as one CD sold, and each set contained 200 discs. Throw in the proliferation of streaming-which has significantly dampened CD sales-and voila. Plus, the box set itself flew off shelves: As of this writing, there are only four remaining on Amazon ($686).
3. Musicians Have Shorter Life Spans Than the General Population 4. Some People Feel Nothing Toward Music
One study, conducted by a University of Sydney professor, titled "Stairway to H*ll: Life and Death in the Pop Music Industry," examined the deaths of artists which took place between 1950 and June 2014. The study specifically looked at longevity and the proportion of suicides, homicides, and accidental deaths. Longevity was determined by calculating the average age of death for each musician by sex and decade of their death. These averages were then compared with averages by sex and decade for the general U.S. population. The results? Musicians' lifespans are 25 years shorter.
5. Listening to Music Enhances Physical Performance
Per the results of one study conducted at the University of Barcelona, 5 percent of participants did not feel any emotion whatsoever-didn't feel any chills or want to tap their feet-when listening to music. Before you start calling these study subjects monsters, know that they're totally normal in other ways: they received pleasure from other things, like food and sex, and had no other evident psychological issues. These were happy, healthy college students who just naturally did not care for any kind of music.
6. Rod Stewart Hosted the Largest Ever Free Concert
Research has consistently shown that the synchronization of music with repetitive exercise provides enhanced physical performance, helping people both work out for longer and train more efficiently. In one study, participants who cycled in time to music found that they required 7 percent less oxygen compared to cycling with background (asynchronous) music. In other words, music provides temporal cues that have the potential to make more efficient use of physical energy.
7. "Wanna Be" by The Spice Girls is the Catchiest Song of All Time
Several free concerts have been reported to have an audience of one million (or more), but such numbers tend to be exaggerated. However, according to Guinness World Record, Rod Stewart's 1993 New Year's Eve concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, remains the most-attended free concert that ever took place. An estimated 4.2 million people were in attendance at this performance. The second most-attended free concert was Jean-Michel Jarre's September 6, 1997, performance at the University of Moscow, which reportedly had an estimated audience of 3.5 million.
8. Finland Has the Most Metal Bands Per Capita
In 2014, a group of researchers from The Museum of Science and Industry in England released an online test called "Hooked on Music." It contained one thousand quips from pop hits, going all the way back to the 1940s, and it asked 12,000 participants to identify songs as fast as possible. They found that "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls was the catchiest song: people were able to recognize it in about 2.3 seconds, which was way below the 5-second average of identifying other popular songs.
9. An Astronaut Released an Album with All Songs Recorded in Space
Perhaps head-banging is an effective way to keep warm. According to a Reddit user who created a map using data from Encyclopedia Metallum's archive of metal bands, Finland is home to the most bands of this genre, with 53.5 metal bands per 100,000 people. Second place was tied between two other Nordic nations Sweden and Norway (27.2), while Iceland stole third (22.7). Though heavy metal music originated in the United States and the United Kingdom, their numbers for those countries were 5.5 and 5.2, respectively.
10. The British Navy Uses Britney Spears Songs to Scare Off Pirates
In 2015, a Canadian astronaut named Chris Hadfield released his first album, which was entirely recorded while he was in orbit. Not only was he the first Canadian to walk in space, he's also a talented musician whose went viral with a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." Hadfield spent 144 days at the International Space Station recording his 11 original songs for his appropriately-titled album, Space Sessions: Songs for a Tin Can.

According to reports, British naval officers play Britney Spears songs to scare away Somali pirates off of Africa's eastern coast. Her songs "Oops I Did It Again" and "Baby One More Time" are the songs which are used. The rationale of playing these songs is because, supposedly, Somali pirates have a strong dislike for western culture and music, which make Britney Spears' songs a perfect fit to make the bandits move on as quickly as possible.

...The More You Know...

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Some Silly Facts of Music Pt. 1 - Valley Cultural Foundation

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The weird, the random, the funny - Here are some interesting facts any music fan would appreciate. Part 1 of 4.

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Sound frequencies of 125 Hz and 250 Hz induce the production of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (ald) and Rubisco small sub-unit (rbcS) genes, which are vital for photosynthesis. And, as you already know, photosynthesis results in energy, which translates to growth.

Further, green music (sounds like rainfall and birds chirping) and classical music promote seed germination, increased stress tolerance, and higher yields.

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Have you ever been hanging out with your friends as they discuss interesting topics - only to realize you don't have any exciting facts to contribute to the conversation? We've all been there at some point.

