Introduction – Diving into the Power of Music
Music is like the gateway to the soul. Music can be in all shapes and forms, bringing rhythm and harmony into your body as you listen to your favorite song. Even more, it’s flexible to everyone’s needs/likings and holds the ability to connect communities through its nonverbal nature.
My name is Allison Yuan, and I’m a senior at BASIS Phoenix. Music has always played a significant part in my life. As a child, I was constantly surrounded by music. Often, I would find myself humming to the tunes of Beethoven’s symphonies from the Baby Mozart CD playing in my house to the classical radio station KBACH playing in the car. Moreover, as a violinist, I love playing my instrument, fully immersing myself in the music, and enjoying the deep rich tones and melodies of the violin. Now, looking back, music was more than just hitting the right notes; it was a form of expression – a way to use my creativity, channel my emotions into my music, and play from the bottom of my heart. It refreshes my soul and brings me joy, comfort, and hope. Music helps my well-being, improving my mental health.
Currently, I plan to study the effect of music but I am unsure which route to take: music on the general population (more specifically on school-aged children) or music therapy on patients with neurological disorders. If I do music on the general population, I was thinking of sending out surveys and collecting data on how people felt before and after listening to music. If I took the music therapy way, I was thinking of interviewing and surveying music therapists in the area to analyze the effect of music through a therapist’s viewpoint. I will be conducting this research with NAU Professor Mommaerts.
Overall, I hope to better understand how music can improve a person’s well-being or the effect on their brain. Music can change lives and I hope this research will show me the extent of the ability music holds.