Music and Meaning
For this post I spoke with my good friend Orin to get his thoughts on how music can be used in various ways to elicit joy and comfort, among a host of other emotions. Orin grew up in a musical household, as the son of a well-known, classically trained violinist father, and a well-regarded pianist mother. He has been trained in music theory and currently enjoys producing his own music, blending sounds from hip-hop, folk, and classic rock. Our conversation focused on how music helps us cope with our emotions, how it can bring us happiness, joy, and how music is used in communities to mark different occasions and compliment our experiences.
Music and Stress
Orin and I discussed two main ways that music can have a healing effect on difficult or stressful situations. The first way is listening to happy, positive music, which has the power to alter our state of mind to mimic the emotional tonality of the song. To Orin, both music and emotions are experienced as vibrations in the body. When music vibrates in a specific manner, our emotions reciprocate and match the same vibrations. In this sense, positive music can lighten our moods by evoking positive emotions. In other words, music can shape our feelings. The second way it can help us through difficult and stressful situations, is by vibrating at the same felt frequency that we are feeling. This can cause us to feel understood, and often, less lonely. This helps explain why listening to sad or angry music can be a cathartic experience when we are struggling, as there can be pleasure found in commiseration. I could immediately relate to the latter, as I often find that sad or melancholic music will have the reverse effect on my mood when I am down, causing me to feel energized and positive.
Music and Joy
Aside from lifting us out of difficult and stressful situations, we also discussed the different ways that music can bring us joy. To Orin, making music is one of the most potent ways to bring about joy. Making music is a creative process, and inherently satisfying in that regard. Furthermore, making music with others can be extremely joyful. It is like being in an expressive and meaningful conversation where everyone understands each other perfectly. Psychological researchers validate this idea of felt unity, showing that singing familiar songs can help develop group cohesion. Thinking back to my time singing in high school chorus, this insight strongly resonates with my experience. I recall singing openly and getting lost in the feeling of being a part of something bigger than myself - yet another reason that I believe people enjoy music so much.
Music in Public
Lastly, Orin and I discussed different ways that people use music in public. It can be funny to think about what a fitness class would look like if you showed up and the speakers were broken. How many people would show up to do burpees in silence? In this scenario, music provides the key ingredient of motivation, and synchronizes the group to a single beat so everyone is moving in unison (somewhat). However, this scenario is one of many examples where music plays an important role in an experience. Aside from providing motivation during exercise, music can also be used to promote relaxation during meditations, or elicit any number of emotions to highlight the emotional tonality of a movie scene. Reflecting back on my time as a waiter, my manager would specifically play upbeat music in order to speed up the rate of turnover for our tables. These examples show how music can be a powerful conscious or unconscious motivator for emotions and behaviors.
Music in a Clinical Setting
While my personal expertise will likely not include music therapy, reflecting on the great potential that music has to evoke different emotions can be inspirational. Incorporating some type of musicality into my future practice is something I can very much imagine. My point of view is a common one, as many music therapists hold the position that, although music therapy requires a board certification, there is still plenty of room for general clinicians to incorporate basic music-informed aspects into their practice. Based on my own experience with the power of music, I could imagine utilizing music to set a particular mood for a client, or elicit emotions that are otherwise difficult to access. I also believe that there is significant insight to be gleaned from examining the music preferences of my clients. This could help me understand their most prevalent and vulnerable emotions without probing.
Final Thoughts
My conversation with Orin has helped me to appreciate the subtle, yet powerful relationship that music has with people and their emotions. Music can help us tap into our feelings, change our state of mind, promote group cohesion, and alter the speed of our actions. In a clinical setting it can have a profound effect on helping clients become better acquainted with their own feelings, helping them ultimately regulate, and heal. This can be especially useful when dealing with trauma survivors. Music has been used in various healing capacities cross-culturally, throughout human history. As such, there is a natural rationalization for clinicians to include some sort of musical intervention in their practice.
