HOW MUSIC AFFECTS AN INDIVIDUAL
A Research Paper Presented to
The English Resource Center
School of Multimedia Arts
Asia Pacific College
Magallanes, Makati
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Course
ERESWRT – Research Writing
Jennifer S. Canillo
April 2014
CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
People use music as entertainment because music is everywhere. Everywhere one looks, there is always going to be music. People listen to music everyday, every hour, every minute, or perhaps every second of their lives. A song that became very popular are heard in neighbor's houses, and sung even by children. They can hear music and anyone can make music if its pleasing to the ear or not as long as it is entertaining. A sound can become music when it has a rhythm and melody. It's like when tapping a foot, It surely produced a sound and when rhythm combined in to it then it will become a music. Somehow when an individual listen to a sound they imagine a melody then it will became a music.
Keanxy wrote an article entitled, "The Importance of Music". In that article he explains, "For me is anything that is pleasant to the ears is music. Anything that vibrates create a sound and if that vibration creates great sound then it may be consider as music."(http://keanxy.hubpages.com/hub/An-Essay-About-The-Importance-of-Music)
Also, in the past. One of the passed times of people is listening and playing music. It serves as their entertainment during their bored hours. This helps them to express their boredom through music when one is incapable in doing their tasks.
Anthony Sacks wrote an article entitled, "The Power of Music". In that article Anthony Sorrs explains, "People sing together, dance together, in every culture, and one can imagine them doing so, around the first fires, a hundred thousand years ago." (http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/129/10/2528.full)
On the other hand, there are some that thought that music industry leaders are more concerned with making money than making quality music because they thought that the public is ignorant. So they make any kind of music whether its good to the ear or not as long as it is entertaining . Lindsay Lowe wrote an article entitled, "Tony Bennett Slams Modern Music." In that article, Tony Bennette explains, “The songs that are written today, most of them are terrible, It’s a very bad period, musically, throughout the world for popular music.” (http://parade.condenast.com/273273/linzlowe/tony-bennett-slams-modern-music-todays-songs-are-terrible/)
Music is inevitable to people because music serves an entertainment for them. However, the researcher observes that one can be affected by music. In a good and a negative way, whether it is psychologically, physically, or emotionally.
Having background information on music will help an individual understand how music can affect an individual by becoming aware on the music that they listen in what can do to them.
The purpose of this paper is to inform and expose the different sides of music that it can affect an individual in the society.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer this question:
1. How does music affect an individual?
C. Significance of the Study
1. College Students of Music. This research paper would be able to help students in college who are taking up Music because as this paper is about on the approach of Music. It basically focuses on the effect on the individual.
2. Musicians. Since this paper aims to explain the effect of music in an individual, musicians would benefit a lot from this research because they will know and understand how their music affects an individual. With the different genres that they have they are able to understand the deeper meaning of music.
3. Teachers and Professors of Music. They would benefit from this study because they would be able to make use of the info in this research in preparing lesson plans and other activities. Future Researchers. This study will help future researchers in finding the deeper meaning of the different genres of music. They'll be able to know the different faces of music.
D. Scope and Delimitation
This study focuses on the music that affect an individual. Music have been considered a part of the human being that never seizes. This study will no longer focus on the history and origin of music. It will will focus mainly to the meaning and the effect of music in an individual in the society. Due to the approximate number of genres of music. The research found it very important to study this matter in order to know how it affects our lives.
E. Materials and Methods
The sources of data that will be used in this research are mostly gathered articles from the internet that generally tackles about music. It will be analyzed by pointing out the different sides of music and how it can affect a certain individual. This will be observed in the view of sociological and psychological perspective. in addition, the researcher will discuss different genres of music.
F. Definition of Terms
1. Entertainment. He act of entertaining; agreeable occupation for the mind; diversion; amusement: Solving the daily crossword puzzle is an entertainment for many.(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/entertainment?s=t)
2. Music. An art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/music)
CHAPTER 2
DISCUSSION
How does music affect an individual?
I. Definition of Music
According to merriam-webster. Music is define as, (a) Sounds that are sung by voices or played on musical instruments. (b) It is written or printed symbols showing how music should be played or sung. (c) the art or skill of creating or performing music.
For as long as man has walked the earth, music has been a vital part of our culture, lifestyle and collective memory. A more detailed definition of Music is presented in the Resurgence website wherein they define what is music for an individual. Listening to music can reduce chronic pain from a range of painful conditions, including osteoarthritis, disc problems and rheumatoid arthritis, by up to 21% and depression by up to 25%, according to a paper in the latest UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.
The website stated that, "Music is pure magic. It is a wonderful gift to humanity. Music moves us, and soothes us. It stimulates. It makes us want to dance or sing. It makes us feel happy or sad, inspired or uplifted. It affects our mood in all kinds of infinite ways. It can be exquisitely subtle or wildly raucous: from a lullaby, to a war cry for revolution."
