Running Head: USE MUSIC TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE 1 Use Music to Improve your Life FirstName LastName Communications 101, MiraCosta College USE MUSIC TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE 2 Introduction I. The average American teenager will listen to 10,500 hours of music between the 7th and 12th grades, which is almost equivalent to the number of hours spent in the classroom from kindergarten through high school. (Brown, 2006, p. 51) II. Listening to music is integral to my life every day because it lifts me up when I’m sad, it helps me deal with stress, and it calms me when I’m upset or angry. III. Music impacts everyone’s lives every day either mentally, physically or behaviorally, whether they are aware of it or not, that is a fact. Let’s start with looking at how music affects us mentally. Body I. Music acts as a powerful mental force for people to create, change, shift and set different moods to suit their personal needs. A. Students can use music to enhance their learning experience and be better prepared. 1. When you start to study you should start with 10 minutes of good, energetic dancing to pop music to get your body oxygenized. 2. After that, when you sit to study, listen to slow, baroque music such as Bach, with fewer than 60 beats per minute, for better focus. (Gard, 1997) a. The best music for study has no words; words distract you by encouraging your brain to sort them out and make sense of them. b. A recent study at the University of California Irvine indicates that listening to the music of Mozart can raise a person’s IQ. (Gard, 1997) USE MUSIC TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE 3 B. Research shows that listening to music is helpful in improving person’s mental health and well-being. 1. Studies have found that in adolescents, music can help relieve tension, alleviate feelings of loneliness, manage their moods, and relieve boredom. (North, 2011, p. 108) 2. Listening to music can trigger certain memories of a person, place, or event that cause nostalgic and sentimental feelings, reminding people of happy times. (North, 2011, p. 122) Music’s mental effects on our mood and memories are common knowledge to most of us, because we experience it every day, but music can have an effect on a person physically, and that’s what I’d like to explore further now. II. Music was prescribed in the treatment of illness by ancient Egyptians and Greeks as far back as the Renaissance and Baroque periods, and today, music continues to be used to improve physical wellness. A. Hospitals are finding music therapy can be an effective addition to patient care for critically ill patients. 1. Studies have been done in neo-natal units showing that in premature infants, music decreases heart rate, salivary cortisol and distress behaviors and increases oxygen saturation and weight gain. (Kemper, 2004, p. 50) a. Harp music is especially effective in reducing stress b. Pl ...