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Jon Wake

Mrs. Jenkins

English IV

17 March 2020

The Sound of Music and You

As my high school career is coming to a close, I have found myself recalling all of my

favorite memories from my life so far. A vast majority of these times have been related to

performing and listening to music in some way. From playing electrifying yet soothing samba

music in the heart of Sao Paulo to listening to the refreshing masterworks of Sergei Nakariakov

and Franz Liszt during long, peaceful walks in the lush green hills near my home, I have had a

beautiful set of experiences that I will not soon forget of take for granted. It is with these

experiences that I wonder what my life had been like had I not discovered what great healing

power music can have. These experiences were instrumental in managing my mental and

physical health through the more stressful parts of my scholastic life.

In 2019, I found myself going down a rabbit hole of scientific youtube videos, TED

Talks, documentaries and podcasts which led me to discover the beginnings of what would

eventually become my curiosity for and interest in biology and psychology. It is with this

newfound scientific interests that I have cultivated in this past year, in addition to my everlasting

love of music, that I plan on discovering how and why music has had such a drastic impact on

my life. I wonder what emotional challenges I would have had to undergo, only to fail, without

music. I wonder if other people my age have had to undergo unnecessary depression and anxiety
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have ever had something as powerful as music help them. I wonder if anything besides music

can have such therapeutic power in one’s life and can trigger such a diversity of emotions. I

wonder how much emotional damage music can repair. I wonder what music can do to a person

in terms of their social life. It is my plan to take this curiosity with me through the next three

months of my life as I ask the question of: ​ ​How do different genres of music affect the minds

and behaviors of people socially and emotionally?

I began my journey by researching what exactly music therapy is. I had heard of it in the

past but I hadn’t actually researched the subject in depth before I took on this project. I took to

the place where I knew I could find trusted and plentiful information, Northgate High School’s

database, Gale, to find out more about this practice. While reading the article “Music Therapy”

form the Gale Library, I was surprised to learn that music therapy practices happen a lot more

than I thought. This article told me that, “Music therapy can be found in hospitals, clinics, day

care facilities...and private practices” (Music Therapy). Learning about how widespread this type

of therapy is led me to begin thinking about how far this type of medicine goes in terms of how

many different types of illness it can really heal if used properly. This article was helpful for

learning about the reputation of Music Therapy but I had only learned about the popularity of

music therapy, still lacking an understanding of what goes on in a music therapy session. These

curiosities I had had were answered by the article from the United Press International (UPI)

entitled “Music therapy may help treat depression”. The article said that “Therapeutic

interventions included listening to music in groups, body movement and painting to music and

improvised singing” (Music therapy may help treat depression). Initially, I didn’t fully trust

music therapy as I hadn’t heard much about it and had grown up to believe that the only way to
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treat mental and physical ailments was with medecine. NewsRX LLC gave me hope in their

article which said, “"While the evidence came from a few small studies, it suggests that this is an

area that is well worth further investigation...we need to find out which forms have greatest

effect," says lead author Anna Maratos, an Arts Therapist who works in the Central and

Northwest London Foundation NHS Trust, London, UK” ("Music therapy may offer hope for

people with depression).

As I had mentioned earlier in the article, I have felt that listening to certain types of music

has helped alleviate some of my symptoms of depression while others have amplified these

feelings of depression, but I had never known if this was actually the case. At the time of my

sophomore year when I felt this sense of depression at its strongest and I thought I would just

have to wait out the school year for the sweet release of summer vacation to be cured of it.

Thankfully, I’d learned that there was another way to feel consistently happy and content. When

I felt great during the duration of my junior year, I attributed these feelings of happiness and

content to my listening and performance-related experiences I mentioned earlier. I have since

been proven correct in my hypothesis and assumptions by the Harvard Mental Health Letter

when they said that, “In four of the five studies the reviewers included in their analysis, people

who participated in some type of music therapy reported a greater reduction of depressive

symptoms than people who received other types of psychotherapy” (Music Therapy may help

depression). This inspired me to find out more about this practice and what untapped potential

music might really have in changing the lives of those who need it.