Music is very important for people because it serves as an outlet for them to express their feelings in a way that they can't find the words to help express their feelings. Music helps them to communicate and relate to things when we can not. Ancient cultures used music as a mnemonic device to imprint vital stories and myths onto young minds, passing down tribal histories. Almost anything you need to memorize from a shopping list to a formula like E = mc2, may be set to music, locked quickly into memory for later retrieval and use.
An article entitled, "The Power of Music" by Timothy Crawford. Music affect us wholly- socially, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Timothy Crawford says,"Just be careful what you listen to, the more you listen to it, the more may it influence your actions." (http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/129/10/2528.full)
Overall, music does have positive effects on pain management. Music can help reduce both the sensation and distress of both chronic pain and postoperative pain. Music has the power to manipulate people for better or for worse. It has the capacity to control us in every possible way if we let it. By using music as a window into the function of a healthy brain, researchers may gain insights into a slew of neurological and psychiatric problems.
II. How Music affect an Individual
A. Entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience, or gives pleasure and delight. The people found music as entertainment. When boredom strikes, the number one remedy for them is listening to music. It never fails to alter the negative vibes whenever an individual is annoyed by a situation because music helps us gain a better feeling.
According to the article entitled, "About You: How Music Affects Your Moods" from Read Works, soft music with long, gentle notes is what many people play to relax. At an exhibit at the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center in New York City, visitors can lie down on the city's largest futon bed. They close their eyes, put on headphones, and listen to music by more than 60 "sound artists."
Grewal wrote an article entitled, "Music plays an important role in the society" According to it, Music is used in different ways and one of it, is for entertainment. It discussed how music affects an individual emotionally.
Grewal says, "There is no doubt that music is a good source of entertainment. Music helps to cheer everyone up." (http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/129/10/2528.full)
Music is one of the few activities that involves using the whole brain. It is intrinsic to all cultures and can have surprising benefits not only for learning language, improving memory and focusing attention, but also for physical coordination and development.
B. Psychologically
Speaking of, music helps an individual gain a better feeling. An example of this is like eating a chocolate. The goodness or the sweetness that the chocolate gives is like the feeling when an individual listen to a music. This applies for everyone. Even if a person is young or adult, still music affects them emotionally. because it satisfies the feeling of a person through music.
Virginia Hughes, wrote an article entitled, "Why does Music feel so good?". According to her, Music moves everyone, in a way that it doesn't seem to happen with animals. Nobody can really understand why listening to music gives rewarding experience. When a person tried to listen to a song for the first time, the strength of certain neural connections can predict how much he or she like the music, and that these fondness are guided by what they've heard and enjoyed in the past.
Valerie Salimpoor says, “This piece of music came on, and something just happened I just felt this rush of emotion come through me. It was so intense.” (http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/11/why-does-music-feel-so-good/
By emotional means, it affects the mood and feeling of a person. By listening to sad music, their moods can change in just a snap. It can change from happy to sad. In addition to, an article entitled, "Music, Emotion, Brain" by Geetanjali Vaidya.
She said that, "One great problem that arises in trying to study music's emotional power is that emotional content of music is very subjective." (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro04/web2/gvaidya.html)
On the other hand, music opens a whole new world of experience that it further enhances a person's mind and emotionally. It provides an escape from their everyday lives. By music used as entertainment, it fills the part of a someone's need emotionally.
Gilbert Galindo, wrote an article entitled, "The Importance of Music". According to him, Music sets a mood and a vibe as a person hear it in lounges, bars, parties, or other social events. Also, attending a concert is unique as it gives the excitement and entertainment of hearing live musicians while providing the sound as it is meant to be heard.
Gilbert Galindo says, "Music can also stimulate the mind because there are many things in music, in which one can listen and bring attention to." (http://www.gilbertgalindo.com/importanceofmusic.htm)
A piece of music may be undeniably emotionally powerful and at the same time be experienced in very different ways by each person who hears it. The emotion created by a piece of music may be affected by memories associated with the piece, by the environment it is being played in,. by the mood of the person listening and their personality, by the culture they were brought up in. By any number of factors both impossible to control and impossible quantity.
C. Physically
Music competes with this physiological feedback for the brain's conscious attention. Similarly, music often changes people's perception of their own effort throughout a workout: it seems easier to run those 10 miles or complete a few extra biceps curls when Beyoncé or Eminem is right there with them.
From an article entitled, "Physical workout music" by Ferris Jabr. Stated that, Their is a recent research that clarifies not only what type of music is best for a workout, but also how music encourages and motivates people to keep exercising. Distraction is one explanation. The human body is constantly monitoring itself. After a certain period of exercise—the exact duration varies from person to person—physical fatigue begins to set in. The body recognizes signs of extreme exertion—rising levels of lactate in the muscles, a thrumming heart, increased sweat —and decides it needs a break.
