Music is one of the most fabulous expressions of the human being since it manages to immediately transmit different sensations that other art forms may not be able to.
Music is a complex system of sounds, melodies, and rhythms that man has discovered and developed to obtain an infinite number of different possibilities. It is estimated that music has great importance for the human being since it allows him to express fears, joys, very deep feelings of different kinds. Music allows us to channel those feelings and make the person relieve their sorrows or grow their joy depending on the case.
Expressions that expose who we are.
As with many other forms of cultural expression, music is a way for human beings to express themselves and represent different sensations, ideas, thoughts. Thus, music is of vital importance not only for its beauty and aesthetic value (both two elements of great relevance in regard to the cultural heritage of a community or a civilization), but also as a support from which the being Human can communicate with others and also with himself (since music can be enjoyed both socially and individually).
Part of what makes us human is music. All cultures create music. In fact, musical instruments are some of the oldest objects developed by man.
There are theories that indicate that music is the evolutionary precursor of language, that is, the bridge between the screams and gestures of primates and our own communication in a more abstract sense.
The music and our brain.
Dr. Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist specializing in music, states in his book "This is your brain on music" that this discipline affects many parts of the vital organ, very deeply. Listening to a happy song, for example, can help lift our spirits, while a sad one will have the opposite effect.
Our brain interprets music in three different areas:
- The rhythm is interpreted by the left frontal cortex, the left parietal cortex, and the right cerebellum.
- The tone is processed in the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and temporal lobe.
- Finally, lyrics are deciphered by the Wernicke area, Broca's area, motor cortex, visual cortex and areas corresponding to emotional responses.
- In a nutshell, music stimulates almost our entire brain and influences the development of intelligence.
Positive health effects.
In the long term, music plays a very important role in our well-being, as follows:
- Children who listen to music from an early age, have better verbal skills, become more creative and live happier.
- Listening to our favorite songs helps reduce anxiety and reduce stress with all its negative effects.
- It is excellent support for pain relief.
- It helps to speed up the recovery process of the sick.
- It makes us more positive people.
- Experts affirm that those who have some kind of musical education have better school performance.
- Music is a universal language
Psychotherapist Paul Ekman suggests that all human beings share 6 basic emotions that are happiness, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust, and fear. We may have different education and languages, but these emotions make us human and music gives us the opportunity to express them. Music helps us to say things that we cannot convey with words. If we feel joy, we need music, if we feel sad too.
Another reason music is important is that it allows you to recognize not only an individual person or group of people but also people who like him. Find out their preferences, type of character, his problems. Because all these elements are reflected in the musical style, in the texts, in the melody, etc. Thus, music can easily be a cultural symbol that establishes not only individual but also social standards with respect to the groups that follow this or that music and that see its most relevant characteristics represented in it.
Why is it important to learn music?
To communicate! The more we learn, the better we can express ourselves and the greater our understanding of what it means to be human.
Music must be learned from the earliest childhood, as children's brains are developing and it is the perfect time to foster positive habits. The more variety of music they listen to and learn, the more versatility of genres they will like when they reach adulthood.
Finally, there is a social element in music. We enjoy it for the same reason that we like to eat, run and jump. Treating her like a frivolity leads us to be unhappy. There is nothing more basic than her and at the same time, there is nothing more complex or beautiful.