So far, I have only heard about music therapy helping people in cases of depression. I

became discouraged in finding more potential in this artform until I found the New York Times
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article entitled, “When Music is the Best Medicine” by Susan Gubar. The article follows the

story of Emily Caudill and her experience with music as it related to various operations of hers.

Ms. Caudill defends this practice when she explains that, “Music lights up neurons between the

right and left hemispheres of the brain,” Ms. Caudill said. “It can also aid in neuroplasticity,

helping the brain form new connections.” Music can be a stress reliever, a form of speech and

physical recovery and an assistant in the retrieval of memories. Popular and classical melodies

can be infinitely modified to adhere to people's preferences (Gubar). This was a major shock to

me when I first read this particular article. I had thought of music therapy as simply a means of

relieving stress and helping treat depression when it can be, in fact, so much more than that.

When reading an article from the University of Minnesota entitled “What is music therapy?” I

saw a passage that described how music therapy can, “...help people address rehabilitative needs

after a stroke, a traumatic head injury, or with chronic conditions like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s

disease” (What is music therapy?).

I had the great fortune of taking AP Psychology at Northgate my junior year of Northgate

High School and learned a lot about the human brain and humans in general. Among this list of

things I learned was the life and work of influential psychologists such as Sigmund Freud,

Abraham Maslow and Stanley Milgram, to name a few, and wondered if any of these

psychologists knew about music therapy and other types of art therapy. I was curious to see if

they knew about some of the effects music therapy and other alternative medicine could have. It

turns out that Oliver Sacks, author of novels such as​ Awakenings ​and ​The Man Who Mistook His

​ rote a book called ​Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. ​According to
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Manuel Matas, MD, the reviewer of the novel, said that, “He [Sacks] makes a plea for the use of
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music therapy for patients with dementia, aphasia, parkinsonism, and stroke. He [Sacks]

illustrates the neuroanatomic substrate of various musical symptoms, such as musical auras,

musical hallucinations, and amusia” (Matas). This information was all very helpful in giving me

insight on what, generally, music therapy can do. However, I still had questions regarding the

social and psychological nature of music and how different genres may impact people

differently.

In my music education so far, I have learned that Jazz and the Blues were created as

protest music to convey the plight of African Americans. According to ​Tracey Nicholls, author

of Music and Social Justice from the Internet encyclopedia of Philosophy, “...socio-political

relations go hand in hand...we can see in the free jazz that emerged in the early 1960s a kind of

“proto-nationalism” which presaged the black nationalist messages of Malcolm X,[and] the

Black Panthers...during the 1960s” (Nicholls). This is demonstrated by works such as Charles

Mingus’s “Fables of Faubus” which was a musical stab at the racist actions of Arkansas

governor at the time, Orval Faubus (Aceves). Additionally, John Coltrane’s “Alabama” ​was

created as a response to the September 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in

Birmingham by the KKK that killed four young girls and injured 22 others (Aceves). Other

famous songs of protest include Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner”, Woody

Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” and Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”, to name a few, have

had massive impacts on society, but what impacts have songs like these had psychologically?

Surprisingly, some studies have shown that students listening to heavy metal music had

given patients significantly higher levels of anxiety, stress, and jitteriness with decreases in

calmness and a sense of security than those listening to classical and pop music (Rea, et al.,). At
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the same time, classical music gave participants feelings of calmness and decreases in stress

while participants listening to heavy metal reported increases in jitteriness, and decreases in

calmness and security. Pop music elicited increased reports of comfort and relaxation, and

decreased tension, worry, and confusion (Rea et al.,). Additionally, studies conducted at Penn

State University have shown that listening to the blues and reggae can make you less nervous,

rock and classical music can make you happier and the music of broadway can make you feel

inspired. However, according to an article from Ashford University, “​Whether you're listening to

the smooth jazz styling of Billie Holiday on vinyl...or The Beatles and their powerful British

Invasion rock music on Spotify, different styles can produce the same results – as long as they

align with your musical preferences” (How Does Music Affect Your Brain?). With several

different perspectives from different sources, all of this information began to get cluttered with

conflicts with itself. For the sake of clarity, I couldn’t come up with a better option than to talk

to a music therapist in my area.

