March 24, 2020

This essay was a research essay on a topic related to what we believe and our worldview.

Music teaches us much about ourselves that we can’t learn any other way. It affects how we view the world, how we remember things, and how we feel towards other people. Music is a really important part of our lives and it should be emphasized over other school subjects.
Listening to music has been psychologically proven to affect how we view the world in general. A group of researchers in the Netherlands found that listening to music can change a person’s visual perception and affect how they think and see. Furthermore, the specific type of music we listen to can make a difference in how we view the world. For example, a person who listens to happy music might perceive the world positively, and a person who listens to fantasy music might view the world like a fantasy, or believe in superstitions and superpowers. In the long-term, it is even possible that the type of music the people listen to can affect their personality and mental health.
Another effect music has on us is our memory. This is important because memories tell us important knowledge about our lives, personal attributes, and traits. The startle reaction, also known as the startle response, explains that our brain stem reflexes are systemed to quickly and automatically react to sudden, loud, or dissonant music. Furthermore, this quick response helps us to easily remember the sound which was made. Have you ever wondered why it is so easy to remember a really loud noise during a movie or when someone scares you? This is the reason why.
Humans are created in a way in which we can feel other people’s feelings. We can tell if someone is happy or sad by their actions, facial expressions, or tone of voice. By being able to feel their emotions, we can understand them and have empathy with them. We react to music in the same way that we react to humans. Our brains are wired to unconsciously try to feel the tone or emotion of the music piece we are listening to and to understand it. Music is, in fact, easier for our brain to comprehend than people because the emotion of the music is conveyed clearly through the melody. Humans, on the other hand, are more complicated beings and there may be conflicting emotions expressed through their actions versus their facial expressions. Nowadays, music is used as a medium to portray emotions in many different occasions such as in movies, parties, birthdays, weddings, and funerals. People play fast-paced music at parties to make them more exciting, somber music at funerals to convey the sadness, and lively music on birthdays and weddings to make them happier.
Since music is an important part of our lives, we should be exposed to it at an early age, when we are at school. However, a survey by the University of Sussex in England has shown that in the past two years, the number of schools offering A-level music class has decreased by more than 15% in England. The researchers say that if this continues, it is only a matter of time before music classes are gone. Evidence has shown that music is a really important part of education and music should be kept. Music helps stimulate brain development in children and is a way to relieve stress, improve moods and develop personalities. A study at Northeastern University shows that university students who have been in music classes since they were young have better neural processing capability compared to students who were not involved in music classes. Furthermore, being put into small school bands or ensembles helps students develop social skills and empower them to connect with other people. When a group of people is put together to try to complete a project, they tend to get closer together with each other. This is the same with a band as people will connect with each other to complete their end of the year concert or prepare for a competition, for example.
The above describes the positive effects that music has on us. However, just like everything else, there is a negative side to it. Music has the power to change someone’s personalities and their mental health. Unfortunately, this can go negatively as well. For example, sad music can to make someone feel sad. This could be good when it is needed, but it has the power to make some feel depressed, or even worse, fall into depression. Another example is fast-paced music, which can make people excited and get in a mood for partying and playing around. However, it can make some overly excited and lead them to do things they are not supposed to be doing. Music may have a negative impact on our lives, but this makes it even more important as to why it should be emphasized in our education. It should be taught so that everyone understands music and knows how big of an impact it has on our lives. This way, fewer people will be affected negatively.
Music can affect us and teach us a lot about ourselves that we don’t know. It teaches us how we view the world, how we are able to remember things, and how we feel towards other people. It should not only be kept in our education but be emphasized no less than other subjects.

Word Count: 897 words

Work Cited

Rough Draft and Brainstorm

Reflection:

This was a pretty fun essay because it helped me learn about my worldview and was able to do research on it. However, it was pretty hard because I had to do the right research to find the specific information I need for the essay.