Music in my life...

I never skip a single day without listening to music. I always think that music has a great affect on my mood. Do you think so? Can you imagine if there's no music in this life. What would life be without music? I am sure the world without music would be a really quiet place. It seems that certain type of music can lift your mood up while on the other hand the other type of music can really make you feel low. I like it when I wake up in the morning after doing my morning work out, I take a hot shower while listening to some music that can pump up my mood into a cheerful mode=) And for sure you know that if you feel good in the morning, you will also feel good for the rest of your day. So, the next time you feel down, I suggest you not to listen to those sad songs ever! Instead, put on some music that is cheerful which can you go out in that miserable mood. I am sure that if you're listening to some uplifting tune, it'll be a good way to make yourself feel better. Trust me. Been there, done that.

Wanna know a brief history of music? According to wikipedia, around 50,000 years ago these humans began to disperse from Africa reaching all the habitable continents. Since all people of the world, including the most isolated tribal groups, have a form of music, scientists conclude that music must have been present in the ancestral population prior to the dispersal of humans around the world. Consequently music must have been in existence for at least 50,000 years and the first music must have been invented in Africa and then evolved to become a fundamental constituent of human life.A culture's music is influenced by all other aspects of that culture, including social and economic organization and experience, climate, and access to technology. The emotions and ideas that music expresses, the situations in which music is played and listened to, and the attitudes toward music players and composers all vary between regions and periods.

How does music really relate to our mind? Based on one research, it is stated that music relates with the intelligence. It has been proven that exposure to music raises a person's intelligence level especially for young children. The earlier you start a child in music, the more advanced their spatial reasoning skills (mathematics and engineering). Wow, isn't it great? I guess you better believe it that when you're in the period of your pregnancy, give your baby a soft music...I'm sure they can hear it from their Mom's tummy=)

Now I am wondering about the importance of music on our life. Here's what I've found from the Pennsylvania State University-Witn (What's in the News) about the importance of music in Our lives.

We all listen to music and like certain music, but don't realize how much it is a part of our lives. Music did something for me. It helped me in every mood and lifted me up. My husband and I can go to a Broadway musical, or an opera, and be on a "high" from the music. What is it that attracts us to music? Why do we have ipods today with thousands of songs? It's because music is a part of the earth and our nature. According to biomusicologists (Biomusicology is a new field of science, according to Pennsylvania State University "What's in the News" website), music entered the world from the time only animals roamed the earth. It is theorized that animals used a form of music to communicate. Certainly the song of birds is musical and is a form of communication among their species. Humpback whales are said to sing sonatas as a form of communication.

Biomusicologists believe that human brains are wired for music. It appears that even the first humans in prehistoric times made music. The first musical instruments were probably whistles, carved out of animal bones and were also used for communication. Around 5,000 years ago, people were making musical instruments for pleasure, as well as for use in ceremonies. The breakthrough in music came about 2,500 years ago, when the Greek scholar Pythagoras devised a mathematical formula for what is today's musical scale. Each note would be one step higher than the next. Each note was then given a letter so that music could be written. It was over the next thousand years that music became more complex. Various cultures adapted their own type of music. The number and type of musical instruments expanded. In Europe, music developed mainly for the Christian religion. The music played and sung in Christian monasteries 1,500 years ago became the basis for modern music in the western world. As time went on, music began to reflect the political times or the culture of life at the time. Classical music was of the Beethovan and Bach era, and composers starting reflecting intense emotions in their music. This has been carried through to today.

We like music and listen to music because of the emotions it conjures up. Why do we listen to "oldies"? It's because it is nostalgic. Perhaps it brings us back to a time when we were younger, or life was more carefree. It brings us back to where we were at the time. The music we cherish is usually related to good memories or a time that is particularly sweet to us. Music is for every age. Mothers sing lullabies to their babies and are able to put them to sleep. It is also thought that babies in the womb hear music. When young, pre-school children listen to music, it is thought that it helps them understand the beginnings of mathematics. Music is therapeutic. It has been used in medical settings as a way to soothe and help heal victims of post traumatic stress syndrome. It also helps people grieve, when music is played and sung during a memorial. While we enjoy music everyday, we don't think about all of this. However, we listen to music regularly because it is an integral part of our earth's rhythms, it heals, and helps us feel and cope. So, the next time you listen to music, think of it as a gift that you partake of at any time and can have with you always.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words & cannot remain silent.” Victor Hugo

(image source: music notes, flickr, babymusic, hit-or-miss)