Luckily, we have just what you need to redeem yourself - interesting facts about music and famous musicians. Whether your crowd listens to pop stars like Beyonce or violinists like Lindsey Stirling, they're sure to enjoy some fun facts.

After all, music is a universal language that transcends borders and cultures, creating connections and enriching lives. With these fun facts, you can all develop a better understanding and appreciation of all different types of music.

1. Plants can grow faster if music is playing

Now, before you get your speakers out to test this theory, let's explain - it's not music specifically that makes plants grow, but rather sounds.

Sound frequencies of 125 Hz and 250 Hz induce the production of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (ald) and Rubisco small sub-unit (rbcS) genes, which are vital for photosynthesis. And, as you already know, photosynthesis results in energy, which translates to growth.

Further, green music (sounds like rainfall and birds chirping) and classical music promote seed germination, increased stress tolerance, and higher yields. So, don't be surprised if you hear music playing in your neighbor's garden.

2. The oldest known musical instrument is 50,000 years old

While it may come as a surprise, homosapiens weren't the first species to play music. The proof is in the Neanderthal Flute made of cave bear bones, discovered in Slovenia in 1995.

Experts believe it to be at least 50,000 years old, making it the oldest instrument ever found - so far, at least. So, while legendary violinists like David Oistrakh and famous composers like Mozart may have popularized music, it's always been in our genes.

3. A Canadian astronaut released an album of songs all recorded in space

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield proved that you don't need a million-dollar studio to produce music by releasing an album of songs in space. The album - Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can - comprises original songs and a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." We can only describe it as "out of this world" (pun intended).

4. The Beatles didn't know how to read or write sheet music

Knowing how to read and write sheet music is great, but t's not entirely necessary - even if you want to make it in the music industry and produce number-one hit songs. In a 60 Minutes interview, Paul McCartney revealed that neither he nor his songwriting bandmates could read sheet music.

So how did the band amass such success without knowing how to read and write music? The answer lies in ear training.

The bandmates would hum tunes, commit them to memory, and reproduce their pitch. As you can likely guess, many tunes didn't make it to the public stage.

However, those that did had a catchy element that not only made it easy for the musicians to remember but also ingrained itself in listeners' minds, propelling the band to stardom.

5. The world's longest musical performance is taking place right now

Do you think a five-hour concert is long? For John Cage fans, that's nothing. They have been holding an "ORGAN2/ASLSP" performance since 2001 in Halberstadt, Germany. They expect to finish the eight-page score in 2640 - 639 years after the first chord was played.

So why is an eight-page performance taking this long? John Cage left instructions to play the piece as slowly as possible, and his music fans accepted the challenge. So far, only a few tone changes have occurred, and there's a long way to go to complete the piece.

6. Ludwig van Beethoven was almost completely deaf by the time he composed his most famous works

Ludwig van Beethoven's story is legendary. The piano virtuoso started to go deaf in his 20s and was almost completely deaf by age 44. Still, he composed numerous legendary concertos, including Symphony No. 5, Große Fuge, Op. 133, and Symphony No. 9.

While Beethoven used the hearing aids available to him (like ear trumpets), he often used his "inner ears" and musical memory to assess how his compositions would sound, a fact that makes him one of the most iconic composers of all time.

7. Metallica was the first band to play on all 7 continents

Metallica secured its place as the first band to play on all seven continents after performing in Antarctica in 2013. The "Freeze 'Em All" concert, which earned them a spot in the Guinness World Records, had 120 attendees - scientists and South American fans who had won a Coca-Cola contest.

8. The Seikilos epitaph is the oldest musical composition

The "Song of Seikilos" dates back to the 1st or 2nd century CE, making it the oldest musical composition ever discovered. Engraved on a tombstone in Turkey, it carries themes of life and death, encouraging listeners to live life fully as our time here is limited.

Bonus fact: The tombstone with the song was missing for a time - until it was found serving as a pedestal for a flower pot. It's now safely displayed in a museum in Denmark.

9. The Spice Girls didn't choose their own names

Who said stage names have to be carefully thought out to stick? Certainly not Peter Loraine, the Top of the Pops editor who gave the British dance-pop music stars the Spice Girls their iconic nicknames. The nicknames were based on each member's character or habits. Here's a breakdown:

Victoria Beckham became Posh because she always looked sophisticated.

Melanie Brown became Scary Spice because of her loud personality.

Geri Halliwell became Ginger because of her flaming red hair.

Emma Bunton became Baby Spice because she was the youngest member.

Melanie Chisholm became Sporty because she was athletic and often wore tracksuits.

