The Child’s Making Music Behavior-Part 3-Sharing How Music Influenced This Author and Children’s Thinking About Music!
I have found myself having a sustained love and passion for music throughout my life, unlike anything else.
When I think about how many songs have changed my life and how many more songs I haven’t heard yet that will do the same, it is inspiring to say the least. There is a song for every mood, emotion or experience. No matter what you are feeling, there is a song out there that you can relate to, that you can connect to, that can carry you through. There is a song that will follow you into the darkness and hold you there long enough to see the light. There is a song that will grab onto that light and become your new anthem as you transform and grow. There is a song that will incite your body to move, letting you shake out what’s left.
Music has always been there for me and always will be, at least until my hearing fails me. It will continue to help me express myself, challenge myself, and learn to understand myself better. It will be there to share in the most dismal moments as well as the brightest. It will continue to help me connect to other people and experiences in more profound ways. And that is why music is the greatest love I have ever known.
A 13-year-old asks: I love music. I never met a person who does not like it. But what does music do for us, in scientific terms. Like what do scientist think about music and people? Like, why do people need it and how does it help us in everyday life. The girl says, “I am 13 and have been wondering this forever sort of. When people sing a song we like we react in so many ways. Why is this?”
Another one stated: “Why does it make us feel to such a degree, surely it must be really important then, if it can make us cry or smile. It just seems that if it weren’t quite such an impact then I would understand. Do animals feel emotion from music?”
Another: Is music just something to break the silence? Can you not live without it? Tell me what music means to you!
Others asked 11 to 16 year-olds the question “What does music mean to you?” The responses to me were very mature. I think music can be so hard to describe and define, but it’s easy for them to describe how it affects them.
Here’s a list of their responses:
- “Music is one of, if not the most important aspect of my life.”
- “Music is how I relate myself to the world.”
- “Music means the world to me. It makes me think about how it relates to life and I love the beats.”
- “Music is a way to express yourself, keep you company while you’re alone, and always give you something to do.”
- “Music is everything, without music there is no purpose to a lot of stuff.”
- “Music is a way to express yourself and your feelings. It’s something that I can go to whenever I need it.”
- “Music is a way to express feelings that might be hard to express otherwise.”
- “Music to me is a source of stress relief. It helps me calm down or just to relax on a bad day. But on a good day, music just helps me get through the day.”
- “Music is a way of expressing me and being able to relate to other people; it can personify emotions in life if written well.”
- “Music is a source of inspiration and expression.”
- “Music wakes me up, gets me going, and is a way to add some more awesomeness to every day.”
- “Music means a lot to me. It is a way to express and release emotions. I love music that on top of the fun beats, it can carry a message that is relative to real life situations.”
- “Music is a nice thing you can listen to when you want to get out and just go into your own world.”
- “Music is my way to escape from the real world and just listen and let myself go.”
- “Music is freedom. It’s everything. Music connects the world; it is the expression of deep emotions and feelings.”
- “Music calms me down, lifts me up and always makes me feel a certain way. It explains things when words fail; music speaks.”
- “Music means something that’s inspiring and can match your moods.”
- “Music helps me connect to life.”
Again these responses are very insightful. It really shows the importance music plays in their lives. For some people music is the most important thing in their life. For others, it’s one of the ways they express their emotions. While looking at this list I thought it would be interesting to simplify this list as to what I infer the children were trying to say in its simplest form.
Here’s what I came up with from those responses:
- Music is ones identity.
- Music shows the world what I’m feeling.
- Music is how one socially interacts with humans.
- Music is entertainment.
- Music is inspirational.
- Music is a friend.
- Music is life
Part 4: EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON YOUNG CHILDREN