Maya Zebley is a Music Therapy Board Certified music therapist based in the bay area.

She has degrees from universities such as a diploma from the Rimon School of Music in Israel, a

Masters from the University of the Pacific and a Bachelors of Music from the Berklee College of

Music in Boston. As an educator, she has served as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice at

University of the Pacific teaching courses such as ​Music as Therapy: A Survey of Clinical

Applications​, ​Basic Skills for Music Therapists and Allied Professionals ​and ​Advanced Clinical

Practice in Music Therapy​. She has also served as a guest lecturer at universities such as Diablo

Valley College, University of California, Riverside and California State University, Cal Poly

Pomona. She is now the Sole Proprietor for Maya Music Therapy which helps one-on-one and
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group music therapy for disabled adults, older adults with dementia, cancer survivors and clients

who experience loss and grief.

This interview was very helpful in clearing up some of the conflicts of information I have

come across, including examples of when music has proven to be beneficial in the behavior of

clients. Among everything that I learned from my interview with Mrs. Zebley, I learned why

music therapy has been proven to work. I learned that music therapy assists with reducing pain

by way of the Gate Control Theory of Pain (Zebley). The Gate Control Theory of Pain claims

that “...the central nervous system can process only a limited amount of information at one time”

(Zebley). Music can be used as an external stimulus to alleviate awareness of pain in the body

(Zebley). Regarding the impact of different genres as it relates to music therapy, Mrs. Zebley

told me that the client chooses the song which they then talk about or play, “...based on the

client’s immediate needs” (Zebley). This was reassuring in that it reinforced information from

the article I referenced earlier, “How Does Music Affect Your Brain”. According to these

sources, this means that as long as you are listening to some of your favorite songs, you can

benefit from music therapy in a social and emotional context. During my second interview with

Sara Stafford, we talked about this very hypothesis of healing by way of listening to your

favorite songs.

Sara Stafford is the music director at Alhambra High School and has been an educator for

20 years. She has taught “every level from TK to adults” (Stafford). Some of these programs

include the Martinez Community Choir, 4th-12th grade band, 6th-12th grade orchestra, 9th-12th

grade marching band, 6th-12th Jazz Band, 6th-Adult Choir and 6th-12th Home/Hospital Teacher

(Stafford).
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Mrs. Stafford told me about an experience she had with a client suffering from brain

injury from a horseback riding competition. She was in a coma for 1 and a half years and began

therapy when she was 18 and a half years old. She described how “a light bulb flashed!”

(Stafford) and how she began singing her favorite lyrics to her favorite songs, namely Lady

Gaga’s “Money Honey”. She told me that “...she went from speaking like a toddler to being able

to discuss how, what, where, and when [on] any topic” (Stafford). We also talked about how

different genres and styles of music impact behavior and if she had had any experience with this.

She described how intense percussive music made students feel stressed or would make them

call out while units of waltzes or lyrical solos incited a calmness in the room and made students

call out less (Stafford). She also made a good point when she said “Look at the behaviors of a rap

concert vs. an Orchestral concert” (Stafford). “When the city of Concord has the streets lined

with police at the close of a rap concert...it says something about that concert and its clientele”

(Stafford).

Ultimately, I believe that there is enough knowledge to answer the question of how do

different genres of music affect the minds and behaviors of people socially and emotionally?

