In this project, I chose to show that music is an innate gift that all possess. People have more color and creativity than they think. With just the right little push and motivation, anybody can express themselves musically. But it is not just a form of expression. Music is found to create less stress and bring relaxation to people. Instead of medication or any other traditional treatments for anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness, music has been successful in serving as a form of therapy. Autism patients or people from hospice are great receivers of this form of therapy. The thing is to have the person engage in the music-making, playing instruments, as well as the listening. These activities touch all aspects of the mind, body, brain, and behavior by distracting the mind, slowing the rhythms of the body, and it alters our mood, which in turn can influence behavior. I decided to apply that to these two people I have chosen for my project.
These people have no experience at all with making music and never played an instrument. I gave them a fast 3-minute lesson on how to play guitar. This lesson included simple movements that feel natural to a person which will make it less strenuous to play guitar for someone who never played the instrument. certain notes were chosen that will guarantee pleasant sounds and easy-to-make song-making tools. I then chose a chord progression that is a typical feel-good progression that many enjoy and makes the song making more active for the player. Once the player gets the feel for the music they escape into it very smoothly. They lose all discomforts and devote all their focus to the playing. At some points, you can see the person smiling. Afterward, they say that they really enjoyed it and say that they feel good after playing. I also had a student from my work try this and he expressed how he had a long day of stress and that this was just what he needed. That he felt all the tension ease as he was playing music. Makes everything feel good again.
Now inspiration I didn't really find in our readings exactly. I've seen different videos of music therapy and analyzed students from my job in how interact with playing an instrument. Some of them grab a guitar without even knowing how to play it and lose all focus on what's around them. They devote all their attention to playing the instrument and show expressions of enjoyment. Just the act of making sounds with an instrument seems to create an effect on their mood. So maybe easing down stress and getting a better mood is easier than you think. Maybe cool down with the medication or any activities causing bad moods and look into music. It's the most organic and purest thing out there.
A quote that spoke to me is from John Berger chapter 7 Ways of Seeing, “Money is life. Not in the sense that without money you starve. Not in the sense that capital gives one class power over the entire lives of another class. But in the sense that money is the token of, and the key to, every human capacity. The power to spend money is the power to live. According to the legends of publicity, those who lack the power to spend money become literally faceless. Those who have the power become lovable”. This is such a clear statement that really opens your eyes. Capitalism is something we are surrounded and it has created a way of life that has made us slaves to the false idea of having more to be happy. Reaching for a lifestyle that we think is the standard for acceptable status and happiness.
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