I simply refuse to believe that there are people in the world who don’t like music. It’s an eacape, a form of entertainment, something that unites people and can serve as an emotional escape.
There has been much discussion about the health benefits of music. Mothers are instructed to play music to their unborn children, in the hope that it will promote proper brain development and it is frequently used as a form of therapy for all manner of individuals.
An emotional instigator
Music has an uncanny knack of swaying a person’s emotion. Just as a musician composes a piece to reflect his or her mood, a person selects a song depending on how they want to feel or what they wish to hear.
By playing an upbeat, and albeit cheesy, tune, you will find your whole body will relax making you feel more at ease and subsequently lighthearted. Similarly, a piece of classical music has a lilting quality that calms nerves and acts as a soother.
Song suggestion: “Hey Ya” by Outkast.
A personal motivator
If you are a regular exerciser, then you will know that music is the perfect accompaniment on your morning run or during your aerobics class. Exercising to a piece of music is extremely beneficial as a song is great for structuring a regime and distracting you from the somewhat mundane nature of your workout. And it will boost your endurance… “I just need to keep going until the end of the next song”…
Song suggestion: “Waka Waka” by Shakira.
An intelligence booster
While music lessons are being deemed as less important than other subjects at school, they are nonetheless still vital to a child’s learning. Researchers have found that people who play music have a more developed connection between both sides of their brain.
Studies have shown that by listening to a piece of classical music will increase your IQ by almost ten points, which, let’s face it, is pretty impressive!
Song suggestion: “Fifth Symphony” by Beethoven.
A therapeutic agent
It has been said that certain classical compositions have succeeded in helping patients with epilepsy and other forms of seizures. Mozart again resurfaces here as it was one of his pieces that was used to determine this benefit, leading to the now common term the ‘Mozart effect’.
Doctors believe that the structure, melodic and harmonic predictability of similar works calm the mind and body.
Song suggestion: “Sonata K.448” by Mozart.
