I've always been grateful for music. It's something that anyone can appreciate, whether they're a musician or not. Music is magic that literally makes the world better. Without music, this life would be dull.
There would be no dancing; there would be boring festivals; there would be no music industry, church atmospheres wouldn't feel the same, and all that is just the tip of the iceberg.
The power of music can do so much for your own self when it comes to boosting your mood and enjoying your time with it as a hobby, but music is also a gift that is best shared with others. I
If you have the gift, consider all the different ways you can use it for the betterment of people, including the ones around you, the ones you love, strangers, and yourself.
When I started singing as a hobby in school, it was a great way for me to release the negative emotions I was going through during those awkward puberty years.
I'd be getting teased at school or be left out from after-school hangouts with the cool kids and sadly make my way home alone to sing. It sounds like a boring life, but it actually got me through some pretty dark times.
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." -- Red Auerbach
Writing, performing, or listening to music has been scientifically proven to increase one's endorphins, which are the chemicals in your brain that give you that feeling of happiness and enjoyment. Enjoying music in groups increases this effect even more.
Who doesn't need a pick-me-up every now and then? Music is a safe go-to for enhancing your mood so long as you aren't busting your eardrums out with the loud volume.
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I still struggle with my attentiveness in a house of worship, but I am a devout Christian. One thing that keeps me connected spiritually is the worship experiences that almost always involve really good music.
I love singing worship songs alone, but it's even better to sing along with a crowd of people surrounding you and connecting with you while everyone is also connecting to God.
If you're not a Christian, you can still get greatly in tune with your God or even nature itself with the hobby of singing. The spirituality that flows through music is something from which anyone can feel a blessing, no matter what they do or don't believe.
Do you want to just give thanks for the gift of music itself? Use your voice! You'll really feel that appreciation warming your soul as you indulge in this beautiful hobby of ours.
If you're like me and have an interest in becoming a great singer, you should consider getting paid for your talents. The music industry offers a variety of ways to get paid as a singer.
Granted, it is tough to do since a lot of people in the world have the talent for singing, but if you use some creativity and perseverance, you can get quite far with singing as a career.
I personally turned my hobby into a career, particularly in the field of studio singing. My career is not really well-known, and I often have to explain it when people ask, but I'm a session singer.
This means I get paid to record my singing in a studio (I have a home studio) where I sing for all types of projects from various clients, including other singers, musicians, producers, podcasts, and songwriters who need quality recorded vocals.
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My clients are from all over the world, which really helps with the scalability of my business. If I was confined to only doing local singing gigs, I wouldn't be able to pay my bills in the current pandemic, but thanks to the internet, I'm able to connect with people in need from thousands of different locations.
I record vocal work in many genres, including R&B, house, jazz, funk, rap, and pop. Check out some of my samples if you'd like!
Like mood enhancement, music has been proven to eliminate feelings of stress and anxiety. Some call it a depressant or a way to ease your stress and help you to relax in a similar way that alcohol can, but without the health risks.
On top of helping you ease the mind of your worries, music can take things a step further and become a sleep aid as well.
Studies show that music around 60 BPM (beats per minute) or slower is proven to be an effective way to help your body hit its internal snooze button.
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Your ear for music is likely to be influenced by your environment but may also have genetic influences.
Studies show that children exposed to music education earlier in life have an easier time when it comes to ear training in music theory and performance classes.
But psychological professor Diana Deutsch says that physiology may be the cause of pitch accuracy, more specifically, perfect pitch (the ability to identify any pitch without an instrument).
In her research study, she states, "perfect pitch is associated with an unusually large memory span for speech sounds."
Music has so much power that many people like to think that listening to certain types of music can actually make you smarter, especially if it's classical music!
In 1993, Frances Rauscher, Gordon Shaw, and Catherine Ky did an investigation on the effects of listening to Mozart on a person's spatial reasoning.
The results were since then highly fabricated, and the creators of the original study have stressed that listening to Mozart has no effect on a person's general intelligence.
You might not be able to boost your smarts, but you can focus better with music, calm anxieties, and even help your way through problem-solving and brain development, depending on how involved you are getting with the music.
If you want to increase your focus and productivity at the moment, certain genres may be able to help you. Yes, listening to classical music can do some good for you here, but any uplifting musical style with not a lot of focus on lyrical content can help you focus.
Focus can lead you to make much wiser choices! Music that helps you focus can also help calm anxious thoughts that could be taking away from your brainpower.
Many people like to listen to lo-fi hip-hop, jazz, electronica, and ambient music while they work or study and have seen very positive effects.
The musical arts curriculum has been getting slowly squeezed out of school districts across the globe. You've probably seen many valid arguments for why this is completely ridiculous.
Learning artistic and creative expression is a key part of molding young minds into becoming the great minds of the future.
Stifling creativity in our youth is going to lead to fewer problem-solvers and critical thinkers in the coming years. Why would anyone really want that?
People say that the government is defunding arts programs simply because they want to mold the upcoming generations into young minds that can be easily controlled. I'm not sure the actual plan is that nefarious, but it's a huge mistake whether it is or isn't.
Music can help you accomplish many of your mental, physical, and cognitive goals each day, so much so that an official form of therapy that focuses on music exists! Music therapy can calm your anxiety, ease your pain, and provide a pleasant distraction from the world's stress.
We all have deep connections with music that tap into our emotional responses and can boost our mood, spirits, and energy.
Experts say that music therapy can help people of all ages and health conditions, regardless of whether they have a musical background or an ear for it. "There is no other stimulus on Earth that engages the brain as globally as music does," says Brian Harris, one of the US's thousands of board-certified music therapists.
Music therapy covers a broad range of therapeutic approaches for clients in need of cognitive, academic, emotional/psychological, behavioral, social, and physiological training.
It's still in a relatively new phase, with new findings popping up every week, but the proof that it works well is already there.
Some familiar music therapy practices include developmental work with individuals with special needs, orientation work with the elderly, processing and relaxation techniques, and rhythmic entrainment for physical rehabilitation in stroke victims.
"(Music therapy) can make the difference between withdrawal and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between chronic pain and comfort -- between demoralization and dignity." - Barbara Crowe
Music is a vital part of almost all cultures, with millions of songs that bring enrichment and strengthen the bonds of people in a community setting.
There are so many types of communities out there, with examples including religious, political, and locational communities that all incorporate music into their gatherings.
Think of all the communities that you are currently a part of. What type of music comes to mind? Do you find that it helps you feel more connected to that community when you hear it or sing along with it?
Singing in a group setting gives you a scientifically-backed feeling of happiness! According to Daniel Levitin, a psychology professor at McGill University, our brains release oxytocin (known as the love drug) when we sing with others.
Research also shows that when singing to music you enjoy with other people, the brain sees an increase in two neurotransmitters called serotonin and dopamine. Serotonin is known as the happiness hormone, while dopamine is often referred to as the feel-good hormone.
Why is music so powerful? Music brings us together socially in a way that no other art form can.
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As a session singer, writer, and producer that has worked with over 300 clients to provide high-quality jingles, singles, and features, Yona spends her time creating and marketing new music and helpful resources for creators. Check out Yona’s latest releases on her Spotify, her Youtube and share if you like it!
If you are in need of singer, songwriter or song producer services, see what Yona Marie can offer you on her services page.
