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Maria Lopiccolo

Professor Blackman

ENC 1101

5 November 2023

Expository Essay

Music has impacted and shaped cultures and societies around the world since the

Paleolithic period. Music can move people in different ways, no matter their mood. Some may

listen to instrumental music to calm down or scream as they listen to Taylor Swift, there is a

genre of music for everyone that accommodates their emotional needs. Different genres of

music, whether it is jazz, blues, pop, or hard rock, can help trigger different emotions, help

spread ideas that shape society, education, and the development of children, and can be used as a

form of expression in society.

When listening to music that represents a mood or emotion, the Iso-principle gradually

shifts the current mood into the represented or desired mood or emotion (Hoffer, et al.). Music

can help promote relaxation and reduce the hormone cortisol, also known as “the stress

hormone,” by synchronizing breathing patterns (Hoffer). Research has shown that music can also

alleviate symptoms of depression and be used as a treatment for a variety of mental health

conditions, including schizophrenia, dementia, and PTSD (Harris). Music is also used in society

to affect behavior, whether it is in a negative way or a positive way. While shopping, music is

used to encourage shoppers to spend more time in the store.

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Holiday music tends to bring people a sense of nostalgia and can improve someone's

mood by having a positive neurological effect on the brain. There are many reasons that Holiday

music creates a sense of nostalgia that is often positive. Holiday music often communicates

sacred and secular stories of the season. Holiday music is also enjoyable because pivotal cultural

and traditional events are often intertwined. Although many people have fond memories and

positive nostalgia, the same can be said about negative memories and nostalgia (Hoffer). Music

can also be used as a motivator, a timer to complete takes, or a mood enhancer (Hoffer).

Studies have also shown that slower and calmer music has been shown to reduce anxiety,

and blood pressure and improve sleep by decreasing pulse rate and blood pressure. On the

opposite side of the spectrum, faster-paced music increases heart rate and can help while

working out and motivate you to have a higher performance. From Billy Joel’s song “We Didn’t

Start the Fire”, John Lennon’s song “Imagine’, to Bob Marley and the Wailers: “Them Belly Full

(But We Hungry)", music has always been a way to help spread ideas to help shape society.

Music has long been a crucial part of cultural identity, both in individual communities and on a

global scale (Harris). “Music has long played a role in shaping political discourse and social

movements. From protest songs to campaign jingles, music has the power to inspire and mobilize

people around a common cause. Songs like “We Shall Overcome” and “Blowin’ in the Wind”

became anthems of the Civil Rights Movement, inspiring and energizing activists in their fight

for racial justice” (Harris). Not only has music been used to support political campaigns and

candidates, but music can also be used to promote the ideology of the ruling party and create a

sense of nationalistic pride and loyalty.

Music also plays an important role in the education and development of children. Singing

and listening can help to improve phonological awareness, which is essential for learning to read
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and write. Music can also help you learn a foreign language. Songs and chants can be used to

teach you new words and rules of grammar (Harris). Learning through music gives society the

ability to spread the messages they want. Music has always been a popular source of propaganda.

Not only is music used to spread ideas politically, but music is also used to spread ideas

religiously. Ideas have been spread religiously for centuries. Whether it has been through hymns,

psalms, choral music, gospel songs, contemporary music or instrumental music played for

meditation and reflection.

Music is a powerful form of self-expression and communication. It allows a person to

share their thoughts and their feelings through lyrics, melody, and rhythm of a song. In music, all

degrees of expression are limited by the necessity of affecting the senses. One reason music is

such a powerful form of expression is because music can evoke emotions and feelings without

having to say words. Music not only expresses the writer's emotions without having to express

them with words, but it also gives the listener the ability to take their perspective of the music.

Expression cannot begin until the system of division of sound amounts is habitually perceived

(Bennett 110). Songwriters and composers have been sharing their feelings through music for

thousands of years, whether it was in the Paleolithic period when instruments were first created,

the seventeenth century when Johann Sebastian Bach created masterpieces, or now in the twenty-

first century, where music is produced using digital hardware and software. Music can serve as a

way for individuals to explore and express their own identities. For example, adolescents use

music as a means of defining themselves and finding their own place in the world. Music can

play an important role in shaping a sense of self (Harris).

Music is more than just a source of entertainment or something to be singing along with

in the car. Throughout history, music has been an important part of culture in every country and
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in every continent. It has been used to communicate, to heal, and to entertain. The different

genres of music have many benefits to society from triggering different emotions, help spread

ideas that shape society, and being used as a form of expression in society.
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Works Cited

Bennett, Victor. "The Theory of Musical Expression." Music and Letters, vol. Vol.17, no.

No.2, 1936, pp. 106-117, https://doi.org/https://www.jstor.org/stable/728788.

Harris, Alex. "The Power of Music and How It Shapes Society." Tallahassee Memorial,

4 Apr. 2023, neonmusic.co.uk/the-power-of-music-and-how-it-shapes-society/.

Hoffer, Megan, et al. "How Music Affects Your Mind, Mood, and Body." Tallahassee

Memorial, 2 Dec. 2022, www.tmh.org/healthy-living/blogs/healthy-living/how-

music-affects-your-mind-mood-and-body.