| The power of music |
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| Written by Andie Maranda | |
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"Will you buy any milk today, mistress, any milk today?" Those were the first words I ever sang in public and you should be thankful they were also the last! To this day, though, I remember that moment as being the first time I really felt the music. "Will you buy any milk today, mistress, any milk today?" Those were the first words I ever sang in public and you should be thankful they were also the last! To this day, though, I remember that moment as being the first time I really felt the music.Every year, in my grade school, the grade sixes put together a musical for the year-end gala. They were cast into the lead roles while the grade fives played the extras and helped with the overall set production. That year the chosen musical was Oliver and, since I was in grade five, I was cast as one of the milkmaids. I was so nervous as we waited our turn hidden in the back of the auditorium but the intense feeling of the music all around me was both exhilarating and calming. Finally our cue came. I felt shivers run down my spine as I proudly walked up the side aisle with the other milkmaids, a piece of wood draped across our shoulders, ropes hanging down at each end from which KFC buckets (which had been painted silver) were attached. We sang in not-so-impressive harmony along with the rose and strawberries (Ripe, strawberries, ripe!) sellers. The feeling was elating. The following year, now in grade six, I volunteered to work as a stagehand so I could be close to the action and because I knew I couldn't sing to save my life! I have fond memories of these school musicals and to this day I still "see and feel" that moment whenever I see that particular scene in Oliver! Music. It is around us, every day, 24 hours a day. For some it is simply background noise, for others it is a necessity. Music can enhance moods and it can change moods. Music can help you be more productive or it can help you relax. And, today, music is commonly used by companies to manipulate how we feel and behave. Music. It is very powerful. Many studies have been conducted to find out how music affects humans. One study conducted in 1991 by Peter G. Hepper showed that two- to four-day-old babies showed changes in heart rate and movement when they were played a tune from a popular television program which had also been played to their mothers while pregnant. Another similar study was done with pregnant women. A song was played earlier in the pregnancy and was repeated again between the 29-37 weeks stage. The foetuses showed specific behavioural responses when it was played again. It has been shown time and again that children who learn to play music at an early age develop higher cognitive skills and show an increased ability to analyze and evaluate information. It also teaches them important life skills such as teamwork and conflict resolution and helps develop good listening and social skills. Most importantly, it helps build self-esteem. Let's take a quick look at how music helps the brain. The left side of the brain is the part that enables us to walk and talk - the reasoning side. The right side is the creative side. Research shows that when a person sings or plays a musical instrument, both sides of the brain work together to accomplish the end result. Playing music helps prepare the brain for orderly storage and recovery of data. Practicing music for one hour each morning increases the ability of the brain to better store and recover data for the rest of the day. Learning and playing music is demanding on the brain. It is also good exercise. The brain must make four or five decisions per second and must act on them continuously for long periods of time. It must figure out the notes that are on paper, how long to play each of them, how loud or how soft, at what speed and in what style. While all of this is going on, the brain must tell the body what it must do to play the music. Then it also has to plan ahead, anticipating the next notes. The top three ranking nations in academic excellence each have mandatory music requirements for their students in the lower grade levels. The United States, however, spends 29 times more dollars than any other nation on education, yet it ranks 14 out of 17 in academic excellence. Music education is almost non-existent in most of their schools. Is it simply coincidence? Children who study keyboard or piano at an early age show enhanced cognitive and spatial ability. This doesn't mean that you have to force your child to play piano for the rest of his life but it is definitely a good place to start his musical journey. A keyboard is easy to handle and children don't need to learn how to coordinate holding it and playing it as they would with another instrument. Once a child has a good start on keyboards she feels more confident moving on to other instruments. Okay, so music is great in helping children develop certain skills but what other role does music play in our everyday life? Never before in the history of mankind has music been so readily available to so many people in so many different ways. You can listen to music anywhere you want and at anytime you want. Just remember to be respectful of your neighbours! Music is a powerful influence on our emotions and moods. Hundreds of years ago it was used to bolster courage before battles but at the same time it was also used to