10. Famous pianist Franz Liszt experienced rabid "Lisztomania" fandom

Modern-day musicians have certainly experienced their fair share of extreme obsession, with music fans going as far as to follow them wherever they go. But, contrary to common belief, excessive fandom isn't a new phenomenon.

In fact, in the 19th century, Franz Liszt's piano mastery elevated him to rock-star status. So much so that his infatuated fans would try to pluck a strand of his hair after performances, just to have a piece of him.

To prevent balding (and undoubtedly the pain that came with the hair plucking), the legendary pianist bought a dog with the same colored fur as his hair. Then he started handing out dog hairs instead of his own. Quite ingenious, right?

Discover more of music's wonders with Trala

These fun facts will undoubtedly make you a hit at your next music trivia night. The world of music is unbelievably vast, fascinating, and full of surprises.

With Trala, you can discover more intriguing wonders that help you develop your appreciation for the seemingly simple tunes you listen to daily. Trala makes music education accessible and enjoyable for everyone by providing easy access to professional music instructors and resources.
Ready to explore the world that has captivated people for centuries? Sign up for your first lesson with Trala today.

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10 Amazing Facts about Music and Musicians That You'll Love | Trala

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Enhance your musical knowledge with 10 fun music facts. These are essential facts for anyone interested in the fascinating and diverse world of music.

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Music can actually help improve your memory while studying! A study has shown that listening to music can help improve recall and memory performance

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Blog overview

Frederik Nielsen, in Uncategorized

Oct 09, 2023 | 4 min read

Music is an ever-evolving world of art. There is always something new to learn and something new to know. If you are a music enthusiast who has the thirst to learn more then you are in the right place! We've put together a list of 10 surprising and rarely talked about fun facts about music that will make you see music in a whole new light.

So, let's get started! 🎶🎵🎼

1. The world's shortest song

Believe it or not, the world's shortest song is just 1.316 seconds long! "You Suffer" by Napalm Death is the world's shortest song. Blink and you'll miss it!

2. Musical plants

Plants can actually respond to music! Several studies have shown that plants grow faster and healthier when exposed to music. So next time you're gardening, don't forget to play some tunes for your plants!

3. The most covered song

The Beatles' "Yesterday" is the most covered song in the history of recorded music. Over 2,200 artists have recorded their own versions of it! Talk about leaving a legacy!

4. The most expensive instrument

The Stradivarius violin is the most expensive musical instrument in the world. It was sold for $16 million in 2011. That's a lot of dough for a fiddle!

5. The world's largest instrument

The largest playable instrument in the world is the Great Stalacpipe Organ, located in the Luray Caverns in Virginia, USA. It uses rubber mallets to tap on the cave's natural stalactites!

6. Music and exercise

Listening to music while exercising can actually improve your performance! A study has shown that listening to fast-paced music can help you exercise longer and harder.

7. The World's longest concert

The world's longest concert is currently still ongoing! The concert, which takes place in Halberstadt, Germany, started in 2001 and is planned to end in 2640. That's a whopping 639 years long!

8. The first music ever recorded

The first music ever recorded was " Au Clair de la Lune " by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville in 1860. A phonautograph was used to record it. It is a device that can visually record sound waves.

9. The power of music on memory

Music can actually help improve your memory while studying! A study has shown that listening to music can help improve recall and memory performance. So next time you study, don't forget to put on some tunes!

10. The oldest known musical instrument

A flute made from a bird bone and mammoth ivory is the oldest known musical instrument in history. It was found in the Swabian Alps in Germany and is estimated to be over 35,000 years old!

Bottom line

Next time you're listening to your favorite tunes, remember these fun facts and appreciate the magic of music even more! Comment which fun fact was your favorite. If you would like to learn more facts about music, check out our blog on 10 interesting music traditions from around the world.

And don't forget, if you're a musician looking to improve your practice and performance, check out our range of products at Soundbrenner. Our wearable metronomes, the Soundbrenner Core and Pulse, can help you keep time and play with more precision.

Happy playing!🎶

Thanks for reading our article on 10 fun facts about music! We at Soundbrenner are dedicated to helping musicians stay focused on what truly matters: their music. By creating innovative devices, such as Soundbrenner Pulse and Core, our goal is to deliver the best practice experience for musicians. Click here to find out more.
Got a question about Soundbrenner wearables? Reach out to us at [email protected] , we're happy to help!

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10 fun facts about music that are surprising and rarely talked about

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Discover 10 surprising, mid blowing and rarely talked about fun facts about music that will make you see music in a whole new light!