The Power of Music

It is well known that music  and a person’s mood go hand in hand. But how much can music really affect someone’s mood? The answer is a lot. When you hear that certain song; that certain combination of notes; that certain beat -- it has the power to change my mood from sad to happy, happy to sad, stressed to calm, etc. For me, music is an important aspect of my life. It is therapeutic. Whether I’ve had a bad day and need some sad music to make me feel less alone, or I’ve had an amazing day and just feel like belting my favorite songs because I’m happy to be alive, music is always there.

If you were to look through my ipod, you would find at least one song from every genre imaginable. It ranges from Hip Hop/Rap to Film Scores to Country and even some Show Tunes. I’m always prepared for whatever music my mood demands. Why limit yourself to one genre or one type of music, when you can enjoy them all. each type, each artist relating to a different part of your life. Let me paint a picture for you. I’m on my way to my volleyball match, but I just woke up from a long nap and all I want to do is go back to sleep. What do I do? Sure, a caffeinated drink might help, but why spend money on that when I can have my own form of caffeine pouring out of my speakers. I get in the car and turn on some hardcore rap with a nice, fast-paced beat to get me pumped. Just like that, I’m ready to play.

One of the hardest questions for me to answer is “What’s your favorite song?” It seems simple, yet it is impossible to answer. My favorite song when? When I’m sad I’d have to say it would be any song by Ed Sheeran. When I’m happy, I’d have go with some catchy alternative music or that kind of feel-good country music you don’t normally hear on the radio. When I am feeling dramatic I‘ll typically turn on that 90.9 classical music radio station full blast, or blare film scores from my ipod, making every single movement seem that much more epic. But even then, these answers are constantly changing. I love music too much to narrow it down to just one song.

There is nothing better than that sense of accomplishment when you know all the words to a song. Whether you like a song or not, once you know the words it is almost impossible to do anything but sing along or mouth the words. Personally, one of the most impressive things is to be able to rap along with your favorite rappers. This includes artists such as Eminem, Macklemore, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and Lil Wayne. One thing they all have in common is their fast lyrics (which can also be very clever). If you want to impress your friends, learn these lyrics, and when their next song comes on the radio, you can show your stuff. Rap like nobody’s watching, because I can guarantee the people who are watching will be nothing but impressed and jealous of your ability to spit fire like one of the greats.

While all these personal uses for music are very important, just think about where this world would be without music. We’d have no national anthem, no concerts, and nothing but talk radio (who would want to listen to that 24/7?) Music has the power to break the language barrier across the world. Everyone understands music, and everyone can relate to the different moods it brings about.