In the article, Karageorghis was quoted, "Given that exercise is often tiresome, boring and arduous, anything that relieves those negative feelings would be welcome." (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/psychology-workout-music/)
Music also increases endurance by keeping people in strong emotions. Listening to music is often an incredibly pleasurable experience and some certain songs open the mental thinking with which people control their emotions in everyday situations. If one strongly identifies with the singer's emotions or perspective, the song becomes all the more motivational.
D. Culture
In an article entitled, "Bridging Cultural Gaps with Music" by Diaa Bekheet. Stated that, Music can bring people together regardless of nationality, and without translation. Music is very important. It's hard to live without it because it has many advantage that we benefit from. One of the most important thing that music can bring is by bringing people together regardless of nationality, and language. No matter what is their nationality or language, music unites them. It helps them to understand what a person feel in the surroundings without any hesitations. Likewise, we should value music.
Diaa Bekheet says, “Music is a language everybody understands.”
(http://whatsupvoa.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/bridging-cultural-gaps-with-music/)
Music is an important tool because it build bridges and translates the fears and problems of the people. Through music they are united with their differences because they are separated with their culture, language, and what they believe in. But with music they can overcome all of those differences because music serves as an another language that they can connect with different people and know them well.
CHAPTER 3:
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
This paper attempted to determine the affect of music in an individual.
The research design used in this study is the descriptive research method wherein data from articles found in the internet were used to answer the research question posed. The research findings are the following:
1. Music is like a language that can communicate in every aspect of people's lives. Music expresses, at different moments, serenity or excitement, regret or triumph, fury or delight. It expresses each of these moods, and many others, in a numberless variety of ways and differences. It may even express a state of meaning for which there exists no adequate word in any language.
2. By entertainment means, music highly affect people in a positive and a negative way. By also becoming a modern generation the entertainment field most likely improved and it made people more attracted to music and in that way they're more affected in such a way the music gives.
3. Music is an inevitable piece of art. Many things can affect an individual through music and music has many sides that it tells the good of music.
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn:
1. Music has different sides that can affect an individual that mostly people are not aware of.
2. There are many advantages that music affects people in their daily lives.
3. By music, it helps people in expressing their true emotions when one can't find the right words to express it. There is a certain language that music has and can affect an individual strongly.
RECOMMENDATIONS
After drawing the conclusions of the study, the researcher hereby make the following suggestions/recommendations:
1. People should take a deeper look on music on how it can affect a certain individual whether it's positive or negative.
2. People, specifically readers, teachers and students should be more aware and observant on what can music influence an individual.
3.Scholars and future researchers should design a research that will develop the study throughout the process of the research to give a different take, perspective and approach in incorporating music and how it will affect or the relevance of it to the society. Use this study as a basis for a more concrete study in the future regarding or related to the same topic as this study.
References:
A.Electronic Media
Annie Lennox (2007) What is music. Retrieved Febuary 2013
(https://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article2540-what-is-music.html)
O Sacks (2006) The Power of Music. Retrieved March 2013
(http://brain.oxfordjournals.org/content/129/10/2528.full)
Geetanjali Vaidya (2001) Why Are We Still Surprised When “Entertainment” Does More Than Entertain Us?. Retrieved Febuary 2013
(http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro04/web2/gvaidya.html)
Ferris Jabr (March 2013 ) Let's Get Physical: The Psychology of Effective Workout Music. Retrieved Jan 2013
(http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/psychology-workout-music/)
Diaa Bekheet (June 2011 ) Bridging Cultural Gaps with Music. Retrieved Jan 2013
(http://whatsupvoa.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/bridging-cultural-gaps-with-music/)
Jason Morehead (November 2013) Entertainment. Retrieved March 2013
(http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christandpopculture/2013/11/why-are-we-still-surprised-when-entertainment-does-more-than-entertain-us/)
Lind Sey (2011) The Effect of Music on Our Lives. Retrieved March 2013
(http://www.teenink.com/opinion/movies_music_tv/article/237386/The-Effect-of-Music-on-Our-Lives/)
Keanxy (August 9, 2011) The Importance of Music. Retrieved Febuary 2013
(http://keanxy.hubpages.com/hub/An-Essay-About-The-Importance-of-Music)
Gilbert Galindo (July 2009) The Importance of Music in our Society. Retrieved Febuary 2013
(http://www.gilbertgalindo.com/importanceofmusic.htm)
Grewal (November 19, 2012) Music plays an important role in society. Retrieved Febuary 2013
(http://lang-8.com/505254/journals/1787695)
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