Music… A Great Joy in Life

By Tyler J. Raszick

            Music is a great joy in everyone’s life.  It not only brings people together, but it stimulates learning and induces general feelings of pleasure in people.  Around since the first person beat on a buffalo skin drum, it has been a reason to dance, listen, or appreciate the wondrous melodies.  It is something that everyone, young or old, can enjoy.  Although merely different arrangements of invisible sound waves, music has always had a near magical effect on the human brain and body.

            All my life, I have seen music bring people together.  Whether in my piano studio or my high school music program, it has been a driving factor in creating new friendships and acquaintances.  How is numerous friends being united by a common interest not a great joy?  In my experience, friendship is never something to be shunned away.  All of my closet friends are related to me by music in one way or another.  Also, musical interests bring people together.  Some people like street punk, others enjoy Mozart, and still others prefer the mellow sounds of classic love ballads.  When people of similar interests meet, their musical connection can bring them together.

            In addition to the social power of music, music also has the ability to affect our learning.  Numerous studies have proven that classical music helps children absorb science and math better than they normally would.  The brain is powerfully affected by music on a subconscious level.  It works with us and helps us learn and take in knowledge without our even knowing it.  It is even speculated that listening to classial music during pregnancy can lead to the birth of smarter children.

            Music is a great joy in life in a more direct approach as well.  The harmonies and rhythms in music stimulate the numerous parts of the brain and body that cause pleasure.  When this sensation is coupled with any of the above, it is the most apparent idea in the world to me that music is a main source of joy in everyone’s life.  If you’ve ever “felt like dancing,” you too know the sensation that music can cause in your body.

            In retrospect, we have seen how music does everything: from bringing people together, to enlightening the human mind.  Without music, society would most likely not be where it is today.  Would we gather every year to test our skills against one another?  Would children be as intelligent?  And, most importantly, would people be as happy.  Of course, I did not write this essay to be cliché, nor try to write what I thought you’d want to hear.  I truly believe in the power of music, and that it is one of the greatest joys in life.