put babies to sleep. It has been used to incite rebellion and is also often used to set the mood for lovemaking. Many governments throughout history have viewed music as being too powerful and have taken measures to try to ban it. Many debates still go on as to whether certain types of music can entice anti-social or destructive behaviour. The human response to music is not just about "sound". Music can be experienced physiologically through increase in heart rate, through movement, and through memories. How many times have you heard an old tune and have immediately found yourself thinking of an exact time and place from years before? How many times have heard a song and all of sudden, for a few seconds, you "feel" the way you did when you used to listen to that song years ago? Many people have specific memories that are "attached" to specific music. When you buy those old albums (or CDs), you're probably trying to recreate a favourable feeling from long ago. Music also plays an important role in society and has done so for thousands of years. Music is found in every culture. All major occasions and celebrations include music. Every generation enjoys music in different ways. Adolescence is the period when listening to music is at its peak and is used to express one's identity. Music is used as therapy to help patients deal with painful diseases; it is used in hospital waiting areas to help reduce anxiety before surgery and is used in burn units to promote pre-operative relaxation. Innovative techniques are being developed regularly as more studies prove the benefits of music in regards to healing and pain reduction. Okay, now that all the technical stuff about music in general is out of the way, let's talk about the blues. We all know that the blues originated out of the stories and emotions of African-American slaves brought to America. These slaves expressed themselves in their music - the pain, the suffering, the joys, and the sorrows - all of it came out in their music. The music was also a way to bring friends and families together. The blues was not only a type of music then, it was also a way of life. Over the years the blues have evolved from their roots into many varied styles and sounds but the music continues to be about feelings. Most blues fans and musicians will agree that listening or playing the blues transports your mind and body right in the center of these feelings. And, most blues musicians will tell you "you have to feel the blues to be able to play the blues." "Music became a part of my life early on," says Travis Furlong, guitarist and vocalist for Glamour Puss, a Nova Scotia-based blues band. "I was about three years old when I got one of those little cowboy guitars from Sears." "There's a direct honesty in blues that I felt the first time I listened to it. The benefit I get from the blues is definitely self-expression. It's a fantastic feeling to get up on stage and to pour your energy and heart out and have an audience feel that and give their energy back to you," says Furlong. He continues by stating that playing the blues gives him a sense of liberation - a feeling he can't get from anything else in his life. "Sometimes when I play I hit a certain note a certain way and I feel like I' m someplace else, and it's an incredible feeling," he continues. "I think this is what Carlos Santana refers to as a 'spiritual orgasm.' I think the blues are especially conducive in achieving that." Other people listen to the blues and feel a sense of release. It allows them to blow off some steam and to ground themselves. "After a hectic day, or even worse - a long boring meeting, I like to listen to raw, visceral blues," says Al Kirkcaldy, host of Blue in the Face on CFFF-FM based in Peterborough, Ontario. "Nothing like that violent imagery whooped and hollered overtop some chuggin' one-chord stomps on the drive home. It's kept me employed all these years." For others, blues and religion are closely knit. It allows them to express their faith to their audiences. "Blues is speaking truth on situations and Gospel is the Blues with a Solution," comments Danny Brooks, lead guitarist and vocalist for the Rockin ' Revelators, an Ontario-based Gospel blues band. "Many songs are confessional and an audience can 'fess up right along with it. It is a unifying force, a bond and in some ways a cleansing." Tim Williams, a long-time veteran of the Canadian blues scene now based in Calgary, Alberta, confirms the sense of cleansing the blues can bring to a musician but takes it to another level. "The blues, when you play it right, is about going back to those hidden places in your heart where you've buried all the hurt, loss and betrayal we all go through. Then summoning those feelings into the light of day (or nightclub) and by exposing them, defeat their hold over you. It's conjuration, and to watch its' effect on an audience, let alone feel it inside myself, is the greatest high I've ever known." However expressed, the blues are a powerful form of music. Each and everyone one of us who are fans or musicians of this style of music can relate to this power. As a fan (though after reading Travis Furlong's comments, I'm really tempted to speed up my harmonica lessons) I don't go to concerts or clubs just to hear the "sound" of the blues. I go to "feel" the blues. And lately with all of the great Canadian blues I have been listening to, I'm feeling pretty good. Copyright 2002 Andie Maranda |
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