Role of Music
ZOEY LARSON | NOV. 10, 2021 | ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
For a Stanton College Preparatory School student, stress comes with the experience. Whether it is to relax, study, or simply to be entertained, to alleviate that stress, students turn to music as an outlet. Listening to everything from country to 90s rock while completing assignments, taking breaks, and more, gets them in the right mindset to be productive and take on their day.
A 2010 study published in the British Journal of Psychology found there are six main reasons people listen to music: positive mood management, diversion, negative mood management, interpersonal relationships, personal identity, and learning information such as current events. This research depicts that music is primarily used for emotional purposes, while its social functions are of secondary importance.
“[Music is] really just a fun thing to let you get away from life,” said sophomore Camille Stelly.
Besides using music for enjoyment, listeners can also be physically affected, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. It reduces blood pressure, anxiety, and pain, as well as improves sleep quality, mental alertness, mood, and memory. Though listeners may not consider these factors when plugging in their earbuds, these effects may influence the emotional positives they experience.
“[When] I’m stressed I listen to happy music or calm music and it automatically makes me calm and happy,” said sophomore Umaiza Toor.
Students like Toor experience this effect, which neuropsychologist Daniel Levitin, author of “This is Your Brain on Music,” explained in a 2014 interview with the American Psychological Association.
“The kind of music you play when you’re trying to wake up in the morning is different from the kind you play when you’re trying to go to sleep at night,” said Levitin. “A large number of people report in surveys they [program] music to suit a desired mood outcome and so in that sense they’re using music for mood regulation.”
Biologically, pleasing music leads to a release of chemicals like dopamine in the brain, which helps improve mood. Students take advantage of this, even unknowingly, by personalizing what they play. Music streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music make this easy for users by allowing them to create playlists.
“I have a different playlist to help me cope with whatever mood I’m in,” said junior Leif Basset. “I find that it helps me relax if I’m stressed over an assignment.”
Like Basset, students listen to mixed playlists, while others stick to one specific kind of music. Either way, everyone’s taste is different, with people enjoying various genres, artists, and albums. According to Statista, 31.3% of music streamed in the U.S. in 2020 fell into the R&B/hip-hop genre, followed by rock at 15.6%, and then pop at 13.1%. The classical and jazz genres are among the least popular, representing just 0.8% and 0.7% of music streamed, respectively.
Stanton follows similar trends, with pop dominating the favorite genre of most students interviewed. Some, however, don’t conform to one particular genre.
“I don’t have a very specific genre; sometimes it can be rock, sometimes indie pop, it just depends on my mood,” said senior Stephanie Marques. “Music can bring me into any mood. Certain songs make me happy, and other ones make me sad or nostalgic.”
As Marques described, listening to music can cheer up listeners, which can help with stress management, whether this stress stems from school or otherwise.
“I listen to it a lot while I’m doing homework because it makes it feel less like you’re doing homework,” said senior Maddie Germany. “At lunch, listening to music helps get you out of that ‘Oh, I’m learning a bunch of super hard stuff’ and focuses you on where you are presently.”
Other students agree music can provide a much needed break from stressful situations. It can enable them to get lost in the music and forget about their worries for a few minutes.
“It just helps me think about other things and get my mind off the work and give my mind a break,” said freshman Trey Driver.
While students like Driver use it to relax, the role of music in each person’s life manifests in unique ways. Music can be used to promote mood, handle difficult situations, and help with the heavy workloads many teenagers endure. The biological benefits of listening to particular songs or playlists also contribute to the break from the pressure of high school. Although students may have clashing ideas on what song, album, or genre is the best, one thing unites them all: a love for music.