Whether it be a rap concert, a punk mosh, BTS, Pavoratti, or whatever your favorite tunes may

be, I now know that everyone can benefit from the medical art of music therapy in some way. All

of this information will cause most people to ask why they should care. Though this practice isn't

as accepted in society as something like western medicine, drugs and pharmaceuticals, it can be

much more accessible and enjoyable. With prices for healthcare on the rise and the increase of

music streaming services rising as well, it is safe to say that music therapy could be the next big
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thing in the medical world. In some ways, it already is. I can attest to this notion when I say that

music has saved my life and it can save yours too.

Works Cited

Aceves, Rusty. “Six Protest Jazz Records You Should Hear.” ​SFJAZZ.org,​ 26 June 2016,

www.sfjazz.org/onthecorner/six-protest-jazz-records-you-should-hear

Bergström-Isacsson, Märith, et al. “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain.” ​Acta

Paediatrica,​ Acta Paediatrica, 2006,

www.academia.edu/29447477/Musicophilia_tales_of_music_and_the_brain.

Christopher, et al. “Listening to Classical, Pop, and Metal Music: An Investigation of Mood.”

Emporia State Research Studies,​ 2010, academic.emporia.edu/esrs/vol46/rea.pdf.

Gubar, Susan. “When Music Is the Best Medicine.” ​The New York Times,​ The New York Times,

26 Sept. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/well/live/music-therapy-cancer.html.

Kakutani, Michiko. “Power to Soothe the Savage Breast and Animate the Hemispheres.” ​The

New York Times​, The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2007,

www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/books/20kaku.html.

McCraty, R, et al. “The Effects of Different Types of Music on Mood, Tension, and Mental

Clarity.” ​Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine​, U.S. National Library of

Medicine, Jan. 1998, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9439023.

"Music therapy." ​World of Health,​ Gale, 2007. ​Gale In Context: High School,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2191500885/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=53d

05bae. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.

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"Music therapy may help treat depression." ​UPI NewsTrack​, 29 Feb. 2008. ​Gale In Context:

High School,​

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A175694527/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=6b5f9c

91. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

"Music therapy may offer hope for people with depression." ​Science Letter​, 5 Feb. 2008, p.

5032. ​Gale In Context: High School​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A366659274/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=ebdb92

86. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

Nicholls, Tracey. “Music and Social Justice.” ​Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,​ 2002,

www.iep.utm.edu/music-sj/​.

Stafford, Sara. Personal Interview. 5 March 2020

“What Is Music Therapy?” ​Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing,​ 2016,

www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/common-questions/what-music-therapy.

Whelan, Caitlin, et al. “SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy.”

SiOWfa15 Science in Our World Certainty and Controversy​, 21 Oct. 2015,

sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/21/does-the-type-of-music-you-listen-to-affect-your-moo

d/.Rea,

Zebley, Maya. Personal Interview. 27 February 2020

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Works Consulted

Bailey, Victor. “How Different Genres of Music Affects Your Mood.” ​VictorBailey.com,​ 14

Sept. 2019, ​www.victorbailey.com/guides/how-different-genre-of-music-affects-mood/​.

Blaser, Larry. "Alternative medicine." ​The Gale Encyclopedia of Science,​ edited by K. Lee

Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 5th ed., Gale, 2014. ​Gale In Context: High School​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CV2644030073/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=af3a

88c1. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.

Kakutani, Michiko. “Power to Soothe the Savage Breast and Animate the Hemispheres.” ​The

New York Times​, The New York Times, 20 Nov. 2007,

www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/books/20kaku.html

Levy, Denise L, and Daniel C Byrd. “Why Can’t We Be Friends? Using Music to Teach Social

Justice.” ​EJ932146​, Apr. 2011, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ932146.pdf.

Ransom, Patricia Fox. “Message in the Music: Do Lyrics Influence WellBeing?” ​Penn Libraries:

University of Pennsylvania,​ 2015,

repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1094&context=mapp_capstone.

"To Cope With Shooting, Parkland Students Use Art, Music Therapy." ​Morning Edition​, 16

Aug. 2018. ​Gale In Context: High School,​

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https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A552009730/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=382873

cf. Accessed 11 Feb. 2020.